Be still my heart! A bevy of dashing, charming male waiters tended to milady’s wine and food needs on Oct. 23 at the Santa Maria Country Club. Domestic Violence Solutions (DVS) activist Peggy Blough and friends hatched the idea for this first-time event. It was billed as “Santa Maria Men Against Domestic Violence Present Girls’ Night Out.”
The waiters were mostly members of the Santa Maria Breakfast Rotary Club. Rumor has it that the guys had a lot of fun. They were super diligent
The DVS committee priced tickets at a very affordable $25 for the 140 or so who filled the country club dining room. The very high noise level made me laugh—I compared it to the much lower decibel range at the recent Toys for Tots dinner held in the very same location. At that time, the room was full of male golfers. I guarantee you, the gals talk mega-times louder than the guys, and apparently they don’t run out of things to say, because there was a reluctance to leave when the 5-to-7 p.m. event was officially over.
If Mayor Larry Lavagnino and son Steve visit an orthopedic doctor together, the doc will no doubt confirm what we all know: The funny bone runs in the family. Mayor Larry emceed, while former-stand-up-comic Steve, one of the “celebrity” waiters, entertained his table of Rabobank Chicks with his antics. Kathryn Kromer, manager of the South Broadway branch, and Myra Dewitt, financial services officer, were in the group.
The dining room was set with round tables strewn with pink, purple, and flickering candles, arranged by Donna Denham, the club’s food and beverage manager. Judy Faget, manager of the DVS Thrift Store in Lompoc, sold raffle tickets and checked people in, assisted by Lompoc DVS volunteers Annemie Lafferty and Kathleen Ivory. The DVS Thrift Store is one of the very few thrift stores in the area that’s operated by the actual nonprofit that benefits from the sale of donations. In other words, DVS receives all of the money made in the store, not just a percentage.
You’ve heard it here before: Santa Marians love raffles. Buyers bought several hundred dollars’ worth of raffle tickets in hopes of nabbing a prize. The bag in front of a diamond-decorated watch from Fischer’s Fine Jewelry overflowed. Not even the cute waiters could detract the interest of the ticket holders as winning numbers were called. We gals have our priorities!
But, not to worry: Authorities were present in case we were having too much fun and things got out of hand. Guadalupe Mayor Lupe Alvarez, Santa Maria Fire Chief Frank Ortiz, Santa Maria City Manager Tim Ness, Santa Maria City Councilman Bob Orach, Judge Jim Rigali, and Judge Tim Staffel were among the “celebrity” males.
DVS Executive Director Beverly Engel talked about the connection between being a nice girl and being a domestic violence victim. She sold and signed copies of her book, The Nice Girl Syndrome: Stop Being Manipulated and Abused and Start Standing Up for Yourself.
“Girls’ Night Out” was a great idea, Peggy!
Thought for the week: You just can’t help lovin’ those Breakfast Club Rotarians!
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at [email protected].
