It’s one of the highlights of the holiday season for parents and children—and local residents seeking to give back to the community.
And this year’s Exchange Club of Scotts Valley Presents “Light up the Night!” event on Dec. 6 did not disappoint.
Kiwanis poured cider; Rotary gave out hot cocoa; Valley Churches United volunteers provided cookies; and the Santa Cruz Moose Lodge partnered-up with Cruise Coffee to provide the caffeinated liquid.
Sponsor Mari Rossi was having a grand ole’ time.
“It’s wonderful. We get the kids, we get all the families,” said Rossi, who got dolled-up in her finest for the arrival of Santa. “We have the snowmachine and he comes on the firetruck. We’ve got all the goodies and treats.”
It was great to see all the different dance schools put on a great show, she added.
“They’re wonderful,” said Rossi, when asked about the Wings School of Dance performers.
Ditto to the students of Bobbie Ward’s Performance Vocal.
“The kids that sing are amazing,” she said.
Rossi explained she also sponsors the summer Food Truck Fridays series, but added, “It’s really nice to have everybody get together in the winter also.”
Events like this are an important way of bringing the community together, she noted.
“Thirty to 40 years ago, all towns would do this stuff,” she said. “I love that here in Scotts Valley we still do this. It’s just a wonderful community thing.”
This year, PG&E sponsored the lit-up Holiday Tree. The Exchange Club partners with the California Nevada District Exchange Clubs Charitable Foundation Inc. to accept donations of $250 or more that will include a receipt (Tax ID: 95-4568283). Mark McWhinney Foundation, Alpha Land Surveys Inc. and Kaiser Permanente were other supporters.
Scotts Valley Mayor Derek Timm, president of Montalvo Homes & Estates, was also a sponsor, as was Donna Lind.
As is her annual practice, Lind was darting this way and that, making sure the event went off without a hitch. She said she was particularly impressed by the calibre of the Scotts Valley Middle School students, who brought their drama skills to bear that evening.
In the past few months, Lind went from being a city councilwoman to stepping into the vice mayor role when Allan Timms moved out of town. And, during the Dec. 6 event, she was just a couple weeks away from being crowned mayor-for-a-year, once again, on Dec. 17.
But that night, at the Scotts Valley Community Center, it was all about making sure the youth had the best time ever, and raising money and collecting food for Valley Churches United.
Lind, a former Scotts Valley Police officer, frequently checked in with the Scotts Valley Police Officers Association members behind the donation table. She noted they’ve been doing this for about two decades now.
Over at the photo booth, the Waelty cousins posed with Santa. They used to live in California, but are currently living in Ohio, and are back visiting.
By the kitchen, Kirsten Maure, a volunteer with the Exchange Club of Scotts Valley, said she’s been coming to the tree lighting for about 25 years with her husband.
“We would just sing carols by the tree,” she said, referring to the actual evergreen near Walgreens that was, by the time of this interview, illuminated. “Then, there was a couple years where it rained.”
The thing that’s different this year, is that her husband, Greg Wimp, who many know for his ownership of Togo’s sandwich shops, was appointed to Council, after former Vice Mayor Timms left.
“We all want to give back to our community, and we do it in different ways,” said Maure, reflecting on what it’s been like to see her husband take on this new political role. “It’s really great.”
They were out of town last year, so Maure said it was nice to get to witness this year’s “Light up the Night!”—as Rossi came over and hugged her.
