2018 September COLONY Magazine

COLONYMAGAZINE.COM

2 | colonymagazine.com COLONY Magazine, September 2018

FEATURES 

contents 

September 2018, Issue 3 

18 20 

COLONY DAYS 

IT’S NOT JUST A PARADE! COLONY DAYS BRINGS FUN ACTIVITES TO SUNKEN GARDENS, 

FROM A HISTORIC RE-CREATION TO WEINER DOG RACES AND MORE 

WAYNE COOPER: IN SERVICE 

FRIENDS, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS 

HONOR ONE OF ATASCADERO’S LEADERS 

DEPARTMENTS 

31 24 11 

SOMETHING WORTH READING 

06 Publisher’s Letter 

ROUND TOWN 

08 Colony Buzz 

10 Santa Margarita: Small Town, Big Heart 

11 Third Annual Cornhole Tournament 

12 On the Road with Pope X3 

13 Wine Country Theatre: Moonlight & Magnolias 

COLONY PEOPLE 

14 Karen McNamara:Community Advocate 

16 Nate Conrad: Student Becomes the Teacher 

17 Doug Filipponi:Savoring the Good Life 

BUSINESS 

22 John’s Video Palace: Family-Friendly 

Entertainment for 30 Years 

TENT CITY 

24 Colony Days Brings Tent City Re-Creation 

25 Tent City After Dark Moves to Friday 

26 Veterans Memorial Needs Volunteers 

27 Battling the Back to School Blues 

by County Superintendent Jim Brescia 

COLONY TASTE 

28 Taste of Americana: The Colony Cookbook 

29 Ancient Peaks: Historic Roots, Rich History 

EVENTS 

30 North SLO County Activity & Event Guide 

31 Whale Rock Music & Art Fest Promises a Hit 

LAST WORD 

34 Boys & Girls Club: Champions of Youth 

ON THE COVER 

Ancient Peaks Winery in Santa Margarita 

By Cameron Ingalls 


September 2018, COLONY Magazine colonymagazine.com | 5

Something Worth Reading 

ATASCADERO — SANTA MARGARITA — CRESTON 

BUSINESS | DINING | SHOPPING | ARTS | EVENTS | PEOPLE | NEWS 

805-391-4566 

publisher@colonymagazine.com 

MAIL: P.O. Box 163 

Atascadero, CA 93423 

PUBLISHER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 

Nicholas Mattson 

publisher@colonymagazine.com 

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR 

Hayley Mattson 

EDITOR 

Luke Phillips 

LEAD AD DESIGN 

Denise McLean, Mode 

Communications 

LEAD LAYOUT DESIGN 

Travis Ruppe 

GRAPHIC DESIGN 

Aaron Seedorf 

ART PRODUCTION 

Sue Dill 

WINE EDITOR 

Mira Honeycutt 

WRITER 

Melissa Chavez 

WRITER 

Heather Young 

COLUMNIST 

Sarah Pope 

COLUMNIST 

Simone Smith 

COLUMNIST 

Barbie Butz 

VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 3 

19,000 Printed | 15,775 Mailed 

COLONY Magazine is published monthly and distributed FREE to every 

residence and business in Atascadero 93422, Santa Margarita 93453, and 

Creston 93432 zip codes. Postage paid at Paso Robles, CA 93446. 

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COLONY Magazine is also available for our visitors at wineries, Chamber of Commerce, 

North County Transportation Center, local motels, hotels, vacation homes, B&Bs, the 

airport, doctor’s offices, restaurants, and other high-traffic hotspots. 

Subscriptions 

AD CONSULTANT & WRITER 

Millie Drum 

AD CONSULTANT 

Pam Osborn 

AD CONSULTANT 

Jamie Self 

AD CONSULTANT 

Karli Twisselman 

AD CONSULTANT 

Carmen Burton Kessler 

COLONY Magazine ©2018 

is owned and published by 

Nicholas & Hayley Mattson 

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from COLONY Magazine. 

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international mailing). Subscribe online at COLONYmagazine.com. 

Let us keep our faces to the sunshine 

and we will not see the shadows. 

— E.G. Lewis 

Happy birthday to us! Yep, we are 

officially 12 months into our 

ownership of PASO Magazine 

and we are thrilled about where we are 

going. With the launch of COLONY 

Magazine for Atascadero and Santa 

Margarita, we are proving that print is 

alive and well, and we love being a part of 

making a community like ours stronger. 

For many years — after picking it up 

as a quote misattributed to Benjamin 

Franklin — I have kept the motto “Do 

something worth writing, or write something 

worth reading.” 

As a member of our local media, it is a pleasure to live in a community 

that continues to produce things worth writing about, so we can fulfill 

our part in writing something worth reading. 

Thank you all for being a part of this early journey. Now three months 

into a new life as COLONY Magazine, we could not be more proud of 

the team and the community that has come together to make it all work! 

We took over PASO for the October 2017 issue, went glossy in 

December, made a splash in January with a polar bear dip cover and our 

inaugural Taste of PASO restaurant issue (watch out for our second annual! 

It will be even bigger). We added a couple of columnists to give our 

young parents some ideas about activities and outings with the kids, with 

Tonya Strickland of Two In Tow and Sarah Pope with Pope X 3. 

As a member of the community, we’ve partnered with the Chamber 

of Commerce, Paso Robles Event Center and California Mid-State Fair, 

and continued to support our Downtown Paso Robles Main Street Association. 

We also continued our focus on our local nonprofit organizations, 

including Boys & Girls Club, Committee for Atascadero Public Schools, 

Colony Days, Printery Foundation, and other events throughout the 

year. We have a great community to partner with and we look forward to 

doing that for all our community organizations. 

My wife and I serve on multiple boards as directors and volunteers and 

we know how much work goes into providing services to those in need, 

or producing community-centered events that make our community 

great. Some might want to Make America Great Again, and that sound 

wonderful, but around here, we have a long history of working together 

for a great community, and we just want to do what we can to Keep 

North SLO County Great … and make it even better. 

We are moving into our second year with a full head of steam and a 

few more great things we are excited to release as a service to our community. 

We are destined to become a community favorite, and appreciate 

everyone’s encouragement as we introduced COLONY Magazine with 

the hope to improve the community and present our community to 

visitors, and the support that our local businesses and advertisers deserve 

for supporting such a great community asset. 

Please enjoy this issue of COLONY Magazine. 

Nicholas Mattson 

805-391-4566 

nic@colonymagazine.com 

If thou wouldest win Immortality 

of Name, either do things worth 

the writing, or write things 

worth the reading. 

For advertising inquiries and rates, story ideas and submission of photos, 

letters, press releases, etc., email publisher@COLONYmagazine.com. 

— Thomas Fuller, 1727 


The Hope Chest Emporium 

Old Ranch and Antique to Just-Made Local Goods 

We Carry a Unique Blend 


Plop a Spot for 

Cow Pie Bingo 

The Atascadero Printery Foundation is selling 

tickets to a unique FUNdraiser that waits 

for nature to call. The second annual Cow 

Pie Bingo will 

be set to music 

by Shelly and 

the Classics on 

Sunday, Sept. 16. 

The event will 

include food, 

drinks, fun and 

games, and plain old good times on the grounds 

of the Atascadero Printery building while the 

crowd waits for Betsy to get down to business. 

How it works, is there is a bingo grid with 

squares sold to participants and the cow meanders 

around the grid, looking to pick a lucky 

winner with a plop on their spot. 

Folks have at least a one in 500 chance of 

winning, although some have already purchase 

plots of fertile property in three-bythree 

squares, increasing their chances that 

ol’ Betsy will deposit her brown gold in space 

under their dominion. 

It all goes to a good cause in helping the 

Atascadero Printery Foundation to raise funds 

for its mission to reclaim, rehabilitate, and repurpose 

the “Press Building” into a multipurpose, 

community-use facility. 

Funds from the event will count toward the 

foundation’s effort to win the 2019 Dancing 

With Our Stars as an added bonus. 

To purchase tickets for the event, go to 

atascaderoprintery.org/cow-pie-bingo-squares 

Enjoy An Evening 

in Santa Margarita 

Celebrate Santa Margarita and indulge 

in all it has to offer during An Evening 

in Santa Margarita on Friday, Sept. 14 

from 5 to 9 p.m. 

Enjoy music, food, drinks, and crafts while 

strolling through town, and to sweeten the 

flavor of the evening, proceeds go to support 

Friends of the Santa Margarita Library. 

Cruise down El Camino and stop at your 

favorite shops and restaurants or if you’ve never 

been, visit them for the first time — either way, 

take some time to explore. 

The evening will feature vintage cars, wine 

tasting, and ice cream sundaes at The Barn Antiques 

& Unique, as well as a cornhole contest 

outside Margarita Bikes. 

Get a lecture at Educated Gardner, find children’s 

activities outside Something Blue, or take 

the kids over to see the Santa Margarita Fire 

Department fire truck. 

Local restaurants will donate a portion 

of their sales to Friends of the Santa 

Margarita Library. 

Participating businesses include, Studio58, 

The Barn Antiques & Unique, HOME •santa 

margarita•, Casa Loma Rustic Furnishings, 

The Educated 

Gardener, Something 

Blue-Fine 

Sewing and 

Wedding Alterations, 

Margarita 

Bikes, Ragtime 

Clothing, 

Ancient Peaks 

Winery, Soaring Hawk Vineyards, Sculpterra 

Winery, JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery, Vintage 

Cowboy Winery, The Porch Cafe, The 

Range, Rosalina’s, Pacific Beverage, Southern 

Station, and Paradise Shaved Ice. And our 

sponsors ~ Diamond M Investments, Foundation 

Solutions, Oak Country Lumber, Pintor’s 

Tire & Wheel, Santa Margarita Feed and Joel 

Switzer Diesel Repair. 

Movies in the Gardens 

Playing Two More Weeks 

Two more dates are left for Movies in the 

Gardens, with “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and 

“Wonder” 

rounding out 

this year’s 

outdoor 

movie schedule 

at Sunken 

Gardens 

on Saturday, 

Sept. 1 and 

Saturday, 

Sept. 8. 

If you don’t know what Star Wars is by now, 

you probably really don’t care, so we’ll save the 

unnecessary description — but go see it in the 

park anyways. It will be worth it. The latest Star 

Wars installment was critically acclaimed by 

the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes, with 

a 91 percent on the Tomatometer. Audiences 

gave it 46 percent, but probably none of them 

saw it outside under the Atascadero stars with 

hundreds of friends and neighbors. 

“Wonder,” on the other hand, is worth 

talking about as the name gives you pretty 

much nothing. Wonder was well-received by 

audiences and critics alike, and is kind of like 

the story of every home-school kid’s first day of 

public school — except … August Pullman has 

some unusual facial differences. But he makes 

up for it with charm and a rapier wit. 

Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts play the 

supportive and caring parents as August enters 

fifth grade to battle the typical middle school 

torture with the gloves off. If you can see where 

this is going, you might think he turns lemons 

into sweet lemonade and takes you on a journey 

to the heart of a child forced to find the humor 

in tough situations, and inspires compassion 

unmatched but for the Dalai Lama. You might 

be right, but you should get your lowrise lawn 

chair and see for yourself on Sept. 8. 

Movies begin at 8 p.m. and snacks, desserts 

and drinks are available on site. 


Cruise Night 

Rides Again 

Vehicles of all shapes and sizes cruised the streets 

of downtown Atascadero for nearly three hours 

during the 2018 Hot El Camino Cruise Nite 

Aug.17, kicking off a weekend of motorhead fun 

in the city, concluding Saturday with the Mid-State 

Cruizers car show at Atascadero Lake Park and the 

city’s new Dancing in the Streets event downtown. 

Photos by Luke Phillips 

Seafood 

Proudly serving 

Salmon Picatta 

Chilean Sea Bass 

Mahi Mahi 

Specials 

Monday Tuesday 

1/2 Off Wine Tri-Tip 

Wednesday Sunday 

$1 Oysters Prime Rib 

Meats 

Now serving 

Waygu Beef Ribs 

Waygu New 

York Strip 

Private Parties: Three dining rooms for large and small groups. Birthdays, wedding and rehearsal dinners, or holiday parties 

6005 El Camino Real, Atascadero, CA 93422 

Web: www.the-carlton.com | Email: info@the-carlton.com 

Call: (805) 461-5100 | Take Out: Call to Order 

Hours: Sun-Thu: 4p-9p / Fri-Sat: 4p-11p 


ROUND TOWN 

Santa Margarita SMALL TOWN, BIG HEART 

Photos by Luke Phillips 

Welcome to Santa Margarita! As a 

business owner celebrating 25 years 

in and a resident for 30, I’ve come 

to know and love our tiny town and I’d like 

to take a moment to welcome you and explain 

what makes this small town a very special place. 

Every area is unique in its own way. Geographical 

location, natural environment, history 

and community all come into play to shape and 

mold each into what it currently is and what it 

will be in the future. 

NOT to be confused with the very young 

planned city of Rancho Santa Margarita (pop. 

47,853) incorporated in Orange County in 

2000, you can find the town of Santa Margarita 

(pop. 1,259) located within the County of 

San Luis Obispo, at the southern end of “the 

North County” and a mere 10-minute hop away 

over the Cuesta Grade from the city of San 

Luis Obispo just off Highway 101. The current 

“downtown” is centered on a portion of road 

which has multiple names, mainly three (but 

if you ask certain locals there are a few more). 

When traveling to Santa Margarita, the main 

street happens to be a portion of the historic El 

Camino Real (The King’s Highway) running 

north/south; the western end of State Route 58, 

which stretches east to Barstow; in addition to 

being named “G” street (as established by the 

original town map of 1889). 

Having one stretch of road with three names 

is always fun trying to explain to visitors and 

there are many stories of confusion with Rancho 

Santa Margarita (a roughly 5-hour, 279- 

mile drive away) including “that time when a 

bus full of a high school football players arrived 

looking for the football field to play the local 

team” or “that time when a semi-truckload of 

new cars was looking for the dealership”… oops! 

The original inhabitants were likely drawn 

to the idyllic Santa Margarita Valley by the 

bounty provided through its year-round running 

streams, abundant wildlife and acorn-producing 

oaks and was used by the northern 

Chumash and southern Salinans as a gathering 

place. Years later, in 1769, the area saw the 

arrival of the Spanish exploratory expedition 

of Gaspar de Portola accompanied by Father 

Junipero Serra who established nine of the 

eventual 21 Spanish missions, including Mis- 

By Simone Smith 

sion San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, founded in 

1772 and soon after it’s associated asistencia 

(assistance or sub-mission rancho). It is believed 

that this mission rancho was named in honor 

of Father Serra’s mother Margaret and favorite 

patron saint Margarita de Cortona of his 

birthplace in Spain. 

Due to its geographical location and hospitable 

environment, Santa Margarita has long 

been and continues to be a special place that 

welcomes and brings people together, from early 

Native Americans to the missionaries and 

beyond to present day gatherings. 

ShapeBe on the lookout! Next month, I plan 

on filling the historical gap between the Mission 

days and present day Santa Margarita. 

Upcoming gatherings in Santa Margarita 

for September 

Sept. 3 - Final Summertime Margarita Monday 

Community Potluck in the Park - 6-9 p.m. 

Sept. 14 - An Evening in Santa Margarita 

– 5-9 p.m. - Enjoy music, food, drinks and 

crafts while strolling through town. Hosted 

at local business locations, this event benefits 

and supports the Friends of the Santa 

Margarita Library. 

For more information about the history of 

Santa Margarita, visit santamargaritahistorical 

society.org. 

You can also follow Santa Margarita on Facebook 

by searching for @SantaMargaritaCA. 


ROUND TOWN 

ATASCADERO KIWANIS & KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS 

Showdown 

Third annual event returns to 

Sunken Gardens Sept. 22 

The third annual Atascadero 

Kiwanis and Knights of Columbus 

Showdown Cornhole 

tournament will take place on 

Saturday, Sept. 22 in Sunken Gardens. 

Last year’s tournament was the 

largest of its kind on the Central 

Coast with 64 teams participating. 

Organizer Mike LoPicolo said that 

more than 100 teams are expected 

to attend this year. 

“The Atascadero High School 

Greybots robotics team has been 

chosen to receive the proceeds from 

this year’s tournament,” LoPicolo 

said. “The Kiwanis and Knights 

By Heather Young 

chose the Greybots because a major 

focus of both clubs is to help 

the youth and youth programs in 

our community.” 

No more than 128 teams will be 

accepted into the tournament. Each 

team is made up for two people. The 

cost for each team to enter is an $80 

donation. There will an eight-round 

round robin play for A and B bracket 

double elimination placements. 

The teams that place first through 

fourth will play in the A bracket 

for up to $2,000 in cash prizes and 

teams that finish in fifth through 

eighth will place in the B bracket 

for up to $1,000 in cash prizes. 

Check-in for the event begins at 

8:30 a.m. and tossing begins at 10 

a.m. and goes until 5 p.m. 

“If you like to play cornhole, the 

tournament is a nine-game minimum, 

with over $3,000 in prize 

money with a sold-out event,” LoPicolo 

said. “There will be a Long Shot 

contest with $100 in prize money 

and an Air Mail Shoot Out for 

$100. Two Giant Jengas will be set 

up for anyone wishing to test their 

Jenga skills in a big way. A water 

balloon toss will also be part of the 

fun.” 

For those not playing in the 

tournament, there will be additional 

cornhole board set up for some 

cornhole fun. 

“You might even be able to get a 

chance to challenge the Greybots’ 

cornhole-playing robot,” LoPicolo 

said. “If you enjoy a good raffle 

with lots of great items, our North 

County Adaptive Sports and Recreation 

Program will also be there 

with items that we know that 

you’ll want.” 

Sponsors are also still being 

sought for this year’s tournament 

and there are two level of sponsorship: 

$100 or $200. For $100 

you can get an 18-inch by 24-inch 

business sign posted at the court and 

for $200 you’ll also get a team and 

lunch. 

Last year’s tournament sold out, 

so if you’d like to get in this year’s 

event, have some fun, and help out 

some great programs, you can register 

at Atascadero Chamber of Commerce 

or online at Eventbrite.com, 

search “Showdown Cornhole.” 

If you have questions about the 

event, email LoPicolo at mklopic@ 

msn.com. 


ROUND TOWN 

Taking the backroads WITH POPEX3 

By Sarah Pope 

It’s near impossible to run out 

of things to do here on the 

Central Coast. It’s Saturday 

morning and the boys were 

bouncing off the walls! With 

triple digits outside, we decided 

to take a drive to the coast… the 

long way. My husband was born 

and raised here and he loves to entertain 

our boys and share his stories 

of his adventurous childhood 

days. He has experienced every 

back road, creek and creepy cave 

along the way. 

Driving west from Templeton, 

our long road trip began at Vineyard 

Drive. Soon after crossing 

over Highway 46, we enjoyed 

the endless winding country road 

surrounded with the most beautiful 

old barns, some of the best 

North County wineries nestled 

in between some of the oldest 

and majestic oak trees. On this 

beautiful drive the country road 

is hugged with a wall constructed 

of limestone rocks pulled 

from the surrounding area. As 

we continue our journey, we pass 

Adelaida Road, how the historic 

Adelaide Cemetery got her name. 

Legend states never to leave your 

keys in your car or the residents 

of the cemetery will steal them, 

leaving you stranded. The ghost 

of the late, Charlotte Sitton (aka 

The Pink Lady), has been know 

to wander the cemetery every 

Friday night leaving flowers 

at her child’s grave. Lots more 

fascinating stories for around 

the campfire. 

Aware that there is a creek running 

to the right of the road, we 

are all on the lookout for a spot 

to get our toes wet. As we drive 

over a loud wooden bridge we 

find the most perfect spot right 

underneath it. The water was cold 

and so refreshing! The boys found 

fish, small running creeks and a 

cluster of bright blue dragonflies. 

It felt as though we were in another 

land, but in reality we were 

so close to home. 

As we neared the ocean we 

could see the temperature gauge 

rapidly dropping (97 … 80 … 

73). We rolled down the window 

and could only hear the wind 

and the trees as we enjoyed the 

cool breeze hitting our faces. 

Then there it was, the ocean and 

a view that a picture could do no 

justice. Sweet Cambria, with its 

quaint local shops, antique stores 

and home of the fun and COOL 

Shamel Park. 

As memories are being made, 

we are discovering new places, 

;earning something new everyday 

about the history in our very own 

backyard and visiting places “daddy” 

used to visit as a child. There 

is no better tour guide than he. 


ROUND TOWN 

Moonlight & Magnolias 

Three men, five days, one iconic screenplay 

Screwball comedy 

opening at 

Wine Country 

Theatre Sept. 21 

Moonlight and Magnolias, 

Ron Hutchinson’s 

Off-Broadway comic celebration 

of one of the greatest 

movies of all time, opens 

Friday, Sept. 21 and runs 

through Sept. 30 at the Park 

Ballroom, 1232 Park Street in 

downtown Paso Robles. 

Wine Country Theatre continues 

its fourth season with the 

zany comedy directed by Lisa 

Woske. This wildly funny and 

engaging tale illuminates the behind-the-scenes 

business of movie-making 

during the Golden Age 

of Hollywood. 

The premise is based on a true 

story: Unhappy with the incomplete 

shooting script for Gone 

with the Wind, legendary producer 

David O. Selznick has shut 

down production on his new epic. 

He sends a car for famed script 

doctor Ben Hecht, pulls director 

Victor Fleming off the set of The 

Wizard of Oz, and proceeds to 

lock them all in his office in order 

to finish the script. Subsisting on 

a diet of bananas and peanuts, the 

three men spend five days rewriting 

a screenplay that will become 

the blueprint for one of the most 

successful films of all time. 

“If only Hecht had read the 

book!” elaborates director Lisa 

Woske. “With no time to read 

1037 pages, Selznick and Fleming 

attempt to act out the story 

for him – which may or may not 

be helpful…but it sure is comical. 

Hecht also provides a bit of social 

commentary as he types, so there 

are layers beneath the laughs.” 

Wine Country Theatre’s Executive 

Director Cynthia Anthony 

adds, “Moonlight and Magnolias 

is a great production to present 

this season. Our audiences will 

love the fast-paced humor and 

enjoy the behind-the-scenes antics 

that surround such a wellknown 

movie classic.” 

Featuring four outstanding 

local actors – Chad Stevens, Ed 

Cardoza, Tony Costa and Jo Jackson 

– the comedy embodies the 

mission of Wine Country Theatre, 

which is to offer a professional-caliber 

theatre experience for 

Central Coast audiences. 

The show runs Sept. 21–30; 

Friday and Saturday nights at 

7:30 p.m. with Saturday and 

Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. at the 

Park Ballroom in downtown Paso 

Robles. Wine, snacks and desserts 

are available for purchase; 

generous table seating allows refreshments 

to be enjoyed during 

the show. Tickets are $25 general 

public; $20 for groups of 8+; 

$15 student. 

For ticket information go the 

website: winecountrytheatre.com 

or contact Brown Paper Tickets at 

1-800-838-3006. 



KAREN MCNAMARA Realtor, business owner, community advocate 


Karen McNamara has not 

lived in Atascadero all her 

life but she loves Atascadero 

as though she had. She moved 

here with her late husband, 

Mike McNamara, who died 

in June 2015. 

Since moving to Atascadero, she 

started the Printery Foundation 

with Nic Mattson, who had started 

discussing the fate of the historic 

building with Mike, but Mike died 

before anything could be done. 

“He didn’t like to complain,” 

Karen said. “If he didn’t like 

something, he did something 

about it. He was just a really good 

man… Mike and Nic both grew 

up here, it’s a building they both 

care about.” 

The foundation was officially 

formed in October 2015. Since 

that time, it has gained control of 

the building and raised enough 

money to buy it from the county 

when it went to auction. 

The Atascadero Printery Building 

has been red-tagged and 

boarded up since the San Simeon 

Earthquake hit the county in 2003. 

It had remained relatively untouched 

since, leaving most of the 

windows broken and the building 

quickly deteriorating, according to 

McNamara, president of the Printery 

Foundation. 

The foundation’s mission is to 

reclaim, rehabilitate and repurpose 

the Printery building. It's estimated 

that the foundation will need 

$8.5 million to make the building 

fit for the public. The foundation 

has currently raised $140,000 of 

“Community 

rabble-rouser 

should be my 

title. I don’t 

believe in just 

griping about 

stuff but 

getting involved." 

that amount. McNamara speculates 

that the majority of the 

funds will come from grants and 

possibly very large donors. Of the 

total, $2.5 million will be used to 

retrofit the building. That amount, 

she said, is the committee’s first 

goal now that the foundation has 

ownership of the building. 

Anyone who wants to get involved 

in any way can contact Karen 

at 805-459-5113 or mcrealtor@ 

rocketmail.com. 

Even before she undertook 

saving the Printery, Karen joined 

the Optimist Club about six years 

ago, which led her to join the Colony 

Days Committee on which 

she is serving her second of two 

terms as chair. 

“Community rabble-rouser 

should be my title,” McNamara 

said, adding that when her family 

attended the parade their 

first year back in Atascadero she 

felt that she should get involved 

in the event. “I don’t believe 

in just griping about stuff but 

getting involved.” 

Karen McNamara mans her store, Hope Chest Emporium. 

Photo by Heather Young 

She started out working with 

vendors and figuring out logistics 

and then served as secretary before 

moving up to chairperson. 

“I’ll stay on the committee, 

but probably won’t have a lot of 

responsibilities because I have a 

lot going on with the Printery,” 

she said. 

With progress heating up with 

the Printery, McNamara said 

she’s often in meetings related to 

the building. 

In addition to her community 

involvement, she is also a real estate 

agent and owns Hope Chest 

Emporium, which is located next 

to Bru Coffeehouse at 5800 El 

Camino Real. The home goods 

store has a unique blend of locally-made, 

restored or repurposed 

furniture, decor, candles, garden 

items and more. The store features 

goods from a variety of sellers. 

“I call it my lemonade stand,” 

McNamara said. “Life handed 

me lemons and I made a lemonade 

stand. I miss Mike terribly 

but I’m not going to dwell on it. 

I’m going to be a help in the community. 

That’s the way I’m going 

to honor him.” 

McNamara has four children: 

Jaime, 37; April, 36; Ryan, 23, and 

Kody, 20. All of her children except 

Jaime are local residents. 




Welcome back, Conrad 

Photos by Pat Pemberton 

AHS grad Nate Conrad Enters 13th Year Leading His Old Band 

Nate Conrad was preparing to fly to Europe 

where he would perform for the 

third time since entering college when 

the call came to go back home. 

“Four or five people from Atascadero called 

me and said, ‘When are you going to get 

your teaching credential?’” said Conrad, who 

was studying at California State University, 

East Bay at the time. “Because the job just 

opened up.” 

The Job: director of the high school band. 

Seven years earlier, Conrad had performed 

with that band as a student. Suddenly, he 

had an opportunity to return to Atascadero 

as an educator. 

Remember that 70s sitcom “Welcome 

Back, Kotter?” 

Like that, but without a laugh track. 

Now, 12 years after his return, Conrad is still 

leading that band, which will experience a significant 

change this year when it skips marching 

competitions to focus on musicianship and 

local events. 

“This is pretty awesome,” he said, sitting in 

a temporary instrument storage space while 

the band room undergoes renovation. “And 

I’m really happy doing what I’m doing where 

I’m doing it.” 

Conrad moved to Atascadero at the age of 

four with a family of musicians. 

“We were always singing and making music 

in the house growing up,” he said. 

His father, an Episcopal priest, enjoyed classical 

music and hymns, so that dominated — 

but didn’t necessarily dictate Conrad’s earliest 

music selections. 

“I got the first Weezer album and the first 

Green Day album,” he said. 

But during his sophomore year, his parents 

bought him some music for Christmas — 

Count Basie and J.J. Johnson — and he was 

hooked on jazz. 

“It probably took me twice as long to do 

my homework as any other student,” he said. 

“Because I had those CDs on all the time, and 

I would space out and listen to music.” 

Conrad began playing trombone one day 

simply because the other available instruments 

— a trumpet and a clarinet — were in worse 

condition. 

“In a typical musician way, I love that it’s 

impossibly hard to play,” he said of the trombone. 

“My youngest brother is a professional 

saxophone player, and every time I see him 

play, I’m like, man — that’s such a smarter 

way to go.” 

After high school, Conrad started his studies 

at Cuesta College, had a brief stop at Cal Poly, 

then headed to Hayward, where he found more 

opportunities to perform and compose. He 

would have continued to perform in the Bay 

Area had he not returned to that familiar place. 

By Pat Pemberton 

“It was familiar in a really good sense,” 

he said. “The weird part was talking to 

the teachers.” 

A few of the teachers he’d distanced himself 

from as a student suddenly appeared 

much differently once he got to know them 

as colleagues. 

“It turns out they were phenomenal people,” 

he said with a laugh. 

While competing has long been an element 

of the marching band, this year, Conrad and 

the administration decided to back off from 

competition. 

For one thing, Conrad said, the school always 

had to travel long distances to compete 

against much bigger schools. And competing 

on the road, he added, just isn’t as rewarding 

as performing at community events or home 

football games. 

“When the stands are full, it’s close to 

2,000 people,” he said. “So over the course of 

five home games, we’re playing for close to 

10,000 people.” 

By skipping competitions, he said, he can focus 

on making students better musicians, which 

will ultimately help those who want to pursue 

music further. 

And serious musicians will want to play serious 

music, which is why this year’s catalog 

includes several Steely Dan numbers. 

“A lot of them don’t know Steely Dan,” Conrad 

said. “But by the end of the year, they’re 

going to be checking out Steely Dan and other 

bands from that era and similar styles, so 

that’s a win.” 



Doug Filipponi 

By Melissa Chavez 

It’s Monday in the tasting room at Ancient 

Peaks Winery in downtown Santa 

Margarita. What was pin-drop quiet minutes 

after unlocking the front door is bustling 

moments later. 

In an adjacent room, co-owner Doug Filipponi 

remains attentive while juggling a smartphone 

and mental calendars. He’s tying loose 

ends and stealing time for a meeting before 

leaving town the next day. It’s a busy life for 

this grape grower, well driller and cattle rancher. 

Doug’s many ventures all serve to underscore his 

affinity for the North SLO County terrain, in 

which he is well-rooted. 

For Doug, forging good relationships with 

people is a foundational trait. Among those 

people is Ned Thompson, with whom he formed 

Filipponi & Thompson Drilling, Inc. in 1974. 

The company provides water well drilling services 

throughout the Central Coast, from Monterey 

to Ventura. 

Nearly 20 years ago, Doug recalled that the 

idea of a winery first evolved when he and his 

friends bought vineyards from winemaking great 

Robert Mondavi. He joked, “You know, I told my 

wife to whack me with a frying pan if I ever got 

into making wine, and yet, here I am!” Indeed, he 

remains intact, as is his formidable influence in 

the SLO County community through involvement 

with the California Mid-State Fair’s Heritage 

Foundation, Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, and 

Atascadero Greyhound Foundation's Lighthouse 

Committee, to name a few. 

Together with business partners Rob Rossi 

and Karl Wittstrom, four generations of winemaking 

infuse every vintage of Ancient Peaks 

award-winning wine. 

“All of the grapes are grown right here,” Doug 

said. He heavily credits Jaime Muniz (Vineyard 

Manager), Mike Sinor (Director of Winemaking) 

and Stewart Cameron (Winemaker) for 

Ancient Peaks Winery’s continued success. 

Savors the Good Life in Santa Margarita 

“I’ve been involved somehow or other 

with this ranch since I was a kid 

and now to be a part of it 

and share it is pretty special" 

Doug Filipponi 

Photo by Melissa Chavez 

“Food and wine should be shared together, 

which is why we serve food in the tasting room,” 

Doug said. Charcuterie, cheeseboards, soups, 

sandwiches and hamburgers made with locally-grown 

produce pair deliciously with Ancient 

Peaks wine for a true sense of terroir (“a sense of 

place”) in every bite. 

The wine label draws inspiration from the 

neighboring Santa Lucia Range, which encompasses 

Doug’s Santa Margarita Ranch property, 

a 14,000-acre, picturesque landscape nestled between 

Atascadero and San Luis Obispo. 

The historic parcel, part of Father Junipero 

Serra’s Mission Trail in the 1700s, contains 

remnants of the 1878 stone walls of the Santa 

Margarita de Cortona Asistencia, (a former 

partner structure to Mission San Luis Obispo de 

Tolosa). Those remnants are now protected by a 

barn, a generations-old ranch house and mission 

vineyard land — all dating to the days of the 

Franciscans. 

“I’ve been involved somehow or other with 

this ranch since I was a kid and now to be a part 

of it and share it is pretty special," said Doug 

of the beloved Santa Margarita Ranch he owns 

with Rossi and Wittstrom. “I want people to see 

how beautiful and special this place is. I want 

them to taste the wine, take it home, and let it 

bring back to them what they saw.” 

Today, the preserved ranch sustains a natural 

beef program, a sustainably-grown Margarita 

Vineyard and a steam-powered Pacific Coast 

Railroad with 5/8-scale passenger coaches that 

date back to the 1950s for the public to enjoy. 

The ranch hosts gatherings large and small, from 

hometown weddings to Savor the Central Coast 

events by Sunset Magazine. Santa Margarita Adventures 

offers six zipline tours that glide more 

than 7,500 feet across the property and provide 

an eagle’s view and draws locals and visitors alike. 

Born in Paso Robles and raised in Atascadero, 

Doug credits good mentors who helped develop 

his approach to business. 

“It’s not about money,” said Doug. “Do what 

you love doing. If you don’t, you won’t be happy.” 

Doug momentarily ignores a text message 

on his phone and the people waiting outside to 

share a final thought about the work ethic that 

fuels him and his crew: 

“I’m personally proud of these folks. We have 

40-year team members in our drilling business 

alone. It’s all about commitment and we’re committed 

to people who work for us. Anyone who 

has shown us that they’re willing to work hard? 

They’re just like family to us.” 


COLONY DAYS 

Brings the Mudhole Follies back to life 


A BIT OF 

HISTORY 

Atascadero was founded 

in 1913 by E.G. Lewis, 

who purchased the land that 

makes up 

Atascadero 

for $1 

million from 

the United 

States 

Army. The 

Army used 

Atascadero, 

especially 

the 

area around the lake, for 

maneuvers. Lewis, who had 

also started University City 

in Missouri, was looking for 

another venture and found 

Atascadero to be the perfect 

place to start a planned 

community. He intentionally 

started the city inland from 

the ocean, but had Highway 

41 built so residents could 

easily travel to the beach in 

Morro Bay. 

Lewis was a publisher 

and businessman who 

developed the city with 

streets, sidewalks, gutters, 

water and power before 

the house were built. The 

first buildings constructed 

in Atascadero were the 

Printery building, where 

he produced his magazine 

Women’s Illustrated and the 

Atascadero News, 

and City Administration 

Building. 

The history city hall is a 

prominent feature of Colony 

Days, being right behind 

Sunken Gardens were the 

majority of the festivities 

take place. 

Annual celebration moves to the 

first Saturday in October 

Every October the residents 

of Atascadero past and 

present come together to 

celebrate the city’s roots with the 

annual Colony Days event. This 

year’s event — the 45th annual — 

will take place two weeks earlier 

than it has in the past, happening 

on the first Saturday in October 

rather than the third. This year’s 

theme is “Mudhole Follies.” 

“We want to have fun,” Colony 

Days Committee Vice President 

Nic Mattson said. “Follies is about 

being silly, being foolish and we 

want to do that on as large-scale 

as possible, but also being responsible. 

The purpose of Colony Days 

• 7 to 9 a.m.: Lions Club 

Pancake breakfast. 

• 10 a.m.: Parade begins at 

A-Town Diner on El Camino 

Real and ends at West Mall 

and Palma Avenue 

• 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Tent 

City re-enactment in Sunken 

Gardens, events will include 

pie eating contest and other 

games during the day—see 

schedule in Tent City the dayof. 

There will also be a variety 

of vendors, entertainment 

and food in and around the 

Sunken Gardens. 

Schedule of events: 

is to bring the community together 

and celebrate each other and 

Atascadero. This year we want to 

do this with the spirit of silliness 

and fun.” 

Entry into the parade is free and 

the deadline for entry applications 

is Monday, Sept. 17. The parade 

starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 

6. Parade numbers and participant 

ribbons will be available for 

pickup on Friday, Oct. 5 during 

Tent City After Dark in Sunken 

Gardens or Saturday, Oct. 6 from 

7:30 to 9 a.m. at the start of the 

parade route. 

The Colony Days event on 

Saturday, Oct. 6 has something 

for everyone in the family starting 

with the Lions Club 

pancake breakfast at 7 

a.m. at the corner of El 

Camino Real and West 

Mall, the parade, vendors 

and activities in Sunken 

Gardens, Dogtoberfest, 

food and beverages and 

a historic re-enactment 

of Atascadero in the year 

1916. The Atascadero 

Historical Society will 

also have its museum 

open during the day and 

docents will be giving 

tours of City Hall. 

• 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: 

Weiner Dog & Small Dog 

Race Registration 

• 1 to 2:30 p.m.: 

Dogtoberfest Wiener Dog 

and Small Dog Races 

• 2:30 p.m.: Pet Costume 

Contest (any size dog can 

particIpate) 

• 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Free 

tours of City Hall led by 

Atascadero Historical 

Society docents 

Colony Days event is organized 

by community volunteers who 

work year-round to put the event 

together. While new committee 

members are always needed, there 

are a variety of one-off volunteer 

opportunities available, from keeping 

the grounds of the event clean, 

to setting up and taking down 

chairs and more. Check out ColonyDays.org 

for more information 

on how to help. 

T-shirts for the 45th annual 

Colony Days celebration are now 

available for pre-order on the website 

and will also be available the 

day of the event. 

Go to colonydays.org for registration 

and more information. 

Some ideas for parade 

entries include: 

• Dressing up in silly 

costumes 

• Playing unusual 

instruments, such as pots 

and pans, kazoos, recorder 

or keytars 

• Lots of balloons 

• Silly dancing and 

entertainment 

• Dressing up as a 

prominent community 

leader, past or present 

• Juggling and carnivalrelated 

fun 


FOR ATASCADERO CITY COUNCIL 


Greyhound For Life 

Photo by Rick Evans 

Service For a Lifetime 

Wayne Cooper Leaves Behind Big Shoes to Fill 

By Nic Mattson 

He was a mountain of a man with a deep 

and gentle soul. Hundreds of friends 

and family gathered together on Aug. 7 

to celebrate the life of Wayne Everett Cooper 

(1944-2018) at Colony Park Community 

Center in Atascadero. 

The gymnasium was filled with orange and 

grey shirts on folks walking around sharing memories, 

laughter, tears, and hugs. Outside, many of 

those closest to Wayne cooked the meal to be 

served. Wayne spent many years cooking as a part 

of the Bones BBQ crew, and was given the day off 

in honor and respect. 

Wayne was born a Greyhound, and his final 

breath was taken on the all-weather track 

he helped build at Atascadero High School’s 

Memorial Stadium. On Wednesday, Aug. 1, 

after pulling a regular volunteer shift at the final 

All Comers Track and Field meet of the 

season, Wayne helped his friend Donn Clickard 

carry supplies in their little red wagon back 

to the truck. 

When they reached the edge of the track, he 

and Donn went to pick the wagon up over the 

curb, as they had done so many times before, but 

something moved to make certain Wayne never 

stepped foot off that track again. 

“He was there, and then he wasn’t,” Donn said 

about witnessing his best friend pass away just a 

couple feet away. 

The noise of hundreds of attendees 

was gone from the meet, 

and now the belly laugh of one 

of Atascadero’s most notable 

characters was to be just an echo 

in the minds and hearts of those 

fortunate enough to have heard it. 

Luckily, Wayne spent a lot of 

time helping others, so he shared 

his laughter quite often. 

Undoubtedly incomplete, the 

list of Wayne’s service positions 

include AHS sophomore class 

president, student body vice 

president, student body president, 

school district board trustee, 

SLO County Planning Commissioner, 

an active member of the 

Atascadero Elks Club, supporter of FFA and 

4-H programs, Atascadero Chamber of Commerce 

board, president of Atascadero Greyhound 

Foundation and co-founder of LIGHTHOUSE 

Atascadero. 

Wayne was also the patriarch of a large local 

family of Coopers that includes three sons, a 

daughter, and 16 grandchildren. 

During Wayne’s service in August, three of his 

grandsons spoke to the friends and family gathered. 

Everett spoke about his grandfather going to 

any length to help, with a story about Wayne and 

his wife Diana driving 12 hours to help Everett 

move out of his dorm at Arizona State University 

— a 20-minute endeavor — and then driving 

12 hours home. Alex spoke to his grandfather’s 

unconditional support, win or lose. Creston related 

the tale of the boy throwing starfish into 

the ocean … because making a difference to even 

one life is significant. 

Donn took the podium and spoke to the 

friendship and support Wayne gave him. 

“Wayne was one of the finest people [we] had 

the opportunity to have known and loved,” Donn 

said. “His commitment to his family cannot be 

overstated. Wayne’s work has been to the benefit 

of the youth of Atascadero.” 

Wayne Cooper 

Contributed Photo 

Donn followed 

with quotes by others, 

including Wayne’s 

granddaughter Charlotte, 

who said “Papa 

swings me just the right 

height on the spiderweb 

swing.” 

At 73 years old, 

Wayne gave more than 

his share and the community 

response to his 

passing proved it was a 

life well-lived. 

He was called a 

“One-of-a-kind treasure 

of a human being” 

and “a rock and very essence 

of integrity” who left behind “hard shoes to 

fill” and was an “example for all.” 

Donn summed up his oration with the encouragement 

to all present to “try to swing each other 

just the right height on the spiderweb swing.” 

“For me, Wayne was the model of dependability, 

a steady influence in my life,” Donn said. “He 

epitomized the meaning of friendship, loyalty, 

intelligence and common sense.” 

Donn served the community alongside Wayne 

for more than 25 years and out of all Donn’s confidants, 

Wayne was most influential. 

“Wayne was my go-to guy,” Donn said. “He 

was always so clear in his answers. He responded 

specifically to my question succinctly, and it was 

not necessarily what I wanted to hear. It is trite 

to say, but he was always thinking about what was 

best for the kids. I don’t really remember a time 

when I didn’t do exactly what he said.” 

Like his laugh, the quiet and thoughtful depths 

of Wayne Cooper will always echo in the hearts 

and minds of those familiar with him. 

The family of Wayne Cooper has asked those 

who wish to give in Wayne’s honor, to give to 

the Atascadero Greyhound Foundation at 

atascaderogreyhoundfoundation.org, or P.O. Box 

3120, Atascadero, CA 93423. 


Saturday, Oct. 13 at Chalk Mtn. Golf Course 

LIGHTHOUSE 

Golf Tournament Raises Money, Awareness 

LIGHTHOUSE Atascadero 

began in 2012 in hopes of 

making a difference to high 

school students in need regarding 

substance abuse and addiction. 

The mission was to provide awareness, 

prevention, and intervention 

to students at the continuation 

high school and financial assistance 

for a licensed therapist for 

student access. 

In order to fulfill that financing, 

the Atascadero Greyhound Foundation 

produced the LIGHT- 

HOUSE Atascadero Golf Tournament 

to raise money. Each year, the 

event provides monetary assistance 

for the provision of professional 

therapy to high school students at 

Paloma Creek Continuation High 

School and the fifth annual tournament 

is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 

Special to Colony Magazine 

13 at Chalk Mountain Golf Course. 

Registration for the tournament 

is open to the public, 

and is a shotgun-start fourplayer 

scramble. 

Entry to the tournament is $40 

per player and includes the green 

fee, cart and lunch. Entry is limited 

to the first 30 teams. 

Funds are raised through hole 

sponsorships, which are available 

from $100-500 per hole. The funds 

help support the prevention and 

intervention part of the LIGHT- 

HOUSE mission, but the entire 

golf tournament is a means of 

providing for the awareness part 

of the mission. 

Like the story of the kid walking 

down the beach throwing sea 

stars back into the ocean, and the 

naysayer explaining that there 

are so many sea stars that the kid 

will never make a difference to all 

of them. The kid picks up a sea 

star, throws it back into the ocean 

and says “I made a difference 

for that one.” 

The Greyhound Foundation 

is working to provide real help 

for high school students struggling 

with addiction and mental 

health issues during important 

years of life. The golf tournament 

is an opportunity to learn more 

about the program. 

Since 2012, LIGHTHOUSE 

has come a long way and is the 

main focus for the Greyhound 

Foundation. In just the past year, 

multiple programs have been established 

to fill needs for high 

school students, including peer 

mentoring, resources and an 

after-school program. 

LIGHTHOUSE After School 

provides classes for kids who want 

to fill their afternoons with productive 

and educational experiences. 

“Everything is about good decision-making 

and problem solving,” 

AGF executive director Donn 

Clickard said. “The program will 

teach ceramics, how to build a 

computer or bicycle and gardening 

— filling leisure time with 

productive activity.” 

With respect to the LIGHT- 

HOUSE mission, measuring the 

impact these classes will have on 

the lives of students is difficult, 

even for an experienced educator 

like Donn Clickard. 

“How do you measure the funeral 

you didn’t go to?” Donn said. “How 

do you measure a kid who does not 

do drugs, or the impact Reality Tour 

has on them?” 

The bottom line is whether or 

not the programs are making a difference 

in the lives they reach. 

For more information on the 

Atascadero Greyhound Foundation 

or LIGHTHOUSE, go to 

atascaderogreyhoundfoundation. 

org, or lighthouseatascadero.org. 

5th Annual 

Saturday, Oct. 13 

LIGHTHOUSE Atascadero Benefit Golf Tournament 

At Chalk Mountain Golf Course • 805-466-8848 

10000 Bordo Avenue, Atascadero 

$100 

Hole Sponsorships 

• 4-player Scramble 

• Shotgun Start 

• $40 entry includes 

green fee, cart 

and lunch 

• Sponsor a hole 

to support 

LIGHTHOUSE 

Atascadero 

in the battle 

against addiction 

For More Information, Visit AtascaderoGreyhoundFoundation.org, or call Donn Clickard, 805-712-6356 


LOCAL BUSINESS 

JOHN’S VIDEO PALACE 

Local business marks 30 years of family-friendly fun 

For the past 30 years, John’s Video Palace 

has been renting out “pure entertainment” 

to the people of Atascadero, offering 

them a couple of hours of escape from 

the real world. 

“People come in here to take a break from 

reality, to watch something that couldn’t really 

happen, and then they have to go back out 

there,” said owner John Taft. 

Taft’s enthusiasm for movies and for his 

customers are evident as soon as one walks 

through the front door. 

“What movie can I help you find?” Taft asks 

with a smile. “Name any old move, I’ve got it.” 

According to Taft, it’s that enthusiasm and 

commitment to making the video store experience 

fun and friendly that kept the business 

going throughout the years, especially during 

the heyday of Blockbuster Video (don’t say “the 

B word” around John!) when the giant corporation 

was driving mom and pop video stores out 

of business left and right. When John’s Video 

Palace first opened in 1988, it had 10 other 

John’s Video Palace owner John Taft. 

Photo by Luke Phillips 

By Luke Phillips 

competitors in town, but the numbers slowly 

dwindled and many of the small operations 

that couldn’t compete with the big guys turned 

to renting pornographic videos, Taft said. 

“We’re not carrying that and we’re not supporting 

that,” Taft said. “People would come in 

here and say ‘You’re not carrying them? Then 

we’re supporting you.’” 

Most of the store’s customers these days 

consist of families with young children who 

can’t afford the cost of movie theater tickets, 

those who don’t have a good enough internet 

to stream movies and those who can’t find the 

movie they’re looking for online. And perhaps, 

from time to time, a younger couple on a date 

night looking for a bit of nostalgia. 

“Online you only get your choice of a handful 

of movies,” he said. “We’re almost like a library 

now, like an old-fashioned thing. We’ve 

got all the old movies that nobody has anymore. 

Certain movies may only rent once a year, twice 

a year so that’s why Neflix and those guys don’t 

want them. They don’t want to carry them because 

they don’t make any money. They don’t 

care — we carry them.” 

The store carries more than 6,000 older titles 

and they rent for $3 for two nights, a price 

that hasn’t changed in more than 20 years. Taft 

finally budged and raised the price of new releases 

from $3.50 to $3.95 recently, but refused 

to raise the price for library titles because he 

“likes to keep it old school.” 

John’s Video Palace, located at 8120 El 

Camino Real, is open seven days per week, 

from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, 

call 805-466-5525. 

“tell ‘em Sol sent you" 


LET OUR HELPFUL STAFF FIND THE PERFECT CART 

OR OFF ROAD VEHICLE TO FIT YOUR LIFESTYLE! 


TENT CITY 

TENT CITY 

Recreates Atascadero’s Early Days 


Tent City is a the re-enactment 

of 1916 Atascadero when 

residents lived in tents while 

waiting for their homes to be built. 

The tent owned by Atascadero’s 

founder E.G. Lewis had electricity 

and all the comforts of home. 

Actors will “perform” during the 

Colony Days celebration on Saturday, 

Oct. 6 and at a few other 

events related to Colony Days. 

Tent City grew from nine small 

tents and two large ones, which 

showed residential camp life, a 

school and a land office. 

It also is a little community 

that includes the Land Office, 

Ice Cream Parlor, a working 

Blacksmith, architect John 

J. Roth, Atascadero’s first business 

Atascadero Mutual Water 

Company, agriculture/apples, 

Mercantile, Atascadero 

News outlet, diner, Red Cross, 

a barbershop and the Federated 

Church Atascadero. 

For the second year in a row, 

the Tent City re-enactment will 

take place in the Sunken Gardens 

along El Camino Real. Tent City 

was moved from it’s original location 

along Atascadero Creek off 

of East Mall because of the construction 

of the pedestrian bridge 

connecting downtown Atascadero 

with Colony Square. 

“[This year’s] event in the Sunken 

Gardens was an experiment 

that yielded a lot of great pluses,” 

Tent City organizer Dianne 

Greenaway said. “[Tent City] became 

the visual core of the Sunken 

Gardens celebration, making us 

easy to find. The ‘city square’ lent 

itself to a lovely feeling of community 

for our little Tent City, 

lending it to just hanging out. We 

had the vibrant energy of our local 

dance school added in as ‘newsies’ 

as well as performing from the 

‘Newsies’ musical.” 

Actors of all ages are sought 

to portray different citizens of 

Tent City barber Milo at work. 

Photo by George Westlund 

Atascadero from the city’s beginning 

in 1913. Rehearsals for 

Atascadero’s Colony Days re-enactment 

will take place Tuesday, 

Aug. 21 with an informational 

meeting and potluck in the Community 

Church of Atascadero’s 

Fellowship Hall at 5:30 p.m. This 

is for all actors and parents and 

guardians. 

The rehearsals will take place 

every Tuesday following the informational 

meeting through Oct. 

2 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the 

Community Church of Atascadero 

United Church of Christ at 

5850 Rosario Ave. 

During the class, actors will 

learn Atascadero history, period 

dances and songs and acting 

techniques while perfecting 

their characters. 

Blacksmith demonstration. 

Photo by George Westlund 

Greenaway, who started Tent 

City in 2003, said she is seeking 

families who would like to be a 

part of Tent City together. 

“We will engage in the culture 

of the period, singing songs 

and learning some dances,” Greenaway 

said. “We also welcome 

entire families to join in. Becoming 

‘history’ together is a 

great experience.” 

While anyone can attend the 

classes on Tuesday, those who 

do must be committed to taking 

on the responsibility of developing 

a character role, which will 

be more merged with exhibitors 

this year. However, if someone 

is interested in being a part of 

Tent City, but can’t join the first 

week, arrangements may be made 

with Greenaway. 

A “newsie” in action. 

Photo by Rick Evans 

Tent City cast performs on stage. 

Photo by Heather Young 

“We always welcome newsies 

who will go out in pairs to 

sell newspapers during Colony 

Days,” Greenaway said. “I’m 

looking for someone high school 

age or older to work at the Caladero 

exhibit, which was created 

by the Atascadero Land 

Preservation Society/Atascadero 

Native Tree Association, to 

work under their supervision 

with an apple press and apple 

slice experience.” 

While actors are a big part of 

Tent City, people helping out behind 

the scenes are also needed. 

To find out how you can be 

a part of Tent City, go to ColonyDays.org 

or contact Greenaway 

at 805-712-3947 or 

diannegreenaway@gmail.com. 


TENT CITY 

TENT CITY 

AFTER DARK 

TAKES OVER FRIDAY NIGHT 


The annual fundraiser for Colony Days, 

Tent City After Dark, will be bigger 

and better than ever. The concert will 

happen in Tent City, which will be set up in 

Sunken Gardens, on Friday, Oct. 5 starting 

at 4:30 p.m. 

The event has historically been held the 

Saturday evening of the Colony Days celebration 

for event goers to get another view 

of the historic Tent City once the sun went 

down. The event will begin at 4:30 p.m. with 

food trucks and beer and wine and continue 

well into the night. The main music 

event will begin at 6 p.m., although there 

will be amateur musicians and other events 

happening beforehand. 

“Tent City After Dark is an amazing combination 

of good music and an incredible setting,” 

Colony Days chairwoman Karen McNamara 

said. “Once the sun sets, the tents and hanging 

lanterns glow as they did in the original 

Tent City. It is truly something that can only 

be experienced at our event. There will be lots 

of food and drink vendors, plenty of room to 

dance to a high-quality concert and a moderate 

late summer evening. We believe the move to 

Friday night will bring a stellar kick-off of the 

celebration of our community.” 

This year, Tent City After Dark will kick off 

the Colony Days celebration, giving a preview 

of the tents along with live folk and country 

music. Advanced tickets are $35 each and include 

one beverage. Tickets purchased at the 

event are $40 each. VIP sponsorship tables of 

eight are $500 and include one drink per person, 

a platter of tacos for the table and personal 

table service for the entire evening. 

“I can’t wait to see this event 

grow into one of our community’s 

premiere evenings of entertainment,” 

Tent City After Dark committee 

member Candice Hubbard 

said. “Tent City After Dark will 

bring our community together to 

celebrate the history of Atascadero 

in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.” 

For those attending the home 

football game that Friday night, 

admission after 8 p.m. will be $10 

Featuring: 

per person with a hand stamp from 

the football game. 

As of press time, Carolina Story 

and Hilary & Kate were booked 

to play, with two more bands still 

to come. 

Firestone Walker Beer will be 

available, as well as other local 

brewers and wineries. 

To purchase tickets or more information, 

visit ColonyDays.org. 

Proudly Serving 

September 2018, COLONY Magazine colonymagazine.com | 25 | 25

TENT CITY 

Veterans Memorial Foundation 

Needs Your Help 

The Atascadero Faces of 

Freedom Veterans Memorial, 

located at the 

intersection of Highway 41 and 

Portola Road in Atascadero, needs 

your help. 

The memorial honors veterans 

throughout the county and was recognized 

some years ago as the official 

San Luis Obispo County Veterans 

Memorial. It was designed, 

built and paid for by community 

volunteers to honor the memory 

of those who gave their lives in service 

to the nation and describes the 

conflicts in which they served. 

The Atascadero Veterans Memorial 

Foundation (AVMF) is 

responsible for maintaining the 

memorial and coordinates ceremonies 

on Memorial Day and Veterans 

Day to honor veterans and 

their families. 

At the outset of the endeavor to 

build the memorial, multiple volunteer 

groups comprising more than 

50 volunteers came together to 

contribute. Since its dedication in 

November 2008, the organization’s 

numbers have dwindled to less than 

15 members. Now they are asking 

for people to join the organization 

in order that they might continue 

to host annual ceremonies on 

Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day 

which may not be possible without 

additional volunteers. Volunteers 

By Al Fonzi 

don’t have to be a veteran or even 

know a veteran, they just need to be 

willing to participate. 

The group meets at 6 p.m. on 

the last Monday of each month at 

the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 

2814 located at the corner of Highway 

41 West and Santa Rosa Street 

in Atascadero. You may contact the 

AVMF President Al Fonzi at 805- 

423-5482 for further information. 


TENT CITY 

Coping with new school year stress 

“The two most powerful warriors are 

patience and time.” — Leo Tolstoy 

A 

new school year, new job, 

new living arrangement, 

and even a new relationship 

can cause stress. For many, 

the fall means back to school, a 

return to routine, or time to begin 

a new term. Some view the 

fall as a chance to make a fresh 

start and an opportunity to make 

new friends. However, individuals 

with challenges such as Attention 

Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder 

(ADHD), learning disabilities 

and depression may find transitions 

difficult. 

These transitions can be particularly 

challenging for individuals 

with mental health concerns 

because they can struggle with 

friendships, may have difficulty 

relating to teachers, or may experience 

feelings of discontent. 

If you have a loved one, friend, 

colleague, or acquaintance that is 

dealing with a mental health issue, 

there are ways you can assist with 

transitions. Local school officials 

and North County centers such 

as the LINK can identify available 

services and support youth 

and families to connect with 

needed services. 

For many preschool, elementary, 

middle, and high school 

students transitions to a different 

school can signify social 

and educational development. 

Regular events such as puberty, 

changing schools, making friends 

and accepting more autonomy 

are considered a rite of passage. 

Often the physical environment 

in which the transition occurs is 

larger in size and expectations. 

When compared to the smaller, 

single-teacher environment of 

an elementary school, students at 

the middle or high school meet 

multiple teachers and differing 

expectations. Transitioning to 

the workplace or college can also 

cause stress, further challenging 

those with disabilities. 

Young adults with mental 

health issues can face difficulties, 

from getting educational accommodations 

to accessing affordable, 

high-quality mental health 

care. The transition to college or 

Jim Brescia 

By Jim Brescia, SLO County Superintendent 

the workplace may also require 

some planning. If an individual 

is overwhelmed by the process of 

getting ready for post-secondary 

education, there are organizations 

such as Transition Year that can 

help. People may assume that 

the major obstacle in adjusting 

to campus life or the workplace 

will be academic. However, research 

shows that emotional issues 

are most likely to interfere 

with success during transitions, 

even young adult transitions. 

There is no “right” routine for 

back to school time. Stress reducing 

methods include: 

• Time Buffer-If something takes 

longer than planned, extra time 

reduces anxiety. 

• Individual Path-Personal preference 

in completing tasks can 

reduce stress. 

• Group Support-Agreement 

and support reduces anxiety. 

• Task Lists-Breaking tasks into 

parts may reduce the stress and 

simplify the process. 

Fall transitions can be difficult 

for individuals with stress-related 

issues, but anticipating and 

working to counteract problems 

in advance can assist with transitional 

anxiety. 

San Luis Obispo County residents 

have access to 2-1-1 SLO 

County, a free program, that is a 

one-stop way to obtain timely access 

to health and human services 

and referrals. Together we make 

our community stronger. 

5935 Entrada Ave., 

Atascadero, Ca 93422 

Children’s 

Consignment 

(805)296-3600 



Americana 

TASTE OF 

THE COLONY COOKBOOK 

During summer months 

throughout the country, 

families and friends are 

involved in country fairs. Whether 

they’re at the community, county or 

state level, one thing they have in 

common is food. 

However, food items on the 

midway are entirely different 

than food items being judged for 

a blue ribbon! 

I judged in that area a few 

times years ago, at our own Mid- 

State Fair in Paso Robles (usually 

I judged in the arts and crafts section). 

But, I sure remember my first 

time as a food judge. I was assigned 

to the baking category and I started 

off with a bang. I took normal 

bites of cookies, brownies, cakes and 

pies and very soon I was on a “sugar 

high.” We were being interviewed 

by a reporter from KSBY, who happened 

to be a friend of mine, and 

when she got to me I could hardly 

talk about all those sugar-filled 

entries. In fact, it was several days 

before I could face anything that 

had sugar in it. 

Other foods that are judged, of 

course, are the results of a bountiful 

summer harvest. Pickles are forever 

popular, and jams, jellies, and preserves 

are favorites to “put-up” for 

competition at the fair. 

Since it is too late now for 

local competition, consider “putting 

up” a few jars for winter 

holiday gift-giving. 

Bread-and-butter pickles are 

some of those old-fashioned pickles 

that never go out of style. I remember 

that my Grandma O’Haver’s 

pantry was never without several 

jars and she served them with 

almost everything. 

My resource this month is a 

wonderful little cookbook titled 

“The Country Fair Cookbook” 

compiled by Alison Boteler in 

1995. It has become one of my 

“go-to” cookbooks for summer, even 

though here in California most of 

the recipes are good all year ‘round! 

By Barbie Butz 

I have to admit that when they 

say “don’t judge a book by its cover, 

I did. It has a red border (I love red) 

and features a strawberry/blueberry 

dessert with a true “Americana” 

background. It just looked like 

summer, country fairs, and all that 

is good about America. 

I’ve picked out a few recipes to 

share. There’s really no theme except 

that they are good for using 

summer produce. Enjoy! 

Iced 

Bread-and-Butter 

Pickles 

Ingredients: 

• 4 quarts thinly sliced cucumbers 

• 8 onions, sliced 

• 2 green bell peppers, split in half, 

seeded and sliced 

• ½ cup kosher salt 

• 2 trays of ice cubes 

• 4 cups sugar 

• 1 ½ teaspoons turmeric 

• ½ teaspoon ground cloves 

• 4 teaspoons whole mustard seed 

• 1 teaspoon celery seed 

• 4 ½ cups distilled white vinegar 

Bread-and-Butter-Pickles 

Photo by Andrea Nguyen 

Directions: 

Combine cucumbers, onions, and 

peppers in large bowl. Sprinkle salt 

over vegetables and toss to coat. 

Empty trays of ice over vegetables. 

Let stand 3 hours. Drain vegetables 

completely. Combine sugar, spices, 

and vinegar in large kettle and bring 

to boil. Reduce heat to very low and 

add vegetables. Heat through but 

do not allow liquid to boil. Meanwhile, 

sterilize five 1-pint jars (and 

loose lids) in another kettle filled 

with boiling water. Turn jars and 

lids upside down on clean dish towel 

to drain. Ladle pickles into hot 

jars; liquid should come within 1/4 

–inch of top. Seal lids and process 

jars in kettle of boiling water for 5 

minutes. Remove jars with tongs 

and cool. Once opened, pickles 

must be stored in the refrigerator. 

With pulled pork sandwiches 

so popular these days, here’s a 

delicious slaw to serve with them 

that will win on two scores. Number 

one, it uses some of that fresh 

corn you grew this summer, and 

number two, it absolutely needs to 

be made hours, or a day in advance 

of serving. The flavor improves 

as it marinates! 

Cabbage and Corn Slaw 

Photo by Alex Bayley 

Cabbage and 

Corn Slaw 

Ingredients: 

• 6 cups shredded cabbage 

• 2 cups cooked corn, removed 

from cob 

• ½ cup diced red bell pepper 

• ½ cup diced green bell pepper 

• ½ cup sugar 

• ½ cup distilled white vinegar 

• 2/3 cup vegetable oil 

• 1 teaspoon celery salt 

• ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper 

• ½ teaspoon dry mustard 

Directions: 

Cook several fresh ears of corn 

and cool. Slice corn kernels off of 

the cob and measure 2 cups. Add 

corn to shredded cabbage and red 

and green bell peppers. Toss in 

large bowl. Blend sugar vinegar, 

oil, celery salt, pepper and dry 

mustard in a separate bowl. Pour 

over cabbage mixture and toss. 

Cover and refrigerate several hours 

or overnight to blend flavors. 

Try this last recipe for Lemon 

and Egg Dressing on 2 pounds of 

cooked fresh green beans with 1 

small red onion sliced paper-thin, 

to make a delicious summer salad. 

Lemon and 

Egg Dressing 

Ingredients: 

• 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

• 1tablespoon sugar 

•½ teaspoon salt 

• ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper 

• ¼ cup vegetable oil 

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme 

• 1 hard-cooked egg, finely 

chopped. 

Directions: 

Combine all dressing ingredients 

in small bowl and 

whisk to blend. 

Pour over green beans and red 

onion in large bowl and toss well. 

Cover and chill at least 3 hours to 

blend flavors. 

Enjoy the rest of summer! 

28 | pasomagazine.com PASO Magazine, September 2018


ANCIENT PEAKS WINERY 

Ranch families bring singular vision to life in Santa Margarita 

Ancient Peaks Winery is 

the story of three families 

with one vision — to be 

proud stewards of a land steeped 

in Mission-era history and Wild 

West mythology. 

Doug Filipponi, Rob Rossi and 

Karl Wittstrom, a trio of local 

winegrowers and ranchers, and 

their families are the proprietors 

of the 14,000-acre Santa Margarita 

Ranch, one of California’s 

oldest continuously-operated 

ranches located in the hamlet of 

Santa Margarita. Here the partners 

founded the Ancient Peaks 

Winery in 2005 with wines produced 

from the coveted Margarita 

Vineyard. The only vineyard in 

the Santa Margarita Ranch AVA 

(American Viticultural Area) is 

cradled along the foot of the Santa 

Lucia Mountains, just 14 miles 

from the Pacific Ocean. 

Recently remodeled, the Ancient 

Peaks tasting room on El 

Camino Real is furnished in an 

eye-catching contemporary farmhouse 

style. However, the Santa 

Margarita Ranch’s illustrious 

pedigree harks back to the Chumash 

and Salinas Indians more 

than 10,000 years ago. 

Visiting the ranch is like stepping 

back in time. Several years 

ago I first experienced the sprawling 

ranch in a Jeep tour with 

Wittstrom, gathering large white 

oyster fossil shells scattered in the 

hundreds on the ranch — a testament 

to the area’s origin as an uplifted 

seabed, our host explained. 

From luscious rich reds to crisp, 

fresh whites, the Santa Margarita 

AVA produces distinctive wines. 

The region’s pronounced marine 

influence allows the grapes to enjoy 

a long growing season. Add to 

that five types of soils — ranging 

from volcanic and granite to rocky 

alluvial, shale and ancient seabed, 

formed as result of tectonic friction 

in the surrounding Santa 

Lucia mountain peaks — and 

you get a richly complex portfolio 

of some 18 different types of 

wines produced at Ancient Peaks 

each year. 

“Only six wines are available 

through distribution channels 

and the rest at the tasting room 

or through wine club,” said Mike 

Sinor, when I recently met with 

the director of winemaking at 

the tasting room. We were joined 

by Amanda Wittstrom Higgins, 

fourth-generation vintner and 

vice president of operations. We 

started with some deliciously 

crisp white wines, savoring an 

aromatic 2016 Blanco, a blend of 

chardonnay and muscat blanco. 

“Good for a concert in the park 

or on the porch,” Higgins said. 

The 2017 chardonnay, fragrant 

with tropical fruit, was a 

standout for its affordable price 

point at $19. 

“It’s a competitive category,” 

Higgins offered. “I was looking 

for a food-friendly profile for 

chardonnay under $16 per bottle, 

with not too much oak or acid.” 

Higgins gathered more than 

200 chardonnays for her research 

and the winemaking team came 

up with the versatile chardonnay. 

During the tasting line up, 

Sinor recalls an interesting period 

Amanda Wittstrom and Mike Sinor 

Photo by Mira Honeycutt 

of the vineyard’s history. The late 

Robert Mondavi, known as the 

Godfather of Napa Valley, took 

a lease on 1,000 acres of Santa 

Margarita Ranch in 1999 from 

the trio of partners. “When Mondavi 

saw the location and weather, 

it was his vision that planted this 

vineyard,” Sinor said about the 

Margarita Vineyard. “He signed 

up for a 30-year lease.” 

Mondavi’s initial planting in 

1999, concluded in 2001, was 

of cabernet sauvignon and other 

Bordeaux varieties to blend 

with Napa Valley fruit to produce 

high-end wines. A few 

years later, though, the faltering 

Robert Mondavi Winery 

was sold to Constellation 

Brands. In 2005 the three 

families bought the lease 

back from Constellation. 

It was a blessing in disguise. 

Now the three families got in the 

business of producing wine and as 

Ancient Peaks it became an estate 

winery, Sinor noted. 

Ancient Peaks is known for its 

flagship Oyster Ridge, a lush cuvèe 

of cabernet sauvignon-driven 

Bordeaux style blend, and other 

distinctive reds. The 2016 merlot 

is loaded with dried cherries 

and layered with black fruits, the 

2015 zinfandel rings with heady 

aromas of blackberries with traces 

of brisk minerality and the 

grainy tannins add depth and a 

long finish to the 2016 cabernet 

sauvignon. The 2014 petite sirah 

is a mouthful of rich cherry cola 

while the inky, muscle-flexing 

2016 syrah-driven Renegade is 

seamlessly blended with zinfandel, 

malbec, petit verdot and 

petite sirah. 

Higgins is in charge of sales 

and marketing as well as human 

resources and special events. She 

has pioneered several projects 

at the winery — among them a 

three-month internship program 

at Ancient Peaks Winery and 

Dream Big Darling, a nonprofit 

agency offering full scholarships 

to women in the wine industry. 

This year Higgins launched Wine 

Speak Paso Robles in Atascadero, 

a four-day immersive experience 

filled with seminars, workshops 

and tastings. 

The 2019 event is scheduled 

from Jan. 7-10 and promises to 

foster camaraderie and collaboration 

between wine aficionados 

and industry professionals. 


EVENTS 

Special Events 

Sept. 1-3 — Morro Bay Art in the Park, Fine Art & Quality Crafts located 

at City Park, on the corner of Morro Bay Blvd. and Harbor Drive. Open to the 

public Satrday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monay 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. More 

information available by visiting morrobayartinthepark.com. 

September 8 & 9 — 12th Annual Dog Splash Days at the Templeton 

Community Pool for dogs to come for a swim as a fundraiser for Vineyard Dog 

Park. Special sessions available for small, senior, or disabled dogs. Space is 

limited. Prepaid reservations and details at www.parks4pups.org/splash-days 

or 805.239.4437. 

September 9 — Don your best pajama outfit for Pajama Party Movie, a fundraising 

event. A $10 ticket gets popcorn, soda and a vintage movie on the big 

screen at Park Cinemas. Viewing of 1969’s original “Support Your Local Sheriff” 

begins at 7 p.m. For tickets or more information, call 805-238-4103. 

September 14 — An Evening in Santa Margarita takes place from 5 to 9 

p.m. This family-friendly event takes place at various businesses through town 

and benefits the Friends of the Santa Margarita Library. Enjoy food, music, drinks 

and crafts while strolling through historic Santa Margarita. 

September 15 — 20th Annual Taste of Downtown in Downtown Paso. Starting 

at 11 a.m., sample food from Paso Robles restaurants and wineries and “take a taste 

of downtown.” Day passes are $25 and available from pasoroblesdowntown.org 

September 16 — The Paso Robles Art Association presents the 16th Annual 

Arte De Tiza, beginning at 8 a.m. Chalk art supplies will be provided and all ages 

are welcome to participate and have fun with this creative and colorful event. 

Sidewalk space is limited, so come early. 

September 22 & 23 — The 3rd Annual Showdown Cornhole Tournament 

will take place in Sunken Gardens in Atascadero, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 

tournament benefits the Atascadero High School Greybots robotics team. See 

visitatascadero.com for more information. 

September 29 & 30 - Three Speckled Hens Antiques and Old Stuff Show 

is back for its bi-annual show. This two-day show brings many local vintage and 

antique dealers to the Paso Robles Event Center. Visit threespeckledhens.com 

for early bird or general admission tickets. 

October 5 — Tent City After Dark will take place in Sunken Gardens the 

evening prior to historic Colony Days parade. This event will run from 5 to 10 

p.m. with food, wine and beer, live music and so more! For more information, 

visit colonydays.org. 

October 6 — The 45th Annual Colony Days celebration invites you to join 

in on the Mudhole Follies, a fun and engaging show. The parade begins at 10 

a.m., followed by food and fun in Sunken Gardens in Atascadero including 

musical performances, weiner dog races, the Tent City historical re-enactment 

and more. Visit colonydays.org for more information. 

October 13 — Paso Robles Pioneer Day highlights the heritage and traditions 

of Paso Robles in and around the downtown area during the annual Pioneer 

Day event. Bring the whole family to downtown to enjoy a parade, the free bean 

feed and daylong, fun-filled activities. Parade begins at 10 a.m. 

Fundraisers 

Submit listings to events@nosloco.com, and visit nosloco.com for more information on events. 

September 8 — 18th Annual Champions of Youth Charity Dinner and 

Auction honoring Todd Evenson will take place at the Paso Robles Event 

Center beginning with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. The evening brings a lively 

social hour with fun games of chance, a delicious five-course dinner with 

wine pairings, live and silent auctions and dancing. For more information 

or to purchase tickets, visit BGCSLOC18.givesmart.com 

September 16 — 2nd Annual Cow Pie Bingo will take place at the Printery 

Building, 6351 Olmeda Ave. in Atascadero from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Live music 

provided by Shelly and the Classics. Food, drinks and dessert will be available 

for purchase. Visit atascaderoprintery.org for more information or to 

purchase raffle tickets. 

September 21 — Women in Business Scholarship Fundraiser, 6 to 9 p.m., 

Two-Steppin’ Under the Stars is an evening at Harris Stage Lines where 

you will enjoy exciting live music, dancing, dinner and libations from local 

wineries and breweries. 

October 6 — Paso’s Pink Moto Ride is a full day event. We enjoy a PINK 

pancake breakfast at BarrelHouse, a 75-mile ride through the backroads 

and return for barbecue lunch, live music, Pink Beer and fun at BarrelHouse! 

This event benefits the Cancer Support Community California Central Coast 

division. Visit cscslo.org to register. 

Concerts & Entertainment — Visit NoSLOCo.com for More Info 

Movies in the Garden — Atascadero Sunken Gardens, Sept. 1 and 9, 

8 to 11 p.m. To see the movie schedule, go to visitatascadero.com 

Whale Rock Music Festival — Castoro Cellars, Sept. 15 and 16, see whalerockmusicfestival.com 

for schedule and ticket information. 

Culture & The Arts 

Winery Partners Wine Bar — Wine Tasting at Studios on the Park every Friday 

and Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m., benefits the free arts education program for local 

kids. studiosonthepark.org 

Art After Dark Paso — first Saturday, wine tasting, 5 to 9 p.m., Downtown 

Paso, hosted by Studios on the Park. 

Farmers Markets 

Atascadero - Wednesdays 3-6 p.m., Sunken Gardens, 5942 West Mall; 

Special Event: Summer Sizzle event through Aug. 8. 

Paso Robles - Tuesdays 3-6 p.m., Paso Robles City Park at 11th Street 

and Spring Street 

Templeton 

Saturdays, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Templeton Community Park at 6th and Crocker 

Street 

30 | colonymagazine.com COLONY Magazine, August 2018

Annual music festival benefits THS music 

Whale Rock Music Festival 

keeps getting better. 

The two-day party 

at Whale Rock Vineyard, right 

next door to Castoro Cellars in 

Templeton has become an annual 

must-attend live music event 

for September. 

“The most important factor is 

quality,” said Luke Udsen, Director 

of California Sales and 

Marketing at Castoro Cellars. 

“We only book artists that are 

high-quality performers that we 

know will put on a great show.” 

Tickets for Whale Rock Music 

Festival are already surging 

ahead of last year, which sold 

out. Seventeen bands and artists 

will perform on Sept. 15 and 16. 

They include Aloe Blacc, Lake 

Street Dive, Orgone, Fruition, 

Con Brio, Rayland Baxter, Joey 

Dosik, Mipso, Jade Jackson, Coffis 

Brothers and the Mountain 

Men, Nicole Stromsoe, Band the 

Hive, Samba Loca, Mannequins 

by Day, Mama Tumba, Arthur 

Watership and Miss Leo and 

Her Bluegrass Boys. 

“All of the bands have become 

friends of ours over the years, 

which is awesome,” Luke said. 

“Nicole Stromsoe, who is opening 

the main stage on Saturday, went 

to Templeton High and graduated 

the same year I did.” 

Artists on the Main Stage will 

start at 1 p.m. on both days, and 

Stomping Grounds Stage bands 

will begin playing promptly at 

noon. The final performances for 

both days will begin at 8 p.m. 

“We are featuring a full-blown 

kids area called ‘Kit’s corner’ 

that has a musical petting zoo, 

face painting and a tree fort,” 

Luke said. “There will also be kids’ 

yoga and lots of other activities. 

Kids love Whale Rock!” 

There will be food and drink 

vendors aplenty for this year’s 

concerts including beverages from 

Toro Creek Brewing, Firestone 

By Melissa Chavez 

Walker, Barrelhouse Brewing, 

Tin City Cider, Bristol’s Cider, 

Whalebird Kombucha, Dark 

Nectar Coffee and more. 

Whale Rock Music Festival 

strongly supports music education 

programs at Templeton High 

School, which helps fortify the gap 

between budgetary constraints 

and talented students. Last year, 

the event raised $24,268 for the 

Templeton Instrumental Music 

Boosters Association (TIMBA). 

“We also raised $2,000 for ‘Do 

It for the Love,’ a nonprofit started 

by Michael Franti,” Luke said. 

“The donations for TIMBA go 

directly to the Templeton High 

School music program.” 

Visitors are encouraged to dress 

in layers and comfortable walking 

shoes for variable temperatures, 

bring low-back chairs or blankets, 

a day pack for hats, sunglasses, 

sunscreen, and water bottles (water 

is provided), ID’s for those 

21 and over, and phone chargers 

for Whale Rock’s charging station. 

(Please, no pets or outside 

food and beverages.) 

For tickets and information, 

visit whalerockmusicfestival.com. 

E85 

Diesel 

Propane 

Car Wash 

Hwy 41 & 101 Exit 219 Atascadero, CA 93422 

August 2018, COLONY Magazine colonymagazine.com | 31 

®

EVENTS 

At the Library 

Atascadero Library 

6555 Capistrano, Atascadero • 805- 461-6161 

Tuesday & Wednesday — 10:30 a.m., Preschool 

Story time for 1-5 year olds 

Thursday — Pyjama Drama 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., open 

to school age children, registration is required 

Friday — 10:30 a.m., Toddler Story time for 1-3 

year olds 


September 4 — Gems in the Stacks Book Discussion 

11 a.m. to 12 p.m., open to adults 

September 12 — What is Bitcoin? 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., 

open to adults 

September 15 — How to Publish Your Book 10:30 

a.m. to 12 p.m., open to adults and teens 

September 20 — Mixed Minds Book Group 2:30- 

3:30 p.m., open to adults 

Chambers of Commerce 

September 29 — Audiobooks & the voices telling 

the stories 2 to 3 p.m., open to teens 

October 1 — Gems in the Stacks Book Discussion 

11 a.m. to 12 p.m., open to adults 

Paso Robles Library 

1000 Spring St., Paso Robles • 805- 237-3870 

Monday & Friday — 10:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m., Preschool 

Story time for 1-3 year olds 

Wednesday — 2:30 p.m., Grandparents & Books 

for kids of all ages 

Thursday — 10:30 a.m., Mother Goose on the Loose 

for ages 0-18 months 


September 7 — Club Ghibi 4 p.m., open to 13-17 

year olds 

September 10 — LEGO Build 4 p.m., open to all ages 

September 29 — Maker Monday 4 p.m., open to 

7-12 year olds 

Creston Library 

6290 Adams, Creston • 805- 237-3010 

No events in September 

San Miguel Library 

254 13th St, San Miguel • 805- 467-3224 


Santa Margarita Library 

9630 Murphy Ave, Santa Margarita • 805- 438-5622 

September 1 — Young People’s Reading Round 

Table & Movie, 4 to 5:30 p.m., open to 12 to 16 

year olds 

September 4 — E-help at the Library, 1 to 3 p.m., 

open to all ages 

Shandon Library 

195 N 2nd St, Shandon • 805- 237-3009 


Atascadero Chamber of Commerce 

Atascaderochamber.org • 805-466-2044 

6907 El Camino Real, Atascadero, CA 93422 

September 15 — California Coastal Cleanup Day, 9 a.m to 12 p.m., visit 

coastal.ca.gov for more information or registration 

September 27 — September Mixer, 5:30 to 7 p.m., hosted by Rabobank at 

6950 El Camino Real 

Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce 

pasorobleschamber.com • 805-238-0506 

1225 Park St, Paso Robles, CA 93446 

Office Hours with District Supervisor John Peschong — third Thursday, 9 to 

11 a.m., Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce Conference Room. Contact 

Vicki Janssen for appointment, vjanssen@co.clo.ca.us, 805-781-4491 

Office Hours with Field Representative for Senator Bill Monning — third 

Thursday, 2 to 4 p.m., Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce Conference 

Room. Contact Hunter Snider for appointment, 805-549-3784 

Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce Restaurant of the Month Appreciation 

— first Tuesday, time/location TBA, pasorobleschamber.com 

September 4 —Restaurant Appreciation, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 

September 12 — Chamber Membership Mixer, 5:30-7 p.m., Hosted by A 

Heavenly Home, 1920 Prospect Ave. 

September 26— Wake Up Paso, 7:30 to 9 a.m., Paso Robles Inn Ballroom 

Templeton Chamber of Commerce 

templetonchamber.com • 805- 434-1789 

321 S. Main Street #C, Templeton, CA 93465 

Chamber Board of Directors Meeting — 4 to 5:30 p.m., every 2nd Wednesday 

of the month. Pacific Premier Bank Conference Room on Las Tablas Blvd. 

September 5 —Templeton Women’s Club Meeting, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with 

Speaker Assemblyman, Jordan Cunningham, bring a sack lunch 

September 22 —Denim and Diamonds, 5 to 10:30 p.m., Guests must be 

21 or over 

September 29 — Templeton Oktoberfest, 2 to 6 p.m. in Templeton Park 

Taking Care of Business 

North County Toast ‘N Talk Toastmasters — Mondays, 

6:15 to 7:30 p.m. Keller Williams Real Estate, 

Paso, 805-464-9229 

Early But Worth It Chapter — Business Networking 

International — Tuesdays, 7 to 8:30 a.m., 

Culinary Arts Academy, Paso, Visitors welcome, 

bniccc.com 

Taking Care of Business 

Business Networking International — Wednesday, 

7 to 8:30 a.m., Cricket’s, 9700 El Camino Real, 

#104, Atascadero. Visitors welcome, bniccc.com 

Above the Grade Advanced Toastmasters — first 

Thursday, 7 to 9 p.m. Kennedy Club Fitness, Paso, 

805-238-0524, 930206.toastmastersclubs.org 

Partners in $uccess — Business Networking International 

—Thursday, 7 to 8:30 a.m., Paso Robles 

Assn. of Realtors, 1101 Riverside Ave. Visitors 

welcome, bniccc.com 

Speak Easy Toastmasters Club — Friday, 12:10 

to 1:15 p.m. Founders Pavilion, Twin Cities Community 

Hospital. 9797.toastmastersclubs.org. 

805-237-9096 

Almond Country Quilters Guild Meeting 

— September 10: General Membership 

Meeting & Trunk Show 6:30 to 9 p.m at 

Trinity Lutheran Church, 940 Creston 

Road, Paso. Community Quilts, September 

15: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Bethel Lutheran 

Church, 295 Old County Rd, Templeton. 

Contact kajquilter@ gmail.com or 

lisajguerrero@msn.com, acqguild.com 

Coffee with a CHP — second Tuesday, 

8:30 a.m., Nature’s Touch Nursery & Harvest, 

225 Main St., Templeton. 

Exchange Club — second Tuesday, 

12:15-1:30 p.m. McPhee’s, Templeton. 

805-610-8096, exchangeclubofnorthslocounty.org 

Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) 

Chapter 465 — second Wednesday, 7 

p.m. at Paso Airport Terminal. Getting 

youth involved with aviation, EAA465.org 

North County Multiflora Garden Club 

— second Wednesday, Noon to 3 p.m. 

Public is welcome, no charge. PR Community 

Church, 2706 Spring St., contact 

Carolyn Fergoda 805-237-2534, guests 

welcome, multifloragardenclub.org 

Monthly Dinner at Estrella Warbirds 

Museum — first Wednesday, 6 p.m., guest 

speakers. 805- 296-1935 for dinner reservations, 

ewarbirds.org 

North County Newcomers — September 

5, General Membership Meeting at 

The Grove on 41, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

Gatherings held first Wednesday for 

residents living here less than 3 years. 

RSVP and more information available 

at northcountynewcomers.org 

Daughters of the American Revolution 

— third Thursday in September. For time 

and place, email dmcpatriotdaughter@ 

gmail.com 

Active Senior Club of Templeton — first 

Friday, 10:30 a.m., Templeton Community 

Center, 601 S. Main St, Templeton 

North County Women’s Connection 

Luncheon — second Friday, 11 a.m., 

Templeton Community Center. $12.00. 

Reservations by September 9 to JoAnn 

Pickering, 805-239-1096. 

Central Coast African Violet Society — 

Meetings are located at Brookdale Senior 

Living, Activity Room, 1919 Creston 

Rd, Paso Robles from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Meetings are held on the 2nd Saturday of 

the month, October the 3rd Saturday of 

the month due to Pioneer Days. 

Classic Car Cruise Night — second Saturday 

(weather permitting), 5 to 7 p.m., 

King Oil Tools, 2235 Spring St., Paso. 

Tony Ororato, 805-712-0551. 

32 | colonymagazine.com COLONY Magazine, August 2018

EVENTS 

Service Organizations 

American Legion Post 50 • 240 Scott St., Paso 

Robles • 805-239-7370 

Commander John Irwin, 805-286-6187. 

Hamburger Lunch — every Thursday, 11 a.m.-1 

p.m., $5 

Pancake Breakfast — 3rd Saturday, 8-11 a.m., $6 

Post Meeting — 4th Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. 

American Legion Post 220 • 805 Main Street, 

Templeton 

Post Meeting — 2nd & 4th Wednesday, 6 p.m. 

Elks Lodges 

Atascadero Lodge 2733 • 1516 El Camino Real 

• 805-466-3557 

Lodge Meeting — second and fourth Thursdays 

Paso Robles Lodge 2364 • 1420 Park Street • 

805-239-1411 

Lodge Meeting — first and third Wednesdays 

El Paso de Robles Grange #555 

627 Creston Rd., • 805-239-4100 

Zumba — Tuesday and Thursday, 8:45 a.m. 

Do Paso Square Dancers — second Thursday, 

7-9 p.m. 

Pancake Breakfast — 2nd Sunday, 7:30-11 a.m. 

Kiwanis International 

Atascadero • 7848 Pismo Ave. • 805-610-7229 

Key Club — every Wednesday, 11:55 a.m. 

Health & Wellness 

WELLNESS KITCHEN AND RESOURCE CENTER 

1255 Las Tablas Rd., Templeton. Visit thewkrc. 

org, 805-434-1800 for information on Healing 

and Wellness Foods meal programs, volunteer 

opportunities, and classes (to RSVP, register and 

pay online.) Hours: Monday through Friday 10 

a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday until 6 p.m. 

August 16 — Healthy Cooking Class: Thirst 

Quenchers — Instructor Evan Vossler. 5:30-7:30 

p.m., FREE for those facing illness, otherwise 

$20. No one will be turned away for lack of 

funds. 

August 17 — Healthy Cooking Class: Thirst 

Quenchers — 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Idler’s Home, 

122 Cross St., San Luis Obispo. RSVP required to 

805-434-1800 or nancy@TheWKRC.org. 

August 22 — Intro to Wellness: A Taste of Change 

with Registered Dietitian Hayley Garelli. Learn 

10 simple ways to begin your clean eating journey, 

5:30-6:30 p.m. Please RSVP. Class is FREE. 

CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY 

1051 Las Tablas Road, Templeton provides support, 

education and hope. 805-238-4411. Cancer 

Support Helpline, 888-793-9355, 6 a.m.-6 

p.m. PST. Visit cscslo.org for support groups, 

social events, education and kid’s programs. 

SPECIAL PROGRAMS: 

Please NO drop-ins to support groups! If you 

would like to attend please call Jamie 238-4411 

for an orientation time slot first. 

9/5 • Life Beyond Cancer, 11:30 a.m.; 

9/12 • Young Survivors Peer Gathering, 6 p.m. 

in Templeton; 

9/19 • Potluck Social, 11:30 a.m.; 

Kiwanis Club — every Thursday, 7 a.m. 

Paso Robles • 1900 Golden Hill Rd. (Culinary 

Arts Academy) 

Kiwanis Club — every Tuesday, 12 p.m. 

Board Members — 1st Tuesday, 1 p.m. 

Night Meeting — third Wednesday, 6 p.m., Su 

Casa Restaurant (2927 Spring St.) 

Lions Club Meetings 

Atascadero Club 2385 • 5035 Palma Ave. 

Meeting – second & fourth Wednesday, 7 p.m. 

Paso Robles Club 2407 • 1420 Park St. 

Meeting – second & fourth Tuesday, 7 p.m. 

San Miguel Club 2413 • 256 13th St. 

Meeting – first & third Thursdays, 7 p.m. 

Santa Margarita Club 2418 • 9610 Murphy St. 

Meeting – second & fourth Monday, 7:30 p.m. 

Shandon Valley Club • 630-571-5466 

Templeton Club • 601 Main St. • 805-434-1071 

Meeting – first & third Thursdays, 7 pm 

Loyal Order of Moose 

Atascadero #2067 • 8507 El Camino Real • 

805-466-5121 

Meeting — first and third Thursday, 6 p.m. 

Bingo — first Sunday, 12-2 p.m. 

Queen of Hearts — every Tuesday, 7 p.m. 

Pool League — every Wednesday 

9/20 • Advanced Cancer Support Grp, 11 a.m.; 

9/25 • Art Time with Katie, 1:30 p.m.; 

9/26 • Mindfulness Hour, 11:30 a.m., Must RSVP 

9/27 • Breast Cancer Support Group, 12 p.m,; 

Young Survivors Peer Support Gathering SLO, 6 

p.m., Wilshire Community Services, 277 South 

St, Ste. J, SLO; 

10/3 • Art Time with Katie, 1:30 p.m. 

WEEKLY SCHEDULE: MONDAY: Therapeutic 

Yoga at Dharma Yoga, 11:30 a.m. 

TUESDAY: Educational Radio Show, 1 p.m. 

WEDNESDAY: Living with Cancer Support 

Group — Newly Diagnosed/Active Treatment, 10 

a.m. 

FRIDAY: 8/10 & 8/24-Grupo Fuerza y Esperanza, 

6 p.m. 

Healthy Lifestyle — Navigate with Niki-Thursdays 

by appointment, call 805-238-4411; Cancer 

Well-Fit® at Paso Robles Sports Club, Mondays 

and Thursdays 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., pre-registration 

required with Kathy Thomas at kathytho 

mas10@hotmail.com or 805-610-6486.; Beautification 

Boutique offers products for hair loss 

and resources for mastectomy patients knitted 

knockers.org. 

SUPPORT & ENCOURAGEMENT 

North County Overeaters Anonymous — 5:30 

p.m., Trinity Lutheran Church, Fireside Room, 

940 Creston Rd., Paso, OA.org. 

MOPS — Mothers of Pre-schoolers — first & third 

Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. Trinity Lutheran Church, 

940 Creston Road, Paso, Ashley Hazell, 805-459- 

6049, nocomops@gmail.com. 

Chronic Pain Support Group — CRPS (Chronic 

Paso Robles #243 • 2548 Spring St. • 805-239- 

0503. Visit mooseintl.org for more information. 

Optimist Club 

Atascadero • dinner meetings second and 

fourth Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., Outlaws Bar & Grill, 

9850 E. Front Rd. or call 805-712-5090 

Paso Robles • dinner meetings second and 

fourth Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Paso Robles Elks 

Lodge, 1420 Park St. 

Rotary International 

Atascadero • 9315 Pismo Ave. 

Meeting — every Wednesday, 12 p.m. at 

Atascadero Lake Pavillion 

Paso Robles Sunrise • 1900 Golden Hill Rd. 

Meeting — every Wednesday, 7 a.m. at Culinary 

Arts Academy 

Templeton • 416 Main St. 

Meeting — first and third Tuesday, 7 a.m. at 

McPhee’s Grill 

Veterans of Foreign Wars 

Atascadero #2814 • 9555 Morro Rd., • 805- 

466-3305 

Meeting — first Thursday, 6:30 p.m. 

Paso Robles #10965 • 240 Scott St., • 805-239- 

7370 

Meeting — first Tuesday, 7 p.m. 

Regional Pain Syndrome), third Tuesdays, 5 to 6 

p.m. Rabobank, 1025 Las Tablas Rd, Templeton. 

Suzanne Miller 805-704-5970, suzanne.miller@ 

ymail.com. 

North County Parkinson’s Support Group — 

third Tuesdays, 1 p.m., Templeton Presbyterian 

Church, 610 So. Main St. Info: Rosemary Dexter 

805-466-7226. 

Overeaters Anonymous — 7 p.m. Lutheran 

Church of the Redeemer, 4500 El Camino Real, 

Atascadero. Irene 818-415-0353. 

North County Prostate Cancer Support Group 

— third Thursday, 7 p.m., Twin Cities Community 

Hospital Pavilion Room. Bill Houston 805-995- 

2254 or American Cancer Society 805-473-1748. 

Lupus/Auto Immune Disorder Support Group — 

fourth Saturday, 10:30 a.m. Nature’s Touch, 225 

So. Main St., Templeton. 

GRIEF SUPPORT GROUPS 

Meetings at RISE: 1030 Vine St., Paso Robles 

Sponsored by Hospice SLO, 805-544-2266, hospiceslo.org 

Bereaved Parents Group - Tues, 5:30 to 7 p.m. 

Suicide Bereavement Support — fourth 

Wednesdays, 3 to 4:30 p.m. 

General Grief Support – Wednesdays, 5 to 6:30 

p.m. Meeting at 517 13th Street, Paso. No cost, 

no pre-registration. 

GriefShare All Saturdays in August, A 13-week 

seminar/support group for people grieving loss. 

10 a.m. to noon. $15 enrollment. Trinity Lutheran 

Church, Fireside Room, 940 Creston Rd., Paso. 

Call Deaconess Juliet Thompson, 805-238-3702, 

ext. 205 to RSVP. 

August 2018, COLONY Magazine colonymagazine.com | 33

LAST WORD 

Boys & Girls Club of North SLO County 

Celebrates CHAMPIONS OF YOUTH 

Outside of his volunteerism 

with Boys & Girls Club, Evenson 

is a residential mortgage lender 

and co-owner of Connect Home 

Loans in Paso Robles. “I got into 

the mortgage industry shortly after 

arriving from Orange County 

in the late ‘90s,” Evenson said. “I 

knew I wanted to pursue real estate 

and the loan side of the business 

intrigued me.” 

Evenson lives in Paso Robles 

with his wife of 26 years, Tressa. 

They have three adult daughters: 

Nicole, Natalie and Katie. In his 

free time, he also enjoys yard projects, 

camping and traveling. “The 

bulk of my community involveor 

the 18th year, Boys & Girls 

Club of North SLO County 

will honor a dedicated community 

member and their contributions 

to the organization. “The Board 

of Directors reviews contributions 

of our Board members and community 

partners — current and 

past — who have made a significant 

impact,” Board member Pat 

Bland said. This year, former Board 

Chair Todd Evenson was selected 

as the honoree for the Champions 

of Youth event scheduled on September 

8th. 

“Todd has 

served on our 

Board since 

2012 and has 

been Board 

Chair for the 

Todd Evenson 

past fouryears, 

recently 

passing the 

gavel over to 

Nadine Sullivan,” 

Bland said. Bland added 

that some of the accomplishments 

achieved during Evenson’s time as 

Board Chair include expanding the 

number of children served as well 

as establishing community partnerships 

and adding a Clubsite 

in Atascadero. 

“I have been passionate about 

serving kids for quite some time,” 

Evenson said. “I started with 

coaching both soccer and softball 

while my own kids were still playing. 

The satisfaction from giving 

back and especially in helping kids 

improve not only their sports skills 

but also in navigating through life 

was very rewarding. As coaches, we 

were able to instill good character 

development that we knew could 

last a lifetime. Transitioning to the 

Boys & Girls Club was a natural 

fit in that our clubs are all about 

lifetime results and very intuitive 

programs. The 

organization 

focuses on academic 

success, 

character development 

and 

healthy lifestyles.” 

Evenson 

added that 

the Board also 

knows that it is 

important for 

children to be 

in a safe environment after school. 

“Ultimately, I can’t think of a better 

way to give back than to the future 

of our country, our kids,” he said. 

“I was humbled to be honored, but 

also felt there could be 30-plus 

honorees for this event. In order 

to achieve the success that we have 

as an organization, it takes many 

wonderful volunteers throughout 

our community to put all of the 

pieces together.” 

“Ultimately, I can’t think of a 

better way to give back than to the 

future of our country, our kids,” 


ment came in the form of coaching 

until transitioning to the Boys & 

Girls Club,” Evenson said. 

“The Champions of Youth 

Dinner event was started as our 

primary annual fundraiser to support 

the operating expenses for the 

organization 18 years ago,” Bland 

said. The organization has been in 

operation in North SLO County 

for over 28 years. “The award has 

been given to previous and current 

Board members, including local 

community superstars such as 

Sandy Viborg, Jeb Brown, Robert 

Covarubius, Dale Gomer and JED 

Nicholson,” Bland said. 

On Saturday, September 8, the 

Club will host its annual Champions 

of Youth Dinner & Auction 

at the Paso Robles Event Center, 

2198 Riverside Avenue, at 5:30 

p.m. Approximately 200 guests 

come together each year for a lively 

social hour, passed appetizers and a 

four-course dinner catered by Chef 

Jeffrey Scott with local wine pairings, 

live and silent auctions and 

dancing. 

Tickets to the Champions of 

Youth dinner are available by calling 

Karen, Club Office Manager, 

at 805-440-8783 or by visiting 

bgcslocounty.org. 

Heather Young can be reached 

at Heather@pasomagazine.com 

JEFF RAILSBACK 

JOINS THE CLUB 

Boys and Girls Club Hires Jeff 

as Development Coordinator 

Jeff Railsback 

The Boys and Girls Club of the 

North SLO County welcomed Jeff 

Railsback to the position of Development 

Coordinator as the program 

focuses on growth and development. 

With an already-strong 

presence in Paso Robles, he will 

help expand the program to serve 

more kids, and grow the Atascadero 

program into maturity. 

As the Development Coordinator, 

Jeff will be the face of the 

North County Boys & Girls Club 

with on-the-job duties including 

donor relations and stewardship, 

building new partnerships and 

donor bases and fundraising. 

“We want to make sure that we 

are communicating to the community 

what we are doing,” Jeff said, 

“and properly acknowledging the 

people that are supporting us.” 

With Jeff’s role, the club will continue 

to work along its established 

longterm goals of finding a new 

facility in Paso Robles to meet the 

demand for its services, and grow 

awareness and participation in the 

Atascadero program into a facility 

of its own. 

“I’m going to be spending a 

lot of my time in Atascadero,” Jeff 

said. “Most of the donors we have, 

we’ve had for the past 10 years, 

before we even had a club in 

Atascadero. There is a huge need 

to find a facility and let people 

know about our services.” 

The North SLO County program 

serves over 500 kids through the 

year, and Jeff said they are working 

to dramatically increase that. 

“We are not just after-school 

care,” Jeff said. “We are more than 

a ‘drop off’ solution. We work on 

character, development, and growing 

better human beings.” 

76 Gas Station 31 

American West Tire Pros 15 

Arlyne’s Flowers 10 

Atascadero Greyhound 

Foundation 21 

Atascadero Pet Hospital 22 

Awakening Ways 17 

Baby’s Babble 27 

Bob Sprain’s Draperies 27 

Bottom Line Bookkeeping 23 

Cal Paso Solar 22 

CAPS 05 

CASA 31 

CB - Diane Cassidy 15 

Colony Days Committee 35 

Cotton and Rust 10 

Five Star Rain Gutters 36 

Frontier Floors 14 

DIRECTORY TO OUR ADVERTISERS 

Glenn’s Repair 26 

Greg Malik RE Group 07 

Healthy Inspirations 19 

Hearing Aid Specialists 

of the Central Coast 03 

Heather Desmond Real Estate 09 

Hope Chest Emporium 07 

LivHOME 23 

Lube N Go 19 

Mic’s Jewels & Marketplace 12 

Michael’s Optical 12 

Morro Bay Art in Park 23 

Natural Alternative 08 

Nautical Cowboy 09 

Odyssey World Cafe 17 

Pioneer Day-Parade 02 

Reverse Mortgage Pros. 31 

San Joaquin Valley College 11 

Solarponics 26 

Spice of Life 12 

Susan Funk for 

Atascadero City Council 19 

Templeton Door & Trim 12 

The Laundromat 23 

Three Speckled Hens 07 

Triple 7 Motorsports 23 

Triple 7 Tractor 15 

Whit’s Turn Tree Service 05 

Wine Country Theatre 13 

Writing Support Group 23 


Celebrate Atascadero 

Colony Days Parade & Festival 

Tent City After Dark Concert, featuring: 

Friday, Oct.5 

4:30 - 10 pm 

Tent City After Dark 

Concert 

Live Music •Beer & Wine 

5 lb Burger Eating Contest 

Food vendors & more! 

Saturday, Oct.6 

10 am - 4 pm 

7 am Pancake Breakfast 

10 am Parade • Food 

Tent City Re-enactment 

Dogtoberfest • Vendors 

Amusements & more!

2018 September COLONY Magazine

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