Holiday Event Fundraisers
There are some festive holiday event fundraisers planned in the Mother Lode.
Today is the last day to get your ticket for the Drive-Thru Fundraiser for the Calaveras County Fair. All proceeds benefit the Fairgrounds’ Maintenance Department and more details are in the event listing here.
The Foothill Conservancy’s 30th Anniversary Online Celebration will be a virtual event held online tonight at 7 PM. The organization seeks to raise the funds to “keep being a strong voice for community-based conservation and good planning.” Participants will celebrate with music, hear from its founding members, have a live auction and recognition will be given to Dr. Bob Hartmann and Mel Welsh for their contributions. Registration is required details are in the event listing here.
Tomorrow is the last day to enter the Angels Camp Light Up The Night Merry and Bright citywide decoration challenge. For $20 homes or businesses can win up to $500. More details are in the event listing here.
Calaveras County Farm Bureau is teaming up with the Calaveras County Fair to host a Holiday Food Drive to benefit the Calaveras County Food Bank. Non Perishable food items can be dropped off at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds in Angels Camp or Conifer Communications in San Andreas.
The YES Partnership Annual Holiday Virtual Auction continues and their drive-thru luncheon will be Saturday, December 12th. Lunches must be pre-paid by December 10th, the event listing has more details here.
At Railtown State Historic Park on Friday and Saturday evenings, a number of reimagined outdoor activities are available at the park, including festive and fun hayrides on motor car trailers, selfie family photo opportunities and interactions with Santa. Santa will be safe aboard a platform on the No 7 Caboose, plus there will be unique shopping opportunities in a special Pop-up Holiday Car filled with holiday gift items, visitors will be limited to 25 percent of occupancy. There will be a raffle for a special holiday quilt, festive holiday music played on deck and at the historic Roundhouse, and cups of hot cocoa available for purchase. The all-in-one ticket price is $7 per person, children ages 5 and under free.
In Downtown Sonora stores have set up beautiful holiday window displays. Vote for your favorites by scanning the code on the right-hand side of the window and participating in the survey. Three cash awards will be presented to the winners; Mayors choice, peoples choice and Sonora High Schools leadership class choice. Voting continues through 12pm December 11 and winners will be announced at the Sonora Chamber Virtual Holiday mixer on Dec 15. Saturday the Chamber is hosting a free gift wrapping booth at the Sonora Inn at the corner of Stockton and Washington. We will be there from 3pm to 8pm. Bring your gifts that were purchased downtown along with your receipt and we will take the stress out of wrapping them. Sonora Chamber participating downtown stores are also open from 5:00-8:00 pm on Saturday Nights including this Saturday, December 12, and 19, for holiday shopping convenience.
Saturday is the final official day of this year‘s Interfaith Cash and Coat drive. The details are here, the annual fundraiser is a critical event that helps provide food and coats and other needed essentials for our less fortunate neighbors in Tuolumne County and Chicken Ranch Casino and Sonora Area Foundation are matching every dollar up to $40,000 raised by individual donations.
Next weekend the Calaveras Fairgrounds plans to host Spirit of Winter Marketplace with COVID-19 guidelines followed and masks required. There will be craft vendors, antiques and collectibles and photo ops with Santa and Winter Characters.
Faith Lutheran Church in Murphys began a fundraiser to renovate a small house located on church property into a bedroom residence which will then be leased to Sierra HOPE for its Permanent Supportive Housing program. The structure needs to be brought up to current code for residential use. Construction includes new windows, new insulation, new heating and cooling equipment, adding a bedroom, remodeling two restrooms into a single bathroom with laundry equipment, and new interior finishes. Completion is anticipated by April 2021. Faith Lutheran estimates it will need $92,000 to complete the renovation and is reaching out to the community for support. Donations can be made online here.
