Martinez Chamber Mixer In Pleasant Hill
The December Business Mixer of the Martinez Chamber of Commerce will be at 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. today at Carlton Senior Living, 2770 Pleasant Hill Road, Pleasant Hill. Admission is free, and the event gives business representatives a chance to meet new Chamber members and build new connections. Refreshments will be served.
Holiday Boutique Continues Through Dec. 16
The Martinez Arts Association seventh annual Holiday Boutique will be selling arts items, jewelry and other handcrafted gifts through Dec. 16 in the former Southern Pacific Railroad Depot at the end of Ferry Street in the downtown shopping district.
The Boutique is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Junk 2 Gems Grand Opening, Ribbon Cutting At Olde Towne Antiques
Junk 2 Gems will have a grand opening Thursday and a ribbon cutting Friday in the Old Towne Antiques and Mercantile’s second floor, 516 Ferry St.
The grand opening will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 13, noon to 7p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The ribbon cutting will take place at 11:30 a.m. Friday.
Afterwards, the new shop, which operates as a pop-up, will be open once monthly a couple of days.
‘Cars, Kids & Coffee’ Sunday At The Cobra Experience’
The monthly “Cars, Kids and Coffee” at the Cobra Experience, 777 Arnold Drive, will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Cars of any type are welcome at this get-together.
The event takes place every third Sunday of the month. Those interested may call 925-558-5585, or visit the website www.cobraexperience.org.
The museum itself opens at 10 a.m. that day. Admission to the museum, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., ranges from $6 to $10 depending on age.
Businesses Participating In Kiwanis Club’s See’s Candy Sale
The Martinez Kiwanis See’s Candy Sale will be taking place through Dec. 24 at several participating businesses. Money raised through the candy sales will be used for scholarships for local students as well as for nonprofits.
Les Schwab Tire Center, 3800 Alhambra Ave., once again has provided the club with space to sell the candy. Shoppers may make purchases from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.
The Barber Pole in Francis Plaza, 1124 Arnold Drive, also is providing the club with candy selling space. Hours are 10 a.m.to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays.
Candy will be sold daily during business hours while supplies last. It also may be ordered for delivery by calling Kiwanis President Denis Smith, 510-773-4343.
Sonoma Raceway Brings Holiday Happiness to 300 Kids
More than 300 Sonoma Valley children enjoyed a festive day at Sonoma Raceway Saturday at the 14th annual “Race to the Holidays” Children’s Christmas Party.
The raceway teamed up with the Sonoma chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities (SCC) as hosts of the children and their families, who saw a race-car display. Other activities included balloon animals, face painting and a visit from Santa Claus, who arrived via Schell-Vista Fire Protection District fire truck.
Santa gave each each child a full bag of toys and a stuffed animal and a toiletry kit courtesy of Verizon, then had lunch at the Raceway Café.. Children ranged in age from newborn to 13.
Race to the Holidays has drawn more than 3,300 children since its inception in 2005
“This event is so helpful, particularly for mom and dad, who are such hard working people,” said Laurel Mohring, mentor center facilitator at the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance. “It’s something they can look forward to doing as a family, and it’s magical for the kids.”
“I brought my daughter when she was little, and now she’s in high school. So I brought my two younger sons, and they had so much fun,” said a mother identified only as Edith, from Sonoma. “They were excited to see Santa and are already busy playing with the toys.”
“It was awesome,” added her son, Aydan.
All children were registered in advance through six Sonoma Valley youth groups, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley, El Verano Family Resource Center, Friends in Sonoma Helping (F.I.S.H.), La Luz, Stand By Me Mentoring and the Sonoma Valley Teen Parent Program.
In putting on the party, the raceway received support from the community, including donation of 1,200 toys. Supporters of this year’s event included Dick Sharke, Exchange Bank, Gundlach Bundschu Winery, Levy Restaurants, Patterson Dental, Pat Milligan, The Save Mart Companies, Schell-Vista Fire Protection District, Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority, Verizon and Viansa Sonoma.
SCC, the charitable arm of Sonoma Raceway, has distributed more than $6.4 million to Sonoma County youth organizations since 2001.
Business News Welcome At The Martinez News-Gazette
The Martinez News-Gazette’s weekly Martinez Business Beat column is an opportunity for local businesses and companies to tell our readers about business-oriented news, such as moves, grand openings, awards, promotion of employees, staff changes and changes in goods and services.
Submissions will be edited for length and content. Please include who, what, when, where, why and how, preferably in the body of an email; and please provide contact information.
The deadline is 3 p.m. Friday for news items to appear in the following Wednesday edition. Please e-mail news releases and accompanying high-resolution photographs and logos to martinezgazettereporter@gmail.com and put “Attn: Business Beat” in the subject line along with the name of your business.
The Martinez News-Gazette also appreciates area companies’ advertising patronage. For advertising services, please call 925-228-6400.