Mayors team up to support North County Cuesta Chorus
Paso Robles Mayor Steve Martin, North County Chorus Director Cassandra Tarantino, Atascadero Mayor Tom O’Malley.
Annual dinner supports efforts to entertain veterans
– The two mayors of Paso Robles and Atascadero hosted an annual fundraiser event for Cuesta College’s North County Chorus on Saturday, Oct. 22, at Portola Inn in Atascadero. Atascadero Mayor Tom O’Malley, who owns the Portola Inn with his wife, Peggy, teamed up with Paso Robles Mayor Steve Martin to welcome dinner guests to an evening of musical entertainment presented by NCC director Cassandra Tarantino and representatives of her musical group. NCC offers free concerts for U.S. military veterans as well as presentations for other venues. Mary Kay Mills, Atascadero School Board Member and owner of Rocky Canyon Kennels, also assisted with sponsoring the event.
Entertainment included humorous renditions of show tunes, original musical compositions, a bit of classical music and a sing-along of “Blue Bayou” at the end of the evening.
“It’s always a pleasure and great fun to perform at the Portola Inn,” said Tarantino. “Their support has been a critical part of our touring efforts. We are the only ensemble of its kind in the North County. We sing both contemporary and classical choral works and regularly perform with the finest orchestral instrumentalists in SLO County.”
The NCC is now in its 11th year. The group is preparing for its Winter Concert to be held Sunday, Dec. 4, and the Spring Concert on May 7. Both performances will be at Atascadero’s Lake Pavilion. Tickets for the Winter Concert are $12 for general admission, $10 for students and seniors and veterans are invited to attend for free. In June 2017 they will tour Germany and Austria. For more information about the group and performance schedules visit www.Cuesta.edu/communityprograms.
“We are very proud of the quality of the entertainment provided by Cassandra and her choral group,” said Mayor O’Malley. “And, of course, we are all very supportive of their efforts to honor our veterans.”
O’Malley said the benefit dinner is an annual event held on the fourth Thursday of October. The next event will be Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017. O’Malley and Martin often team up to support local community activities. They have branded themselves as “Dos Alcaldes,” Spanish for “Two Mayors.” They even have their own website, www.DosAlcaldes.com.
“Tom and I have been friends since childhood,” said Martin. “We are excited about being Mayors at the same time and want to work together as often as possible to benefit the people of the North County.”
Comments
