Here come Quarter Mania and the Winter Carnival!

The Family Matters Club is making a name for itself on the annual holiday calendar. In October, the club co-hosted the Renaissance Faire and put on a Halloween Carnival. In November, the club is repeating a popular event it tried for the first time last summer: Quarter Mania. And in December, the club is taking over the annual Towne Center Tree-Lighting and turning it into a Winter Carnival!

The Holiday Quarter Mania is a fun fundraising event that will be held Sunday, November 22, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Lodge. When bidders buy a $15 ticket, they will receive $5 credit towards food and drinks at the snack bar and three tickets to deposit into the gift drawings.

Sosy Robinson explains the process by saying, “When you purchase a ticket, one of the things you get is a paddle with a number. The number of your paddle is also on a chip in a bucket I will pull from. I will present an item. If you are interested in the item, you place quarters in a bucket and raise your paddle in the air. Once everyone in the room who is interested in the item has placed their quarters in and paddles up, I pull a chip from the bucket.”

She continues, “If I pull a number that isn’t in play, I continue to pull until a number paddle that is up gets called. So if you win, you win for only quarters. If you lose, you only lose a few quarters. It’s kind of like a controlled raffle where the odds of winning are better.”

There are 30 items in the 2-quarter round for items valued at $35 and up, and 30 items in the 3-quarter round for items valued at $50 and up. Kids are welcome as long as they have a ticket.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Family Matters Club at 714-394-4885 or clfmclub@aol.com.

Winter Carnival

The Family Matters Club will host the Towne Center Winter Carnival and Tree-Lighting on December 5, starting at 5 p.m. in front of the POA/ City Hall building. This is a free event with a visit and photos with Santa and Mrs. Clause, along with free holiday games, crafts, gingerbread house building, cookies and cocoa.

Other highlights will include carolers, entertainment by local children and a DJ playing holiday favorites. There will also be free horse drawn carriage rides and falling “snow,” along, with a few other surprises.

This event will include a vendor shopping area and prize drawing.

Organizer Shawna Bowen says, “We look forward to having everyone come out to the Towne Center. Spend some time enjoying the holiday, the festivities and checking out the shops. Several will be open with special sales and food for the night.”