Cambria businesses see slower Hospitality Night

The North Coast has several places where residents and visitors can go to soak up the holiday spirit, including Hearst Castle and two locations with elaborate light shows — Cambria Pines Lodge and Centrally Grown at Off the Grid.

That competition may have eaten into attendance at downtown Cambria’s annual Hospitality Night on Dec. 1, some suggested.

Various businesses reported lower attendance at the Hospitality Night event, for which most downtown Cambria shops stay open late as a “thank you” to their year-round customers.

The Cambria Historical Society’s Santa-and-more area around the museum at Burton Drive and Center Street was busy, but some Burton Drive and Main Street businesses that have historically been packed had much lighter crowds, according to entrepreneurs.

Mary Ann Carson, executive director of the sponsoring Cambria Chamber of Commerce, has been at the reins of 19 Hospitality Nights. She said she feels attendance this year was about the same as it has been for the past three years. She recalled 2012 as being a fairly good year for the event, but 2011’s Hospitality Night was literally blacked out — that night, a power outage knocked out electricity for nearly the entire North Coast.

She said she’s working on ideas to bring back the glory times of Hospitality Night, when various businesses sponsored such activities as a petting zoo, a re-enactment of the Nativity scene, pony rides and a hill of snow.

Next year, “for instance in West Village, we’ll definitely have a Santa again, maybe a barbecue, major food and some entertainment,” perhaps even outdoors. She also said she’d consider having a Hospitality Night competition, with a prize for the best offering.

Carson said she feels the Christmas Market has affected Hospitality Night attendance, because many attendees take the shuttle up the hill to the light show, then take the shuttle back to their parking areas without ever going downtown.

Some business owners suggested on Facebook that the Market be closed on Hospitality Night, or that the townwide event be moved to a Monday or Tuesday night when the Market is closed. But others said they’ll just have to find ways to compete, and chamber officials are working on ways to help them do that.

Carson said the Nov. 29 Festival of Trees went quite well, even though there were fewer bidders in the audience.

“We raised $12,000 for the charities. It was a good, happy crowd and a lovely party.”

She said Tish Rogers’ tree for Santa Rosa Church sold for $700, and then someone added a $200 donation. Then her papier-mache carousel horse sold separately for $650.

A tree to benefit Honor Flight sold twice, first for $800, and then for $600 after it was donated back to the auction.

Carson said a tree done to raise money for Cambria’s Anonymous Neighbors gleaned three separate donations, selling for $1,000, then someone added $200, and then another $1,000.

“The tree itself wasn’t the point,” she said. “We obviously had some good supporters for CAN in the audience!”

Hospitality Night may be over, but many downtown shops remain decorated for the season, as are some neighborhoods, and there still are some local performances and events that focus on Christmas and other December holidays.

Hearst Castle’s main rooms are fully decked out in holiday splendor, including towering Christmas trees in the social rooms, huge outdoor wreaths and a dazzlingly unusual poinsettia tree. While the décor is impressive during the day, nighttime tours are exceptional during the holiday season, with “living history” docents dressed in authentic period attire. Evening tour tickets through Dec. 16 cost $36 for adults and $18 for children ages 5-12.

The Christmas-focused castle Holiday Twilight Tour tickets cost $30 for adults and $15 for children, and are available most evenings from Dec. 17 through Dec. 30 (except Dec. 24 and 25).

The annual light show at the Christmas Market at the Cambria Pines Lodge and Cambria Nursery, 2905 Burton Drive and 2801 Eton Road, respectively, is open Wednesday through Sunday and Christmas week. Visitors take a shuttle to the site; admission ranges from $5 to $15, depending on the night, but kids get in free — http://bit.ly/11pWSBQ.

There’s also a free light show Thursdays through Sundays at Centrally Grown at Off the Grid, 7432 Exotic Garden Drive.

Other events include:

▪  Friday, Dec. 9, In Time Trio Christmas Concert, Cambria Center for the Arts, Old Cambria Grammar School, 1320 Main St.. Tickets, $20, available at www.brownpapertickets.com, www.cambriacenterforthearts.org or by calling 805-927-8190. Wine bar opens at 6:30 p.m., the performance begins an hour later.

▪  Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 10 and 11, free performances of “It’s a Wonderful Life” at the Cambria Center for the Arts.

▪  Saturday, Dec. 10, a “songs of the season” singfest at Fog’s End Barn, 2735 Main St. Tickets, $20, benefit the Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. Event includes holiday music, food, wine and other beverages and a raffle/auction. Details, call 805-927-2856.

▪  Saturdays, Dec. 11 and 18, Cambria Chorale Concerts at 2 p.m. at Cambria Community Presbyterian Church, 2250 Yorkshire Drive. Tickets, $16 (students are admitted free), are available at the Joslyn Center, Cambria Chamber of Commerce, from members of the chorale or at the door on the day of the event. For details, go to http://bit.ly/2fNXR9C or email publicity@cambria chorale.org.

▪  Saturday, Dec. 17 (7:30 p.m.), and Sunday, Dec. 18 (3 p.m.), CCAT radio-style production of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” based on a 1947 broadcast. Admission is free.

▪  Fridays, Saturdays (7:30 p.m.) and Sundays (3 p.m.) through Friday, Dec. 30, the interactive musical “Clue,” at the Pewter Plough Playhouse. Tickets, $25. For reservations, call 805-927-3877 or go to http://bit.ly/2gPu6X9.

This story was originally published December 7, 2016 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Cambria businesses see slower Hospitality Night."