Newsletter – January 2025 – Ben Lomond Village Alliance

Welcome to the January 2025 edition of the Ben Lomond Village Alliance newsletter! We are excited to share our latest updates, upcoming events, and ways you can get involved.

UPCOMING EVENTS 🗓

BLVA Townhall 1/25/25 at Park Hall at 10:00am – 12:00pm.

Exciting things are happening in the beautiful village of Ben Lomond! Curious about the progress we made in 2024, or what the plans and vision is for 2025? From new community events and park enhancements to infrastructure upgrades and safety improvements, we’ve been going full-throttle since we officially became a nonprofit last August.

Join us on Saturday, January 25th, at 10:00 AM at Park Hall to learn more!

With the Ben Lomond Village Alliance (BLVA) now a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, a growing membership, and strengthened organizational capabilities, we’re ready to turn our community’s dreams into reality. Come find out how you can help shape and achieve these goals.

We’ll share updates on initiatives to improve Village infrastructure, preserve Ben Lomond’s rich history, and foster a thriving, connected community. Whether you’re eager to get involved, have ideas to contribute, or simply want to learn more, we’d love to see you there.

Light refreshments will be served, and everyone is welcome! Bring your friends, family, and neighbors.

For more information, contact Blake or Heidi.

See you there!

Blake Holiday, Executive Director, Ben Lomond Village Alliance, blake@benlomondvillage.org

Heidi Castagna, President, Ben Lomond Village Alliance, president@benlomondvillage.org

BLVA Supper Club

We’re launching a new event concept called the BLVA Supper Club. This will be a warm and inviting monthly gathering where community members host dinners in their homes or businesses, inviting other community members to attend. This is a great opportunity to connect, share stories, and enjoy great food together. Each month, a different host will open their home and curate a unique dining experience, often featuring seasonal ingredients, local flavors, or creative themes. The format is up to you: potlucks, fully catered meals, and other ideas welcome!

This isn’t just a meal—it’s a chance to foster meaningful connections, strengthen community bonds, and support the mission of the Ben Lomond Village Alliance (BLVA). Whether you’re a longtime resident or new to the area, the Supper Club offers a welcoming space to meet neighbors, share ideas, and celebrate the vibrant spirit of Ben Lomond.

Date and time: Once a month
Location: various hosts around Ben Lomond – how about YOUR house?
Details: Supper Club is will be a monthly dinner with rotating Hosts. Hosts choose the size and complexity of their Supper – anything from a casual pot-luck to a formal catered meal!
For more information or to sign up as a Host: Ariel at secretary@benlomondvillage.org or call 831-218-5172

First Friday Art Tour 2/7/25

For more information about this monthly event, read below in the “Out and about with BLVA”.

History Series Part 2 coming soon – TBA

After her hugely successful history talk last November, local historian and Realtor Ronnie Trubek is nearly ready to present her next installment of her Tales of Ben Lomond series at Park Hall! This new presentation will cover the history of Ben Lomond from 1890 to 1940, including the Gilded Age, the Roaring 20’s, the Jazz Age and WW2. We will let you know as soon as we have a date, so keep an eye out. This informative and entertaining talk is not to be missed!.

View all upcoming Events

GET INVOLVED

We are looking for passionate individuals to join our team and help us achieve our mission of enhancing the vitality and community spirit of Ben Lomond. This is a great way to meet/make new friends and make a difference in our community. All positions are volunteer. If you have the skills to contribute to one of the following positions, please email Ariel at secretary@BenLomondVillage.org

Volunteer Opportunities

Fundraising Committee Chairperson – We are looking for a person with a passion for fundraising and a love of Ben Lomond to take on leadership of this committee.
Marketing Coordinator – working directly with the Board, Executive Director, and committee chairpersons, this person will develop, coordinate and execute marketing campaigns for BLVA events and fundraisers.
Social Media Manager – We need someone who loves social media! We’re looking for someone who can create professional, brand-consistent and timely material for our campaigns & events for all the digital platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, and X/Bluesky/Threads, etc). This person works closely with Marketing Coordinator and our graphic designer to help maintain our brand identity in communications with the community and keeps an eye out for opportunities to promote local businesses, other local non-profits, and local events.
Bookkeeper – We are looking for a person with non-profit accounting / bookkeeping experience to help us get our books up and running, organize our financial records, assist with budgeting, and financial reporting, and track donations and expenses. Hopefully you would be familiar with charts of accounts, QuickBooks, GAAP practices, and basic accounting principals. This position ensures financial transparency and supports the overall financial health of BLVA.
Treasurer – we are seeking nominations to fill this board position. The ideal candidate would have a background in finance and leadership experience with nonprofits.
Village Market Task Force Leader – The BLVA is exploring the possibility of creating a regular makers/farmers type market in Ben Lomond. To examine possibilities, we’re creating a Task Force to determine feasibility and creating a master plan.

Click Here to Volunteer

Spread the Word

Help us reach more people by sharing our mission and work with your network. Follow us on social media, share our posts, and invite friends to join our mailing list.
Follow us on FACEBOOK
Fave us on NEXTDOOR

Donate

Support the ongoing initiatives to improve the Ben Lomond Village by making a donation.

Click Here to Donate

RECENT IMPACT 💥

Thanks to your support, the BLVA has engaged in these recent activities:

Welcome to Ben Lomond Sign

The Welcome to Ben Lomond sign on the side of Highway 9 at Highlands Park has been beautifully refurbished! After being carefully removed, restored and reinstalled, all who travel through our community can now be welcomed by our sharp looking sign. A big thank you to the team of volunteers who took on this project and delivered it so well: Ronnie Trubek, Alex Payne, Brett Hatch, Sally Munro, Sarah Steiger, Tru Hatch, Mattias Payne, Brian Jensen, Dan Hatch, and Marianne Wyllie. Read more about it here

Tree Lighting Party

The first annual Tree Lighting Party at the Ben Lomond Firehouse was a roaring success! Ben Lomond was abuzz with excitement as the holiday tree lighting ceremony finally arrived. Families and friends gathered at the Ben Lomond fire station, where the tree stood ready to be illuminated with bright strings of lights. The air was filled with the scent of hot cocoa and freshly baked cookies, creating a warm and festive atmosphere. Santa Claus, accompanied by his jolly elves, made a grand entrance, delighting more than 500 children and adults alike with their joyful presence. As the sun went down, the sound of bagpipes filled the air, accompanied by the sight of twirling tartans of Scottish-style dancers. The highlight of the event came when Santa, with a twinkle in his eye, led the countdown to the tree lighting. As the tree’s lights flickered on, illuminating the night, a collective cheer erupted from the crowd. The evening was a magical celebration of community spirit, tradition, and the joyous start of the holiday season.
Many thanks to those who donated time, goods, or funds to make this special event possible including the Ben Lomond Fire Department, Scarborough Ace Hardware, Mountain Feed, the Ben Lomond Market, Charlie Brown’s BBQ, Mountain Community Theater, SLV Cheerleaders, San Jose School of Highland Dancing, Bruce Cotter, Wolf Jet, and Nomad. An extra big THANK YOU goes out to the Events Committee who, under the superb leadership of the chairperson Sarah Jansen-Mount, spent countless hours planning this fantastic event, and to all the volunteers who worked at the event including: Marina Connelly, Sherry Fleming, Libby Purdy, Burgundi Thure, Marianne Wiley, Tim Wiley, Jacqueline Sommers, Tina Castle, Linda Beach, Maureen Atkins, David Lucio, Donald Kerns, Shane Hill, James Connelly, Ariel Young, Makenzie Aluffi, Carlyn Biagiotti, Vivian Lieb, Molly Milligan Cokeley, Lori Colman, Heidi Castagna, Kym Morello, Julie Mathews Mitchell, Kelly Cuffe, and Blake Holiday.

‘OUT AND ABOUT” WITH BLVA

December’s First Friday Art Tour was a great opportunity to shop for locally made art and other products (such as reusable fabric gift wraps by Ally) at the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center and Sew Rose. Shoppers and art enthusiasts alike had an opportunity to meet local artists while enjoying wine and seasonal appetizers. This (usually) monthly event is not to be missed! You can check the schedule on these sites: Sew Rose, Santa Cruz Mountain Arts Center and First Friday Art Tour

Despite the rainy weather, four hearty BLVA members gathered to walk and sing Christmas Carols together. The singers visited Mountain Feed for some hot cider and to warm up by the fire, then sang carols at several local businesses and at homes along Riverside Drive, finally stopping for hot chocolate at La Placa Family Bakery to warm back up before heading home to prepare for Christmas.

At least one BLVA member has been sighted dancing with Helene’s Belly Dance classes at Park Hall. Suitable for beginners or intermediate dancers, Helene’s classes will continue at 5:30pm on Mondays for the month of January. Other classes that have recently been offered include yoga, Pilates, and adult art classes! Contact Park Hall for current schedule of all their offerings: (831) 246-6374

VOICES FROM THE VALLEY

This month in Voices from the Valley, we hear from Molly Cokeley with her impressions from the Tree Lighting Party. Molly, take it away…Click here

THANK YOU ❤️

We are incredibly grateful for your continued support and dedication to our mission. Together, we are making a significant difference in our community. If you have any questions or would like more information about our work, or if you have photos or Ben Lomond related announcements for us to share in future newsletters, please contact Ariel at secretary@BenLomondVillage.org.

Thank you for being a part of the Ben Lomond Village Alliance family.

Warm regards,

Ben Lomond Village Alliance