OAKHURST – The race for Honorary Mayor of Oakhurst kicked off on Friday, Apr. 17, at the Queen’s Inn, with the candidates cooking up dinner for guests as they launched their campaigns.
Shirley Bailey, Bob Macaulay and Katie Davis have all thrown their hats into the ring.
In the race for Honorary Mayor, candidates host events and raise money for their chosen charity, and each dollar counts as a vote.
Shirley Bailey – who served up brownies, cookies and fruit at the kickoff – is running on behalf of the Oakhurst Community Alliance’s Emergency Relief Fund, established last year after the devastating Junction and Courtney Fires.
“They raised over $60,000 for the fund last year, but of course, most of that money has been distributed to those in need,” said Shirley. “So we need to build it back up, because we’re sure to have another year that could be just as rough.”
Shirley will be the celebrity bartender at Crab Cakes on June 7, and will also be hosting a champagne brunch at the new location of Slim’s Koffee Shak in Oakhurst on May 17.
Bob Macaulay is collecting votes and dollars for the Boys and Girls Club of Oakhurst. The BGOC provides after-school programs for mountain area students in a wide array of subjects including education and career, health and fitness, technology, character and leadership, and the arts.
Bob served delicious pulled pork sandwiches and sliders with coleslaw on this occasion, and will be serving up drinks as the celebrity bartender at Crab Cakes this Thursday, Apr. 23. Half the tips and 10% of all bar sales will go to support the cause, says Bob.
Katie Davis, who served a hearty bean soup at the kickoff, is “raising funds to keep the doors open” at the Sierra Senior Center.
“Though we rent from them, the County doesn’t support us,” said Katie. “We have to pay for upkeep and utilities, and we need to remodel the kitchen.”
The Senior Center provides a Caregiver Respite program every Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Caregivers are able to drop off their loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia so they can get a four hour break. Two volunteers then conduct a morning full of activities and socialization. A $15 fee covers coffee, breakfast snack and lunch. The rest of the fee is donated to the Senior Center.
The Sierra Senior Society is a non-profit organization that is able to keep their doors open through donations, fundraisers and membership. For a year of membership to the society it is $20 per person or $30 for couples.
Outgoing Honorary Mayor Mat Sands congratulated all the candidates and plans to support all three. In his bid for the title in 2014, Sands started a music festival called “Sounds of Solstice,” and plans to continue that on an annual basis. He is offering a booth at the festival to each of the candidates so they can raise money for their campaigns.
“The nice thing about this race is that the community is the winner,” said Mat. “You can support all of the candidates. That’s what I plan to do.”
Watch for a host of fun, and generally delicious events in the coming weeks. The campaign will run through Saturday, June 27, and is sponsored by the Eastern Madera County Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce.
