Carol St.Hilaire was 20 years old, newly married and living in Virginia – far from her home and family in Sacramento, and a world away from the California beach music she grew up listening to.
One day, the song “California Dreamin’” by the Mamas and the Papas played on the radio. She stopped her car on the side of the road and broke down in tears, overcome by homesickness.
After a dream of that incident 50-plus years later, St.Hilaire got to thinking: Why not have a concert in Laguna Woods with nothing but music from California bands? Bands like the Beach Boys, the Eagles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Doobie Brothers, Dick Dale and, of course, the Mamas and the Papas.
The concert could take place outdoors in the California sunshine, and it could be called “California Dreaming.”
She presented the idea to her fellow Laguna Woods California Club board members, and they ran with it.
Now, St.Hilaire’s dream is about to come true.
This Tuesday, Sept. 3, the band California Dreaming will bring beach and surf music to the Clubhouse 2 patio from 5 to 8:30 p.m. All Laguna Woods Village residents can attend.
It’s BYOE – that’s food, drinks, lawn chairs, umbrellas and whatever else you need for a laid-back California dream. Burgers, hot dogs and designer cookies will be for sale.
And dress in your favorite California tropical attire – cool, casual and breezy.
Bringing California Dreaming – the band and the event – to Laguna Woods was a no-brainer for the California Club board. In fact, it was part of a grand plan to revitalize the club and appeal to the younger generation moving into the retirement community.
“The club needed to be updated and re-energized,” said Sharon Peavy, the board’s new president.
The California Club started in 1966, among the first clubs to sprout in what was then called Leisure World. At that time, membership was open only to California natives, or those who had lived in the state for at least 35 years.
One of the original missions of the club was to “promote matters of importance to the state of California in fields of culture, history, recreation, and conservation of water, soil and forest.”
Peavy, a Southern California native, moved to Laguna Woods in mid-2022. The first California Club event she attended featured a Dolly Parton tribute act, along with a sit-down dinner with wine.
She said she loved the band and the concept of a sit-down dinner. The rest not so much.
“It was a formal club with couples wearing gowns and tuxes, and there was ballroom dancing,” she recalled.
What’s more, the menu was a bit old-fashioned for her taste, and it looked like the club was having trouble filling the room, she said.
Peavy felt the club needed to be reimagined to appeal to more people – both younger and older, and not just California natives, but all residents of the Village.
And it should have a less lofty mission: Especially at the monthly events, she said, “people should just have a lot of fun, have a wonderful dinner and dance the night away.”
When Peavy became president of the California Club this past spring, she started putting the plan into action.
First, there needed to be bands that would draw younger residents, she said. The attire would be dressy-casual – no more gowns, ties and jackets, but no cut-offs, sweats and flip-flops either.
The dinner would focus on fresher food – more fresh veggies instead of meat and potatoes, along with a vegetarian option. Plus, there had to be tables for singles.
Along the way, the tech aspect caught up with the times, too, with a new website for the club.
“It took us a bit, but it finally caught on,” Peavy said, with membership growing from 150 to 400 now.
The California Club is unique in Laguna Woods, she said, in that it offers the sit-down dinner, a show and dancing. There’s no waiting in line to get into the clubhouse and then scrambling for a seat. Instead, with reservations made online, attendees come, find their table on a big chart and then head directly to their seat.
There’s no standing in line for a buffet either; the dinner is served at the table – three options, typically meat, seafood and vegetarian. And the wine is included.
Two bands play in one evening – one provides a show, the other music for dancing.
To appeal both to the younger residents and the older ones who have remained members, the club strives to bring all sorts of musical genres to the monthly dinners at Clubhouse 5.
“The older people come for the shows, the younger people come to dance,” said St.Hilaire.
Recent bands have included Ryan Christopher and the 9-Carat Gold Band playing popular standards and Great American Songs; Just Us 4 singing jazz, Broadway, swing and pop classics; the 60s girl group L.A. Party Dolls; and even an Elvis impersonator.
Coming up are Soulicious focusing on Tina Turner songs, and Pulp Vixen with ’80s music.
Susan Wheeler was president of the California Club from 2019-20.
“They’re doing their best to reimagine the club, to keep the older members along with the new members,” she said “That’s five decades, people from their 50s to the 100s. How do you appeal to all of them?
“Sharon is doing an amazing job, bringing in new fresh blood and exploring all sorts of options.”
Tickets for the club’s monthly dinner dances aren’t cheap: $40 for members, $50 for nonmembers. Annual membership is $35.
The events are big affairs to set up, Peavy said: “It’s like putting on a wedding reception each month.”
Still, the club does lose money on them, she said, but its shows at the Performing Arts Center make up for that.
St.Hilaire puts it all into perspective: “You can’t go out to have dinner and have wine and entertainment anywhere for less than $40.”
Tickets for California Dreaming are $16 per person, available at the door the day of the concert, starting at 3 p.m., but bring cash. For more information, visit CaliforniaClubLWV.com or call 949-478-4901.
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