Parents For Joy

Joy Playground is a dream years in the making, and after a $505,000 allocation from the City of Atascadero gave the Parents For Joy organization a fresh jolt of enthusiasm as it continues to fundraise to close the gap in 2018.
The total estimated cost of the playground is $1,000,000 in order to bring the all-inclusive, special-needs playground adjacent to Colony Park Community Center on Traffic Way. Prior to the City allocation, Parents For Joy had raised approximately $100,000 over a five-year period, and now it has about $400,000 to go.
In May, the City broke ground on the site with a thrust of “golden” shovels, and “Parents” recently received $5,000 from the County Board of Supervisors, made almost $3,000 at the Tuesdays in the Park BBQ, received $2,000 from A-Z Foundation, $5,000 from Bank of the Sierra, and was the Sponsored Charity of the 27th annual Atascadero State Hospital golf tournament at Avila Beach Golf Resort.
“In 27 years, no one has ever won the car with a hole-in-one,” Parents For Joy board member Geoff Auslen said, “but yesterday, someone did. They won a brand new Honda Accord.”
Auslen owns Glenn’s Repair in Atascadero and has been a major supporter of Parents For Joy.
The playground may be completed within the year. For more information or to get involved in an upcoming fundraiser for Parents For Joy, go to parentsforjoy.org or like the Facebook page.

Halloween Harvest Costume Ball

On October 26 and 27, Adelaide Hall at Paso Robles Event Center will be transformed into the coolest bash of its kind on the Central Coast when the Halloween Harvest Costume Ball returns to Paso Robles. This 21-and-over sophisticated jamboree is high on Hollywood-caliber FX, fright, fun — and it benefits a great cause.
Professional props, fog, theatric lighting and sound-effect systems will set the scene, but costumes are mandatory at this Disneyland for adults, beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
Food and wine, beer, cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks for purchase will be available. Bonnie’s Kitchen, famous for running Jimmy’s Watering Hole at Mid-State Fair, will feed hungry ghouls and goblins. In addition to General admission tickets, a Reserved section ticket nearest the stage offers table-side service and a first glass of wine or beer.
Burning James and the Funky Flames will burn the proverbial house down with dance music on Friday night before Paul Thompson raises the roof again at Saturday night’s Devilish Dance Party.
On both nights, over $1,000 in cash prizes will be awarded among the Scariest, Funniest, Sexiest, Most Original, Best Couple, and Best Group categories at the Grand Costume Competition.
A portion of proceeds will benefit the American Association of University Women (AAUW). A nationwide nonprofit, AAUW awards grants to empower women in pursuit of higher education.
For tickets and details, visit HalloweenHarvestCostumeBall.com.