By Sonia Paz Baronvine WCC Board Member What a perfect day it turned out to be! The musical performances started on time at 10am with the acoustic sounds of Carol Lowell and Kristen Black. The smooth sounds of the Flutists of the Central Coast followed. Then we welcomed the cheerful women of the Central Coast Celebration Chorus. It was impossible not to sing along with their happy songs. At 11am we welcomed the Women’s Drum Group with Sandy Dent dancing to the beat. An hour later, Maheyla and the Ritual took the stage (pictured above). She is an amazing guitarist with a strong voice. After a short lunch break, Blue Moon Haven enthralled everyone with their lively belly dancing. Then the Chrome Addicts, Patty Dee and Andrea Iversen made everyone dance with their steel drum rhythms. Soon the stage was full of colors and sounds as Jenna and the World Dancers regaled us with many dances set to international music, including a Bollywood style dance performed by Gina Cinardo and an Anam Yoga dance performed by Raquel Mitchell. Chick Tuesday was the perfect ending for a great afternoon of music and dance. WCC thanks all the superb musicians for participating. We hope to see you next year! By the time you read this, we will have recuperated from the excitement of the 36th year of producing Day with Creative Women. Let me tell you, what a wonderful time we had. With the help this year of SLO County Commission on the Status of Women, DWCW has reached a higher level of perfection—if such a thing is possible! Day with Creative Women provides an opportunity for women artists and artisans to display their talents and sell their wares, for non-profit organizations to provide the community with information about their services, and for businesswomen interested in promoting their services. We had a whole lot of returning vendors, women who come year after year, and a lot of new ones, too. We hope they will all become returning vendors next year. Music is always a large part of this event, and this year was no exception. From the opening act, Carol Lowell Group; on through the day with the “Fun Flutes,” led by Bonnie Richan; the Central Coast Celebration Chorus, an a cappella women’s four part harmony choral group that sings in the Barbershop tradition; our own local women’s drumming group; to Maheyla & the Ritual, performing a wide variety of roots and genre music; to Middle Eastern belly dance and world music performers; a Steel Drum Duo; and Swing and Rock music band Chick Tuesday, the music rocked! Day with Creative Women is a fundraising event to benefit the Women’s Community Center of San Luis Obispo County, dedicated to the empowerment of women, and the SLO County Commission on the Status of Women, serving as the voice for women to the County Board of Supervisors. We could not put on this event without the generous support of our community sponsors: the city of SLO, the County of SLO, Coast Hills Federal Credit Union, Coast National Bank, SESLOC Federal Credit Union, Pacific Bankcorp, Mission Community Bank, Core Mediation Services, Meathead Movers, Bill Gaines Sound, SLO Graphics, Von’s, Smart and Final, Costco, Central Coast Radio, KCBX-FM, and New Times. Thank you for providing underwriting support and in kind services to help make the event a success. As with all major events open free to the public, lots of volunteer work is needed behind the scenes to make the event a success. WCC appreciates the efforts of all our volunteers both during the planning phase and on the day of the event. Special thanks to the Teens at Work from the Atascadero Community Link. And a special thank you to everyone who participated in coming to the Mission, whether for the food, the music, the art, the raffle items, or just the energy and enthusiasm of all the Creative Women in our county!