Unit Happenings

Unit 15 Celebrates the Season

Beth Longman

On Dec. 19, residents of Unit 15 came together at MountainView Bar & Grill to celebrate the season. An hour of socializing, hors d’oeuvres, and libations with old friends and new preceded a sit-down dinner. Jessica Ward and her staff provided excellent service, and the food, served in generous portions, was delicious. MountainView was beautifully decorated, which added to the festive mood of the evening.

Dinner was delightfully interrupted by a group of local children who asked if they could sing Christmas carols for us. Dan Bergquist, who was providing entertainment on the piano, accompanied the carolers, who sang several Christmas songs. In speaking with Patrice Ross, the tradition started more than 25 years ago at the urging of a SaddleBrooke resident and is being continued by Patrice’s daughter, her children, and their friends. Children from Catalina and Oro Valley, accompanied by parents, have come and sung annually at the fire station and at numerous residences and, when they find them, at private parties. The surprise was well received!

Now that everyone was in the spirit, lyrics to songs were passed around, and everyone joined in to end the festive evening with a Christmas carol singalong. A good time was had by all!

Unit 17 Joyously Celebrates the Holidays

Barbara Barr and Arlene DesJardins

Unit 17 joyously celebrated the holidays at the Roadrunner Grill. The event was coordinated by Arlene DesJardins with the help of David Dodd and Brenda Seaman. Fifty-eight residents enjoyed an amazing buffet of marinated skirt steak with mango coulis and blackened mahi-mahi with pineapple salsa. Unit 17 residents dined while listening to the crooning of entertainer Manny Herrera. Dancing and more conversation followed dessert!

Our next Unit 17 event will be held in February around Valentine’s Day. Unit 17 residents should watch their email for updates.

Unit 27 Activities

Sue Case

Unit 27 residents got into the holiday spirit during December. The first unit activity was the annual Ladies’ Holiday Luncheon at Vivace Restaurant, which was held on Dec. 4. It had to be canceled in 2020, and organizer Vicki Strief wanted to make sure it actually happened in 2021. She did a great job, as always, organizing the event; however, when the time came, she was ill and could not attend. However, Jan Talbot, Eileen Depka, and Jeanne Hepner stepped in to complete the task, all the way down to picking up the yummy cookies that Vicki had ordered for attendees and making sure that every attendee who wanted one could have the traditional Unit 27 Tequila Sunrise, a favorite of late resident June Stoebner. As always, the food and service were wonderful, and everyone who attended enjoyed the festivities.

Unit Rep Jeff Depka and his wife, Eileen, hosted a holiday open house for all Unit 27 residents on Dec. 5. Being the consummate party givers, they provided a groaning board full of food for all attendees. Well, actually, there was food and drink of all kinds in various areas of the kitchen and utility room. However, the pièce de résistance, as always, was the decorations, both indoors and out. One would never miss their house in Unit 27 during the holidays, and, amazingly, it was all quite tasteful! The guests mingled and ate and drank, both indoors and out, in the midst of bright lights and festive displays, and everyone enjoyed it.

The annual Unit 27 holiday party was held once again on Dec. 9 at the MountainView Ballroom after a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19. As in previous years, the tables were set around the dance floor, and the bar was open throughout the party. This year, instead of a live DJ, Ron Talbot streamed continuous music through his computer, and both those who danced and those who did not seemed to enjoy the music. As has been their tradition, residents Cindy and Phil Scheckler demonstrated their prowess on the dance floor to the enjoyment of the other attendees, many of whom also took their turns on the dance floor. A couple of first-timers, Bengt Carlson (a longtime resident) and Cheryl Brady (a new resident), attended the party, and pictures of them seem to indicate they were both having a good time.

Phil Doyle has organized a Unit 27 monthly afternoon golf mixer-scramble. The first scramble took place on Dec. 16 at the MountainView golf course, with a post-golf party at the home of Phil and his wife, Anne. By all accounts, the event will be a popular Unit 27 activity, which, hopefully, can be reported here on a regular basis.

Crossing our fingers and toes and hoping for better days ahead and a return to normalcy in 2022.

Unit 49 Adopt-a-Family Program

Lan Bedard

This is the 12th year that Unit 49 has participated in the SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) Adopt-a-Family Program. With a new record donation of $11,205, we were able to support 21 families in San Manuel, a total of 117 recipients consisting of 78 children and 39 adults.

The Unit 49 Adopt-a-Family Program Committee (Jeannine Grippo, Maureen Edelblut, Karen Stevenson, Karen S. Schroeder, and Shawne Cryderman) did an outstanding job of collecting money; organizing volunteer teams; providing wrapping papers, boxes, ribbons, and bags; and also preparing stockings for all 78 children. We owe a big thank you to all Unit 49 contributors who donated money, and to the volunteers who diligently shopped for the gifts requested by 117 recipients.

Due to COVID-19, a general gift-wrapping party was not organized; however, all volunteer teams stepped up to do their own gift wrapping, labeling, bagging, and transporting gifts to the SBCO office in time for delivery to the recipients.

This year, Unit 49 also contributed 158 Christmas gifts to the Tucson Salvation Army’s Stuff the Bus drive to be distributed to children in Tucson.

Holiday Stroll in Unit 36

Larry Linderman

The residents of Unit 36 annually welcome the holiday season by offering the Holiday Stroll, an evening event where a half-dozen or so homes in the unit host the well-attended event in their driveways, and volunteering neighbors contribute food and holiday libations. The rest of the unit families stroll or golf cart their way from home to home, enjoying the offerings at the designated locations.

This year, on a pleasant Sunday evening, Nov. 5, Mike and Mary Bubla volunteered their home on Lake Crest Drive. Neighbors Jim and Deb Dorman brought meatballs and Deb’s famous deviled eggs; Jane Luschwitz furnished dessert; Joann and Leroy Johnson made rib tips in a wonderful BBQ sauce that Leroy created; Jackie Hall and Larry Linderman ladled out cups of homemade chili and provided Jackie’s chocolate chip cookies; and Sue and Jay Morgan’s chicken wings were a hit. Mary and Mike Bubla presided over the drinks table, offering hot apple cider laced with a wide choice of holiday spirits.

Mike estimated that about 150 strollers stopped by his and Mary’s home. “The Holiday Stroll is a great way to meet new folks in the unit, renew old acquaintances, and sample the delicious food our neighbors brought,” said Mike. “It’s a wonderful way to get into the spirit of the holiday season.”