Highlights of the 2009 ACE Holiday Party

Two of the youngest party goers at the 2009 ACE NorCal Holiday party were Margaret and Katherine Pearce. photo: Emi and Matthew Pearce

The 2009 ACE NorCal Holiday Party was the second one held at Playland-Not-at-the-Beach since it has become an operating museum that is open to the public. Many of the regulars were joined by several new faces to enjoy the annual event.

The official program started off with a fascinating slide presentation by author and area historian Jim Smith. He showed us rare views of the lost roller coasters of San Francisco. There were more of them that you might have expected.

Following the presentation, there were plenty of games, fun, and food that was enjoyed by all. Soon enough, it was time for our traditional gift exchange game. It played out with all the drama and excitement as usual.

The deserving winner of the ACE NorCal Spirit Award for 2009 was Richard Tuck. Richard was the first-ever recipient of the award when it was first established. At the 2009 party, he became the first-ever two-time recipient. In lieu of the customary complimentary ACE membership renewal, Richard opted instead for a contribution to Playland-Not-at-the-Beach for the equivalent amount.

With the abundance of terrific items on auction, a relatively small number of auction participants managed to raise $850.00 to benefit the ACE Preservation Fund. Winning bidders and their items were:

Asente, Paul J — SCBB Boardwalk wood w/Certificate of Authenticity, FLIGHT DECK (TOP GUN) wheel
Biafore, Frank — SCBB Legends Lunch
Fong, Elliott — V2: VERTICAL VELOCITY wheel
Laschkewitsch, Nicholas — INVERTIGO wheel
McAllister, Cody — MEDUSA brake pads
Nelson, Deborah — SCBB Boardwalk wood w/Certificate of Authenticity
Wilson, Steven — ROAR wood

Extra special thanks go to the parks for donating such great items — especially the highly-sought-after SCBB Legends Lunch and authentic wood from the Boardwalk!

Congratulations and thanks go to our award-winning host, Richard Tuck. Thanks go, too, to the Playland volunteers for making our annual holiday party possible. We would also like to thank Jim Smith for coming out to give us such a great presentation.