Santa's Better Half Takes the Spotlight

During this time of year old St. Nick usually gets all the attention, but for a few weeks in December, the “Mrs.” takes center stage as she performs with the Watsonville Community Band in their 64th winter concert series entitled “A Mrs. Claus Christmas.”

The third and final concert for this series takes place 2 p.m. Sunday at the . The band performed earlier this month in Salinas at the Steinbeck Institute of Art and Culture and in Hollister at the Veterans’ Memorial Building.

The concert consists of an eclectic mix of familiar holiday tunes, marches, and foot-stomping renditions of some classic pieces. This season the band’s director, Eugene Smith, who has been a member of the band for 45 years, decided to feature guest performers as well regular band members.

One guest is Jim “Cisco Jim” Aceves who performs the song, “Leader of the Band.”

Aceves sings the title song while playing guitar, while his wife Donna, a member of the Watsonville Band, accompanies him on flute. The entire band joins in towards the end of the song, bringing the piece to a rousing conclusion. The song is a tribute to Conductor Emeritus Gonzalo “Bert” Viales who passed away earlier this year. Viales joined the band in 1953 and became director in 1957. He continued on as director for a total of 39 years.

Also featured are long-time band members Kevin and Alice Miller with “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Instead of singers performing the piece, the Millers cleverly play the lead parts on their instruments—Kevin on tuba and Alice on bass clarinet.

The title character of the concert, Mrs. Claus, makes her appearance during the band’s sixth song to read Clement Moore’s classic, “The Night Before Christmas.” As Mrs. Claus settles into her rocking chair, Smith invites children from the audience to sit on stage to listen to this unforgettable Christmas tale. The band accompanies Mrs. Claus as she reads the story, which helps to conjure up images of prancing and pawing hooves on the rooftop and the excitement Santa’s journey down the chimney with his enchanted bag full of toys.

At the end of the concert the audience is invited to join band members in their traditional Christmas “Pop” Sing-Along. Favorites include “Silver Bells,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Wrapping up the concert, the band plays “Jingle Bells,” which entices a certain jolly old elf to join Mrs. Claus on stage where they hand out candy canes to the good little girls and boys.

is just one of a handful of adult community bands in the country that performs on a regular basis. Band members range in age from 15 to 90, hailing from cities throughout the Central Coast, including Aptos, Ben Lomand, Corralitos, Gilroy, Hollister, La Selva Beach, Salinas, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Soquel, and Watsonville. The band has performed throughout the United States, as well as in Europe, Canada, and Mexico.

The concerts are free and open to the public. For further information about the band or their concerts, go to watsonville-band.org.

Editor's Note: Julie Engelhardt, a freelance writer from Hollister, is actually performing with the band. She'll be Mrs. Claus, reading "The Night Before Christmas" while the band accompanies her.