Just a Few Tickets Left for Paint the Town Red

What started out as a simple birthday party for the city each January has morphed into one of the most anticipated events of the year in Novato. It’s called Paint the Town Red, a team-effort fundraiser at which most of the city’s influential people will schmooze for a good cause.

Thursday at Novato City Hall, the festivities start at 6 p.m. with a red-carpet greeting, socializing and hors d’ouevres, a live auction, the Citizen of the Year presentation and music by Noah Griffin. As of a Monday night meeting of the event organizers, about 50 tickets remained for sale at $50.

Not too long ago, it wasn’t the “event of the season” as it’s billed today. Dietrich Stroeh, chair of the Citizen of the Year Committee and a former recipient of the award, said he remembers when the annual gathering was purely a Novato Chamber of Commerce event that attracted about 50 people.

“Then we thought it would be neat to get the City Council and others together and have a big city birthday party as close as we can to Jan. 20,” he said, noting the city’s official anniversary of incorporation. “The City Council was very supportive back then and it grew from there.”

The bash was held at several locations, including the old Hilltop restaurant and the main ballroom at Fireman’s Fund Insurance. Stroeh said it went well for many years, “but then there were some people who thought this function was too highfalutin’, so to speak. They thought it was only for people who could afford it. The chamber was losing money on it and some of the chamber members even said it wasn’t a good thing anymore.”

Stroeh, an event sponsor and board member, credits a turnover on the City Council for the image turnaround and the teamwork of several organizations to step up and work on the event with the chamber. Paint the Town Red became an incorporated event with major support from the city of Novato, the Novato Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Novato Business Association, School Fuel and the Citizen of the Year Committee along with key contributions from many nonprofits, businesses and individuals. Last year, more than 300 people attended to help the city celebrate the 50th anniversary since its 1960 incorporation.

School Fuel, another event sponsor, is the proceed beneficiary this year. Elizabeth Sleath, president of School Fuel’s board of directors, was honored as Citizen of the Year in 2010 after living here for 34 years since moving from her native England. Sleath's resume included serving as an organizer for the Emergency Education Fund in 2003, co-chairing a successful parcel tax campaign for public schools in 2005, judging candidates for the Marin County Office of Education's Golden Bell Awards, and judging the Margie Burke Memorial Speech Tournament, according to the School Fuel website.

“That was amazing. I hadn’t a clue,” Sleath said of last year’s award. “With the 50th anniversary, it was packed. … To tell you the truth, with me, having come into this country and having gone through immigration and not being a citizen to start with, you remember being called an alien. It’s such a horrible term. But looking back at last year, that’s what gave it added meaning for me. It was lovely.”

Among the auction items for Paint the Town Red are a tour and lunch for four on the Cunard Line’s new Queen Elizabeth luxury ship during her maiden call to San Francisco on Feb. 4, 2012. Also, up for grabs will be four tickets to a 49ers game next season.

For tickets and more information, check www.paintthetownred.org or call 328-0186 or 328-8299.