2022 Awards Banquet Winners

We were happy to return to our 11th Annual Goldie Awards Banquet held at the 19 Restaurant & Lounge.  The Short Video Competition is a series of 4 minute videos produced by Video Club members on a variety of subjects. This year, eleven short videos were submitted, all were viewed at the Banquet and three were voted by the members as the winners. Left and 3rd place, Marsha Berman for Alaska, An Amazing Adventure; Center and 1st place, Sidney Kirpatrick for The Apology; right and 2nd place, Starkey for Championing Young Lives..

Click here to visit our YouTube channel and view All entries that were submitted.  The Video Stream was produced and edited by Suzanne Savlov.

Click here for more photos and details about the 2022 Goldies Awards Banquet on another post.

Still Photos by Barbel Dagostino and Lucy Parker

Portrait Photos by

PORTRAIT PHOTOS: Click here to view and download portrait photos

CANDID PHOTOS: Click here to view and download candid photos

2021 Short Video Contest Awarded at Summer BBQ 

Our Goldie Awards were held via Zoom on February 18 and viewed 10 original 4-minutes videos submitted by club members on a variety of subjects.  Voting for the winners was accomplished by polling from members in attendance.  The winners received their Goldie Statuette at our Summer BBQ held August 18. The winners were left, 1st place, John Glassco for Lego Houdini; center, 2nd place, Stephanie Brasher for The Brig Pilgrim; and right, Don Hill for The Year 2020 in 4-minutes.

Click here for more photos and details about the Zoom-based 2021 Goldies Awards on another post. No banquet was held in 2021 due to Covid, but the awards were later presented in person on August 18, 2021 at the Annual Summer BBQ.

Click here to visit our YouTube channel and view All entries that were submitted.  The Video Stream was produced and edited by Suzanne Savlov.

Still Photos by Barbel Dagostino and Lucy Parker

CANDID PHOTOS: Click here to view and download 2021 BBQ photos

2020 Short Video Contest Winners!

Eight contest entries were screened at the club’s 10th Annual Goldies Awards Banquet on February 3, 2020, in the Clubhouse 2 Main Ballroom. Club members present voted to select the top three winners: left, Don Hill for Found My Bucket List; center, Stephanie Brasher for Abraham, Martin & John; and right, Fred Harshbarger for Memories.

Click here to visit our YouTube channel and view All entries that were submitted.  The Video Stream was produced and edited by Suzanne Savlov with assistance from Tom Nash.

Still Banquet photos by Andre Torng. Banquet photo montage by Lucy Parker.

2022 Awards Banquet Winners

We were happy to return to our 11th Annual Goldie Awards Banquet held at the 19 Restaurant & Lounge.  The Short Video Competition is a series of 4 minute videos produced by Video Club members on a variety of subjects. This year, eleven short videos were submitted, all were viewed at the Banquet and three were voted by the members as the winners. Left and 3rd place, Marsha Berman for Alaska, An Amazing Adventure; Center and 1st place, Sidney Kirpatrick for The Apology; right and 2nd place, Starkey for Championing Young Lives..

Click here to visit our YouTube channel and view All entries that were submitted.  The Video Stream was produced and edited by Suzanne Savlov.

Click here for more photos and details about the 2022 Goldies Awards Banquet on another post.

Still Photos by Barbel Dagostino and Lucy Parker

Portrait Photos by

PORTRAIT PHOTOS: Click here to view and download portrait photos

CANDID PHOTOS: Click here to view and download candid photos

2021 Short Video Contest Awarded at Summer BBQ 

Our Goldie Awards were held via Zoom on February 18 and viewed 10 original 4-minutes videos submitted by club members on a variety of subjects.  Voting for the winners was accomplished by polling from members in attendance.  The winners received their Goldie Statuette at our Summer BBQ held August 18. The winners were left, 1st place, John Glassco for Lego Houdini; center, 2nd place, Stephanie Brasher for The Brig Pilgrim; and right, Don Hill for The Year 2020 in 4-minutes.

Click here for more photos and details about the Zoom-based 2021 Goldies Awards on another post. No banquet was held in 2021 due to Covid, but the awards were later presented in person on August 18, 2021 at the Annual Summer BBQ.

Click here to visit our YouTube channel and view All entries that were submitted.  The Video Stream was produced and edited by Suzanne Savlov.

Still Photos by Barbel Dagostino and Lucy Parker

CANDID PHOTOS: Click here to view and download 2021 BBQ photos

2020 Short Video Contest Winners!

Eight contest entries were screened at the club’s 10th Annual Goldies Awards Banquet on February 3, 2020, in the Clubhouse 2 Main Ballroom. Club members present voted to select the top three winners: left, Don Hill for Found My Bucket List; center, Stephanie Brasher for Abraham, Martin & John; and right, Fred Harshbarger for Memories.

Click here to visit our YouTube channel and view All entries that were submitted.  The Video Stream was produced and edited by Suzanne Savlov with assistance from Tom Nash.

Still Banquet photos by Andre Torng. Banquet photo montage by Lucy Parker.

Click here for more photos and details about the 2020 Goldies Awards Banquet on another post.

PORTRAIT PHOTOS: Click here to view and download portrait photos

CANDID PHOTOS: Click here to view and download candid photos

Photos below are by Andre Torng and Stephanie Brasher.

Click here for more photos and details about the 2019 Goldies Awards Banquet on another post.

PORTRAIT PHOTOS: Click here to view and download portrait photos

CANDID PHOTOS: Click here to view and download candid photos

Parker, Kelly, Hale Take Top Awards at 2018 Banquet

From left, Lucy Parker, 1st place winner; John Kelly, 2nd place winner; and Chuck Hale, 3rd place winner. Photo by Barbel Dagostino.

Winners of the Video Club’s Annual Short Video Contest were chosen February 24 by members attending the club’s 8^th annual “Academy” Awards Banquet in Clubhouse 2. They are Lucy Parker, first place, for her video “The Three Wishes”; John Kelly, second, for “Making A Demo for Woods Combo”; and Chuck Hale, third, for “The Trip Planner.” Fifteen members entered videos of 4 minutes or less in the contest, chaired by Roland Harrison; 10 entries were selected by the Video Acceptance Committee to be shown at the dress-up banquet, attended by 82 members and guests and chaired by Barbel Dagostino.

Click here for more photos and details about the 2018 Goldies Awards Banquet on another post.

VIEW CANDIDS: Click here to view and Download Candid photos

VIEW PORTRAITS: Click here to view and Download Portrait photos

Sheryl Martin, Betsy Martin, Chuck Hale Were “Win/ Place/ Show” at 2017 Awards Banquet

Nine contest videos were screened for the more than 70 guests attending the Video Club’s 7^th Annual “Academy” Awards Banquet Sunday, February 19, in Dining Room 1 of the Laguna Woods Village Performing Arts Center. Coming away with top honors were Sheryl Martin (first, in center of photo above), Betsy Martin (second), and Chuck Hale (third).

Banquet photos by Tom Nash, Barbel Dagostino, and Lucy Parker are online at the club’s Google Photos site.  You can download and print or otherwise share pictures of you and your guests by clicking on the links below!

PORTRAITS:  Click here to view and download portraits

CANDID PHOTOS: Click here to view and download candid photos

Photos by Barbel Dagostino, Lucy Parker, and Tom Nash

Sheryl’s video, “My Day with Hank,” shares a day spent with an extraordinary 84-year-old Disneyland fireman, Hank Ameen (right). Betsy’s video, “Break Out,” shows how her friend, Elissa Nadel, who has cerebral palsy, finds joy in life while dealing with her disability. Chuck’s video, “Courageous Woman,” is a tribute to his late wife Dorothea’s adventurous spirit and passion for helping others. Other contest entrants were Quinn Ljoka (“Puppets”), Bob and Barbara D’Evelyn (“Santa Cruz Island”), Lucy Parker (“No Retired Activists”), Stephanie Brasher (“Full Circle”), Andy Cullinane (“Michael’s 1st Birthday”), and Norma Benner (“Cat N’ Go Seek”). The 2016-2017 Annual Short Video Contest was ably managed again this year by Roland Harrison. Chuck Hale projected the videos. Guests dropped their votes in bags representing each of the nine videos, as shown below.

Tom Nash again operated the VIP portrait booth, taking photos of guests. David Dearing was a hit in his first turn as banquet emcee. Banquet chair Barbel Dagostino’s plan for a sit-down dinner was well-received — speedily served by Jolanda’s Catering. A special Video Club cake capped the meal. Joan Carman managed reservations and served with Membership Director Evelyn Chang at the reception table. Another 2017 banquet innovation was door prizes donated by local businesses, Prizes were solicited by Barbel and Stephanie Brasher, whose guests assisted in distributing them to lucky winners, as seen in photo above.

For a copy of the banquet program with all acknowledgments, click here.

Sheryl Martin’s Video Wins First Place at January 23, 2016 Awards Banquet

NOTICE: 267 photos from our Awards Banquet – including guest portraits by Tom Nash; candids by Mike Evans, Barbel Dagostino, and Tom; and program pix by Mike, Barbel, and Lucy Parker – are now on the Video Club’s new Google Photos sitefor everyone to enjoy.

TIP: If you agree to accept “high quality” rather than requiring “original size” for your files, Google will give you UNLIMITED free online storage for your photos AND VIDEOS, fully synced with your devices.Whatta deal!

Click the following links to see our banquet photos:

PORTRAITS    Click here to view and download portraits

CANDIDS        Click here to view and download candids

PROGRAM      Click here to view and download the program

Each of these URLs links to an album – and anyone who has the link can access, view, and download any banquet photo. Many thanks to our photographers!

Martin, Baker and Sciupac Take Top Awards at the 2015 Awards Banquet

Top awards in the Video Club’s 2015 Annual Short Video Contest went to Sheryl Martin (First Place, for “Living My Inner Cowgirl,” a dream trip to a dude ranch), Jim Baker (left) (Second Place, for “America,” a scenic photo tribute), and Danny Sciupac,(right)  (Third Place, for “Life Lessons,” inspirational guidance from the wisdom of children). Winners were chosen from the top 10 four-minute videos (selected out of 16 submitted in the contest) when attendees voted at the club’s Sixth Annual “Academy” Awards Banquet, held January 23 in Clubhouse 6.

Other contestants whose videos were shown at the banquet were (from left) Bob D’Evelyn, “Boating Up the Sungai Temburong River”; Linda Lenthall, “Myanmar”; Marge Kinney, “Courage to Start, Strength to Finish”; Steve Carman, “Christmas Miracle on the Way to Mars”; Betsy Martin, “A Hunk of Clay”; and Tom Nash, “Trees.” Pat Burr, whose “Festival at Erumely” was also in the top 10, could not attend.
Kudos for the successful evening came from many members. Said Bliss Hill, who recently stepped down after several years as Hospitality Director: “The Awards Banquet was a big success! It was nice socializing in the entrance room and having pictures taken. The food was great and the dining room worked well for the rewards presentations and dinner. The pretty gift bags and contents were lovely. The videos were great. It was really hard to choose a best one. I had feared the CH 6 dining room would be too small but it worked perfectly, since people were able to walk about and chat in the outer room before dinner. (Norma Benner) did a fabulous job as coordinator as did (her) helpers. John and I had a wonderful time.”Norma responded in kind with a message to her team:“Bliss Hill’s assessment reflects that of many who attended last night’s party…You all worked so hard to make the evening special and it was (in my opinion) the best ever! Last year’s party coordinators introduced creative improvements such as special envelopes for the winners (just like the at the Hollywood Oscars!) and hand-crafted glittered table numbers. This year, Chuck Hale and Roland Harrison saved the day by re-doing DVDs which would only play on computers. Tom Nash and Mike Evans took pictures and Alan Goldman helped to bring needed equipment from the Lab. Mike Bajc (of Digital Arts Plus in Mission Viejo) brought all of his equipment for videoing our party.“Gloria’s balloons and gift bags were innovative, took a lot of time and effort, but created a great party ambiance. The tables were stunningly decorated thanks to Joan Carman’s creative touches. Danny Suipac accepted the last-minute challenge to provide dinner music; the Lenthalls provided their equipment and expertise for showing the videos. President Steve Carman engaged a sound technician, arranged for the location, took care of paying the caterer, and finessed the information on Lucy Parker’s stunning party programs. Bonnie Beaux Fullerton was MC extraordinaire! Also, Betsy Martin had made sure the Clubhouse got the plan with our needs completed and submitted. Evelyn recorded incoming funds and (she and John) helped guests find their table assignments. You’ve set a high bar for successful parties, but now there is a blueprint to make planning easier for next year’s planners. Thank you all so much!”
Acknowledging Norma’s efforts, Steve weighed in: “No one worked harder than you to make the Video Club ‘Academy’ Awards evening the great success that it was! Thank you for your leadership of the team that you praised…. I truly appreciate you and hope that you will now find time to relax and unwind from the big event.”

Tom Nash Outlined Plans for Instruction at January 17, 2015 Awards Banquet 

The Video Club’s new Vice President Tom Nash (top left in collage below) took the podium on behalf of incoming President (Steve Carman (inset) to outline new educational plans at our successful 5th Annual “Academy” Awards Banquet Saturday, January 17, in Clubhouse 7.. Emphasis will be on individualized “coaching.” Health issues prevented Steve from attending, but he was there in spirit with wife Joan, who will co-head Hospitality with Bliss Hill this year. Outgoing President Lucy Parker thanked many volunteers in her summary of the club’s accomplishments during 2014 and put special emphasis on creative progress in the Video Studio.
Gloria D’Simone-Shute (above left) kept the evening lively as our emcee. Lots of photographers were on hand, including Mike Bajc (bottom left) Mike Evans (bottom right), “you-know-who” — our club’s old logo in one of his final appearances, and Barbel Dagostino (center, who did a fabulous job as our Banquet Chair),  One of Barbel’s many contributions to the evening was the unusual chocolate raspberry cake (above right) decorated with photos of our incoming and outgoing Presidents.
Short Video Contest Winners Announced in the Short Video Contest, Lucy Parker and Linda Lenthall tied for Best Picture among nine entries with their videos “Little Things” and “Mahale.” Linda was on a five-month trip and could not attend. The surprise of the evening was that Lucy also won in “Oscars” in Videography and Editing, resulting in the armload of trophies (above) being presented by Contest Coordinator Roland Harrison. Other contestants were Ken Tsai, Danny Sciupac, Bob D’Evelyn, Betsy Martin, Chuck Hale, Pat Burr, and Jim Baker with videos on a wide range of subjects from travel to animals to fishing to humor, including animation, an air-sea rescue, and a even a Western “horse opry.”

PORTRAIT PHOTOS: Click here to view and download portrait photos

CANDID PHOTOS: Click here to view and download candid photos

Photos below are by Andre Torng and Stephanie Brasher.

PORTRAIT PHOTOS: Click here to view and download portrait photos

CANDID PHOTOS: Click here to view and download candid photos

Parker, Kelly, Hale Take Top Awards at 2018 Banquet

From left, Lucy Parker, 1st place winner; John Kelly, 2nd place winner; and Chuck Hale, 3rd place winner. Photo by Barbel Dagostino.

Winners of the Video Club’s Annual Short Video Contest were chosen February 24 by members attending the club’s 8^th annual “Academy” Awards Banquet in Clubhouse 2. They are Lucy Parker, first place, for her video “The Three Wishes”; John Kelly, second, for “Making A Demo for Woods Combo”; and Chuck Hale, third, for “The Trip Planner.” Fifteen members entered videos of 4 minutes or less in the contest, chaired by Roland Harrison; 10 entries were selected by the Video Acceptance Committee to be shown at the dress-up banquet, attended by 82 members and guests and chaired by Barbel Dagostino.

VIEW CANDIDS: Click here to view and Download Candid photos

VIEW PORTRAITS: Click here to view and Download Portrait photos

Sheryl Martin, Betsy Martin, Chuck Hale Were “Win/ Place/ Show” at 2017 Awards Banquet

Nine contest videos were screened for the more than 70 guests attending the Video Club’s 7^th Annual “Academy” Awards Banquet Sunday, February 19, in Dining Room 1 of the Laguna Woods Village Performing Arts Center. Coming away with top honors were Sheryl Martin (first, in center of photo above), Betsy Martin (second), and Chuck Hale (third).

Banquet photos by Tom Nash, Barbel Dagostino, and Lucy Parker are online at the club’s Google Photos site.  You can download and print or otherwise share pictures of you and your guests by clicking on the links below!

PORTRAITS:  Click here to view and download portraits

CANDID PHOTOS: Click here to view and download candid photos 

Photos by Barbel Dagostino, Lucy Parker, and Tom Nash

Sheryl’s video, “My Day with Hank,” shares a day spent with an extraordinary 84-year-old Disneyland fireman, Hank Ameen (right). Betsy’s video, “Break Out,” shows how her friend, Elissa Nadel, who has cerebral palsy, finds joy in life while dealing with her disability. Chuck’s video, “Courageous Woman,” is a tribute to his late wife Dorothea’s adventurous spirit and passion for helping others. Other contest entrants were Quinn Ljoka (“Puppets”), Bob and Barbara D’Evelyn (“Santa Cruz Island”), Lucy Parker (“No Retired Activists”), Stephanie Brasher (“Full Circle”), Andy Cullinane (“Michael’s 1st Birthday”), and Norma Benner (“Cat N’ Go Seek”). The 2016-2017 Annual Short Video Contest was ably managed again this year by Roland Harrison. Chuck Hale projected the videos. Guests dropped their votes in bags representing each of the nine videos, as shown below.

Tom Nash again operated the VIP portrait booth, taking photos of guests. David Dearing was a hit in his first turn as banquet emcee. Banquet chair Barbel Dagostino’s plan for a sit-down dinner was well-received — speedily served by Jolanda’s Catering. A special Video Club cake capped the meal. Joan Carman managed reservations and served with Membership Director Evelyn Chang at the reception table. Another 2017 banquet innovation was door prizes donated by local businesses, Prizes were solicited by Barbel and Stephanie Brasher, whose guests assisted in distributing them to lucky winners, as seen in photo above.

For a copy of the banquet program with all acknowledgments, click here.

Sheryl Martin’s Video Wins First Place at January 23, 2016 Awards Banquet

NOTICE: 267 photos from our Awards Banquet – including guest portraits by Tom Nash; candids by Mike Evans, Barbel Dagostino, and Tom; and program pix by Mike, Barbel, and Lucy Parker – are now on the Video Club’s new Google Photos sitefor everyone to enjoy.

TIP: If you agree to accept “high quality” rather than requiring “original size” for your files, Google will give you UNLIMITED free online storage for your photos AND VIDEOS, fully synced with your devices.Whatta deal!

Click the following links to see our banquet photos:

PORTRAITS    Click here to view and download portraits

CANDIDS        Click here to view and download candids

PROGRAM      Click here to view and download the program

Each of these URLs links to an album – and anyone who has the link can access, view, and download any banquet photo. Many thanks to our photographers!

Martin, Baker and Sciupac Take Top Awards at the 2015 Awards Banquet

Top awards in the Video Club’s 2015 Annual Short Video Contest went to Sheryl Martin (First Place, for “Living My Inner Cowgirl,” a dream trip to a dude ranch), Jim Baker (left) (Second Place, for “America,” a scenic photo tribute), and Danny Sciupac,(right)  (Third Place, for “Life Lessons,” inspirational guidance from the wisdom of children). Winners were chosen from the top 10 four-minute videos (selected out of 16 submitted in the contest) when attendees voted at the club’s Sixth Annual “Academy” Awards Banquet, held January 23 in Clubhouse 6.

Other contestants whose videos were shown at the banquet were (from left) Bob D’Evelyn, “Boating Up the Sungai Temburong River”; Linda Lenthall, “Myanmar”; Marge Kinney, “Courage to Start, Strength to Finish”; Steve Carman, “Christmas Miracle on the Way to Mars”; Betsy Martin, “A Hunk of Clay”; and Tom Nash, “Trees.” Pat Burr, whose “Festival at Erumely” was also in the top 10, could not attend.
Kudos for the successful evening came from many members. Said Bliss Hill, who recently stepped down after several years as Hospitality Director: “The Awards Banquet was a big success! It was nice socializing in the entrance room and having pictures taken. The food was great and the dining room worked well for the rewards presentations and dinner. The pretty gift bags and contents were lovely. The videos were great. It was really hard to choose a best one. I had feared the CH 6 dining room would be too small but it worked perfectly, since people were able to walk about and chat in the outer room before dinner. (Norma Benner) did a fabulous job as coordinator as did (her) helpers. John and I had a wonderful time.”Norma responded in kind with a message to her team:“Bliss Hill’s assessment reflects that of many who attended last night’s party…You all worked so hard to make the evening special and it was (in my opinion) the best ever! Last year’s party coordinators introduced creative improvements such as special envelopes for the winners (just like the at the Hollywood Oscars!) and hand-crafted glittered table numbers. This year, Chuck Hale and Roland Harrison saved the day by re-doing DVDs which would only play on computers. Tom Nash and Mike Evans took pictures and Alan Goldman helped to bring needed equipment from the Lab. Mike Bajc (of Digital Arts Plus in Mission Viejo) brought all of his equipment for videoing our party.“Gloria’s balloons and gift bags were innovative, took a lot of time and effort, but created a great party ambiance. The tables were stunningly decorated thanks to Joan Carman’s creative touches. Danny Suipac accepted the last-minute challenge to provide dinner music; the Lenthalls provided their equipment and expertise for showing the videos. President Steve Carman engaged a sound technician, arranged for the location, took care of paying the caterer, and finessed the information on Lucy Parker’s stunning party programs. Bonnie Beaux Fullerton was MC extraordinaire! Also, Betsy Martin had made sure the Clubhouse got the plan with our needs completed and submitted. Evelyn recorded incoming funds and (she and John) helped guests find their table assignments. You’ve set a high bar for successful parties, but now there is a blueprint to make planning easier for next year’s planners. Thank you all so much!”
Acknowledging Norma’s efforts, Steve weighed in: “No one worked harder than you to make the Video Club ‘Academy’ Awards evening the great success that it was! Thank you for your leadership of the team that you praised…. I truly appreciate you and hope that you will now find time to relax and unwind from the big event.”

Tom Nash Outlined Plans for Instruction at January 17, 2015 Awards Banquet 

The Video Club’s new Vice President Tom Nash (top left in collage below) took the podium on behalf of incoming President (Steve Carman (inset) to outline new educational plans at our successful 5th Annual “Academy” Awards Banquet Saturday, January 17, in Clubhouse 7.. Emphasis will be on individualized “coaching.” Health issues prevented Steve from attending, but he was there in spirit with wife Joan, who will co-head Hospitality with Bliss Hill this year. Outgoing President Lucy Parker thanked many volunteers in her summary of the club’s accomplishments during 2014 and put special emphasis on creative progress in the Video Studio.
Gloria D’Simone-Shute (above left) kept the evening lively as our emcee. Lots of photographers were on hand, including Mike Bajc (bottom left) Mike Evans (bottom right), “you-know-who” — our club’s old logo in one of his final appearances, and Barbel Dagostino (center, who did a fabulous job as our Banquet Chair),  One of Barbel’s many contributions to the evening was the unusual chocolate raspberry cake (above right) decorated with photos of our incoming and outgoing Presidents.
Short Video Contest Winners Announced in the Short Video Contest, Lucy Parker and Linda Lenthall tied for Best Picture among nine entries with their videos “Little Things” and “Mahale.” Linda was on a five-month trip and could not attend. The surprise of the evening was that Lucy also won in “Oscars” in Videography and Editing, resulting in the armload of trophies (above) being presented by Contest Coordinator Roland Harrison. Other contestants were Ken Tsai, Danny Sciupac, Bob D’Evelyn, Betsy Martin, Chuck Hale, Pat Burr, and Jim Baker with videos on a wide range of subjects from travel to animals to fishing to humor, including animation, an air-sea rescue, and a even a Western “horse opry.”