Goleta community members gathered around bright blue-and-yellow checkered tablecloths ready with food they had brought or bought from one of the nearby parked food trucks for the annual Goleta Dam Dinner. The event, on Saturday, August 17, saw more than 400 attendees enjoy a convivial dinner alongside the Lake Los Carneros Dam.
The annual gathering is a collaboration between the City of Goleta and the Goleta Valley Historical Society to encourage community members to celebrate the end of summer and start of school with an outdoor dinner under the sun.
“People see familiar faces and meet new friends here,” said Kelly Hoover, Goleta Community Relations Manager. “And you can’t be in a bad mood,” she gestured to the growing laughter down the tables as family and friends embraced each other and pulled out seats. As parents set up, children ran alongside the tables with one another, seeking out the free face-painting station set up alongside the end of the long table.
