Local Guild groups hosting holiday dinner, concert

No need to wait for Dec. 25 for a delicious Christmas dinner and plenty of caroling.

The Lockeford Guild and its Woodbridge counterparts have teamed up to host a Christmas dinner and concert on Dec. 9.

“It’s going to be a traditional Christmas meal with turkey, ham, prime rib, meatloaf and sides,” said Nina Chandler, a member of the Lockeford District Guild.

The dinner will be held at the Guild Hall, with the concert upstairs, she said. Musicians from the Woodbridge Guild will perform Christmas songs and carols, and lead the audience in a singalong.

Tim Christensen at the Woodbridge Guild is known for his bluegrass and traditional music, Chandler said. He even plays at senior centers and performs concerts around the Lodi area. A few

of the Woodbridge Guild’s other members are also musicians, and often play with Christensen’s group.

“We’re going to just put him right to work up there,” Chandler said.

People will be able to drift back and forth between the feast downstairs and the music upstairs, she said.

The concert and dinner aims to bring together the community from Lockeford and the surrouding area for some holiday cheer.

It’s also a fundraiser for the California State Guild, formerly part of the National Grange. After the national organization and the California Granges clashed over labeling of GMO foods in 2012, the National Grange suspended and then revoked the state organization’s charter.

So a number of granges throughout the state voted to reform as the California State Guild and start over, including Lockeford and Woodbridge.

The California State Guild asked member guilds to help rebuild by holding fundraisers for the statewide organization.

“(Lockeford and Woodbridge) came together and said, ‘You know, we could probably do a better job if we worked together,’” Chandler said.

They decided to host the Christmas gathering as a fun way to bring the community together while supporting the state guild, a grassroots agricultural and community organization.

Tickets are available in advance from the Guild, but if there’s room, then tickets will also be sold at the door while supplies last.

“I hope it brings out tons of people,” Chandler said. “We need to bring people together.”