By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
“The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things: of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings.” This quote from Lewis Carroll introduces the Grand Poobah contest this year with the Grand Poobah having the opportunity to ride in the Jamboree Days parade.
The business that collects the most votes for the winning candidate gets the bragging rights to being the “Home of the Grand Poobah” for the 2025 year. The entire purpose of this fourth annual Grand Poobah contest, in addition to bragging rights, is raising money for the expensive fireworks show that will be shot over Lake Gregory for the community to enjoy on July 5.
Nominations are now being collected, and anyone can nominate someone just by voting for them at $1 a vote. The rules for who is eligible to run for the Grand Poobah are minimal. The candidate must have a heartbeat and live or work in any part of Crestline, Valley of Enchantment or Cedarpines Park.
Cliff Herington is the current 2024 Grand Poobah. He has a court of two. Who will be Crestline’s 2025 Grand Poobah and which location will bring in the most donations and be the Home of the Poobah? The first round of nominees has been suggested, but more can be nominated at any point in the election, plus a large last moment donation can steal the election. Money talks in this election.
This is the fourth year of the Grand Poobah election, which was based on a former fundraising contest Crestline used to host, years ago. The whole point is the fireworks fundraising.
Looks like the election has hit the ground running this year! As of June 10, there are seven candidates, but more can be added at any point. So far, Carlos Castaneda, Allen Mairs, Chris Osterhold, Melissa Maeve Coyle, Andrew MacNamara and Mario Carbajal have been nominated, so they are in the running. Please make sure to include the dollar amount of votes in your envelope when voting. So far, $589 has been raised and there are several more weeks of voting before the June 27 deadline. Usually, several thousand dollars are raised. The cost of fireworks this year exceeds $17,000.
At this time, there are a couple of voting locations, but that will expand as time continues. Votes will be updated every Thursday and Sunday, and rankings will be posted on the Crestline Grand Poobah Discussion Facebook page.
There are several important questions to be answered in this contest. Who will win the Poobah hat? How often will they wear it? Which business will get the Home of the Poobah banner? Will the Bear Claw make a comeback this year and add a year to their banner or will the Rim of the World Sports Bar hold onto their title? Maybe a new location will emerge and get the prized Home of the Poobah banner.
The Grand Poobah contest is all for fun and for charity, with 50 percent of the funds raised going to the fireworks fund and 50 percent to the Mountain Counseling and Training Center. Every vote at any location goes toward community, as every cent is donated for the betterment of Crestline. Voting ends June 27 at 7 p.m. and the winner will be hatted during the community picnic on Sunday, June 29.
Yes, this election can be bought – they just want your money, and all the money goes to charity. Current voting locations include the Rim of the World Sports Bar, The Bear Claw and the Stockade; the newly reopened Tudor House will accept votes but, since it is not in Crestline, it is not in the running for the Home of the Poobah banner. Any other location that wants to accept votes should go to the Crestline Grand Poobah Discussion Facebook page and let Jen know you wish to be included in this year’s contest. Go vote today.
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