8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 21-27, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com 831 It was a Sunday in early December 1925, when 54 women of Carmel made their way down and across the forest pathways and unpaved streets of the little village to the Pine Inn on Ocean Avenue, where one by one they signed their names as charter members of the Carmel Woman’s Club. Their stated goals included “mutual help, intellectual advancement, social enjoyment and united effort for the welfare of the community.” A century later those goals remain the same. And while women’s clubs across the country have faced decline since the late 20th century as women’s roles in society have evolved, something happened in Carmel during the pandemic—the club actually saw its membership double to more than 460 members, both men and women, with robust participation at programs and events. Their ages range from 20s to over 100. (The club welcomed men “in a spirit of inclusiveness,” according to a brochure.) “I’m not quite sure what the secret sauce has been, but suddenly we’re very popular,” says the club’s president, Christina DeMaria. It could be that with remote work people have more flexible schedules, she theorizes. Their meetings are at 2pm the first and third Mondays of the month, between October and May, a schedule that was set when the club started and hasn’t wavered. DeMaria thinks that new people to the area are looking for ways to meet others and word of mouth is bringing new members to the clubhouse at the corner of San Carlos Street and 9th Avenue, directly across from the Sunset Center. It was built in 1949 with funds raised by members. Since the beginning of the club’s existence to the present day there’s been a focus on inviting high-caliber speakers for programs—in 1926 members planned to sponsor the Institute of World Affairs in Carmel to bring nationally recognized leaders and speakers to town. Recent programs have covered topics such as artificial intelligence, Alzheimer’s and dementia, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and local history. The ladies in the early days also focused on beautifying the town and surrounding area. In 1928 the club was successful in eliminating billboards on Highway 1 and signs around town, perhaps the forerunner of today’s “village character” heard so often at recent Carmel City Council meetings. The women definitely had an opinion, says DeMaria, “and they got their way.” The club members were “all about beautification and keeping Carmel really beautiful.” During the Great Depression they hired unemployed men to beautify the streets of the village. The club had a hand in the beginnings of other Carmel institutions, DeMaria says, including the Outdoor Forest Theater and the Carmel Art Association. Their interests extended beyond Carmel into the world—they raised enough money to send to Great Britain for the purchase of an ambulance in 1941. A couple of years before that, they raised money for Chinese refugees in the Sino-Japanese war zone. Their philanthropy over the decades has helped dozens of local nonprofits. In recent years fundraising has been focused on the education of women, in particular women whose education was interrupted. They are usually older than typical college students. Since the first scholarship was awarded in 2011, they’ve given out $108,000 through Monterey Peninsula College, DeMaria says. Club members have set an audacious fundraising goal of $100,000 for the scholarship fund from their centennial celebration, “Journey Through the Decades,” set for noon-4pm on Saturday, Sept. 20. They’ll be blocking off a section of 9th Avenue next to the clubhouse for live music, food, historical exhibits, games and a classic car show. As for the future, DeMaria says they’ll keep doing what they’ve been doing, while accommodating their growing membership. Five years ago they launched a lobster feed fundraiser. Their popular luncheons, held twice a year, long outgrew the clubhouse, which can seat 140 people. They moved the event to a space at Palo Corona Regional Park. “We’re just busting at the seams because they’ve been so popular,” she says. Centennial Celebration The Carmel Woman’s Club is still going strong after 100 years, bucking a national trend. By Pam Marino “Suddenly we’re very popular.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS Carmel Woman’s Club President Christina DeMaria holds up a 1925 photo showing the club’s charter members. The number of women’s clubs across the U.S. grew in the late 1800s to late 1920s. SAVE THE DATE Friday, September 12 • Monterey Marriott Annual Leadership Luncheon Thursday, October 16 • TBD Monterey Bay Business Expo UPCOMING EVENTS See the full schedule of events and register today at montereychamber.com REGISTER TODAY!
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