www.montereycountynow.com JANUARY 1-7, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 Monterey Bay Marquee Press Vol. 1 Issue 4 January 1, 2026 in concert with Monterey Mattress Gingerich-Built Dreams...Dreams Shared...Dreams Realized A New Year. A New Chapter. A Shared Journey. There comes a time in life when the years move fast enough that we need to stop and look around. We take stock of who we have lost, who we still have, and what it means to keep going. Over these past few years, many in our community have said the same thing. We have lost people who shaped us. Parents. Partners. Close friends. Neighbors. The people who made the Monterey Peninsula what it is. VISIT OUR CARMEL SHOWROOM any day by appointment 831-899-5464 THE BEST MATTRESSES ON THE PLANET ARE BUILT RIGHT HERE. I feel that loss deeply myself. My father, Dale Gingerich, known to many as Pops Panda, passed away. My partner and great love of my life, Nancy, also passed after her heart condition returned during a period of intense stress that was beyond our control. They were the two most important people in my life. Their absence has marked every holiday since. Loss can bring us to a stop, but it can also remind us that life is the gift we are still holding. We move forward. We rebuild. We live for the moments we can share with others. That is where my focus is today This community has carried me through more than it will ever know. In return, I want to help bring people together again. I want to celebrate what we still have and support what matters most. Monterey Mattress Gingerich-Built is part of that story. We remain a small local factory partnered with a trusted independent manufacturer, a family we have known for over thirty years. Together we continue to build mattresses for homes, cabins, and hotels throughout the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, and Santa Cruz. This past spring we installed 145 mattresses at the Carmel Mission Inn in only two days. Two years ago we installed 250 mattresses into the Santa Cruz Dream Inn in five days. Our Carmel showroom sits just steps away from where many travelers stay as they explore our region. As the new year begins, Monterey Bay Marquee is joining in that purpose. It is the next chapter of what was once known as Monterey Mattress Marquee Community Support. Our goal is simple. Support local businesses. Support local nonprofits. Support the people who make this region strong. We hope to do this on a larger scale than ever before. A reminder that communities grow stronger when they gather. This year we were honored to support the Carmel Mission Inn and Shearwater Tavern as they hosted the Bond Ball on New Year’s Eve. The event helped raise funds for the Henry Miller Memorial Library with Monterey County Gives providing matching support. New Year’s Eve is an evening built around renewal. A moment for people to come together. A reminder that communities grow stronger when they gather. It also marks an important milestone. The Carmel Barnyard Shopping Village, built fifty years ago by John Waldroup for his wife May, continues to stand as a place where people meet, shop, create, and connect. The Barnyard, the Carmel Mission Inn, and the Carmel River Inn can become a shared gateway to Carmel Valley and Big Sur. A place where the community gathers the way it once did. A place for new memories. That is my hope for this next year. That we come together. That we support one another. That we honor the people we have lost by living fully with the people who are still here Dreams. Dreams shared. Dreams realized. Be the change. Brian Gingerich With the Spirit of Pops Panda Founders Monterey Mattress Gingerich-Built — Nancy Ellis-Bell — May 23, 1946 - April 9, 2025 — Dale Gingerich — aka “Pops Panda” November 8, 1934 - May 27, 2022
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