With good food, drink and friends enlivening things, the nominees were brought to an impromptu "stage" at the back patio and the highlights of their volunteerism announced. This was a long process, because there was often more than one organization nominating a candidate. To liven this up, a few of the speakers sang. That included Mark Salyer of the Theatre Project/SCV, who sang lines about Carl Goldman, playing off a tune from "Oklahoma." "Carl's just a guy who cain't say no..." This is Goldman's fourth nomination and earlier he joked about how he felt like Martin Scorsese - always nominated and never winning. But to be nominated puts one in a very elite category, and the compliments to and among all the nominees were as plentiful as they were heart-felt.

Nominee Bruce Fortine said that all the other nominees were "top-notch leaders of the community. That's what makes the Santa Clarita Valley what it is today. I'm proud to be among the nominees."

Gary Condie, the 2005 Man of the Year, noted the widely recognized suitability of all the nominees for the award. "If any one of them won, no one would ask why," he said.

Kept busy ensuring the evening's success were last year's Man and Woman of the year, Greg Nutter and Jeanna Crawford - especially Crawford - as the previous year's winners are always the next year's event chairs. And even when the party was through, their work was nowhere near done. They still have to throw the big bash, the Man and Woman of the Year Awards Dinner on May 2 at the Hyatt Valencia. That's when this year's Man and Woman of the Year will be announced.

For more information visit www.scvmanandwomanoftheyear.org.