The drummer from Oingo Boingo, a Daytime Emmy winner, the voice of Ferb from “Phineas and Ferb,” Jack Sparrow, Mrs. Claus and Santa Claus walk into Salt Creek Grille on Saturday. The goal? Provide an unforgettable Christmas for members of the community in need.
Shawn Dettenmaier was 7 years ago when she saw a need in her community. She wanted to give the less fortunate houses, but quickly found out that it is unfortunately not possible in her reality.
Instead, she took an idea from something she had experienced with her grandmother – breakfast with Santa Claus.
Shawn’s parents, Lota Hadley-Dettenmaier and Ethan Dettenmaier, went all around Santa Clarita trying to find a location to host the event. Every place they asked said no, except Salt Creek Grille. They were even toward the end of their list because they thought the restaurant was too upscale and wouldn’t accept.
Lota was talking to a friend about the event and they suggested that they add characters to it.
The first year they invited the people who lean on Family Promise’s services, alongside characters such as the Grinch. Ever since then, the Dettenmaier family has created “Make a World a Better Place” and expanded the event to serve Lutheran Social Services, Hope Gardens, members of the Boys and Girls Club and Single Woman’s Outreach.
“It’s incredible. I never thought that we would do an event this big, but it keeps getting bigger and bigger every year and we always pull it off,” said Shawn.
This past Saturday served as the 13th year of the Combat Radio Christmas. Combat Radio from Brigade-Radio-One is hosted by Ethan and every year provides radio coverage for the event.
Ethan also is the one who brings in the star-studded entourage of actors, musicians, writers, producers, and more, to the event.
“He is someone for whom anyone will do anything,” said Daytime Emmy winner Carolyn Hennesy. “You’ve got Emmy winners. You’ve got Academy Award nominees. You’ve got heroes of Disney. You’ve got all these people and Ethan calls and it’s simply, ‘What time would you like me there?’”
Hennesy was a guest on Ethan’s radio show and in only her first guest appearance on the show, he asked her to join them for the event.
“He said, ‘Hey, there’s a Christmas breakfast for social services out in Santa Clarita. Do you want to be a part of it?’ And I went yeah. Without question, where do I sign up?” said Hennesy.
Hennesy returns every year for Ethan, but most importantly the kids the event serves.
“For some of these families, this is their Christmas. This is the Christmas table,” said Hennesy. “So, in that spirit, every year, this is the event that starts off the holiday season for me and to carry this sort of spirit of being of service and opening your heart up and seeing the results, the tangible results of that, it carries through the through the rest of the holiday season … It is a joy and a blessing and a privilege to be able to do this.”
Johnny “Vatos” Hernandez, the drummer for Oingo Boingo, fell under the same category as Hennesy. He was also once a guest on Ethan’s radio show.
“I saw the things he does for child services and all the work he does, and I offered my help in any way I could,” said Hernandez.
Hernandez and Hennesy both now work toward inviting their industry friends to the event and helping expand it.
“I love being here and being a part of it. It’s a great thing,” said Hernandez. “There are children all over the planet. There are families all over the planet and that’s why we’re here. It’s not about anything other than that. It’s the ‘commonists’ of man, the common man. That’s why we’re here.”
Families lined up for the Christmas stars of the event – Mr. And Mrs. Claus. Each kid and family had the opportunity to hop on the sleigh, sit on the Clauses’ laps and tell Santa what they want for Christmas.
Each kid was handed a present and the festivities continued all throughout the event.
Breakfast treats and Christmas crafts were enjoyed at every table. Sword fights broke out all around due to The Crimson Pirates. Kids laughed as they chased down the Grinch trying to give him a hug.
This event, as Hennesy said, is the only Christmas most of these families will get, but it also serves as the Dettenmaiers’ Christmas, too.
“To me, this is our Christmas,” said Lota. “I like this better than the commercialism of spending ridiculous amounts of money and buying gifts for people who don’t need stuff … This is what we love to do.”
This event was also the driving motivator for Shawn as she had a battle earlier in the year with an autoimmune disease.
“Shawn’s been fighting for her life in 2023,” said Ethan. “The one thing that got her through it was the idea that she could still help people out and have something to look forward to … She still cares about other people in a kind way that you don’t see much anymore, which is special.”
