SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.  – Holiday festivities will be abundant at the California Welcome Center, 1955 Hunts Lane, San Bernardino on Wednesday, December 8, 2010 beginning at 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.   Keeping with the spirit of giving, the California Welcome Center is asking for new books, socks and slippers to be donated to Arrowhead United Way and the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino. Local authors will be in attendance from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. for a book-signing, just in time for holiday gifts.

“Giving back is what this time of year is all about,” says Wayne Austin, president & CEO of the San Bernardino Convention & Visitors Bureau (SBCVB).  “Our visitors will supply much needed materials for our local charities, and as a thank you, we will enter them into a drawing for prizes and tickets from our local businesses and theaters.  It is a win-win all the way around.”

Eleven local authors will include John Howard Weeks, feature columnist for The Sun and author of the keepsake San Bernardino Bicentennial coffee-table book; Historian Steve Shaw who will be signing his San Bernardino – Postcard Series and San Bernardino Fire Department books; Eleven year-old Torrey Mahall who penned The Search for the Golden Mission; Maria Toth, Kathryn Sant and Lynn Kelley – the children book authors of the Monster Moon Mysteries:  Curse at Zala Manor, Secret of Haunted Bog, Trapped in Pirate Time, The Legend of Monster Island, and Lights, Camera, Monsters; Diana Del Russo, another children book author with her Pages, the Bookmaker Elf and The Magical Journey works; Pauline Jaramillo will be signing A Time to Heal: Grief Recovery Guide & Workbook; Life Interrupted and The American Southwest:  Pride-Prejudice-Perseverance; Ann Loera who penned Onya, a book about growing up in Russia; Carmen Dominguez Nevarez who wrote Inland Empire Paves the Way for Cesar E. Chavez; and Nick Cataldo with his works The Earp Clan: The Southern California Years.

“There is such diversity among the authors and the types of books available,” states Barbara Daugherty, director of business operations.  “Each of the authors has interesting insights into what intrigued them into writing their books.”

The California Welcome Center will be serving refreshments and appetizers from local restaurants throughout this holiday celebration.

“We have so much talent in the Inland Empire, and we are thrilled to host this event so that people can join in the good old-fashioned holiday socializing,” states Austin.  “And, while at the center visitors can get ideas for their family’s holiday vacation.  There are so many wonderful things to see and experience, all within an hour’s drive.”

Berdoo Bear, the five-foot tall animatronics mascot bear for the Welcome Center will be dressed in holiday attire for photo opportunities.

The California Welcome Center (CWC) in San Bernardino, the regional representative for tourism in the Inland Empire, is located at 1955 Hunts Lane, south of Hospitality Lane, and is uniquely designed with a Route 66 theme.  A replica of the Route 66 Highway directs visitors through a gallery-like atmosphere with backlit displays, Internet kiosk and an authentic jukebox. The center’s concierge-style service assists tourists, business travelers and regional residents with their vacation and relocation planning needs. The San Bernardino Convention & Visitors Bureau, a private, non-profit corporation provides the sales and marketing services for the Welcome Center.