Paso Robles kicks off first annual Vets & Vibes

By Camille DeVaul · Fri Nov 14 2025

Community gathers at Veterans Memorial Building in honor of local veterans and city’s first Veterans Month proclamation

PASO ROBLES — The Paso Robles VFW Post 10965 welcomed the community to its inaugural Vets & Vibes event on Sunday, Nov. 9, celebrating local veterans and their families with a day of food, music, games, and connection. Held at the Veterans Memorial Building, the family-friendly event marked the first official recognition of Veterans Month by the City of Paso Robles.

Guests competed in a spirited cornhole tournament, sampled beverages available for purchase, and mingled in an atmosphere that highlighted the contributions of the city’s veterans.

VFW Post 10965 Commander Leo Castillo shared that the idea for Vets & Vibes had been in the works for about a year.

"The Vets and Vibes event was a thought I had about a year ago to try to do some kind of a celebration, like a Sunday Funday, basically celebrate veterans and their families," Castillo told Paso Robles Press. "I wanted to hone in on not making it just solely for veterans, but community. A lot of our community members don't really know about the veterans in their community or the vets hall or what we offer there or what we do."

Castillo noted that the event also served to commemorate the city’s Veterans Month proclamation, which the VFW had advocated for and celebrated as a significant milestone.

“We wanted to kind of kick it off with a big party, having some resources there for veterans and their families, but then also like having cornhole and having food vendors and having drinks for purchase and basically letting people kind of hang out, bring their families, walk around, eat a hot dog, have a taco, get them information about college benefits, so on and so forth,” he explained.

The event also had a philanthropic purpose. Proceeds from Vets & Vibes, which totaled nearly $2,000, went toward a new monument that the VFW hopes to build on Veterans Park property behind the hall. The project, estimated to cost $80,000, will create a communal space for veterans and residents alike, replacing an old playground structure that had been removed. Castillo emphasized that this fundraising effort was just the beginning of the campaign, with plans to approach local donors and businesses to reach the total goal.

Community support played a key role in the day’s success. Sponsors and vendors, including local breweries, food vendors, and service companies, helped bring the event to life. Many attendees enjoyed offerings from local favorites like Carnales Street Tacos and California Coast Beer Co., among others. Castillo expressed gratitude for their contributions, noting that local businesses had been instrumental in supporting veterans through ongoing partnerships.

The Vets & Vibes event is expected to become an annual tradition, with organizers planning to continue raising funds for the monument while providing a festive, community-centered celebration of local veterans and their families.

For more information or to make a donation to the monument, visit vfwpost10965.org

Feature Image: Paso Robles VFW Post 10965 Commander Leo Castillo (third from left) is shown with (from left) Charles Searles, Osbaldo Estrada, Isa Maganda, Chris Davis (aka "Chrissy Bear," Sal Cota, and Dan Ortiz at the inaugural Vets & Vibes event on Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Veterans Memorial Building. Photo by Camille DeVaul/PRP