FOLSOM, Calif. — The California walnut industry is expanding its support of the local community by becoming the presenting sponsor of the 2022 Sacramento Ballet’s Hometown Nutcracker. The sponsorship leans into the holiday season, when walnuts are a staple in many home recipes, and connects family rituals around food and the arts.
“California walnut growers are proud to give back to our communities and this effort helps continue the time-honored tradition of Nutcracker by Sacramento Ballet, while also celebrating another seasonal favorite, the California walnut,” said Robert Verloop, CEO of California Walnuts. “The Nutcracker ballet and toy soldier figurines have long been associated with the magic of the season when families come together to celebrate the joy of the holidays. Likewise, walnuts are an important part of holiday memories as well. In fact, when Christmas trees started appearing in homes in the 18th century, walnuts were used to decorate them, and on the 12th day of Christmas the family would crack them open and enjoy them together. By joining forces with a beloved holiday tradition like the Nutcracker, we’re putting walnuts front and center during a joyous season.”
The sponsorship is multi-faceted and gets walnuts in front of consumers in several ways, including:
- Dedicated holiday recipe landing page on walnuts.org
- Free walnut samples for attendees at select performances to reignite attendees’ love of walnuts during the holiday season
- Visibility at performances through walnuts displays in the lobby, signage, and acknowledgement from the stage at every show
- Support for sponsored school matinees, including performances for a select group of students and parents
- Ticket giveaways, courtesy of SacBallet, via California Walnuts’ social media channels
- Mentions in show promotions on social media, in e-newsletters and through media outreach.
The annual holiday celebration set to Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker will offer eight performances with a live orchestra running December 10-24, 2022. An estimated 20,000 audience members are expected to attend, including 2,200 school children and families.
For more information about the Nutcracker visit https://www.sacballet.org/
The California walnut industry hopes to sponsor additional local Nutcracker performances in the future, continuing to instill walnuts as a delicious part of holiday celebrations. To learn more about California walnut industry activities visit walnuts.org/industry.
–California Walnuts