80-year-old Luling man keeps Blue Santa thriving with unique fundraiser

LULING, Texas - If there's one thing 80-year-old Ed Cappleman loves more than his collection of vintage cars, it's taking care of his community.

"It's a worthwhile deal," said Cappleman, owner of Cappleman Cars & Apple Lumber. "If you just think about the policemen going to buy the presents and giving them to the kids."

He uses his store, Cappleman Cars, to raise money year-round for Blue Santa.

"This is probably an easy way for me to stay out of a nursing home because we got all of these neat cars that we drive all the time," said Cappleman.

Every year, a taste of Christmas comes in July as he turns an ordinary kitchen into Santa's Workshop.

He’s got helpers of all ages peeling potatoes, dicing onions, and prepping a batch of rice with a secret recipe from Shiner, TX.

"We got all the meats and so forth prepared," said Cappleman as he displayed a fridge full of stewed meat.

He calls the feast a Stew for Two, although it will feed plenty more hungry mouths than that.

"We cook it in a big 40 gallon cast iron pot," said Cappleman.

Several hundred people will leave Zedler Mill with full bellies on Saturday, and Blue Santa will take away an early Christmas gift.

"If you think about it, the way we grew up, the older people, you're getting one present, and that's about it, but a lot of the kids in town don't get a lot of presents, so it's kind of a neat way to give back to the community," said Cappleman

City manager Mark Mayo said Blue Santa helps provide presents for about four hundred Luling families each year.

"As it gets closer to Christmas, then they'll go out, they'll know what they have as far as money and be able to go out and purchase the gifts."

With so many kids counting on Blue Santa, the Christmas spirit never quite leaves Luling.

And as long as Ed Cappleman is around, he’ll make sure that doesn’t change.

Reporter: "No plans to stop?

"No, no," laughed Cappleman.

The fundraiser is Saturday, July 13, from 3-7 p.m. at Zedler Mill in Luling.

Tickets are $50 for two people. Kids 12 and under are free. There will also be live music, a car show, and a quilt auction.