On June 24, the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce hosted its Annual Awards & Installation Luncheon at the beautiful Grand Tradition Estate & Gardens. Community and Chamber members were recognized for their exceptional contributions in making the Friendly Village better for all.
One of the awards presented is the Lifetime Achievement Award. This award often goes to a single person whose time, resources and energy have made a notable and lasting impact on Fallbrook. These contributions must be made over a significant number of years, hence a “lifetime” of commitment.
The award, presented as of 2025, honored a married couple at this year’s ceremony. This special duo has been in Fallbrook all their lives. They were high school sweethearts at Fallbrook High School and were married in 1975. They have one daughter, a son-in-law, also from Fallbrook, and two grandsons. With their local automotive business, Costello’s Auto Repair, they have been Chamber members for nearly 32 years.
Their names are Roy and Linda Costello, and they have served as ardent volunteers for a very long time. Roy has served as a Chamber Board member for 4 terms, in addition to all the other volunteering he has done. He has been the Christmas Parade chair since 1998, and Linda has been on the committee right alongside him. She organized the event, managed entries, made maps, updated flyers, (and the website when she worked at the Chamber), has been the key person at the parade start and much more! They have been bringing joy to over 35,000 residents every year for almost 28 years!
Roy was an original member of the Flags Over Fallbrook team, which formed in 2000. He and Linda have consistently set up and taken down flags for every federal holiday. Their dog even comes along for the task!
Also in the early 2000s, Roy was a member of the original Keep Fallbrook Clean and Green team.
Roy and Linda have served on the Avocado Festival committee since 1998. They have volunteered at numerous events, including the Chamber’s Wine and a Bite Art walk, First Responders Luncheon and the Harvest Faire. They have supported the Miss Fallbrook pageant, the Annual Charity Golf Tournament and Roy is a Mason at the Fallbrook Masonic Lodge.
Linda volunteers with the Fallbrook Amateur Radio club and volunteers at the Harvest Faire every year. Both honorees have received the Greater Fallbrook Foundation Award in 2008, and Roy was Citizen of the Year in 2010.
The Costellos are a wonderful example of what it means to be members of a community – truly invested, giving of their time, talent and treasure, volunteering in service to others year after year after year.
As Chamber members, they have attended dozens of networking and community events and have promoted the Chamber endlessly. They have donated raffle prizes, supported Chamber advertising opportunities, and sponsored many community efforts. Linda was also employed by the Chamber in recent years, for which we are very grateful. Her skills and expertise as a graphic artist continue to impact on our Chamber today.
The Chamber and community are grateful for all our honorees have done for the betterment of Fallbrook, for their loyalty to the Chamber and the many ways in which they have blessed this community.
