IIt’s always a beautiful day in one of the state’s most iconic destinations, and a wedding set in a vineyard or on the coast will never disappoint. While the location is a large part of planning a wedding, there are a lot of little things...
[ Read ]
|
Health and Wellness isn’t just about exercise and diets, it’s also about accessing medical health care and knowing how to protect your body. But not everyone knows how to obtain preventative care, and youth don’t necessarily graduat...
[ Read ]
|
For our annual Volunteers issue, Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor spoke with LGBTQ-plus organizations in North County about creating community and support.
[ Read ]
|
As we gaze back at what 2022 brought with it, the big issues that stick out include homelessness, opioid overdoses, and rural crime—all of which were exacerbated in the wake of the pandemic and are still waiting for solutions from public offici...
[ Read ]
|
’Tis the season to spend some money on loved ones, friends, and possibly frenemies—if you’re into that kind of thing. But let’s not be boring. No socks, ok? Having trouble coming up with something else? We’ve got you cov...
[ Read ]
|
It’s hard to believe that 2022 is in the home stretch, but the holiday season is here, which means food, festivities, friends, family, and fringe benefits—like gifts! As Thanksgiving bears down on us, the Sun is here to get you prepared t...
[ Read ]
|
The Central Coast Guide to All Things Food and Drink
[ Read ]
|
October is both Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For that reason, this issue is dedicated to both. Inside you will find a story about one organization that helps survivors leave dangerous, volatile situations and o...
[ Read ]
|
With the breath of fresh rain storms we had the first few weeks of September, it really does feel like fall is here this year. It’s the right weather for the release of our Autumn Arts Annual issue, just in time for it to heat back up so everyo...
[ Read ]
|
Summer is heading toward its end, but there’s still lots of warmth left before those leaves start to fall and plenty of peaks left to summit. We asked you to pick those trailblazers in the community that deserved a very special merit badge, to ...
[ Read ]
|
Local students will be returning to campus later this month for the 2022-23 school year, and they’ll be met with a few changes. In our annual Education Today issue, we delve into those changes on the statewide and local levels. Staff Writer Tay...
[ Read ]
|
Come and enjoy the Santa Barbara County Fair 2022, July 13-17.
[ Read ]
|
Depth of field, light, composure, and subject matter all matter when it comes to the aesthetic qualities of a photograph. The Central Coast photographers who took home awards in this year’s Winning Images contest nailed all of those things. Out...
[ Read ]
|
In-person activities, festivals, celebrations, live music, camps, and more just continue to multiply as we cross our fingers and watch pandemic restrictions retreat behind us. There’s so much going on it’s hard to keep track, but don&rsqu...
[ Read ]
|
Our annual Pride issue is coming a little early this year, but is it ever really too early to celebrate the activism and visibility of the LGBTQ-plus community? We talk to the Pacific Pride Foundation about the upcoming summer of in-person events, wh...
[ Read ]
|
April 29 - May 1, 2022
4/29 - Seniors' Day
4/30 - Pepsi Kids' Day
5/1 - Fiesta Day
Purchase tickets online at santamariafairpark.com
[ Read ]
|
The Central Coast Guide to All Things Food and Drink
[ Read ]
|
Spring 2022 is shaping up to be chock-full of events—just like old, pre-pandemic times. The Sun’s annual Spring Arts issue has all the good ones ready for you to tick off your list, from gallery exhibits to plays to live music, crafting a...
[ Read ]
|
After taking a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sun’s annual wedding issue is back—and the wedding industry almost didn’t skip a beat. Although some wedding celebrations were put on temporary hold and then had to make adju...
[ Read ]
|
Every January, we bring you stories about health and wellness, and this year’s no different—plus, we’re leaving COVID-19 out of it! In this year’s issue, Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor speaks with a local esthetician about...
[ Read ]
|
Each January, we put out a volunteers issue, but with another year of COVID-19 in the rearview mirror, it seems especially important this time around to pay homage to those who continued to give their time to help others. This week, Staff Writer Tayl...
[ Read ]
|
Here we are at the end of yet another year. It’s hard to believe that COVID-19 followed us all the way from the beginning of the year to the end, but the pandemic is still thriving—even through vaccine and vaccine booster roll-outs. As th...
[ Read ]
|
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and the gift-giving ante gets upped with each passing day. If you’re feeling a bit behind this year, or if supply chain and COVID-19 issues have you in a state of paralysis, we’ve got jus...
[ Read ]
|
AAlthough social distancing, masking, and the weird haze of COVID-19 are still around, the holiday season of parades, tree lightings, and Santa pictures is back! Find out what will make the Central Coast holiday season a little brighter in our annual...
[ Read ]
|
The Central Coast Guide to All Things Food and Drink
[ Read ]
|
October shines a national spotlight on two things we should be paying attention to year round—breast cancer and domestic violence awareness. As a way of helping to get the word out, the Sun is writing about the people who help domestic violence...
[ Read ]
|
Summer’s over. It may not feel like it with the warmth of these late September days, but fall is here and so are those autumn events! And we’ve got all the fun festivities in Northern Santa Barbara County and SLO County compiled into o...
[ Read ]
|
This just in: the Sun’s annual Northern Santa Barbara County Best of reader’s poll results! We asked and you answered. You told us who and what your favorites were, and we tabulated and compiled all the results that were fit to print, pac...
[ Read ]
|
It’s that time of year again: back to school time. And this year, kids actually get to start the year in classrooms! But due to COVID-19 lingering around like an unwanted guest, the state of California is requiring students to mask up while ind...
[ Read ]
|
It doesn’t sound like much, but 55 words can cover a lot of ground. The shortest stories in the universe tie up lose ends, surprise people, kill people, and love people. This year’s stories were cheesy, mushy, dark, funny, and sad—s...
[ Read ]
|
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then we’ve got 32,000 beautiful, captivating, intimate, and skillfully wrought “words” for you this week. We’re pleased to present the top photos from this year’s Winning Images...
[ Read ]
|
This year’s annual Food and Drink issue comes out just as restaurants and bars can serve more customers with fewer restrictions. But eating out isn’t relegated to brick-and-mortar establishments, something the COVID-19 pandemic highlighte...
[ Read ]
|
It’s been a long year already, and it’s only May. But things are looking up because the world is starting to reopen just in time for summer. And if you’re trying to figure out what’s up, then you’ve come to the right pla...
[ Read ]
|
The Central Coast Guide to All Things Food and Drink
[ Read ]
|
The Sun’s annual Spring Arts issue brings you arts, music, and craft events from across the Central Coast. With the pandemic going but possibly waning, arts events are still mostly virtual, but some in-person events are happening too! Arts Edit...
[ Read ]
|
We decided to try something new this year with the Sun’s first Outdoors issue. In it Staff Writer Malea Martin covers the 12,000 pounds of trout planted in Cachuma Lake at the end of 2020 and the uptick in fishers and boaters using the recreati...
[ Read ]
|
It’s near impossible to talk about public health right now, without discussing COVID-19, so for our annual Health and Wellness issue, Staff Writer Malea Martin writes about flu cases being lower than usual, and local public health experts say t...
[ Read ]
|
In this year’s annual Volunteers Issue, we talk about the impact COVID-19 has had on nonprofits, starting with the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, which saw an unparalleled increase in a need for services. Both the number of volunteers and th...
[ Read ]
|
COVID-19 is the shadow that 2020 can’t outrun, but if you can’t beat it, you can at least make the best of it. With renewed stay-at-home orders in place, retail stores are still open—albeit at 20 percent capacity. And the economy ne...
[ Read ]
|
It’s going to be a strange holiday season, with limited, socially distanced, outside gathering recommended for normally boisterously big family get-togethers. But don’t let COVID-19 get you down. There are plenty of ways to celebrate the ...
[ Read ]
|
The Central Coast guide to all things food and drink!
[ Read ]
|
It’s October, and that means more than just the beginning of spooky season. This is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which means that it’s time for the Sun’s annual Awareness issue! This year you ...
[ Read ]
|
The Sun’s annual Winning Images photo contest went all-virtual this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And with that came hundreds more entries than last year. Check out the winners.
[ Read ]
|
The Sun’s annual Autumn Arts issue brings you arts, music, and craft events from across the Central Coast. With the pandemic still on like Donkey Kong, this year’s fall festivities are mostly virtual. Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood compiled ...
[ Read ]
|
We asked and you stepped up, dear readers. You brought your A-game to the stage and picked out the best, brightest, and most entertaining acts in Northern Santa Barbara County that are still rockin’ through the COVID-19 pandemic. You riffed ...
[ Read ]
|
It doesn’t sound like much, but writers can do a lot with 55 words. They can kill someone, love someone, and surprise someone. And this year, yes, people from around the world submitted stories about the Trump administration, discrimination,...
[ Read ]
|
June was Pride Month, but the usual parades and events that commemorate the occasion were waylaid by the COVID-19 pandemic. The month also coincided with the Trump administration and the Supreme Court of the United States respectively taking steps ba...
[ Read ]
|
Even though it seems as if we’re heading down the road back to normalcy, “normal” is going to look very different than we’re used to—at least for the time being. But, to look on the bright side, there will be more outdoo...
[ Read ]
|
Hey, you guys! Guess what? It’s June, and the days are becoming that special kind of Central Coast warm. You can still hit the beach, and things are starting to reopen! And that’s not all. We didn’t forget to put together our annual...
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
Don’t fret if you haven’t started your holiday shopping yet. I haven’t either! I always wait. As if somehow, if I wait, I won’t spend as much money as if I didn’t wait. Well, we’ve got a way for you to put a little...
[ Read ]
|
Can you believe it’s Thanksgiving already? Yeah, and then Christmas, and then New Year’s, and then it will be 2020! Lucky for you, we’re on top of tracking those holiday events for you. You can check out what’s happening in No...
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
This week we shine a light on what we should be paying attention to year round: breast cancer and domestic violence. This year, in the Sun’s Awareness Issue, Staff Writer Zac Ezzone writes about one family’s move to “save the ta-...
[ Read ]
|
The first day of fall was Sept. 23, and everything is noticeably chillier on the Central Coast. Well, at night at least. Santa Maria still hit 90 degrees on Sept. 24, so I don’t really know what to tell you other than fall in California isn&rsq...
[ Read ]
|
Well, well. It’s that time of year again. Readers weighed in with their thoughts, we tallied up the votes, and the winners of the Best of Northern Santa Barbara County readers poll are in this issue! This year, though, we have even more winners...
[ Read ]
|
Brevity is the soul of our annual 55 Fiction short-story contest, and we invite readers from far and wide to pick up their pens to submit their tiny tableaus. Our judges this year—including Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood and Senior Staff Writer Gl...
[ Read ]
|
On the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn uprising, the city of Santa Maria gets to participate in its third annual Pride Celebration and Resource Fair on June 28, 2019, hosted by the House of Pride and Equality (HOPE). In the couple of years sinc...
[ Read ]
|
Give us the most poignant, interesting image of something we have never seen before. That’s what we ask Central Coast photographers to submit to us every year in our annual Winning Images contest. Because a photograph can captures a moment as u...
[ Read ]
|
Read the articles: Ice cream, butchers, coffee shops, and picnics
[ Read ]
|
I know it doesn't really feel like summer is right around the corner, but I promise that the sun will come out eventually. Those low-hanging soggy clouds full of wet will part, leaving you with the dog days of summer staring you straight in the fa...
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
Your guide to all the artsy happenings in Northern Santa Barbara County.
[ Read ]
|
Marriage. It’s what brings us together today for the Sun’s annual Weddings Issue. We’ve got some ideas to help with the planning process and potentially give you some new avenues to pursue, too. Start with one Central Coast business...
[ Read ]
|
This issue is all about Health and Beauty. It’s not just one or the other. You can be both healthy and beautiful—we promise. For this year’s issue dedicated to both inner and outer beauty, Arts and Lifestyle Writer Rebecca Rose talk...
[ Read ]
|
In a region as rich with philanthropy and selfless giving as Northern Santa Barbara County is, it’s hard to narrow down just which organizations to write about and who to highlight in our annual Volunteers Issue—but we have to. In this we...
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
If you’re one to put off the holiday shopping, you should be prepared to either act fast or get creative. For the procrastinator who doesn’t mind rolling up their sleeves, the Sun’s annual Last-Minute Holiday Gift Guide focuses on g...
[ Read ]
|
Unwrap what to make, see and do this season with the Sun's annual Holiday Guide!
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
A cancer diagnosis is a life-changing experience for anybody, an almost all-defining pit of despair with seemingly no way out. But art therapy has proven useful to many battling the disease, and for working artists, it can be a lifeline to recovery. ...
[ Read ]
|
Your six-month guide to all things artsy in Northern Santa Barbara County.
[ Read ]
|
It takes very special businesses, organizations, and people to get Northern Santa Barbara County residents firing on all cylinders. Every year, the Sun asks locals to vote on which really rev their engines, and we’ve got their favorites in our ...
[ Read ]
|
You can say a lot in 55 words. You can kill someone, love someone, or save someone. Tell stories about torture, divorce, or family drama. Make political statements. Riff on societal issues. But there are only a select few who can do it well enough to...
[ Read ]
|
Beginning a Pride celebration for a city that has never had one is a big deal, especially for its LGBTQ population. Local nonprofit the House of Pride and Equality (HOPE) brought Santa Maria’s first Pride festival to life in 2017, and this year...
[ Read ]
|
See the people, places, and more that won top honors in our annual photography contest.
[ Read ]
|
To begin our annual Food and Drink issue, Arts and Lifestyle Writer Rebecca Rose caught up with local food truck operators and learned how mobile meals changed their lives [15]. Also, as part of Food and Drink, local cannabis users have more choices ...
[ Read ]
|
The rain fell just in time to make you wonder if spring would actually come to the Central Coast this year. It was cold and made you yearn for that sunny warmth that brings a seat outside, a cold beer, and some farm-to-table nibbles. Well, sun’...
[ Read ]
|
Make sure to check out our annual Spring Arts section, which explores a season of fun on the Central Coast!
[ Read ]
|
Dream come true: Local brides see their dream dress become reality with tailor-made service in Santa Maria.
[ Read ]
|
You might have everyone crossed off your holiday shopping list, but what about the four-legged friends and family in your life? For this year’s Last-Minute Gift Guide, the Sun focused on gifts for pets and pet owners, like holiday-themed dog...
[ Read ]
|
Christmas obsession: When it comes to filling a house with holiday cheer, it’s all about excess and magic!
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
Calibrate your visual processors and defrag your disks, because Best Of Northern Santa Barbara County 2017 is here with the Robo-Best! We did it up in precision style this year, reaching out to the businesses, people, and androids Sun readers think a...
[ Read ]
|
It’s here again, like clockwork. For the last 30 years, around July 4, the Sun and New Times has brought you reader-submitted short stories for the annual 55 Fiction contest. Death, love, disgust, and fear all make appearances, and 2016-17 even...
[ Read ]
|
Fun for everyone!
On the cover: The annual Live Oak Music Festival is a benefit event for KCBX Public Radio happening Father’s Day weekend, June 16 through 18, at Live Oak Camp near Cachuma Lake. The event welcomes campers or day visitors of a...
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
Your seasonal guide to arts and entertainment on the Central Coast.
[ Read ]
|
A photograph can capture a moment in a way that words simply can’t. And the way in which that point in time is portrayed has everything to do with the person behind the camera. Each photographer’s unique view of the world—the way th...
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
You’ve visited their establishments, patronized their businesses, and bragged about their services, and now you’ve voted your favorite Northern Santa Barbara County companies the best in their industries. Inside this week’s issue...
[ Read ]
|
Hundreds of writers put their stories on the line for New Times’ 29th annual 55 Fiction contest. Like the surf that pounds the sand, judges—Proofreader Andrea Rooks, New Times Staff Writer Chris McGuinness, and Sun Staff Writer Brenna Swa...
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
Wielding a camera—whether digital or film—is all about capturing light. The rays of sun as it sets. The pops of brightness that midday brings. The soft glow of a cloudy day.
For 20 years, the New Times Media Group has invited local photo...
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
Editors note: This year we kept it simple, just like submitters kept it brief, and Sun staff members from different departments wrangled through the stacks of words that made up the last year’s worth of 55 Fiction entries. They corralled the...
[ Read ]
|
The rodeo kicked off on the day this guide hit the newsstands. That can only mean two things. Summer’s here already, and thank goodness it’s finally summer. That action-packed, boot-stomping, crowd-awing, cattle-cawing, cowboy-falling, we...
[ Read ]
|
What do you think spring would be if it were a flavor? Something light and bubbly, perhaps? Or earthy and complex? It could be as bright and bold as a field of wildflowers, or as subtle as a hint of clouds in an otherwise clear sky. You can find all ...
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
What would the holidays be without food? Repetitive political arguments with distant relatives? A six-hour drive through holiday traffic to get to Grandma’s house? A three-hour wrapping marathon capped off by too much spiked eggnog and weird dr...
[ Read ]
|
Winning Images began at our sister paper, New Times, in 1994, and the contest has been inviting local photographers to participate for 19 years now. It eventually expanded to include this paper, the Sun—and this batch of images should remind ev...
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
For the second year in a row, we invited guest judges to wade through the stacks of 55 Fiction entries and impose order on chaos, selecting the very best to print in our annual 55 Fiction issue. The judges were San Luis Obispo County District 3 super...
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
Brace yourself for the season-long good time that is summer with our annual guide to all things fun, educational, and amazing.
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
We’ve got a delicious idea: Flip open this spring edition of Menus and choose a restaurant. A winery. A market. Then make a point of dropping by that establishment in the next week. You might be revisiting an old favorite, or you could be ventu...
[ Read ]
|
Whether you want your wedding to roll out a red carpet, save some green, or turn ivory tradition upside-down, make sure it’s a colorful one.
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
Away in the basement, Narrated by The Shredder
Merry Christmas, you're dead, Narrated by Maeva Considine
Why we eat turkey and ham for the holidays, Narrated Ana Korgan
The holy joke, Narrated by Ann Weltner
...
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
Check out the Spring/Summer edition of MENUS.
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
Check out this year's Spring Arts 2011 issue.
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
Click the above image to check out this year's Summer Guide.
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
Click here to view this year's BRIDES issue.
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
Click here to view the Fall/Winter issue of Menus.
[ Read ]
|
Click here to view the Best of Santa Maria Valley 2009 Virtual Publication
[ Read ]
|
Click here to view the Meet Your Merchants 2009 Virtual Publication
[ Read ]
|
Huge fluffy beach towels. The intoxicating scent of sunscreen. Drinks with a mandatory umbrella at 4 o’clock, the Pacific Ocean a few steps away.
Sand everywhere.
Summer is officially here. Well, it will be on June 21 and that is where t...
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
[ Read ]
|
|
