Cover Story
Innocence lost
Sandy Coupal has always loved animals, so much so that she converted part of her 40-acre ranch north of Santa Barbara into a sanctuary for creatures with nowhere else to go. As her reputation grew, she took in chickens, show birds, cats, and a variety of other animals, eventually retiring to care for them full…
What’s your dream vacation?
Virginia Boos retired “I think I’d like to go back to Alaska. I love the environment, the beauty of it—and the people were so nice. It’s such a gorgeous place.” Kurt Klucker roads maintenance “I’d explore New Zealand. It just looks like such a fascinating place. I’d explore and dive and hike. It’s got a…
A new sound
Never be afraid to try a new thing,” a wise man once said. Certainly the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society has its share of wisdom in presenting its first-ever “Pops” concert, as well as the inaugural “Pops in the Vineyard” fundraiser event on July 1. “Pops” usually refers to orchestral music outside the classical tradition, usually…
Mid-State Fair announces free shows
The California Mid-State Fair has announced a number of shows for the fair’s Fort Frontier Stage. All acts will be free with paid admission to the fair. Each act will perform two shows: at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Here’s the lineup: Puddle of Mudd, Wednesday, July 18; Paul Revere and The Raiders, Thursday, July…
Voice of bluegrass to play in Los Olivos
Peter Feldmann, “Santa Barbara’s voice of bluegrass,” will continue his celebration of 50 years in the music industry by appearing with his band, the Very Lonesome Boys, at St. Marks in the Valley, 2901 Nojoqui Ave., in Los Olivos, at 8 p.m. on July 7. The program will feature bluegrass standards, songs of the West,…
Concerts in the park are back
The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department, the Rotary Clubs of Santa Maria, and PLAY, Inc. invite music lovers to fill a picnic basket, grab a blanket or chair and some sunscreen, and head to all 12 Summer Concerts in the Park during July, August, and September. Ten concerts will be held at Rotary Centennial…
Monkey around
The Santa Barbara County Fair will swing into town this month, and so will a few hairy friends—and furry ones, and feathery ones, and hopping ones. One of the newest exhibits this year will bring the rainforest to the Santa Maria Fairpark July 11 to 15. [image-2] Pacific Animal Productions lead keeper, Karla Majewski, said…
Great Rivals
Moments of romantic foolishness, the idea of eloping with a secret lover, and defying the wishes of conventional society seem never to go out of style. A lively production of Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s 1775 comic masterpiece The Rivals is a refreshing treat for theater-goers looking to indulge in scenes of familiar romantic ridiculousness that can…
Suiting up to cool down
Look in any dictionary for “stork” and you’ll find a picture of my husband. He has often been stalked by avid bird watchers who thought they had sited a rare, migrating, hack-kneed bittern, only to discover an emigre bare-legged Brit from Hackney. The first time I saw his pencil-thin legs I was reminded of a…
St. Mary celebrates its first all-alumni reunion
St. Mary of the Assumption School students from 1938 to present day recently celebrated the school’s first “all-alumni” reunion by telling stories and reconnecting with old friends they hadn’t seen in years. Two of the school’s newest alumni, who graduated only eight hours earlier in the day, joined students from years past, including Doris Flake…
Summer fun at the library!
There’s something about duct tape that kids just love; it’s sticky, it’s silver, and it makes a satisfying “riiiiiip” sound when you tear it. On June 22, Jenn Harmer, a children’s librarian at the Santa Maria Public Library, shared the joy of duct tape with a dozen local teens at Duct Tape-O-Rama!, a free event…
Hobnobbing With Helen
Guess who upgraded their annual fundraising dinner! Community Partners in Caring (CPC), that’s who. Every year, this event has gotten a little bit better and become a little more interesting. How and what did CPC do differently this year for its Tour of Tuscany? Well, they pulled out the stops and invited the ebullient, enthusiastic…
Seeking shelter
The Santa Maria Valley Humane Society recently qualified for a $25,000 matching grant from the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation. If the Humane Society can fundraise $25,000 by the end of the month, it will have $50,000 to put toward the construction of a new, “no-kill” animal shelter. The new facility, located on West Stowell Road,…
Spotlight on: Hotdog on a Stick
The local Hot Dog on a Stick is this week’s Biz Spotlight because, as perhaps the brightest food vendor in Santa Maria, it puts itself in its own spotlight daily. “The reason our lights are bright is because we put on a show,” said Crystal Moreno, a Hot Dog on a Stick employee. “Everything we…
The Prodigy
Most adults would find it unimaginable that a 9-year-old kid could beat them up in a fighting match. But they’ve never faced Noah Solis. While the boxing ring is the common square for brawling, Solis’ battles take place in another type of square: a television screen. It’s in this digital realm that he duked it…
Everything must go
Highly toxic, supremely radioactive, and long-lasting nuclear waste must not be stored on-site indefinitely after a nuclear power plant goes offline, a federal appeals court recently ruled. In what’s being interpreted by experts as a game-changer for the nuclear industry on a national scale, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled…
Clarification and Correction
Helena Gonzalez forwarded quotes and information from Sonoma-Artisan Foie Gras owner and CEO Guillermo Gonzalez, so references attributed to her should be attributed to him in “The last hurrah of foie gras” (June 21). The Sun misreported some information about the “Celebrating Heroes” parade, barbecue, and concert to be held in Guadalupe on June 30.…
Dignity Health and its employee union come to an agreement
Nonprofit hospital system Dignity Health narrowly escaped an employee strike when it reached a tentative contractual agreement with Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) on June 22. The contract covers 14,000 employees at more than 30 Dignity Health facilities in California, including Marian Regional Medical Center and French Hospital Medical Center in San…
Slain officer’s family files a personal injury claim against Santa Maria
The family of Albert Covarrubias, Jr.—the Santa Maria police officer who was shot and killed in January by a fellow officer at a DUI checkpoint—has filed a personal injury claim against the city of Santa Maria seeking restitution in the amount of $10,000. The claim is believed to be the first step in initiating a…
State senator tables legislation on tribal fee-to-trust
One of the state senators who helped introduce a bill that would effectively muzzle state agencies from opposing tribal fee-to-trust transfers has pulled the proposed legislation from an Assembly committee. On June 18, Sen. Joel Anderson (R-Alpine) sent a letter to the Governing Organization Committee asking it to temporarily remove Senate Bill 162, which he…
On the roster
• Santa Maria Youth Football League: The league is taking registrations for the 2012 football and cheerleading seasons. Football fees are $200, including a jersey, gear rental, a trophy, and a basic picture package. Players must be between the ages of 8 and 14 during the season to participate. Cheerleaders must be in kindergarten to…
Join locals for a ‘Hike Against Hunger’
The city of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department will be holding its seventh community walk on June 30, a benefit for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. Participants will meet at 10 a.m. at the Foodbank at 490 W. Foster Road. The two-mile walk follows the trail running parallel to Foster Road, to Pioneer…
Los Padres Forest picks new district ranger
Los Padres National Forest officials announced on June 21 the selection of John “Pancho” Smith as the new Santa Barbara District Ranger. Smith arrives from North Carolina, where he is currently a District Ranger on the Croatan National Forest. He replaces Doug Dodge, who retired last month after serving since 2009. Smith officially reports for…
Athlete of the Week: Hope Goodall
The Nipomo Heat 12U softball team is on fire this All-Star season, with pitcher Hope Goodall fueling the flames. The 13-year-old Nipomo resident helped lead her team to a first-place trophy on June 24 at a tournament in Clovis. The Heat run-ruled all of their opponents in the tournament, except for the semifinal game, when…
Taking the plunge
I had never looked death in the face before, but I think that’s what I did when I stood on a platform 190 feet in the air, serving as my launch-point into space. With my heart racing and images of my imminent demise racing through my mind, I heard one of my sarcastic companions say,…
Celebrate freedom, with pomp and safety
With consumer fireworks now more popular than ever in California, it is important that we use common sense, recognize that fireworks essentially function via a controlled burn, and follow the safety tips to insure a safe and wonderful experience celebrating America’s freedom. Consumer fireworks are actually safer today than ever before. Since 1994, the American…
Embracing history
The Santa Maria Valley is a world-class grape-growing and wine-producing region, so it makes perfect sense to invite the world to visit. (Even some lifelong locals might not realize that this area is considered quite extraordinary in the wide-ranging world of wine.) Santa Barbara County has a long history of growing wine grapes, dating back…
