Learn about how Filipino pioneers shaped Lompoc’s history at an exhibit inside the public library’s Grossman Gallery. The exhibit, “Manongs of the Central Coast: Forming Communities Across Generations,” will be featured in the gallery through April, including a public discussion on April 3 at 6 p.m.
Bing Aradanas, a project contributor, was raised in Lompoc by Filipino parents. Photos depict some of the invisible history of how Filipinos who immigrated between 1924 and 1964 influenced the Central Coast, Aradanas said in an email to the Sun.
“Through photographs, oral histories, family documents, and multigenerational narratives, the exhibit highlights the contributions and resilience of the Manong generation—Filipino men who immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century and helped shape the region’s agricultural, hospitality, and retail industries,” according to press materials.
The exhibit was originally shown in Santa Barbara a couple of years ago and is making a resurgence in Lompoc. It’s sponsored by the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation.
Located at 501 E. North Ave. in Lompoc, the Grossman Gallery is open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday to Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. On April 3, the gallery will remain open until 7 p.m. for the talk with Aradanas.
This article appears in April 2 – April 9, 2026.