The folks at the DANA Cultural Center have a lot to be excited about. They just broke ground on the organization’s biggest project to date, the DANA Cultural Center/Nature Education Center on Aug. 24, attended by SLO County Supervisor Lynn Compton, Sen. Bill Monning, and Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian.
The massive expansion program will take more than a year to accomplish, explained DANA Executive Director Marina Washburn, but it’s been a long time coming. The nonprofit has been taking care of the historic adobe building ever since it was restored several years ago, and now hosts several events throughout the year there.
This season has seen the continuation of the summer fundraiser concert series at the DANA Cultural Center. An upcoming concert will feature Unfinished Business performing live on Aug. 27 and another featuring Louie Ortega and the All Stars on Sept. 24.
“These concerts help us fundraise, they help us support our museum, our programs, and the organization continuing to work. They really help us keep our doors open and pay the water bill,” Washburn said. “We want to make sure these concerts—even though we are busy with the construction project—are as impactful as possible. We want opportunities for the public to come out and be engaged by the music, engaged by the site, and engaged by our mission.”
The organization is busy with the upcoming development, Washburn said, but the concerts will serve as a nice break from all that with a relaxing outdoor event.
The shows start at 5 p.m. on the back patio of the historic Dana Adobe building. The location allows for a fantastic view of the foothills of Nipomo as the day draws down, with the sun setting behind the adobe and the property’s oak grove.
“Here on the Rancho, an evening event takes on a whole new feeling,” she said. “All of a sudden the night sky creates almost these beautiful, almost walls to the outside space. We do light it and have outdoor heaters, because Nipomo can be varied, but the winds die down at just the right time it seems, to create this very quiet, relaxing, and serene environment.”
The concerts also include a barbecue dinner along with the ticket price. It’s a traditional Santa Maria-style barbecue, including meat, bread, beans, and salsa.
The upcoming event will feature Unfinished Business, a local favorite that specializes in rock ’n’ roll from the 1950s and 1960s. A couple of members of the band are from Nipomo, so the venue has a certain hometown charm for them.
Live music at the Dana Adobe is actually part of a tradition that has gone on there for quite some time, Washburn explained, all the way back to its original occupants.
“Unfinished Business certainly has a following, and we hope to bring that energy here,” Washburn said. “We’re excited to have them out here because they are a performing band, and people look forward to listening and dancing to them and having a great time.
“And that’s what we want to bring back, that fiesta feeling,” she added. “Capt. Dana sure would appreciate us doing that.”
Arts Editor Joe Payne is ready to party like it’s 1889. Contact him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Aug 25 – Sep 1, 2016.
