Pretty much everyone’s familiar with the British Invasion (the Beatles not the redcoats), but only those keeping tabs on the Santa Maria music scene lately may have heard whispers of a more local invasion currently on the rise—the Prairie Home Companion Invasion. That’s right, hear me out. Two frequent guests of the beloved radio program […]
Caleb Wiseblood
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Soprano Maria Jette joins the Santa Maria Philharmonic for Masters in Vienna concert
Unlike fellow Minnesota-born musician Prince, soprano Maria Jette never changed her name to The Artist Formerly Known as Prince—or The Artist Formerly Known as Maria Jette, for that matter. This Twin Cities native is making her way to California’s Central Coast for a Santa Maria Philharmonic performance, Masters in Vienna, on Saturday, Feb. 23, from […]
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Spotlight on: Santa Maria Connect
Alex Magana, Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce
For young local professionals, specifically under age 40, the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce offers a unique networking opportunity every other month, starting with the first Santa Maria Connect event of the year on Feb. 28 at Far Western Tavern in Orcutt. The chamber started holding the event in 2018 to help young professionals […]
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Angie and the Nightmares promote debut album at Naughty Oak in Orcutt
Don’t forget to bring your Inception totem to the Angie and the Nightmares performance on Friday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. at Naughty Oak Brewing Co. in Orcutt. The real nightmare would be if that spinning top of yours just keeps spinning, uh-oh! You realize you’re not even at the show, you’re asleep on the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Angie and the Nightmares promote debut album at Naughty Oak in Orcutt
Only in dreams
Don’t forget to bring your Inception totem to the Angie and the Nightmares performance on Friday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. at Naughty Oak Brewing Co. in Orcutt. The real nightmare would be if that spinning top of yours just keeps spinning, uh-oh! You realize you’re not even at the show, you’re asleep on the […]
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C.A.R.E.4Paws
Isabelle Gullo, co-founder and executive director
Low-income, senior, and homeless community members can receive a range of affordable walk-in services for their dogs and cats at the C.A.R.E.4Paws mobile clinic, which hosts its inaugural Furever Valentine’s Pet Wellness and Adoption Day on Feb. 14 and an additional clinic on Feb. 21 in Santa Maria. “While income level is by no […]
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Festive Nesting Handmade Gifts
Ashlee Clark-McCaffrey
Ashlee Clark-McCaffrey and her family had already participated in various craft fairs over the years, showcasing their homemade soap and wedding favors, before deciding to start their own. The annual Orcutt Holiday Craft Fair originated in 2015 out of Clark-McCaffrey’s home and usually features more than 40 local artisans. After a successful four years, with […]
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Cuckoo for Cocobilli
You only need two ingredients to make Cocobilli, and neither of them is legally edible. The recipe is simple, one French drummer and one Mississippi bassist, but the blend is far from frothy. The aggressive blues/rock duo made up of Coco Roussel and Billi Breland often add a third ingredient to the mix when touring […]
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Charlie Overbey puts a somber spin on alternative country in Buellton
When Kenny Chesney sings “When The Sun Goes Down,” not many listeners stop to consider the consequences of that sun never coming back up again. The subject matter found in Broken Arrow, the latest LP from alternative country artist Charlie Overbey, isn’t quite as dismal as global annihilation, but it’s still light years away from […]
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Spotlight on: SMHS Business Economics
Cindy Quaid, department chair of Business and Technology
For more than a decade, Santa Maria High School (SMHS) teacher Cindy Quaid has incorporated the Stock Market Game, an online simulation of global capital markets intended for grades four through 12, into her business economics and marketing courses. The program, started by the SIFMA Foundation, is meant to spark participating students’ interest in economics […]
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Spotlight on: Hardy Diagnostics
Jay Hardy, co-founder and president
After two years of planning and seven months of construction, more than 700 solar panels were installed at Hardy Diagnostics, a manufacturing company specializing in medical devices for microbiological procedures, in Santa Maria at the beginning of January. The panels, generating a total of 250 kilowatts of power, cover the entire roof of one of […]
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Trombone Shorty brings New Orleans soul to Santa Ynez
If Orleans Avenue was a property in Monopoly, you wouldn’t be able to buy it. That’s assuming it’s the same stretch of road referred to in the name of musician Troy Anderson’s jazz ensemble, Orleans Avenue. Because if it is, the property would be priceless. Better luck trying to land on Free Parking! And if […]
