The Santa Barbara County Arts Commission (SBCAC) is hosting public open house events in each supervisory district called “Arts Coffee.” The events will provide anyone from the community interested in arts and culture with an opportunity to meet county arts commissioners. The first Arts Coffee took place April 28 at the newly-opened Carpinteria Arts Center […]
Caleb Wiseblood
Dominique Navarrete
Dominique Navarrete of Santa Maria grew up looking up to her older sister, Lilly. When Dominique—now 17—was in third grade, she would watch Lilly play softball almost every weekend. “I wanted to do everything my sister did,” Dominique said. “Her and my mom have always been my heroes, seeing how hard they work and how […]
Santa Maria Arts Council announces arts competition winners
The Santa Maria Arts Council (SMAC) plans to honor the winners of the Individual Grants in the Arts Competition at a dinner and awards ceremony on May 15. Winning artists’ displays and performances in music, dance, and drama will be showcased. First and second place winners in each medium will receive $1,500 and $1,000 respectively. […]
Local artists beautify Santa Maria utility boxes
The city of Santa Maria chose four local artists—Matthew Betancourt, Edward Chavarria, Melissa Johnson-Barash, and Ruben Espinoza—to beautify traffic signal utility boxes along Main Street and Cook Street. The artists went to work on the weekend of April 15 and 16. The artists were chosen by a panel of 13 judges to hand-paint murals with […]
Bree Foerster
Nineteen-year-old Bree Foerster made the transition from dance student to dance teacher when she started working at the Coastal Dance and Music Academy (CDMA) in Arroyo Grande. Foerster got the job almost immediately after graduating from Nipomo High School in 2016, where she spent freshman to senior year dancing with the Nipomo High School Dance […]
Royal Family KIDS host benefit with Dave Stamey
Dave Stamey is performing at a benefit barbecue dinner hosted by Royal Family KIDS on April 22. Tickets are on sale now for the concert, dinner, and auction event. All proceeds go to Royal Family KIDS’ Summer Camp and Mentoring Club for foster children ages 6 to 12. Stamey, who was recently inducted in the […]
PCPA seeks young performers for ‘Newsies The Musical’
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) is seeking young actors to audition for its upcoming production of Disney’s Newsies The Musical. Auditions for the role of Les Jacobs take place April 27 at 6 p.m. in PCPA’s rehearsal studios. PCPA is looking for a boy or girl to play Jacobs. The character is described as a […]
Jayden Csotya
Soccer is hereditary in the Csotya family. Five-year-old Jayden Csotya, a kindergartner at Joe Nightingale Elementary School, inherited the soccer gene from his father, who also started playing the sport at a young age. “Playing soccer as a kid was one of the fondest memories of my childhood,” Kyron Csotya, Jayden’s dad, told the Sun. […]
Mobile murals hit Lompoc
The city of Lompoc’s Mobile Mural Contest gives artists in Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County a chance to have their work displayed on the city’s new refuse trucks. Submit original artwork in the theme of “Public Works Connects Us” in media including acrylics, crayons, oils, pencils, and watercolors. Entrants can submit group […]
Santa Ynez Valley Arts Association offers art scholarships
The Santa Ynez Valley Arts Association (SYVAA) is offering art scholarships to graduating seniors from Santa Ynez Valley high schools. Graduating seniors from accredited home schooling programs are also eligible for SYVAA scholarships. The deadline for students to apply is May 4. The SYVAA will also give individual merit awards to students who will attend […]
Dominic Nevarez
Eight-year-old Dominic Nevarez’s life-long dream is to play baseball at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the home of his favorite team. Even though this dream might be a few years away, Dominic experienced the next best thing last summer when he played at the Dodger Stadium replica in Las Vegas, NV. “The 805 Baseball Club […]
Santa Barbara Foundation continues partnership with Santa Ynez Valley Foundation
The Santa Barbara Foundation (SBF) announced the continuation of its partnership with the Santa Ynez Valley Foundation (SYVF) through a $40,000 grant for organizational capacity building. The purpose of the grant is to increase the capability of the SYVF and further build philanthropic capital throughout the area. “We are honored to continue our partnership with […]

