HELEN ANN THOMAS

If there’s one thing St. Joseph High School’s BASH staff excels at, it’s turning a generic jocks’ gym into a swanky soiree scene. You go to an annual Saturday night BASH dinner knowing enthrallment awaits. This year, BASH—the fundraising arm of St. Joseph—celebrated its 25th year, its silver anniversary, which didn’t disappoint. They held their […]

It was Dancing With the Stars, Santa Maria style. As soon as the band Unfinished Business unleashed its powerful sounds, the Radisson ballroom dance floor was immediately flooded with gyrating guests. The Orcutt Children’s Art Foundation (OCAF) Annual Gala (a $100-a-plate event) occurred Friday evening, Feb. 26, at the scene of all the fancy footwork. […]

There was a ton of Valentine’s Day events around town—so many options for celebrating Cupid. One such event, which benefited the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society, was held on Feb. 13, at Marvin and Paulette Teixeira’s Tres Hermanas Winery barn on Foxen Canyon Road. The barn is a spacious affair with interesting wrought-iron chandeliers and […]

It was a roaring success. The Santa Maria Women’s Network’s first-ever micro-trade show attracted about 40 vendors and between 200 and 300 attendees. Held in the Santa Maria Inn’s large Santa Maria room on Feb. 3, between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., the trade show was abuzz with excitement over products and services and connections […]

Bravo!” Santa Maria Philharmonic Society executive director George Majoue shouted con brio (that’s music speak for “with vigor”). It was at the end of world-class concert pianist Kirill Gliadkovsky’s program Saturday evening, Jan. 22, at the Santa Maria Country Club. Bravo indeed, George! The Philharmonic Society proved once more that Santa Maria is no slouch […]

This first column of the year is more about what’s coming than what has been. Consider the coming attractions: Is this shaping up to be a great, fun year or what? NASCAR races, New Orleans Jazz Festival, cruises The above are included in live auction packages available at the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society’s annual fundraising […]

The All America City has an all-American heart. This is a lesson that wasn’t learned, but relearned in 2009 as Santa Marians dug deep into their recession-hit wallets and managed to find almost as much cash this past year as they did the previous year for nonprofits and charitable causes. PCPA was perhaps the most […]

By noon on Sunday, Dec. 13, more than 400 people had lined up in front of the Altrusa Central Coast Festival of Trees site at 1447 S. Broadway in Santa Maria. They were waiting to get into the year’s hottest open-to-the-public raffle. About to be given to the holders of winning tickets were 49 spectacular […]

Trattoria Uliveto’s back room is full of twinkling lights and—if the Orcutt Aquacenter board is meeting there—warm fuzzy feelings.   At their Nov. 5 meeting, the board elected Paul Lee president. He is director of recreational sports at the UCSB Recreation Center and succeeds Tammy Rabska, who had fond parting words for the group.   […]

What is it about the Foodbank’s annual Empty Bowls event that attracts ever so many people?   About 700 showed up for lunch on Oct. 28, 11:30-ish, at the Fairpark. This is amazing! Every year, the crowd gets larger.   Those at the head of the line got first crack at choosing a bowl from […]

Shall we dance? Paint? Draw? Go to PCPA? Thanks to the Orcutt Children’s Art Foundation (OCAF), for Orcutt school students, the answer to these questions is a resounding yes. What the California legislature hath removeth from the state schools’ budgets, OCAF hath restored in part, at least where the arts are concerned. On Oct. 18, from 2 […]

Such a busy weekend it was! Santa Marians had a jam-packed social schedule on Sept. 26 and 27.   The Santa Maria Valley Humane Society holds its annual autumn fundraising dinners at the very nicest places. This year, it was at Rancho Miranda, a property awash with gazebos, trellises, plants, greenery, and views. Jeanne Miranda […]