Quinceañeras, weddings, and festivals are a few of the potential uses for a future event area outside of the Lompoc Theatre. On May 13, city Planning Commissioners gave the go-ahead for the space, a building addition, and a partial demolition that’ll support the long-planned project meant to help revitalize Old Town Lompoc. The Lompoc Theatre […]
Madison White
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A Santa Maria music teacher released her first EP in more than 25 years
In a 1992 episode of Golden Girls, Dorothy sat at a table inside a bar. Next to her a piano player led her in song. Dorothy started singing the melancholic “What’ll I Do” by Irving Berlin. Dorothy rose to her feet midway through, completely serenading the crowd. When Christine Fogh watched the scene on TV […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The paranormal circus brings frights back to Santa Maria
The wheel of death. Aerial hoops. Narrow beams. Performers at Cirque Italia’s Paranormal Voodoo show will navigate all this and more on the evenings of May 29 to June 1. Head to the Santa Maria Fairpark for a thrilling and wickedly dangerous sight. “You will fall into a parallel world and end up surrounded by […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
See this month’s solo show at Gallery Los Olivos before it’s gone
There’s but one limit to the current Gallery Los Olivos exhibit, titled Limitless. It’s only up until May 31. Ann Wirtz is the painter responsible for the solo exhibit featuring abstract, figurative canvases that express the relationships people have with their environments. Themes include play and risk but really anything that’s a result of letting […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The duo on a mission to make the best bubbly on the Central Coast
Legend has it that when Elizabeth Stilson first interviewed with her now-business partner, she said, “If I never have to make another red wine again, I’ll be happy.” As soon as the statement came out of the winemaker’s mouth, PasoSecco founder Chris Kern knew she was the perfect candidate for his sparkling brand. “That sold […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria approves a package delivery warehouse to be built on West Stowell
Two Santa Maria planning commissioners thought last week’s meeting drew the biggest crowd they’ve experienced at a hearing. The only item on the May 6 agenda occupied the bulk of the nearly three-hour discussion. Following three study sessions that date back to 2024, the Santa Maria Planning Commission approved a project that would bring a […]
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Buy aesthetic home goods from a Lompoc candlemaker
Listen for the whisperFind Esperanza Jimenez’s candles at the Oceano Seabreeze Market (410 Air Park Drive) on May 30 and at the Route One Farmers Market. Discover all her products online by visiting whisperingwoodsboutique.com and on Instagram @whisperingwoodsboutique. The warmth of a yellow flame. The crackles of a wooden wick. The enchantment of a scented […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A Santa Maria artist’s newest public installation will be up at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center
Watch for RikoFollow Riko Rivera on Instagram @chilangofine for updates on his public art installations and tattoo business. Call (805) 354-8116 with questions. Picture Mexico City in the early 1990s. It was loud, bright, and colorful. Hand-painted windows and signs lined the busy streets that Riko Rivera walked along with his mom, his wondrous eyes […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lompoc Library visitors can participate in a West Coast book club
This year, the Lompoc Public Library is joining the One Book One Coast program out of LA. Readers can pick up a copy of They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, a graphic novel about the author’s experiences in American concentration camps during World War II. Groups will also gather for discussion and a livestreamed […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Betteravia Art Gallery makes way for another exhibit
A new ongoing exhibit is heading to the Betteravia Art Gallery. The opening reception for Post-Wild: Nature in the 21st Century will be held on May 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. Following an open call for submissions, there’ll be 54 pieces by 34 artists featured in the show ranging from photographs and paintings to […]
Posted inFood & Drink
A day in the life of Santa Maria’s tamale lady
Brrring: When the clock strikes 1 a.m., Beth Rangel’s alarm sounds. Soon after, she starts cooking meat and prepping ingredients to make the day’s batch of tamales. Call BethBeth’s Tamales and Tacos opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday and at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday, closing at 11 p.m. On Sundays it’s open from […]
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Guadalupe adopts its first food truck ordinance
In the name of public health and safety, the city of Guadalupe now has a concrete set of regulations that operators of food trucks and trailers must abide by. The food truck ordinance saga in Guadalupe has lasted more than seven years, city contracted Planning Director Larry Appel said at a Feb. 24 City Council […]