The city of Lompoc’s Recreation Division will accept entries starting Sept. 1 for its annual Lompoc Valley Photography Contest. The contest is open to all Lompoc Valley residents age 5 and older, and categories are broken down by age and experience level. Photo entries are $3 each, and can be submitted to the Anderson Recreation […]
REBECCA ROSE
Wildling Museum intern gets craftsy with animal footprints
Most interns who paint on the walls or floors at their work get fired. But one local student is being heralded for it. When Jake Abraham began his internship at the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang, he had no idea he would make such a permanent impression. But when he began his […]
Gallery Los Olivos features black and white photography from Paul Roark
Paul Roark is more than just a talented and visionary black and white photographer. He’s somewhat of a photography subversive, seeking to quietly put the artform back into the hands of the people, one slightly hacked black and white printer cartridge at a time. Roark, whose black and white images are featured at Gallery Los […]
Señor Taco in Santa Maria serves up fresh and spicy Mexican food
Everyone who lives in Santa Maria has a favorite taco spot in town. Poll 20 people on the street and you’ll get almost 20 different answers. At least once a week I’ll have a reader or friend tell me that I need to check out “the absolute best most amazing Mexican restaurant,” and it’s usually […]
Santa Maria welcomes Tibetan monks
A group of Tibetan Monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery Sacred Arts Tour 2017 will be in Santa Maria at the Ann Foxworthy Gallery at Allan Hancock College from Sept. 4 through 8. They will create a large and elaborate sand mandala painting and perform cultural pageants that will include exhibiting their Tibetan crafts, song, […]
A Street Café is the spot for cheap breakfast in Santa Maria
During a busy Thursday afternoon lunch at the A Street Café in Santa Maria, as servers bused tables and diners chatted about politics or the weather, I noticed an older man ask to speak with the person who cooked his meal. He and his dining companion were working on stacks of pancakes along with bacon […]
Theresa Gingras shares her photography from Myanmar at Allan Hancock College
Balancing on one foot, a fisherman in Myanmar holds a cone-shaped net and leans perilously close to the edge of his skiff, like a ballet dancer executing a delicate pirouette. What he’s doing may look strange, but the practice is rooted in hundreds of years of tradition and pure necessity. The technique, referred to as […]
PCPA presents one of Shakespeare’s funniest comedies, ‘Twelfth Night’
I’ve heard some people say if William Shakespeare were alive today, he’d be a comedy writer working on a hit sitcom like Friends or Modern Family. If you don’t believe that, you’ve never seen his comedic masterpiece, Twelfth Night. The Pacific Conservatory Theater (PCPA) is currently presenting the production at the Solvang Festival Theater through […]
Elverhøj Museum launches new exhibit
Beyond the Windmills: The Barry Berkus & Family Collection debuts at the Elverhøj Museum of History and Art in Solvang on Aug. 26. The exhibit features painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media works. The new artworks will be displayed side by side with earlier work that is part of The Barry Berkus and Family Art […]
Lompoc library to feature works of local artists
The Lompoc Public Library is calling for Central Coast artists to submit work samples and be considered as an exhibitor in the Grossman Gallery. To be considered, artists must provide a representative body of work of at least six exhibit-ready pieces that will be evaluated for technique, expression, and stylish achievement. The Lompoc Public Library’s […]
Celebrity diet wars
Dieting is not for me. Meal planning is not for me. Keeping food in my fridge that doesn’t come with a spigot and an alcohol percentage content label is not for me. After 20 years of trying everything under the sun to force my body to eat something other than the slurpy syrupy greasy fried […]
Battle of the Chefs at Dierberg Vineyard celebrates burgeoning food scene on Hwy. 246
When I was handed my judging card for the Battle of the Chefs at Dierberg Vineyard on Aug. 9, I gasped in slight horror. My panic was because at the end of the evening I would have to choose a winner in a showdown between two of my favorite chefs. On the card that evening […]

