You’re a pirate, rocking back and forth as your ship hits a storm, trying to make shore and look for your treasure. You’re on a rocket ship and you meet a giant alien. You’re a deep-sea diver and you find a magic city underwater. These imaginary adventures are the kinds of situations children could find […]
REBECCA ROSE
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
We’re all doomed
Rebecca gets serious about the end of the world
For many of us, most days just feel like it’s the end of the world, but there are actually a lot of people out there who believe that the end of the world is indeed nigh. I recently discovered that one prophetic group had predicted last Saturday would be the end of the globe as […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Margie Bowker celebrates 20 years of creating art in Santa Maria
When she was a 9-year-old student in South Africa, Margie Bowker’s teacher pulled her aside one day and told her she was going to be a famous artist someday. “She had collected little pieces and paintings I had done,” Bowker said. “I didn’t understand, I thought everybody did the same thing. When she said that, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Great American Melodrama delivers a hit production of ‘The Karaoke Kid’
In 1984, a little film came out about a lonely boy who had just moved to a new town and had trouble fitting in. He met a beautiful girl, befriended a wise man with a lot of unfinished chores, dressed as a shower for a school dance, beat the bad guys in an epic showdown, […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc rallies around teen battling leukemia
A Lompoc police officer’s son took a turn for the worse in his battle with leukemia as the community continues to rally around him. Noah Scott, 14, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in July 2016 and started receiving chemotherapy at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Since then, Lompoc’s community has showered the teenager and […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A King’s dance: Ballroom dance teacher Marie King returns to teaching
“T-A-N-G-O. T-A-N-G-O. T-A-N-G-O.” As she stands in the middle of a circle of dancers inside the Oasis Senior Center on a windy Wednesday evening, Marie King’s eyes dart between their feet and their arms, diligently hovering over them like a hawk. As she watches, she spells out the name of the dance, teaching them to […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Free for all: Santa Maria’s Youth Arts Alive program offers activities for local kids
Gale McNeeley was so alarmed by the spate of violent crimes in Santa Maria last year, he wanted to do something to help vulnerable youth in the community. What he wound up creating is Youth Arts Alive, a free month-long summer camp at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center that offers classes in music, dance, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Wake up, sheeple
Rebecca opens your eyes to the real truth. Not that real truth, the other real truth.
I am very disturbed by the rash of alarmist conspiracy theories the general public seems to latch onto with a fevered irrationality that leads to mass panic, hysteria, and a bunch of memes that your mom will post three months later on Facebook. Flat earthers, chemtrail truthers, lizard people, moon landing hoaxers—it’s astounding what people […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Naughty Oak in Orcutt is the go-to spot for craft beer
I can’t wait for the beer version of Sideways to come out. It will feature two women traversing the back roads of the Central Coast, looking for the best breweries, lamenting about the woes of middle age, and of course drinking a lot of local beers. Just like we have some of the world’s most […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Wildling Museum exhibit features art inspired by animals of every name
Lions, tigers, and bears. Gorillas, emus, and zebras. Jackrabbits, African saddle-billed storks, and a Xerces blue butterfly. Those are just some of the animals featured in a new exhibit called Animals A-Z showing through Oct. 9 at the Wildling Museum in Solvang. The museum set out to create a challenging new show featuring an animal […]
Posted inNews
Mixing it up: Central Coast mixologists have fun behind the bar, and more in our annual celebration of cuisine
A purple lemon-drop inspired drink garnished with fresh lavender may not be exactly what you’d expect at a traditional Irish pub. But Mason Frakes, bar manager at Rooney’s Irish Pub in Orcutt who created the vodka-heavy concoction, thinks it’s right at home next to a long list of Irish beers and whiskeys. “I like playing […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Tastes grrreat: Get your hands on classic burgers and sandwiches at Tony’s Burgers
When John Stankis first walked into Tony’s Burgers in Santa Maria, he had no idea the impact it would have on his life. He was just there to grab a quick bite to eat. He always tries new burger joints, Stankis told the Sun, for a very good reason. Stankis grew up in Compton with […]