The Fossemalle familyTap right into Fossemalle Dance Studio, located at 3595 Numancia St. in Santa Ynez. Call (805) 688-8494 for information about dance classes or visit fossemalledancestudio.com. Sarah Longoria has spent much of her life in a dance studio. Growing up in Solvang, she remembers putting on a pink petal-sleeved leotard for the first time […]
Music, Arts & Culture
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Maria Civic Theatre delivers spooky season vibes with a new musical
A half-boy, half-bat creature is the star of the latest community theater production in Santa Maria. Bat Boy: The Musical hits the Santa Maria Civic Theatre stage on Oct. 9. The cult classic follows Bat Boy, who was found in a cave and taken in by a family in small-town West Virginia. “As he struggles […]
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Get a bird’s-eye view of the Channel Islands with a Santa Ynez author
Paul Collins, the primary author of a guide to Channel Island birds, is giving a lecture and signing copies of his book in Los Olivos on Oct. 14. Join the researcher at St. Mark’s in the Valley Episcopal Church from 7 to 8:30 p.m. for an evening of lively conversation about the avifauna Collins covered […]
Posted inSun Screen
Digger is an excessive and gloomy look at climate change
Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant, Biutiful, Babel, 21 Grams, Amores Perros) directs this black comedy satire he co-wrote with Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and Nicolás Giacobone based on a story he, Berman, and Jez Butterworth concocted about Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise), a blowhard oil tycoon whose company unleashes a potentially world-destroying disaster in Greenland. […]
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East of Eden adapts John Steinbeck’s 1952 reinterpretation of Cain and Abel
East of EdenWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix Directed by Garth Davis (episodes 1 to 4) and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (5 to 7) and written by Zoe Kazan (except episode 5, co-written with Alexander Chee), this sweeping multigenerational drama comes closest to capturing the full scope of John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel […]
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The Robert Reich-produced documentary The Work in Progress screens Oct. 11
The Work in ProgressWhat’s it rated? Not rated When? 2026 Where’s it showing? The Palm Theatre in SLO on Sunday, Oct. 11, 4 p.m. Ian Cheney directs this documentary that spent six months traveling to various American cities to get 100 ordinary people, mostly 30- and 80-year-olds, to sit down and have civil conversations. They […]
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The Creation Station in Buellton celebrates 25 years
Cozy slippers shuffling across tile flooring. Pillows cushioning the seats of chairs. A T-shirt reading: Sorry. Can’t. Quilting. Bye. It’s the sight that Linda Papenfus rolled up to at The Creation Station Fabric and Quilt Shop after a tiresome, traffic-riddled drive from Folsom. She carried a suitcase behind her filled to the brim with fabrics […]
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Solvang Cinema Arts promotes film screenings in the valley
Bring family and friends to see The Nightmare Before Christmas at Solvang Park on Oct. 2 at dusk. It’s the latest free movie night organized by Solvang Cinema Arts after the sold-out showing of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial on Aug. 28 in Buellton. Audience members are welcome to bring chairs, blankets, and snacks while they enjoy […]
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Personal Point of View returns to Gallery Los Olivos
Carrie Givens and Karen McGaw are once again bringing their own perspectives to the forefront of the fine art gallery on Grand Avenue. See their featured duo show, Personal Point of View, through October at Gallery Los Olivos. The painters explore their relationships with the natural world, bringing to the table their distinct artistic voices […]
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Heart of the Beast is a harrowing survival thriller
David Ayer (End of Watch, Fury, Suicide Squad) directs Cameron Alexander’s script about retired Special Forces soldier James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and his beloved but PTSD-suffering military combat dog, Odin (played by Uber, Seeka, Ryker, or Hondo), fighting to survive the Alaskan wilderness after narrowly surviving a plane crash. They must hike 58 miles through […]
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They Will Kill You is an action-packed, blood-soaked comedy
They Will Kill YouWhat’s it rated? R When? 2026 Where’s it showing? HBO Max Co-writer Kirill Sokoloz (No Looking Back, Why Don’t You Just Die!) directs this batshit-crazy horror flick about Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz), who’s riddled with guilt over not being able to save her younger sister, Maria (Orefile Moloi when young and Myha’la […]
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The Predator of Seville follows a woman’s quest for justice against a sexual predator
The Predator of SevilleWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix Full disclosure: I’m flying to Spain the day after this is published, and I won’t be taking any tours. This series was likely not the best watch before a semisolo journey, but we true-crime junkies can’t get enough of this stuff. This […]
