Less than 1 percent of the global population is an Olympic athlete. Catalina Bertola often compares the achievement with life in the art world. Most people will never reach Olympic status—in athletics or art—but that shouldn’t stop people from giving it a go. In her opinion, physical activity and creativity are part of a balanced […]
Music, Arts & Culture
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The Solvang Chamber presents another music in the park series
Join the Santa Ynez Valley community on Wednesday evenings for free summertime tunes at Solvang Park. The Susan Williams Summer Music Series, presented by the Solvang Chamber of Commerce, will continue through Aug. 26 featuring rock, blues, country, and jazz bands. “While enjoying the music, guests can also indulge in delicious food and beverages available […]
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A local performer hits the road for a Central Coast tour
Hear original pieces and old Broadway tunes from singer Gale McNeeley on his four-stop tour in August called My Life in Song. He’ll be joined by pianist Paul Marszalkowski, a musical director at the Pacific Conservatory Theatre. McNeeley will sing original songs and renditions of musical selections from his time on Broadway. He toured with […]
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Old-school sword-and-sandal epic, The Odyssey, reflects the current zeitgeist
Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer, Dunkirk, Interstellar, Inception, Batman Begins) wrote and directed this action fantasy based on Homer’s epic poem about Odysseus (Matt Damon), king of Ithaca, who after the Trojan War faces a dangerous voyage home to reunite with his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway). During the perilous journey, he encounters creatures such as the cyclops […]
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Ride or Die is Prime’s female-led mismatched buddy crime dramedy
Ride or DieWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Prime Created by Tessa Coates (Massive Dad), this new miniseries set in the U.K. and other parts of Europe follows besties Debbie (Octavia Spencer) and Judith (Hannah Waddingham) as they go on the run from a mysterious enemy. Debbie is married to David (Jamie […]
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Big Mistakes follows siblings blackmailed into organized crime
Big MistakesWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix Nicky (Dan Levy) is a put-upon pastor whose mother, Linda (Laurie Metcalf); troublemaking sister, Morgan (Taylor Ortega); and suck-up sister, Natalie (Abby Quinn), keep him irritatingly busy alongside his congregation—a congregation happy to have a gay pastor as long as he is “non-practicing.” Morgan’s […]
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Joe McFadden brings his dramatic landscapes to Gallery Los Olivos
Though he now calls himself an artist, Joe McFadden spent his career in the tech industry. While he was advising software companies by day, McFadden found balance by slathering oil paints on canvases in his free time. “I wanted something I could develop over many years and maybe develop someday into a real skill and […]
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The Santa Maria Camera Club presents its finest June submissions
Right before pausing for its month-long summer hiatus, the Santa Maria Camera Club announced the winning images from its June competition. “Each photographer brings a unique vision and artistic perspective, demonstrating the talent and skills that have earned recognition in club, regional, and national competitions,” according to press materials. The group’s monthly competition meetings are […]
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Build your own wreath at an annual lavender festival in Lompoc
Catch the last two weekends of the Lavender Festival in Lompoc on July 18 and 25. The event, hosted by Santa Rita Hills Lavender Farm, is free to the public from noon to 5 p.m. both days. The highlight will be a lavender wreath-making class. For a $55 fee, participants will receive all the necessary […]
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I Will Find You is a red-herring-filled Harlan Coben-based mystery
Created by Robert Hull based on the 2023 Harlan Coben novel of the same name, this crime drama follows David Burroughs (Sam Worthington), wrongly imprisoned for his son Matthew’s (Jasper Rainn Larence) murder. After five years of a life sentence, David learns from his ex-wife’s sister, Rachel (Britt Lower), that Matthew (now played by Ashton […]
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The Murder of Rachel Nickell follows the search for a killer, on Netflix
The Murder of Rachel NickellWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix Rachel Nickell was a young mother to her son Alex, and the two were inseparable. So inseparable that when her bloody body was found with 49 stab wounds in Wimbledon Commons, 2-year-old Alex was found clinging to her corpse, covered in […]
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See a fundraising screening of The Blues Brothers at Bay Theatre on July 20
Here’s your chance to see a cult classic on the big screen and support your local radio station when The Rock Community Radio (97.3/107.9 FM) hosts The Blues Brothers fundraiser screening at Bay Theatre. The Blues BrothersWhat’s it rated? R When? 1980 Where’s it showing? Bay Theatre of Morro Bay on Monday, July 20 (doors […]
