The perks of lending the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center a helping hand can appeal to folks from pretty much all walks of life, Outreach Coordinator Saule Baipsys explained. “There is really a place for everyone if you are willing to learn and grow,” Baipsys told the Sun via email. Just dune itTo get involved at the […]
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A Santa Maria obstacle course helps kids build confidence and stay active
At USA Ninja Challenge Santa Maria, the equation for playful fun is a little bit of jumping and swinging plus cargo nets, ropes, and rings. Add in lots of safety padding, and it equals the perfect space for emerging ninjas to train. The Santa Maria gym is a locally owned and operated franchise of USA […]
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Pre-applications and life-changing opportunities open at Buellton Garden Apartments
In the late 1960s, a small group of people wanted to help their neighbors with low-income housing issues in San Luis Obispo County. Founded in 1970, People’s Self-Help Housing has built affordable housing across the Central Coast over the last six-plus decades, most recently in Buellton. People’s Self Help opened up pre-applications for 89 one-, […]
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Volunteers at the Five Cities Repair Café are here to fix
Get to fixin’Five Cities Repair Café’s next event is scheduled for Feb. 21 at Grover City Grange—located at 370 S. 13th St. in Grover Beach—from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Visit repaircafe5cities.org for more information. Email fivecitiesrepaircafe@gmail.com to inquire about volunteer opportunities. A loose screw. A disconnected wire. A ripped seam. Sometimes all it takes to […]
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Walmart Neighborhood Market’s Santa Maria locations celebrate remodels, donate grants to local nonprofits
Blue and yellow frosted cupcakes, carefully arranged on circular tabletops in Walmart’s corporate sunburst logo, awaited guests of two local ribbon-cutting ceremonies in late December. Both events commemorated recent remodel work at Santa Maria’s two Walmart Neighborhood Market locations. Rudy Villarreal, store manager at the South Bradley Road location, told the Sun that longtime customers […]
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At Santa Maria’s Neurofighters gym, boxers combat the progression of neurological conditions
Around 20 boxers filed into a studio on East Main Street on a Wednesday afternoon in December. Led by sisters Kristi Boasso and April Huckabey, the class warmed up with moves like marching in place, opening and closing their fists, and cross body punches. The oldies station was on, and a few participants sang along. […]
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Oak Folk Studio combines kid-friendly yoga, improv, painting, and more in Orcutt
Movement and mindfulness go hand in hand at Oak Folk Studio, where self-expression takes on many forms for many ages. Since its soft opening in November, the eclectic Orcutt venue has hosted kid-friendly classes in art, performing arts, and yoga. “I feel like they all kind of weave together,” founder, owner, and instructor Katlin Majewski […]
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The Silly Bee and other small businesses set out to reinvigorate Lompoc
Danny Diaz is focused on bringing Old Town Lompoc back to life. When he moved there a year and a half ago, he’d ask people what there is to do in town but got responses like, “There’s nothing to do here,” and, “Lompoc is boring.” Since then, he’s grown to love Old Town and would […]
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Taylor Elementary School’s bilingual education specialist scores county accolade
While completing her teaching credential, Gloria Sevilla worked as a student teacher at Taylor Elementary School in Santa Maria, where she eventually returned to take on the role of bilingual education specialist. Her duties range from in-class instruction to essentially working as a case manager for bilingual students with disabilities, she explained in an email […]
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A Lompoc nonprofit supports mothers and their children
Becoming a parent is part of the human experience for many people, and in that way, parenthood is unifying, Sarah Starbuck described. But at the same time, it can feel lonely, especially for parents who stay home to raise their kids. Moms uniteFor more information about registering with MOMS Club of Lompoc, visit momscluboflompoc.weebly.com. Those […]
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Santa Margarita’s Christmas at the Ranch celebrates third year of holiday cheer
The 14,000-acre ranch that temporarily housed thousands of firefighters—dispatched from agencies across California to contain the Gifford Fire in August—is inviting them back to see the former site of their base camp in a different light, literally. “While they were there, a lot of local ranches around Santa Margarita and Pozo all said, ‘We want […]
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Find one-of-a-kind treasures at The Garden Shoppe in Lompoc
In one word, Gale Dodds called her Lompoc consignment store “eclectic.” Even though it’s called The Garden Shoppe, vendors sell a little bit of everything, not just greenery. “It’s kind of hard to describe because we do have all of the handmade treasures that local people make … but then there’s all the other really […]
