June means one thing for the LGBTQ-plus community across the Central Coast and beyond: It’s Pride Month! That translates to events in Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo that celebrate the season, including drag shows, concerts, and even plays. For our annual Pride issue, Senior Staff Writer Caleb Wiseblood talks to PCPA about Pride Nights […]
Special Issues
Posted inPride
PCPA pairs performances with pre-show Pride Night festivities
Dressing for the occasion takes on a whole new meaning during the Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s (PCPA) Pride Night events. Audience members are encouraged to don attire that may get them mistaken for cast members, Event and Development Coordinator Lolly Tolan explained. “You can’t go wrong with a cowboy hat and bolo tie,” Tolan (whose pronouns […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
The stories behind the drag queens performing at drag shows for June Pride
Inspiring others to step into the creative performer inside of themselves is an important part of dressing up and hitting the stage for Santa Maria drag queen Nova Cane. Onstage, Cane levels up the energy with thigh-high boots, contoured makeup, and performances that hit with songs by Doja Cat, Rihanna, and Kylie Minogue. Her goal […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Summer Guide 2026: All the fun in the sun
Summer is nearly here, even if it doesn’t quite feel warm enough yet. I can smell the heat on the wind that continues blowing along the Central Coast, bringing with it the promise of sunny freedom. With that warmth comes a long list of events—outdoor concerts, kids camps, food and wine festivals, art classes, and […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Best of NSBC 2026
Start thinking about your best of the best Get ready for our 26th Annual Best of Northern Santa Barbara County 2026 Readers Poll. Voting starts June 4 through June 22, 2026. Come back here to get access to the 2026 ballot and begin your quest for the best!
Posted inSpecial Issues
The Return of Downtown? Santa Maria’s aim for a more pedestrian-friendly downtown and other stories that have been around since the Sun’s first issue
Some stories stick. They unfold slowly over time and are a constant source of news. We’ve been covering some of those in the Santa Maria Valley since this paper was founded in 2000. For 26 years, Sun reporters have watched and written about Santa Maria’s downtown—complaints about how the mall killed it, how the city […]
Posted inNews
Some of the Sun’s earliest story subjects are still making headlines
Within its first year of publication, the Sun shined a light on local issues, leaders, and lore that continue to make headlines 26 years later. Santa Maria’s desire to make its downtown core more walkable and attractive to pedestrians, for example, graced the cover of the Sun’s premiere issue, which hit stands on March 31, 2000. Today, […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
For 26 years, the Sun has pursued thoughtful coverage, welcoming and including all voices
Since 2000, the Santa Maria Valley’s population has grown by more than 30,000 people. It’s gained school campuses, a county jail, and more box stores and chain restaurants than it probably needed to. Cannabis is now legal. Politics is über-polarized. Ideology, more entrenched. Social media has changed the way we interact with one another. The […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Weddings Issue 2026: Hot air balloon proposals, limos and trolleys for the big day, natural floral arrangements, and officiants
What is a wedding, really, other than a giant celebration—a party from beginning to end, from the engagement through the goodbye song at the end of the big night. In our annual Weddings issue, we’re including things that can help you put that party together. Hot air balloons in which to pop the question and […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Get hitched in the sky with Central Coast hot air balloon adventures
Take flightLearn more about Sky’s The Limit Ballooning Adventures in Santa Ynez at skysthelimitballooning.com. For details on Paso Robles’ Balloons over Paso, visit balloonsoverpaso.com. For a hot air balloon proposal or wedding, use the code, SLOWEDDING, until Jan. 1, 2027, for a 10 percent discount. For a couple thousand dollars, you can climb into a […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Solvang-based SB Limo shuttles wedding parties across the Central Coast
Roadside assistanceTo find out more about SB Limo, call (805) 965-4900 or visit sblimos.com. The company’s headquarters is located at 803 Kolding Ave., Solvang. Cueing up tunes worth cutting a rug to was always integral to Solvang business owner James Hooshman‘s transportation company, long before brides- and grooms-to-be became some of his most frequent clients. […]
