Cover Story
The Far West: What’s next for Guadalupe?
When people hear about the city of Guadalupe, the first thing many of them think of is its iconic restaurant, the Far Western Tavern. The eatery is on the city’s main drag, Guadalupe Street, and serves as a regal reminder of the bygone days of cattle ranching and cowboys. With its rugged exterior, Old West…
How often do you go to Guadalupe, and what do you do when you go there?
Ken Parker educational consultant “I go to Guadalupe about once every six weeks. When I go, I like to time my visits so it’s high tide with big surf because I like to see the power of the ocean.” Andre Brown Chumash Casino pit boss “I don’t go very much. The last time I was…
Athlete of the Week: Courtney Cuzick
When softball pitcher Courtney Cuzick steps onto the mound, you can tell she means business. A junior at Nipomo High School, Cuzick is the lead pitcher in the bullpen, with a 0.56 ERA (earned run average) and 178 strikeouts so far this season. Like every pitcher, Cuzick has a certain mindset when she gets into…
On the roster
• Cachuma Lake Trout Derby: The Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake is holding its 17th annual Trout Derby April 14 and 15. Prizes include $5,000 in cash, plus thousands of dollars in merchandise for anglers who reel in the biggest fish. Registration is $40. Children ages 4 to 10 years old are $10.…
Youth center holds open house
Learn all about the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center and other Santa Maria Valley teen-serving agencies at the center’s 2nd Annual Open House on April 21. The event is free and open to the public, and takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Youth Center, located at 600 S. McClelland St. For more…
Tee off for Marian fundraiser
Central Coast golf enthusiasts are invited to tee off in support of community health care at Marian Regional Medical Center’s 23rd Annual golf tournament at the Santa Maria Country Club on April 16. The tournament is named in honor of Leland “Butch” Simas, a strong supporter of Marian, and Felix Fly, M.D. a physician who…
The art of stick fighting
For most people, the sight of someone wildly wielding a weapon is a great opportunity to test how fast their legs can move in the opposite direction. Not Willy Soriano’s students. These rare individuals are practitioners of a martial art called Eskrima, a weapons system based on stick fighting. Part of their training involves a…
Home away from home
Singer-songwriter Ian Franklin splits his time between a few professions and locations. By day, he’s a board-certified musical therapist; by night, he performs at venues with his band Infinite Frequency. During most of the year, he stays in the Bay Area to be near his practice, but at least twice a year he makes his…
Hancock youth present Magical Moments
Allan Hancock College youth dancers will present The Pied Piper and The Emperor’s New Moves as part of its annual Magical Moments dance event April 27 to 29. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, April 27 to 28; and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 28 to 29, at the Severson Theatre…
Dotty Hawthorne will present pastels
Pastel Artist Dotty Hawthorne will be the featured demonstrator for the Los Padres Artist Guild’s meeting at the Luis Oasis Senior Center, 420 Soares Ave., in Old Orcutt on Friday, April 13. Hawthorne will demonstrate how to create a pastel landscape that begins with a colorful underpainting. She often works plein aire for the first…
Power of three
The world of classical music, with its formality and tradition, sometimes gets viewed as inaccessible. Poulenc Trio strives to mix up that perspective, showing that good music can and should reach everyone. Made up of Bryan Young on bassoon, pianist Irina Kaplan, and Vladimir Lande on obo, each member of the trio is distinguished individually…
Punk rock dreams
Some music lovers dream of putting out high-energy, charismatic rock vibes. Others dream of capturing those exciting moments and chronicling a point in history. Photographer Daniel Dreifuss has spent nearly a decade taking part in fast-paced, electric rock moments and has captured it in photos. This month, he’ll share the resulting images in an exhibit…
The price is lice
When I was in the seventh grade, my primary priority in life was girls. That single priority resulted in a lot of other subsequent priorities that became increasingly important, like my hair cut, my deodorant choices, and the jeans I wore. Guess? (No, I’m not asking you to guess what kind of jeans I wore—the…
What did we learn? We can’t trust the nuclear industry
It took a month for authorities to release the information that large doses of radiation had spewed from the Fukushima plant. Why? Said Seiji Shiroya, a commissioner of Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission, “Some foreigners fled the country even when there appeared to be little risk. If we immediately decided to label the situation as Level…
Don’t give Capps another term
I read your letter to the editor titled “‘Capps for Congress’ doesn’t like questioning” with interest, and it could also have been titled “‘Capps for Congress’ won’t answer questions.” As a former Republican strongly against her first opponent, a very radical right winger who didn’t tolerate opposing views, I helped Lois by working in her…
The congresswoman welcomes input–and boy does she get it
Regarding Robert Scott’s recent letter about communicating with Congresswoman Lois Capps: The congresswoman communicates with and receives regular feedback from her constituents through a variety of means. This includes—but is not limited to—numerous public events, regular telephone town halls and e-newsletters, personal meetings with her or her staff, as well as a constant stream of…
‘Capps for Congress’ doesn’t like questioning
Ed. note: Robert Scott’s letter first appeared in New Times, the Sun’s sister paper to the north, on March 29. It garnered a couple of responses printed in the April 5 issue. Here is the initial letter and the follow-up. I have been banned from Facebook! Let me be more precise: I have been…
Cold Springs suicide barriers will help
After more than five years of discussion and debate, bridge barriers have been installed on the Cold Springs Arch Bridge to protect vulnerable persons considering suicide, as well as motorists and law enforcement who jeopardize their own safety and are impacted by witnessing fatal jumps from the bridge. The grid mesh barrier has been installed…
Restaurant without walls
In this “field of dreams,” if you set up a long table, they will come. Since 1999, the Santa Cruz-based organization Outstanding in the Field has traveled the world, holding sold out, outdoor “farm to table” wine dinners in farm fields, in gardens, in vineyards, on mountaintops, and even inside sea caves. The roving culinary…
Tour a nursery and help students grow
Get a tour of local greenhouses and nurseries as part of the Central Coast Greenhouse Growers Association’s 11th annual open house on April 14. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., association members throughout Nipomo and Arroyo Grande will open their doors to the public to raise money for a scholarship fund. Many growers will offer…
Sign up for summer classes at Hancock College
The Allan Hancock College summer class schedule is now available online, and it lists nearly 300 credit classes being offered at its Santa Maria, Lompoc Valley, and Vandenberg Air Force Base locations, college officials announced in a press release. Class subjects include art, anatomy, dance, English, film, geography, math, paralegal, political science, Spanish, viticulture operations,…
I’ll trade you Rutiz Family Farm for Bautista Farm
Forget Major League Baseball trading cares—SLO Farmer trading cards are now all the rage! The cards are part of April’s Let’s Move SLO, a campaign launched by a coalition of local organizations called HEAL-SLO, which has partnered with the SLO County Public Health Department to fight childhood obesity by getting communities moving and living healthier…
Max’s Castle, by Kate Banks, illustrated by Boris Kulikov
Max kicks off a word-filled adventure when he pulls some blocks and assorted toys out from under his bed. At first, his two older brothers scoff at his claim that the items are “amazing” and “marvelous,” but the three boys are soon building a roomy castle together. Max uses wordplay to construct his fantasy palace,…
The koolest of kites
With National Kite Month upon us, it’s time to think about the many different types of kites that fly in the sky. Here are a few tidbits on some of what you’ll see at this year’s Discovery Museum Kite Festival: • Diamond: The most recognized of types, the diamond-shaped sail is supported by at “T”…
Spotlight on: Nirvana Hyperbaric Institute
Nirvana. In the traditional sense, the word describes a condition of liberation and healing. At the Nirvana Hyperbaric Institute in Solvang, holistic health practitioners and therapists seek to replicate that blissful state through a mixture of Eastern medicine, Western technology, and fitness. The day spa-like institute opened in 2010, and is celebrating its two-year anniversary…
SOS pit bull sanctuary
The Sheltering Oak Sanctuary has been what its name implies for neglected and abused pit bulls since its creation in 2010. The organization’s ultimate purpose is to rehabilitate dogs mentally and physically and make them fit for adoption. However, sanctuary staffers are still waiting to find out if they will be able to keep their…
Pulling teeth?
Cosmetic dental manufacturer DenMat, a fixture in Santa Maria since 1974 and one of the city’s largest private employers, appears to be on the verge of leaving town—likely to Lompoc. Internal e-mails from DenMat CEO Steve Semmelmayer to employees reveal the company is in the process of introducing new product lines, necessitating a move to…
Council approves small apartments ordinance
The Santa Maria City Council voted March 5 to approve amendments to the municipal code that will allow motel owners in commercial districts of Broadway and Main streets to revamp their structures and turn them into small apartments. City Planner Larry Appel presented the council with a matrix that simply laid out the options and…
Supervisors begin eminent domain process for UVP project
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors recently took the first step in implementing eminent domain proceedings on land needed to complete a portion of the Union Valley Parkway project. Big box retailer Walmart Stores Inc. owns three parcels of land bordered by Orcutt Road, Highway 135, and Hummel Drive. The property accounts for 70…
Nava endorses Jason Hodge for state Senate
The endorsements are starting to pour in for local political campaigns, including the California Senate. On April 10, former state Assemblyman Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara) sent out a press release endorsing Oxnard Harbor District Commissioner Jason Hodge for the 19th Senate District, over fellow Democrat and Assemblywoman Hannah Beth Jackson. Mike Stoker, a Republican and…
Maldonado faces tax dispute over family farm
Abel Maldonado, congressional candidate for the 24th District, is haggling with the Internal Revenue Service—again—over roughly $470,000, the amount the government agency says Maldonado owes on his family’s business. The former lieutenant governor disputed the IRS’s claim in a statement released by his campaign April 5. The dispute concerns Maldonado’s 2006 and 2007 taxes on…
