Cover Story
What historical figure would you want to fight?
Uriel Chavez student “Hitler. There are a lot of reasons why, but his ‘womanly’ mustache is the main reason.” Jason Anderson cashier “Andrew Jackson, since he was such an imposing figure from history—the only president to tell the Supreme Court what to do.” Chris Ethridge barista “Andrew Jackson, because he’s a thug. He’s dangerous, has…
Clubs & Meetings
4-H welcomes anyone interested in the group to sign up now. Find a nearby club by contacting the Santa Barbara County 4-H Office at 692-1730 or zmhughes@ucdavis.edu. ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS for men meets in San Luis Obispo and Grover Beach. Men interested in attending may contact representatives: 550-6718 or not_moses@fastmail.fm. ALL-AMERICAN QUILTERS’ GUILD meets…
Spiritual
BAHA’I interfaith worship services are the second Sunday of each month. Info: 489-4172. Children’s classes are the first Saturday of each month. Info: 937-9451. Study circles about The Life of the Spirit are ongoing in Santa Maria. For questions, dates, and times: 614-0963. Info: 937-9451. BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH holds worship services Sundays with Holy Communion…
Farmers Market
SANTA MARIA 100 S. Broadway at Main, Wednesdays, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Features local beekeepers’ honey and bee pollen, breads and pastries, plants and flower bouquets, fresh fruits and vegetables. ORCUTT Corner of Clark and Bradley, Tuesdays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fresh honey, flowers, and eggs, along with fresh fruits and…
Barbecues
ONGOING FILIPINO COMMUNITY OF SANTA MARIA VALLEY barbecues Filipino food at the Smart and Final parking lot, N. Broadway on Saturdays and Sundays. Menu items include tri-tip, chicken, beef kabobs, chicken adobo, salad, rice, and bread. Meals cost $6. Info: 922-3422 or 922-3799. FILIPINO CATHOLIC SOCIETY, under the direction of St. Mary’s Church and…
Health
SANSUM CLINIC presents a “Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes Nutrition” class on April 15 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the clinic. Cost is $10. The clinic is at 1225 North H St., Lompoc. Cost is $10. Info: 737-8700. THE GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR BALANCE AND HEALING offers free energy balancing sessions on April 17 from 11 a.m.…
Art
TOWN CENTER GALLERY presents the art of Hattie Stoddard through May at 321 Town Center West, suite B-6, Santa Maria. An opening reception featuring the artist is April 16 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Info: 349-7303 or thetowncentergallery.com. THE SANTA MARIA TOWN CENTER presents an art exhibit featuring works by people with mental illnesses April…
Learning
THE CALIFORNIA BEE COMPANY presents a “Coastal Beekeeping Workshop” with Jeremy Rose on April 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Atkinson Center, 1000 Railroad, Santa Maria. Info: 540-4502. THE MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION offers a “New Wish Granter Training” event on April 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Nipomo. Info: tri-counties.wish.org. THE…
Recreation
AMTGARD’S BARONY OF THE SEVEN SLEEPING DRAGONS presents a demonstration of the sword and sorcery game Amtgard on April 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Waller Park in Santa Maria. Info: sloamtgard.com or GTwythawk@gmail.com. WORTH THE DRIVE THE FIVE CITIES TENNIS ASSOCIATION presents the 2010 Central Coast Tennis Challenge Cup April 16…
Kids & Family
THE SANTA MARIA VALLEY YMCA presents a “Family Fun and Healthy Kid’s Day” featuring carnival games and free health screenings on April 17 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Santa Maria Valley YMCA, 3400 Skyway Drive, Santa Maria. The YMCA offers swim lessons for kids 3 years and older Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. through…
Dance Lessons
ONGOING BLUE MOON HAVEN BELLY DANCE currently teaches American Tribal Style dance classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays in Lompoc and Thursdays in Grover Beach. Info: 709-4686 or BlueMoonHaven.com. COUNTRY WESTERN DANCE CLASSES by Jeannette and Henry are Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. for country two-step lessons and from 8 to 9 p.m.…
Stage
PCPA THEATERFEST presents its production of Kander and Ebb’s Curtains April 15 through May 9 in the Marian Theatre, 800 S College, Santa Maria. Cost is $26.26 to $28.25. Info: 922-8313 or pcpa.org. KITCHEN WITCHES is a comedic dinner theater production April 17, May 8, and May 29 at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Lompoc. Cost…
Night Life
The following venues offer either regularly scheduled live entertainment or DJ-hosted dance music. Most performances start after 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. IN THE AREA ADDAMO VINEYARD/TASTING ROOM: 400 E. Clark Ave., suite E, Santa Maria, 937-6400. Live music Sundays from 2 to 5 p.m. CLUB 805, AKA STINKY’S BAR & GRILL: 2430 South…
Concerts
THE LOMPOC MUSIC ASSOCIATION presents Trio Vivo! performing classical selections on April 18 at 3 p.m. at the Valley of the Flowers United Church of Christ, 3346 Constellation Road, Vandenberg Village. Cost is $15, $6 for students. HOWLIN’ BYROON’S MUSIC EXCHANGE presents Jody Mulgrew and his band in concert on April 18 at 3 p.m.…
Special Events
THE CITY OF SANTA MARIA and the People for Leisure and Youth present a Bunco Event to benefit youth recreation in Santa Maria Valley on April 16 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Radisson, Santa Maria. Cost is $25. Info: 925-0951, Ext. 157. KCOY 12 presents its annual Spring Food Drive April 16 through…
Stoddard gets featured
Hattie Stoddard will be the featured artist at the Town Center Gallery. An artist’s reception will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on April 16 at the gallery at 321 Town Center West. Stoddard has been active in the Santa Maria Valley arts community since moving here in 2000. An artist who works with…
Learn more about the dunes
The Dunes Center, California State Parks Oceano and SLO Coast Districts, and the Dunes Collaborative will present DuneQuest 2010 on May 6 and 7 at 8 a.m. on both days. The event is a symposium focused on providing learning opportunities that highlight the work being done in the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex. Thursday’s activities will be…
Wine and clay
From the earth comes many natural wonders—and sometimes the stuff to produce manmade wonders. Scott Semple works in the latter but dabbles in the former, using clay to create wondrous pieces inspired by nature. Semple described himself as a ceramic artist, art designer, percussionist, world traveler, and self-inspired ruffian. His work is created locally and…
Lyrical, educational, folklorico
For many children growing up in Mexican or Mexican American homes, watching ballet folklorico is a traditional family pastime. When those children grow up, it’s not always easy for them to find organizations that encourage and expand upon their interest in their cultural heritage—especially for students attending Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Third-year industrial…
Meet Hancock softballers
Incoming freshmen softball players and recruits are invited to attend Allan Hancock College’s last home game of the year on April 20 to meet with women’s head coach Scia Maumausolo and the rest of the Lady Bulldogs. The team plays a doubleheader at Hancock’s home field against L.A. Pierce with games at 1 and 3…
Pitch … hit … run!
The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department, Santa Maria Valley YMCA, and the Boys & Girls Club are teaming up to host the annual MLB Pitch, Hit, and Run Baseball Skills Competition on May 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. Boys and girls ages 7 to 14 will demonstrate their pitching, hitting, and base running…
Walk with nature at Sedgwick Reserve
The Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society will celebrate its 10th anniversary April 24 with a day of nature walks, workshops, and a picnic among the oaks at the Sedgwick Reserve in the Santa Ynez Valley. The event is free and runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The morning features five different interpretive walks,…
Equal opportunities?
Since arriving back on the scene as a starting pitcher for Allan Hancock College’s softball team, sophomore Patti Womack has become adept at keeping all her balls in the air. The 29-year-old is in her second go-round with the Lady Bulldogs. A full-time student with a job and single mom of a 4-year-old daughter, Womack…
Chris Berryman
The rain may be pouring—and the proverbial old man snoring—but the weather doesn’t put Allan Hancock College’s Chris Berryman out of training. In fact, for this freshman, it may take a baseball covered with a film of kryptonite to stop him from pitching a good game—like his recent six-inning performance against Moorpark, an outing that…
Strawberry fields
Tempting morsels of fruity goodness, they gleam like crimson jewels in fields all around town. With the arrival of spring in all its glory, it’s time once again to dive into the sugary wonder of one of Santa Maria’s signature crops: ripe, juicy strawberries. To celebrate the season of pink milkshakes and gooey shortcakes, organizers…
They’re gonna put me in the movies
The Internet is a wonderful thing. I can e-mail long-lost friends (if I had any), sell stuff I don’t want anymore on eBay (if there was anything I was willing to part with), and, my favorite thing to do, check and see how big my high school ex-girlfriend’s butt got on Facebook (HUGE—I dodged a…
When are the banners leaving?
Has anybody asked the folks that are hanging the “Shame on You” banners around Doc’s in A.G. and around the mall in Santa Maria if they are card-carrying union members? Has anybody asked these folks if they are getting paid union wages? Has anybody asked how long are they staying, and when they are leaving?
Do you really want to make ghost towns?
So it appears to me that Carol Georgi and Nell Langford are both trying to have an epitaph on their graves about killing the towns of Grover Beach, Oceano, and Pismo almost single-handedly, by making up “facts” about the OHV park system getting millions of dollars from the general fund, when in fact, the general…
Shake out some honest investigation
Our fault? Whose fault? It (“Our own fault,” April 8) became PG&E’s fault when their initial substandard geological survey allowed the placement of their facility in an area of bedrock riddled with a chaotic network of interconnected seismic faults. One question today is who should be monetarily responsible for PG&E’s faulted initial assertion of seismic…
Don’t let civil servants reward civil servants
The problem with county civil service benefits (“Mind the gap,” April 8) is that they are way beyond what the private sector gets and can afford, yet it is the private sector that pays the taxes for the county benefits. The basic problem is due to two factors: the civil service unions who support and…
Political Watch 4.15
On April 25, local political organization Santa Maria Valley Republicans Inc. will host a Republican candidates forum at the Santa Maria Terraces senior living community, 1405 E. Main St., in Santa Maria. According to a press release from Santa Maria Valley Republicans Inc., Republican candidates for the following offices have been invited: Santa Barbara County…
Community Notebook 4.15
THURSDAY, APRIL 15 • The Santa Maria Planning Commission has a study session at 10 a.m. in the Community Development Office, 110 S. Pine St., Santa Maria. • The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Measure C 2004 Bond Oversight Committee has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the district board room,…
New ‘kidz’ website logs local activities available to families
Parents searching for an all-inclusive extracurricular activity guide for their kids, look no further: Kidzmet.com—a new website archiving local activities and events—recently launched in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Kidzmet.com gives busy parents the ability to search and compare classes by several categories, including driving distance, age, interest, day, time, rating, and price…
Help send Nipomo High’s robotics team to Dallas
If you fund it, they will go: The Nipomo High School robotics team is scrambling to raise $10,000 in two weeks to compete in the 2010 VEX World Robotics Clean Sweep Championships, to be held April 22 through 24 in Dallas, Texas. And the donations definitely won’t be wasted, according to team advisor Greg Gracia.…
Get energy efficient
Learn how to access programs that will help make your business or home energy efficient at the next Manufacturers Association meeting on April 27. PG&E and Santa Barbara County are putting on an Energy Information Workshop at the event, beginning at 7:30 a.m. VTC Enterprises, located at 2445 A St. in Santa Maria, will be…
Celebrate Earth Day with green cleaning
Millions of people around the world will celebrate Earth Day on April 22, and Rod Chilcoat, owner of Kleanerette Dry Cleaners and Laundry, is asking people to think bigger than the one-day observance. Chilcoat’s business switched to environmentally friendly dry cleaning in 2002, using a GreenEarth Cleaning process without air-polluting volatile organic compounds. Dry cleaners…
Teens, meet jobs
Students in junior high and high school are encouraged to attend a free job fair hosted by the City of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department on May 6. The event will give attendees the opportunity to meet with employers and recruiters who will provide information about summer jobs, volunteer work experiences, and educational opportunities.…
Chamber issues cards with benefits
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce announced the upcoming release of its new ChamberCard program, providing member businesses with more free advertising and benefits at no extra cost. Cards will be appearing in an upcoming issue of the Chamber Challenge newsletter, along with a list of participants in the program. This initial run of…
No butts about it
The sights and smells of smokers lighting up on state coastlines will soon be a thing of the past if a long-awaited ban wins final approval from state senators and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Senate Bill 4, also known as the No Smoking at State Parks and Beaches Act, is the latest in a slew of…
BofA donates bucks to Rescue Mission
The Bank of America Charitable Foundation, sticking with the philanthropic character it’s known for, recently donated $2,500 to the Central Coast Rescue Mission. The grant will help fund the group’s efforts to provide food, shelter, hygiene, and clothing—which includes the bare necessities, such as socks, underwear, and T-shirts. “Every grant helps and is appreciated,” said…
Taxi company sues SLO County
Beach Cities Taxi is suing San Luis Obispo County for $500,000 in damages for canceling a permit that allows it to take customers to the San Luis Obispo County regional airport. The company alleges their permit was improperly terminated. The taxi company’s permit was pulled a year ago when, according to Richard Howell, general manager…
Government officials and environmentalists unveil an updated PXP plan
After months of stalled planning, the three environmental groups made infamous for penning a semi-private deal with a Texas-based oil company have revealed a newly revised agreement aimed at ending drilling off the Santa Barbara coastline. On April 7, Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) and 1st District County Supervisor Salud Carbajal joined representatives for the…
Republican Tom Watson aims to bump Congresswoman Lois Capps out of her 23rd District seat
When asked what sets him apart from the other Republican candidates running for the 23rd District Congressional seat, Tom Watson said: “I live in the district, for one. I think that’s going to be problematic for [rival Republican] John Davidson.” Davidson, for the record, lives in Thousand Oaks. “I think that’s something [incumbent Democrat Lois]…
