Cover Story
All in the family: Raising swine is a multi-generation affair in Northern Santa Barbara County
The sweet smell of hay mixes with the pungent, nose-wrinkling odor of manure and just a hint of old popcorn. If someone decided to bottle this scent as a perfume, it’d be called Eau de Fair. It’s just after 8 a.m. on Saturday, July 12, at the Santa Maria Fairpark. The Santa Barbara County Fair…
If you gave someone a random piece of advice, what would it be?
Jerri Buentiempo retired “To be safe.” Tricia Hernandez server “To be grateful for what you have in life.” Whitney Smith caregiver “To stay away from drugs. I lost some friends from them.” Katherine Powell security guard “Drink more water. Stay healthy.”
Giving the gift of theater: The Santa Maria Civic Theatre offers its 21st annual ‘Summer Fairy Tales’ free family production
For the past two decades, the Santa Maria Civic Theatre has offered its Summer Fairy Tale program free to the community. The production is significant because it opens up plenty of acting slots for young kids, who get to learn performing arts under the guidance of experienced Civic Theatre actors and perform in front of…
Occasional Mustache presents a new album of contemporary country rock
The Grover Beach-based Americana country rock group Occasional Mustache has debuted its new album Hard to Keep a Good Man Down. This is the group’s second album, and it was made possible by a fan-funded Kickstarter.com campaign. Occasional Mustache offers a mash-up of genres, from simple folk and blues forms to crisper country sounds reminiscent…
Summertime crafting at Michaels
Michaels Arts and Crafts offers an Intro to Paper Crafting class for free on July 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. An Intro to Jewelry Making class is a free event happening July 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. Create2Educate is for teachers on July 31 from 4 to 7 p.m. A Kids Club event…
Santa Maria Arts Council calls for artists
The Santa Maria Arts Council is preparing its second annual Birdhouse Fundraiser event for the Autumn Arts Grapes and Grains festival and needs artists to paint donated birdhouses for a fundraiser raffle. Local artists are needed to beautify birdhouses in unique and artistic styles. The Arts Council will be evaluating artists to whom to distribute…
Lompoc Library offers concerts on the lawn
The Library Foundation in Lompoc is offering its annual Concerts on the Library Lawn series during the month of August. The shows happen the first three Saturdays in August from 1 to 3 p.m. The first concert features singers from the Lompoc Youth Theater performing selections from the production Hairspray Jr. on Aug. 2. The…
See the Wildling Museum’s season of natural history field classes
The Wildling Museum has announced the 2014-2015 season of Natural History Field Classes with Fred and Larry, a series that takes place throughout Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara County with local naturalists Dr. Fred Emerson and Larry Ballard on the third Saturday of the month from September through May. The season includes trips to…
The fantastic frontier: PCPA Theaterfest presents the idyllic musical Oklahoma in all its musical glory
The monumental influence Rodgers and Hammerstein have had on American musical theater is staggering. So many popular tropes and styles were cemented by the duo; their influence can be seen in myriad contemporary works today. PCPA Theaterfest has gone back to the roots of the famous collaborators with a production of their first play, Oklahoma!,…
Packin’ up has Ariel crackin’ up
Last month, my column was about traveling with my husband, The Brit, and our grandson, the Britween. For good measure, I wrote of the many travails of traveling with my mother. I then ended on a cryptic request about my trip this month with all three of them together. Let us review: “I have planned…
Former Hollywood hotshot-turned-baker basks in the warmth of his cool new bakery in Los Alamos
Three summers ago, while all eyes were on Britain’s Prince William and his wife Catherine at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, sweating it out behind the scenes was burgeoning baker Bob Oswaks. As celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis prepared her sweet corn lasagna with blistered tomatoes for the VIP fundraiser luncheon in honor of the…
Discovery Corner: Party on, dude!
In case you haven’t heard the totally tubular news, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are BACK, and the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum wants in on the slang-driven, neon-green, ninja-hero sensation! The new TMNT movie hits theaters Friday, Aug. 8, and we have decided to keep the party going for you and your family by…
Guadalupe students wrap up summer session
The beginning of summer didn’t mark the end of school for more than 200 Guadalupe students. Instead, those students committed to spending the first few weeks of their summer vacation taking classes. Nine classrooms were set aside at Kermit McKenzie Junior High School for the students wanting to improve their math and English language skills.…
Santa Maria police explorers attend Central Valley competition
Police explorer teams made up of young people between the ages of 14 and 20 from California and Hawaii converged at Ripon High School in Modesto for the fourth annual Central Valley Explorer Competition July 18 through 20. The Santa Maria Police Department’s explorers—Christian Barajas, Noe Vicente, Jazmin Martinez, Maria Morales, Jaime Belmontes, Anthony Olozagaste,…
Spotlight on: Lucky Dogg Winery
Tucked amid the green of the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, Solvang is a quaint destination that appeals to locals and tourists alike. Surrounded by rolling hills and vineyard-covered knolls, Lucky Dogg Winery has found an idyllic setting to call home. The business venture of local vintner Brent Melville, Lucky Dogg has all the makings of…
Hobnobbing with Helen
It’s official. It’s on the way. Several years in the planning, a Santa Maria Valley Native Plant Garden is about to be installed—not all at once—around the Natural History Museum, the historic Hart House, on McClelland Street, across from the library. On Saturday afternoon, July 19, more than 40 museum board members, donors, docents, volunteers,…
Political Watch 7/24/14
• The California Water Resources Control Board recently released a draft Ocean Plan Amendment known as the Desalination Policy, which will set statewide standards for seawater desalination facilities in the state. Facilities already exist along California’s Coast—including one in Santa Barbara that is in the process of being revamped—and cities such as San Jose and…
Community Notebook 7/24-7/31/14
MONDAY, JULY 28 • The South County Advisory Council has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Nipomo Community Services District Headquarters, 148 S. Wilson St., Nipomo. • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. Agendas are available at cityofsolvang.com.
Community Corner: Marian hospital gives and receives
The philanthropic spirit is alive and well over at Marian Regional Medical Center. Throughout the month of July, the Marian Foundation received two grants totaling $250,000 from the Weingart Foundation and the Hutton Parker Foundation in support of the new family medicine residency program. “It is extremely gratifying to know that the importance of Marian’s…
A basin situation: Nipomo water issues are coming to a boil
As water becomes scarcer every day in dried-up San Luis Obispo County, the cracks are starting to show—literally and metaphorically. As the water level steadily drops in reservoirs, wells, and various groundwater basins, the political rhetoric is much harsher, conservation measures are more stringent, and everyone’s patience is growing thin. In particular, preexisting tensions over…
Correction
The Sun incorrectly reported the number of years Five Mualimmak, co-producer for the Solitary web series, spent in solitary confinement in the July 17 cover story “Transcending solitary.” Mualimmak spent five consecutive years in solitary confinement.
Sgt. Sandra Brown is transferred to the Santa Barbara courthouse
Sgt. Sandra Brown—Sheriff Bill Brown’s challenger in the June 2014 election and former head of the county’s coroner’s bureau—is now overseeing bailiffs at the Superior Court in Santa Barbara. The transfer has raised eyebrows in the community, especially among Sandra’s supporters—some of whom likened the decision to the firing of District Attorney Joyce Dudley’s challenger,…
Body of missing man found at Cachuma Lake
After 10 days of searching, local law enforcement agents recovered from Cachuma Lake the body of 22-year-old Isaiah Sanchez on July 21. Around midday, a group of people on a rented pontoon boat spotted what appeared to be a body in the water about 100 yards from where Sanchez was last seen and called 911.…
Santa Barbara County’s first solar facility is planned for the Cuyama Valley
A solar facility with the capacity to power 16,000 homes is proposed for 320 acres of agricultural land in the Cuyama Valley. This would be the first such renewable energy project in Santa Barbara County. First Solar presented the project’s final environmental impact report to the county’s Planning Commission on July 22. Plans for solar…
Carbajal participates in national climate change talks
Santa Barbara County 1st District Supervisor Salud Carbajal attended his fourth and final face-to-face meeting with President Barack Obama’s climate task force on July 16. But Carbajal isn’t done with his national climate tasks just yet. The force of 26 state, local, and tribal leaders appointed by the Obama Administration now has to reduce the…
Walk to save memories
A recent press release from the Alzheimer’s Association of Santa Barbara announced that its 2014 Walk to End Alzheimer’s is scheduled for Nov. 8. More than 1,500 people from the Santa Barbara area alone are expected to attend the event at Earl Warren Showgrounds. In addition to the walk, the association will also be host…
Give praise, and be moved
The Central Coast Church of Orcutt will be offering a series of meditative classes this summer on Saturdays at 10 a.m. PraiseMoves is a Christian alternative to yoga. The class will focus on stretching and core strengthening, as well as improving balance and coordination. The classes can be modified for individuals with limited mobility. Each…
First ever Clipper Camp
A press release from the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara announced that it entered into its first year of partnership with the Los Angeles Clippers Youth Hoops program. The weeklong camp focused on skill development and basic offensive and defensive plays, as well as engaging in fun competition. The camp ran from July…
More hoop time!
To continue with a successful set of spring and summer clinics, Allan Hancock College’s men’s basketball coach Tyson Aye announced an additional two youth sessions in August. The first session will run Aug. 4 through 7, followed by the second session Aug. 11 through 14 at the Joe White Memorial Gymnasium. Instruction will run 9…
Riccardo Magni
Many professional athletes are thought by others to live their day-to-day lives completely dedicated to training for their sport without room in their schedule for much else. Riccardo Magni, a 40-year-old teacher at Pioneer Valley High School and professor at Hancock College, strives to find balance between his athletic career and family life. “I compete…
A football life: Former professional football player Don Willis takes over as head coach at Cabrillo
For all Don Willis knew, his football career was over at age 8 when he was cut from his competitive youth team. He shied away from the sport until his eighth grade year when he and his family moved from Oakland to Lompoc, where he began to pursue his passion for football once more. “All…
Wrap this mess up
You’ve heard of Chipotle, right? The chain has made a lot of headlines for the quality of its food and its progressive company ethics. But still, you might not have heard of it. If there’s something Northern Santa Barbara County has plenty of—besides strawberries, of course—it’s Mexican food, so I’d understand if yet another burrito…
We need to tackle Alzheimer’s
Public health—the practice of preventing disease and promoting health—effectively targets environmental factors and health behaviors that contribute to chronic conditions. As a public health professional, I know that with even a small reduction in the prevalence of chronic disease, the combined health and productivity cost savings of prevention lead to a positive return on investment…
Keep fracking out of the county and state
Andy Caldwell and other proponents of fracking ignore vital questions about the hazards of this new technology that extracts crude oil and natural gas. New York State has imposed a moratorium on fracking, pending a state Health Department study of its potential health effects. More recently, New York’s highest court has ruled communities may ban…
Back fracking
The Central Coast’s energy industry is vital to the economic health of our region, producing thousands of jobs and millions per year in tax revenue. Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is an important technology in our statewide energy portfolio. Fracking allows us to access our domestic oil and gas in a safe, reliable manner. That’s why…
