Cover Story
Come for the music, stay for the friends
Nearly 25 years ago, a group of friends—all DJs at KCBX, many of whom regularly attended the Strawberry Music Festival at Camp Mather in Yosemite—started pondering the idea of a similar festival on the Central Coast. “We started to wonder, can we do something like that here for KCBX?” said Haila Hafley-Kluver, who also had…
From vine to label
Fog creeps uninterrupted into the Santa Maria Valley. Every morning and evening, it’s funneled from the Pacific Ocean into vineyards by the hills that run from east to west. The wind that blows off the coast and kicks up dust on strawberry fields helps keep the climate mild and prevents mildew from resting on the…
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
Renee Block YMCA employee “The best concert I’ve ever been to was the Rihanna concert in San Jose, and then also the Alicia Keys at the Staples Center in L.A.” Amber Benedetti accountant assistant “Recently I went to see Journey and Pat Benatar. Pat Benatar put on a really good show.” Tony Mendoza tennis director…
Hobnobbing With Helen
You just can’t help but love the Breakfast Rotary Club’s annual luau. This loud, noisy barn party—casual dress or beachwear, please—never disappoints. Held Saturday evening, May 11, in the Fairpark’s cavernous auction Barn at the corner of Stowell and South Depot, this fundraiser—with its deserved reputation for being surefire fun—attracted more than 400. Lots to…
Art in the parks
Visual art has gone through quite an evolution since its birth. From the cave paintings at Lascaux, France, to the Sistine Chapel, and even through contemporary abstraction, art is always moving forward. The city of Santa Maria’s Recreation and Parks Department has prepared a program that educates the community about famous artists while allowing participants…
Creative kids
The Santa Maria Michaels store offers upcoming arts and crafts classes for kids. “Kids Club Celebrate Your Hero Event” is May 18 from 10 a.m. to noon. “Kids Club Craft Your Own Super Hero” event is May 25 from 10 a.m. to noon For more information, contact Michaels at 349-8801 or visit the store at…
Get a tree for free
The Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau Oak Tree Education Program is offering oak tree seedlings to members of the community for free. During the fall, the Oak Tree Education program made a task out of collecting acorns, which were submerged in water. The floating acorns were removed—they floated because they were hollow, thus unsuitable for…
County honors ‘water wise’ students
Santa Barbara County officials have awarded first-, second-, and third-place awards to local high school filmmakers who were challenged with the task of creating a film that illustrated how they conserved water for the “2013 WaterWise High School Video Contest.” The first-place winner was a team of Pioneer Valley High School Students for their film…
PCPA celebrates conservatory graduates
The Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts is welcoming the public to enjoy two productions by soon-to-graduate conservatory students of the performing arts organization. Michael Jenkinson directs a production of Our Town by Thornton Wilder, featuring performances by conservatory students on May 16 and 18 at 7 p.m. A production of And When Love Speaks,…
Hope and healing through art
Coming to terms and dealing with a mental illness—whether internally or externally—can be the hardest thing a person does. Transitions-Mental Health Association (TMHA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making that journey easier through a variety of programs, including the “Art of Recovery” art exhibit, which is co-sponsored by the Healing Arts Council of Santa…
All that jazz
While artists like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Beyonce make the pop charts today, the popular music of America 100 years ago was dominated by such artists as the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, Albert von Tilzer, and Hoagy Carmichael. This was the Tin Pan Alley era of American popular music, which is the subject of the Coastal…
Athlete of the Week
Senior baseball player Troy Prober is still riding high from Righetti High School’s 13-10 defeat over rival and across-the-street neighbor St. Joseph High School earlier this month. Prober, described by Righetti baseball coach Brian Tomooka as a “solid player,” was key to turning the game around. “We were down by nine runs when I came…
Run with the Bull
The 15th annual Bull Canyon Run will be held May 18. The event will kick off at 7:30 a.m. with a 10K run/walk followed by a 5K run/walk at 8 a.m. The run will also feature a 5K kids’ run for children ages 2 through 5 and ages 6 through 9 at 9:45 a.m. The…
Muddy mayhem
Get off the couch, get in shape, and get ready to get dirty for a good cause at the inaugural Muddy Madness 5K charity race at Sky Ranch in Santa Ynez Valley on June 1. Race proceeds will benefit scholarships and various programs at Allan Hancock College. The event will feature a barbecue, live music,…
See wine country on two wheels
Local nonprofit organization People Helping People (PHP) announced that registration is now open for the fourth annual Wine Country Bike Trek, set for June 14 through 16. Home base will be at Midland School in Los Olivos; the ride is 30 to 50 miles of rolling hills and flat terrain. Participants can choose to race…
Queens of the diamond
Allan Hancock College softball has been taking up a lot of Sun pages this year, but for good reason: The Bulldogs have clearly had a solid season, finishing 22-16-1 overall and 12-6 in conference. They racked up a .331 team batting average, a .393 on-base percentage, and a .501 slugging percentage. In addition to those…
It’s about time!
The announcement was cryptic, in a sort-of boring sort of way. It arrived by e-mail: “Please find attached a press release concerning Assembly Bill 65. AB 65 was approved today by the Senate Public Safety Committee with a unanimous vote.” But for those in the know, this little bit of legal-process jargon meant it was…
Why the Millennials don’t like us
And so another study tells us that the younger-than-30 demo is turned off, tuned out, and unlikely to be engaged by politics, unlikely to click on CSPAN and see little more than a failing reality show, unlikely any time soon to invest any more hope in hope. All the usual headlines got trotted out. The…
Is compassion lost on you?
Do you have a pet; a beloved creature that is both friend and family? Many of us have had them, and if you haven’t ever had a pet, it is most unfortunate for your childhood. I suggest you get one or seriously consider it if you can. If you had a pet in the past,…
You’d need help from (good luck) Congress
I read your article, “The great pill debate” (May 9), with great interest. It’s a timely issue that hits all the right notes, but to actually expect these pharmaceutical manufacturers to contribute to help remove their own trash from society is a bit naïve, don’t you think? For any large corporation (as well as the…
Paso road trip
As KSBY-TV’s former anchor and wine reporter, I had the pleasure of visiting nearly every winery in the Paso Robles wine region and interviewing dozens of winemakers over the course of many years. Since moving to the Santa Maria Valley a few years ago, I have stayed closer to home lately, exploring Santa Barbara County’s…
It’s party time
To celebrate those who helped keep the community safe throughout the year, the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and Santa Maria Police Department are teaming up to host the annual police awards luncheon. The event will honor police officers, support staff, and outstanding citizens, and take place at the Elks Lodge at noon on…
Spotlight on: Halsell Builders
It’s been a whirlwind of a journey to weather the storm of an economic downturn. While many contractors must suffer from layoffs and lack of clientele, James and Joe Halsell of Halsell Builders have managed to keep their family business alive and kicking. Halsell Builders is a full-service design and build company with a background…
Lawsuit forces Nipomo district’s financial hand
Perhaps everything was legit as far as the April-approved Nipomo water pipeline financing proposal was concerned, but when faced with a lawsuit, the Nipomo Community Services District decided to go the safe route and find an alternative to finance $4 million of the $17.5-million project. The financing in question is a portion of the proposal…
Santa Maria-Bonita sets a date for new school construction
The name of Santa Maria-Bonita School District’s newest facility won’t be known for a while, but the district does know that the first shovel will hit the dirt on June 5. On April 24, the Board of Education awarded the construction contract to AMG & Associates Inc. from Santa Clarita, which entered a bid of…
And Smith makes three running for sheriff
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown will have another challenger going up against him in the June 2014 election: UCSB police officer Ryan Smith has tossed his badge in the ring, joining the Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Sandra Brown. In an interview with the Sun, Smith said he’s running for sheriff because he has “the energy,…
Fire season starts with an early burn
The hills around Lompoc look like they should in mid-July: dry and windswept, without a hint of green. Landscapes throughout Santa Barbara County bear the signs of those same conditions. At a May 8 press conference, county fire officials said the recent Camarillo Springs fire that burned 28,000 acres in Ventura County is an early…
Entrepreneurs compete for business recognition at Hancock
Teams from Allan Hancock College pitched their business concepts to the “Shark Tank” on May 15, competing for the New Venture challenge grand prize of $1,000. The sharks—also known as judges—picked a winner from seven teams of entrepreneurs from Hancock’s New Venture Laboratory class. Last year’s winning new business idea was Central Coast Honey. The…
City announces water awareness poster winners
Four Santa Maria-Bonita School District third-graders won awards for the city’s fourth annual Santa Maria Utilities Department Water Awareness Poster Contest. First place went to Dylan Kelly, second to Ruben Salinas, third to Ariana Diaz, and Jose Castro received an honorable mention. They were presented with their awards at the Santa Maria City Council meeting…
Santa Maria FFA horse judging team takes state title
With the California championship tucked firmly under their saddles, the Santa Maria High School light-horse judging team is headed to Kentucky for FFA Nationals. The high school’s FFA chapter hasn’t won the state horse judging championship since 1977. According to FFA team advisor, Caroline Sherry, what makes the team’s feat on May 4 in San…
