Cover Story
Professional bull riders chase rodeos for the adrenaline and a paycheck
The aromatic combo of manure and not-so-fresh vegetables wafted up from the ground, mingling with the dry scents of dust and animals. A 2,000-plus-pound black bull with what looked like foot-long white horns plodded toward a dump trailer. A nearby generator fired up, and the back end of the trailer slowly creaked its way into…
What’s your favorite Santa Maria Elks Rodeo event?
Marie Brown homemaker “I just moved here a little over a year ago so I haven’t really attended a rodeo event. I want to take my boys to the Mutton Bustin’.” Krystal Duncan VTC employee “Probably the one with the little kids riding the sheep.” Tina Morris VTC client “I like the horses and the…
The summer of song: Northern Santa Barbara County is brimming with concerts throughout the summer season
As the days lengthen and the temperature rises, locals seek shady spots and cool watering holes to enjoy weather that makes the Central Coast so famous (and expensive!). At most of the best spots around Northern Santa Barbara County and beyond, you’re likely to find more than wine tasting and trip-tip; you’ll also find live…
Reading through the summer
The Santa Maria Public Library, along with its Orcutt, Guadalupe, and Cuyama branch locations, is offering summer reading programs June 9 through Aug. 2. Reading programs include Literary Elements for adults, Spark a Reaction for teens, and Fizz, Boom, Read for kids ages 12 and under. Classes include prizes and incentives. More information is available…
Cruise by the Romeos
The Drive-In Romeos will be the featured band for the West Coast Kustoms Cruisin’ Nationals weekend, including performances at the cruise on May 23 and at the car show on May 24 and at the Santa Maria Inn Tap Room later that night. More info: driveinromeos.com.
The artist in everyone
The Santa Maria Public Library is holding an event featuring author and journalist Tim Pompey, who will speak about the effort it takes to give yourself permission to be an artist and create your own art. The program, Find Your Artist: A Talk with Tim Pompey, is scheduled for June 7 from 3 to 4…
St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble performs in Nipomo
The St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble is capping out a Central Coast concert series on June 13 at 7 p.m. at the Nipomo Community Presbyterian Church, 1235 N. Thompson Ave., Nipomo. The quartet performs Russian Orthodox Christian music as well as Russian folk music. More information is available at 473-8059.
Attention pastel artists
The C Gallery is holding a pastel workshop called Fruit, Pooch, or Kitty with award-winning Simi Valley artist Judy Koennig on July 26 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attendees are invited to bring a pet for a model or to use fruit provided. Lunch is included. Cost is $125 including a $15 materials fee.…
Art in the garden
The Los Padres Artists Guild presents its annual Studio and Garden Show on June 14 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the home and studio of local artist Margie Bowker, 429 Monterey Road, Santa Maria. The event will take place in the garden and cottage studio of Bowker, who will be joined by artists…
‘Gold Fever! Untold Stories of the California Gold Rush’ connects local history to the statewide bonanza at the Dana Adobe in Nipomo
“They rode on burros, afoot, and on covered wagons. Many of these would stop at our house, ‘Casa de Dana,’ for water or to camp nearby,” recalls Juan Francisco Dana—memoirist, author of The Blonde Ranchero, and son of the captain—in a 1933 newspaper article dictated to his son, The Days of ’49. The central location…
Bedford Winery presents Randy Kovitz and his rendition of Glen Berger’s ‘Underneath the Lintel’
While most professional actors tend to play one character in an ensemble of many cast members, some are able to perform shows entirely by him or herself. With no director, no backstage crew, no light operators or fellow cast members, that actor can interpret a work solely, collaborating only with the script. Bedford Winery in…
Caveman cardio
Cavemen didn’t have beer bellies. They didn’t for a couple of reasons: First, beer hadn’t been invented yet, and coincidentally, really bad decisions hadn’t been invented yet either. Second, and more importantly, cavemen didn’t have beer bellies because they chased their food. We all know you can get fat sitting around drinking beer and playing…
‘Bon appétit!’: The inaugural Santa Barbara Food & Wine Weekend salutes Julia Child
Legendary chef, author, and TV cooking show host Julia Child, who lived in Santa Barbara at the end of her storied life, once said, “Learn how to cook—try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun.” How appropriate that the inaugural Santa Barbara Food and Wine weekend, a festival of…
Discovery Corner: The gift of membership
With summer fast approaching, this is the perfect time to become a member of the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum. For the price of taking your family to the movies, you can treat them to an entire year of fun learning adventures and special events. Membership is the gift to your family that keeps on…
Dell gives out big money to local students
Dell Computer Company is giving five Santa Maria Joint Union High School District students $20,000 each to help get their higher education going in the fall at four-year colleges and universities. A press release from the district said four of the students are part of the Advancement Via Individual Determination program and one is from…
Zodiac employees beautify Guadalupe elementary school
Zodiac Aerospace’s army of volunteers took over Mary Buren Elementary School in Guadalupe on May 15 to spruce things up a bit for the annual Give and Grow Beautification Day. More than 100 volunteers installed a donated jungle gym, painted maps of the world and the United States on the pavement, landscaped and cleaned the…
Spotlight on: Dyer/Craft Creative Services
Photography, videography, talent, props, wardrobe, hair, makeup—if it’s a production you want, a company started by Nipomo resident Adam Dyer will probably be able to make it happen for you. Dyer/Craft Creative Services (a fitting name considering the multitude of services they have to offer) can shoot commercials, photograph events, or make you over and…
Political Watch 5/22/14
• Gov. Jerry Brown released a revised budget proposal for fiscal year 2014-2015 on May 13, which includes more funding for health-care coverage under Medi-Cal, emergency drought assistance, and additional contributions to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System. The revision also sets aside $1.6 billion to make the final payment on Economic Recovery Bonds to…
Community Notebook 5/22-5/29
MONDAY, MAY 26 • 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. TUESDAY, MAY…
Community Corner: Go big at Righetti’s annual Big Show
Santa Marians can’t get enough of that marimba beat. The annual Big Show, a performance by the Ernest Righetti High School Marimba Band and Ballet Folklorico, will return to the Ethel Pope Auditorium stage at 3 p.m. on May 25 for an encore presentation of Mexican and Latino culture. Ricardo Gabaldon directs the 45 musician…
Santa Barbara County Sheriff incumbent Bill Brown talks about the North County Jail, budget cuts, and more
There are two Browns on the June 3 ballot for Santa Barbara County Sheriff, but they couldn’t be more different—a fact both incumbent Bill Brown and his opponent, Sandra Brown, have worked hard to emphasize. Here’s a selection of the Sun’s interview with the incumbent sheriff. Next week we’ll talk to Sandra. What’s the current…
Clarifications
The Sun would like to clarify some information printed in the May 15 news brief, “Lompoc Theater edges closer to financial freedom.” The theater is owned by the Lompoc Housing Community Development Corporation, which hasn’t dissolved. The California Department of Finance is responsible for forgiving one of the three liens on the theater.
The Santa Maria levee project is finished
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed upgrading the Santa Maria River Levee earlier this month after five years of construction and many additional years of planning. Local, state, and federal officials celebrated the milestone at a May 16 ceremony on the levee. “The new standard of design and construction really adds a level of…
Lompoc hillsides burn in the San Miguelito Road fire
The original reports of the fire that broke out May 13 near San Miguelito Road in Lompoc were a little scary: 1,200 structures were threatened by the fire and evacuated that afternoon. Videos and photos posted online of the fire show flames on hillsides directly behind residences. Luckily, the fire occurred during a week that…
Guadalupe officials talk money and affordable housing
Finances and housing were two of the big-ticket items that recently came before the Guadalupe City Council in both public and closed-session meetings. At the council’s May 13 meeting, City Manager Andrew Carter presented the council with a grim city budget forecast that predicts a $185,000 general fund deficit for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. The…
Capps introduces wilderness legislation for Central Coast
After more than a year of work, U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) on May 15 announced legislation that would allocate 245,665 acres of new and expanded wilderness areas in Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument. The Central Coast Heritage Protection Act would protect wild and scenic rivers and designate a…
Racing Through: Tour of California cycles through Santa Maria
Around lunchtime on May 15, Amgen’s Tour of California bicyclists raced through the intersection of Donovan and Bull Canyon roads in Santa Maria on their way from Santa Barbara to Pismo Beach.
Anybody want to play a violin for me?
We, as a country, had Teacher Appreciation Week at the beginning of May, which got me thinking: When is Journalist Appreciation Week? Not that I’m saying teachers don’t deserve a week of their own. Not at all! But when you think about it, journalists and teachers have a lot in common: We work long, hard…
The heroes in our midst need our help
Recently, the Santa Maria Sun published a cover story by Wendy Thies Sell about the Honor Flight Network, a nonprofit that escorts World War II veterans to the Washington, D.C., memorial. On May 13, the local Honor Flight chapter escorted a group of Central Coast veterans to see their memorial. While the Honor Flight Network…
Explore a wildlife refuge
Partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Guadalupe Dunes Center will be host to a 4- to 5-mile recreational hike on May 23. The hike will wind through the back portion of the dunes and scenic portions of the wildlife refuge and will involve moderate to difficult exertion over soft sand. Please be…
Santa Maria Elks Rodeo kicks off with a fun run
Runners of all ages are invited to race in the Elks Rodeo Stampede 5K and Fun Run on May 31. Registration includes a T-shirt, with awards given to second- and first-place finishers. The fee is $20 with no registrations the day of the event.
Pirates’ tennis has what it takes
The Santa Ynez boys’ tennis team made a strong showing during its recent home playoff game against Riverside Poly. The Pirates took down their opponents swiftly and aggressively with a 13-5 victory; the team is currently 16-4 overall.
Bulldog baseball comes to a close
After a stellar season, the Bulldogs were eliminated from the Super Regional play offs by Orange Coast. Allan Hancock College’s baseball team fought hard until the end, with a final score of 8-6. The team finished the season at 24-16-1, its highest season win total since 2010. The Bulldogs will also say goodbye to 15…
Abu Danaldi
Abu Danaldi experienced his most memorable Spanish class recently at Dunn Academy. Reading a passage out loud, Danaldi was rendered speechless when Alecko Eskandarian walked into the classroom with a large trophy. Danaldi, now a senior, was honored with the Gatorade National Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year award; Eskandarian was last year’s award recipient.…
The Benchwarmer: Not as simple as it seems
Sometimes I find myself gazing out of my bedroom window, looking at the pitching mound my dad built for my sister and me so many years ago. Although it’s mostly covered with leaves and the field dirt has been swept away, I know I could still go out there, brush aside the debris, and find…
