Ray Williams looks forward to celebrating the old days every year. He’s from Los Alamos, and that’s where he raised his children, who also get excited for the town’s annual weekend-long celebration.
“Saturday night for me is always the fun one,” he said, referring to the night of live music and cook-your-own-steak dinners.
Back on Bell
Visit the Los Alamos Valley Men’s Club website to learn more about Old Days and to purchase tickets for select events. The Fresh Wine Festival will be held at Pico Los Alamos on Sept. 26 from 5 to 7 p.m. Buy tickets online. The restaurant is located at 458 Bell St. in Los Alamos.
Los Alamos Old Days has been a tradition for almost 80 years, celebrating small-town spirit and history. The weekend is put on by the Los Alamos Valley Men’s Club, which organizes community events and fundraisers throughout the year. Williams, the group’s president, has been involved with the club for nearly his whole life and has served on the board for the past five years.
“For me [Old Days] just keeps the tradition alive,” Williams said. “There’s quite a few people that no longer live in Los Alamos but have ties, and they come back every year and celebrate the community.”
Old Days runs from Sept. 26 to 28 with lots of family-friendly activities on Bell Street and at the men’s club. Along with the weekend’s classic activities, new events are also being added to the schedule.
Pico Los Alamos, a restaurant on Bell Street, is open during the festivities and is holding its third Fresh Wine Festival on Sept. 26, the first night of Old Days. Pico’s business manager, Megan Eckert, said the event gives festivalgoers the chance to start the town’s “signature celebration” with wine tasting.
“We’re hoping to kind of tie-in with [Old Days] and kick it off with a really fun festival,” Eckert said.
Pico is located inside the town’s old general store building, making the restaurant a piece of Los Alamos history. Eckert said that’s why it’s important for Pico to be involved in the community and take part in Old Days.
“We consider ourselves fairly connected to the history of not only the building, but the town and the whole area,” Eckert said.
Starting at 5 p.m., the Fresh Wine Festival will feature around 15 local wineries pouring tastings in Pico’s garden. Fresh wines are made with minimal intervention, letting the grapes shine, as Eckert put it. Most of the wines are cool and crisp, excellent for marking the end of summertime.
“Think like wines that taste great on a hot day by the pool, that kind of thing, like crushable whites, chilled reds a lot of times, orange wine, some bubbly,” Eckert said. “Just everything you’d want to drink on a warm summer day.”
She described the event as the last hurrah of summer. With each winery bringing a few vintages, Eckert thinks everyone is bound to find wines they love.
Most of the wineries set to participate at the festival are located in Santa Barbara County, including Future Perfect Wine out of Los Olivos. Owner and winemaker Sunshine Stricker has been part of events at Pico in the past and is excited to celebrate Los Alamos during Old Days.
For the festival, Stricker chose four wines that are bright and lifted: sparkling blanc de blanc, dry riesling, sauvignon blanc, and chilled grenache. She makes her wine in the “Old World style” with a lower alcohol content, she said, allowing people to “drink more, [and] fall over less.”
Future Perfect is focused on being an approachable and unpretentious brand, from the colorful “razzle dazzle” of the wine labels to the atmosphere in the tasting room. Stricker’s own philosophy at the winery is to make people feel seen. She said her inspiration comes partly from her mom, who always encouraged everyone to shine.
“I think that’s our religion at Future Perfect. It’s kindness and inclusivity and acceptance,” Stricker said.
She said she’s grateful to Pico for hosting the festival and helping to bring the community together.
“Every time I get to be in Los Alamos, I think, ‘Oh my God. We’re so lucky,’” Stricker said. “We have this tiny, incredible town just filled with these charming wonders.”
Old Days celebrates Los Alamos with festivities that include a buck contest, a car show, a parade, communal dinners, bingo, live bands, food trucks, and a barbecue contest.
The open-pit barbecue contest started two years ago, Williams said, and has grown each year. There are categories for best tri-tip, chicken, and pork ribs.
“It’s a traditional Santa Maria style, or you can say ‘Los Alamos style,’” he explained. “There’s no smokers or anything like that.”
Another popular event is the parade, which usually draws a big audience. The men’s club pays tens of thousands of dollars to shut down Bell Street, Williams said, and so far, there are around 40 to 50 entries.
“I think it’s a celebration … of the men’s club,” Williams said, “and just having a really nice weekend to celebrate Los Alamos and basically the old days.”
Share your favorite things to do in Los Alamos with Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 2, 2025.