Central Coast drivers should expect more stop-and-go traffic through Labor Day. The Santa Maria Police Department is joining other law enforcement agencies across California in an effort to step up DUI enforcement at the end of the summer season, Police Chief Ralph Martin announced in an Aug. 11 press release. During the crackdown period, there […]
Santa Maria police crack down on drunk drivers
Posted inNews
Spotlight on: Filipino Community Center Food Truck
Santa Maria is known for its tri-tip. So much so that the city has its own official style. Most locals know what goes into that kind of tri-tip (red oak, rub, salsa), but what about Filipino barbecue? “We have a special marinade, but that’s a secret,” said Sonia Vea, a member of the Filipino Community […]
Posted inOpinion
Racism is still alive and well
In his opinion piece in the Aug. 1 issue of the Sun (“The economy is paramount”), Otis Page, the often times rather conservative opinion letter writer in various local publications, outlines a long litany of historical examples and anecdotes to make the labored point that people tend to develop or mimic prejudices against persons and […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Cambria road trip: Seafood, wine, spa treatments and an afternoon on The Enchanted Hill
Living on California’s Central Coast, we don’t have to travel far from home when we want a weekend “away” in paradise. One of my favorite getaways is the North Coast of San Luis Obispo County. This summer, my husband Michael and I met up with friends for two rejuvenating days of wining and dining along […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Shake it, Bell Street
The Los Alamos Merchant Society’s upcoming third Saturday “Evening Stroll” series invites locals to shake their moneymakers! The theme for the event is hoops, including traditional hula-hoops and any other kind of hoop. The various businesses in Los Alamos will be offering specials—as is the case for most of the restaurants—or will be participating in […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Fun for all ages
The Santa Maria Michaels presents arts and crafts events for kids, including a “Kids Club Bookmark Event” Aug. 17. A “Kids Club Duct Tape Book Cover Event” is Aug. 24. Each event runs from 10 a.m. to noon in half-hour sessions at Michaels, 1934 S. Broadway, Santa Maria. More info: 349-8801.
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Make it quick
Santa Ynez Valley Arts is again playing host to the popular annual Quick Draw and Arts Festival, now in its 27th year. The event is a long-standing free event that showcases the talent of several skilled artists who must all complete an art piece within one hour. The event begins at 10 a.m. on Aug. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Attention singers
The Santa Ynez Valley Master Chorale, Youth Chorale, and Orchestra, and the St. Mary’s Choir welcome local singers to join the throng and lend their voices to the choir. The performance ensembles are preparing for the upcoming holiday season and next year’s concert season. The St. Mary’s Choir performs regularly as part of the St. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Crazy about Cline
Country music has always been popular because it’s accessible to so many people. Never pretentious and always relating a feeling we can all identify with, a good country song perfectly captures a small part of the human experience in a direct way. Country starlet Patsy Cline was beloved for her no-frills style, earning her a […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lee-Volker Cox breaks the ice
One must admit; it’s pretty easy living on the Central Coast. Take a look at the clothes and houses the ancient Chumash would make and you get the idea. The photography show of one local showcases not the Central Coast, but one of the most difficult places in the world for life to flourish: Greenland. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lezlie’s Showcase of Talent spotlights acts of all ages
Talent comes in many forms. I should know, having judged this year’s Santa Maria Has Talent competition. An upcoming event inspired by that model—but without the competition—will feature performers of all ages and abilities. Lezlie’s Showcase of Talent is gearing up for its first-ever talent show, which is set to continue as a quarterly event […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Hindsight is 20/20
I would like to take a quick poll here. How many people take a shower while wearing glasses? Absolutely no one? That’s what I thought. So why do hotels put two tiny identical bottles of shampoo and conditioner in the shower and then use impossible-to-read three-point micro font to label the bottles? I can’t be […]