PCPA THEATERFEST presents its production of Peter Pan through Dec. 23, Marian Theatre, Allan Hancock College, 800 S College, Santa Maria. $28 through $32.50. More info: 922-8313, pcpa.org. THE POETRY SOCIETY OF SANTA MARIA invites all to read poetry, sing songs, or just express themselves every other Wednesday 6:30 p.m., Coffee and Company, 245 Town […]
Stage
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Night Life
The following venues offer either regularly scheduled live entertainment or DJ-hosted dance music. Most performances start after 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. IN THE AREA ADDAMO VINEYARD/TASTING ROOM: 400 E. Clark Ave., suite E, Santa Maria, 937-6400. Live music Sundays from 2 to 5 p.m. CLUB 805, AKA STINKY’S BAR & GRILL: 2430 South Broadway, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Concerts
THE SANTA BARBARA SYMPHONY presents its “20th Anniversary New Year’s Eve Pops Concert” featuring popular television and movie scores and New Year’s festivities Dec. 31 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street, Santa Barbara. $35 to $100. More info: 687-3322, cg@surfmedia.com, surfmedia.com. THE SAN LUIS OBISPO SYMPHONY presents a New Year’s Eve “POPS” […]
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Special Events
THE SANTA BARBARA COUNTY FOODBANK presents its annual Holiday Food Drive through Dec. 31. The Santa Maria warehouse is at 490 W Foster Road, Santa Maria. Info: 937-3422. The Santa Barbara warehouse is located at 4554 Hollister Ave., Santa Barbara. More info: 967-5741. THE LOMPOC MUSEUM is raffling off a custom vintage style quilt in […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Pusherman
At my house, I have been known do something we call “pushing the fun.” It is a situation where I take something that is normally just moderately fun, and push it and push it into absolute extravagant uber fun awesomeness. My wife, whom I love, describes the same situation as “taking something fun and totally […]
Posted inNews
WEV recognizes new graduates
After 14 weeks of training, Women’s Economic Ventures graduated 20 Northern Santa Barbara County residents from its flagship Self-Employment Training Course (SET) at a Dec. 15 ceremony in Santa Barbara. Of the 114 total graduates, 11 hailed from the Santa Maria Spanish SET course. Startup businesses from the course included “Grandma’s Tamales,” owned by Susana […]
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Communicate effectively with a free course
As any successful business owner knows, communication and presentation skills are essential tools to making a business productive. The Barnes Institute of Management Productivity and Research Center for Strategic Management would like to help managers, employees, community leaders, and job seekers improve those important skills with a free introductory Speech Communication and Skills Course in […]
Posted inNews
Give Santa Claus a call
To make sure good boys and girls get what they want for the holidays, Santa Claus has partnered with the elves at Advantage Answering Plus in providing a direct telephone number to the North Pole. All children are invited to leave Good Old Saint Nick a personal voicemail message by calling 546-1121 until Dec. 26. […]
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It’s a sandy business, but somebody’s gotta do it
It was the last day before holiday break, and some Alice Shaw School students were busy throughout the campus selling sand. Yes, sand. But not just any sand. From Dec. 15 to 17, Valerie Trenev’s fifth grade students sold magnetic sand—a naturally occurring phenomenon—to help pay for a field trip to the Ronald Reagan Library […]
Posted inOpinion
Presents of Christmas past and present
Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even my spouse! The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, and I wrapped all the gifts while he snored like a bear!* Charles Dickens wrote, “Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back the delusions of our […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Jesse DeBone
Keichu-Do is an American martial art composed of karate, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and self defense—very serious stuff. Yet local youngling Jesse DeBone, age 12, has taken to it like a fish to water. “I hope to do it my whole life and will try to make a career out of it,” DeBone said. Although he’s new […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Ice, ice baby
Excitedly lacing up her skates on a warm December afternoon, Jasmine Morales paused to reflect on the novelty of ice skating in the heart of her hometown. “It’s rare,” she said. “It doesn’t happen often for people in California. They can’t just go in their backyard and go ice skating.” The 40-by-85-foot rink she was […]