Anyone who’s said there’s no such thing as a smart jock has obviously never met Sam Waterman. The 8-year-old recently won the Super Bowl of Chess, a regional chess competition held each June on the Central Coast. Competing against other players up to age 14, Waterman won 11 of 12 games, stalemating one, and raking […]
Sam Waterman
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Have pizza with the Titans
Want to be a Titan? The Nipomo Titans Youth Football League will conduct a pizza social as part of its football player and cheerleader registration on July 10. Boys and girls ages 8 to 14 are invited, along with their parents, to enjoy free pizza and soda and find out more about joining the Titans […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Walk Guadalupe
The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center announced the summer schedule for Guadalupe City Walk and Talk tours. Shirley Boydstun, a Guadalupe Historical Society member and Dunes Center docent, leads walking tours of the city, highlighting its cultural heritage and historical landmarks. The walks are free and will be held the third Saturday of every month, with the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Crash here, crash often
Ready for a smashing good time? Destruction derby is coming to the Santa Barbara County Fair at the Santa Maria Fairpark on July 17. The event starts at 6 p.m. with preliminary heats, followed by consolation and powder-puff heats, and concluding with the main event heat. General admission is $10, or $15 for box seats, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Excuse our dust
For once, it was good to get dirty. Nearly 100 BMX riders from all over the state converged at the Santa Maria BMX track on the June 26 weekend, catching air, riding roughshod over jumps, and hightailing it around dusty embankments. The racers were on hand for the track’s biggest event of the year: Santa […]
Posted inOpinion
Santa Maria leaders must not care anymore
San Luis Obispo just took a poll to find out how its residents feel about their city. Not surprisingly, 95 percent responded they were very happy where they live. And why shouldn’t they be? My husband and I have visited nearly every square mile of San Luis Obispo over the years and have found it […]
Posted inOpinion
We’re not ready for electric cars yet
It is clear that people who make statements like “[electrify] vehicles of all types” or “[create] livable communities where transit, walking, and biking are important” (“Kick the oil habit,” June 17) have no earthly idea what is going on beyond their front doorstep. One trip down any highway in California and you will see hundreds […]
Posted inOpinion
Won’t someone sidestep the spinmasters?
So I see this front page headline, “New Times investigates the economics of illegal immigration,” and on the sister publication’s cover of the same week, “Dollars and Deportations” (June 24). Hmmm, I thought, very interesting, maybe someone is going to shed some light on the situation, especially here in Santa Maria. Well, upon reading both […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Enjoy landscapes at Grossman Gallery
Grossman Gallery at the Lompoc Library will feature landscape artist Todd Anderson during July. A reception for the artist will take place on July 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. A plein air painter, Anderson has shown in galleries throughout the state. He’s a graduate of UCSB’s Art Studio Honors Program and has been painting […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Catch a free flick
The Wildling Art Museum will present its Free Friday Flick featuring Saving Luna at 7 p.m. on July 2 at the museum, 2928 San Marcos in Los Olivos. The movie documents a relationship that developed between a young killer whale and the inhabitants of a remote Canadian town. The ultimately tragic drama explores humanity’s stewardship […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Join the star search
The Clark Center Search for the Stars Competition is coming fast: Auditions will be held by appointment on Aug. 21 in the Studio Theatre of the Clark Center for the Performing Arts in Arroyo Grande. Twenty-two acts will compete in the semifinals to be held at 7 p.m. on Sept. 18. The grand prize winner […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Motown comes to the Central Coast
It wasn’t just any night at O’Sullivan’s in Santa Maria; it was the owner’s birthday, so there was a light feeling among the pub crowd. With an Irish name like O’Sullivan’s, it was fitting that they would have a band on the stage performing in the Irish idiom, and it went over perfectly: People were […]