Baseball players ages 6 through 18 are invited to sharpen their hitting, fielding, and pitching skills at Allan Hancock College’s annual Holiday Baseball Clinic, to be held from Dec. 21 to 23. Players will take lessons from the entire Allan Hancock College coaching staff, along with former major league pitcher Bryn Smith; Santa Maria Valley […]
Youth get baseball skills
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Everybody out of the pool
For budget reasons, the Lompoc Aquatic Center will be closed until Jan. 11. The timeframe includes four weeks of complete closure with furlough for employees, and two weeks set aside for staffers to provide maintenance on the building and pools. In the meantime, the Lompoc Parks, Recreation, and Urban Forestry Department will still accept registrations […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Don’t dodge this!
The Santa Maria Valley YMCA is set to host the inaugural “Duck and Run” co-ed dodgeball tournament on Dec. 12. Official dodgeball rules and regulations will be followed, but old-school playground fun is guaranteed. Teams can sign up at the YMCA front desk for $125, with proceeds going to benefit Righetti High School’s boys’ soccer […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Artists come together
Artists and people passionate about the arts are invited to get together to discuss and identify issues facing the arts in the Santa Maria Valley. A meeting will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 15 at Shepard Hall Gallery in the Santa Maria Public Library. Organizers hope to hear from a diverse […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Make a movie
Be part of a movie production. A locally based project is currently looking for crew members. Priority will be given to qualified Santa Barbara County residents. The project needs an assistant production coordinator, set dresser, prop assistant, interns, set costumer, costume assistant, key grip, best boy, key hair, key makeup, and loader and 1st and […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Visit the Discovery Museum
In response to turbulent economic times and out of sensitivity to budget cuts many families are making, the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum is offering an end-of-year discount on an annual family membership. Through Dec. 31, families buying a museum membership for the first time can do so for $70. For more information, call 928-8414 […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Hear sweet sounds
The Tri City Sound Chorus of Sweet Adelines 2009 Annual Christmas Friends and Family Show will be held at 7 p.m. on Dec. 10 at Lutheran Church of Our Savior’s Stahnke Hall at 4725 S. Bradley Road. A free will offering basket will be available to collect funds for local high school music scholarships. For […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
New grooves
It’s one of the biggest payoffs for a musician: seeing audience members having a good time and knowing it’s because of the music. In that respect, Santa Maria’s latest band has reaped many rewards in its short life. Steppin’ Out is a six-piece ensemble that’s been grooving the local dance scene with a mix of […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Buttbook
My entire family, my co-workers, and all of my friends are totally immersed in Facebook. They absolutely love it and use it all day long. They update their status on an hourly basis: “Jim is enjoying a nice cup of coffee.” “Andy is at the beach.” “Susan’s monthly friend has arrived.” People love to post […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Local dancers get cracking
For all the dreams of sugarplum fairies and the magic of Christmas floating around this time of year, there’s one story that has brought it all to life onstage for more than a century. The Nutcracker has remained a favorite—albeit elaborate—production for ballet troupes. Every year, little girls dream of dancing the principal roles, and […]
Posted inFood & Drink
They’ve been nice
Try as we might, there’s no denying it: Christmas looms, merry and bright, and we’ve got shopping to do. Fortunately, living in Santa Barbara County makes selecting gifts for wine and food lovers a fairly easy task, whether we’re wrapping up a special vintage or planning a wine country getaway. Universally welcome and always the […]
Posted inNews
Gotta keep ’em separated
Prompted by half a year of steady gang-related violence on city streets, public support for a gang injunction in Santa Maria is gaining steam from a small but vocal group of residents. In recent weeks, a movement spearheaded by members of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps led to locals petitioning the City Council. They also […]