After a sold-out debut year, the Corkscrew Comedy Festival is returning to the Santa Ynez Valley from June 18 to 20 starting at 7 p.m. each night. Three venues are set to host the locally produced festival. This year’s event is a fundraiser for Atterdag at Home Meals on Wheels, which delivers nutritious food to […]
A comedy festival for charity promises laughs in Santa Ynez
Posted inUncategorized
Balls Up offers big dumb mismatched buddy comedy vibes
Peter Farrelly (Green Book) directs this script by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese about product inventor Elijah DeBell (Paul Walter Hauser)—who dreams up a condom that fully covers male genitals, which he calls The Testicle Sentinel—and salesman Brad Lewison (Mark Wahlberg), who with Elijah is tasked with pitching the product to Brazil’s Travel Ministry as […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Boroughs is Stranger Things for retirees
The BoroughsWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix Last year The Thursday Murder Club saw some older stars solve a mystery in their retirement home, and now The Boroughs does the same—but with a very Stranger Things twist. Sam, played by the always epic Alfred Molina, has come to the “idyllic” community […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Memory of a Killer chronicles a hitman experiencing dementia
Memory of a KillerWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Hulu Based on the 1985 Belgian novel and 2003 film De Zaak Alzheimer, this TV series follows Angelo Doyle (Patrick Dempsey), a contract killer trying to keep his family life separate from his life of crime while experiencing early signs of dementia. He […]
Posted inFood & Drink
A crowd favorite at the Route One Farmers Market offers cookies, cheesecakes, pies, and more
Tamara Warren has a selectively superb memory. When it comes to her passion for baking, she has muscle memory. Anything else, and it can get a little murky. The baker doesn’t keep an ingredient list or measure anything out. Recently she debuted a banana chocolate chip cookie, and somebody asked her what’s inside. “I was […]
Posted inPride
Pride is alive: Drag queens, PCPA, dance, wine, brunch, and more celebrate the season
June means one thing for the LGBTQ-plus community across the Central Coast and beyond: It’s Pride Month! That translates to events in Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo that celebrate the season, including drag shows, concerts, and even plays. For our annual Pride issue, Senior Staff Writer Caleb Wiseblood talks to PCPA about Pride Nights […]
Posted inPride
PCPA pairs performances with pre-show Pride Night festivities
Dressing for the occasion takes on a whole new meaning during the Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s (PCPA) Pride Night events. Audience members are encouraged to don attire that may get them mistaken for cast members, Event and Development Coordinator Lolly Tolan explained. “You can’t go wrong with a cowboy hat and bolo tie,” Tolan (whose pronouns […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
The stories behind the drag queens performing at drag shows for June Pride
Inspiring others to step into the creative performer inside of themselves is an important part of dressing up and hitting the stage for Santa Maria drag queen Nova Cane. Onstage, Cane levels up the energy with thigh-high boots, contoured makeup, and performances that hit with songs by Doja Cat, Rihanna, and Kylie Minogue. Her goal […]
Posted inNews
Farmhouse sues Buellton over motel reversion mandate
Less than a month after becoming enforceable, Buellton’s new housing restrictions on motels along Avenue of Flags now face a civil lawsuit that one property owner warned city officials was inevitable. Farmhouse co-owner Kerry Moriarty was vocal about his intentions to sue the city during public hearings focused on Buellton’s motel reversion ordinance, enacted in […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc Unified approves a plan for more equitable arts classes districtwide
Jackalynn Snow channeled her inner Cynthia Erivo from the film Wicked at the most recent Lompoc Unified School District board meeting. “Unlimited. With arts we are unlimited,” Snow sang during her presentation of the district’s strategic arts plan. Snow, the district’s visual and performing arts program specialist, hoped her rendition of “Unlimited” would bring people […]
Posted inNews
Solvang to explore contracting with Lompoc PD for law enforcement
Since 2015, Solvang’s law enforcement costs have doubled, increasing from about $1.5 million to $3.4 million. “That’s 107 percent increase over the last 10 years for the same baseline services,” Assistant City Manager Olivia Uribe-Mutal told the Solvang City Council during its May 26 meeting. “Over that same time, the city has experienced consistent concerns […]
Posted inPolitical Watch
Political Watch: June 4, 2026
• U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) and U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) spearheaded a joint letter—signed by several legislators—to Sable Offshore Corporation CEO and Chairman Jim Flores on May 27, demanding that the oil producer preserve all internal communications records between the company and Trump administration officials related to the restart of the Santa […]
