THE LOMPOC POPS ORCHESTRA presents a “Festival of Music” concert June 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lompoc Civic Auditorium, 217 S. L St., Lompoc. Info: 735-8511. WORTH THE DRIVE DARE TO MOVE features 35 high school youth from the Bay Area performing in concert June 21 at 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, […]
CONCERTS
SPECIAL EVENTS
THE SANTA MARIA NOONTIME KIWANIS CLUB presents its annual “All you Can Eat Spaghetti Feed” June 20 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Veteran’s Memorial Building, 313 W, Tunnell St., Santa Maria. Info: 925-3221. THE ST. JOSEPH HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION presents its fifth annual wine and beer tasting event, featuring live music, art, […]
Rain and hail can’t dampen out spirits – just our clothes
“Hey, don’t downplay my achievement strange man,” I said to the portly, middle-aged tourist standing in front of me. It was 4 o’clock in the afternoon, and I had just finished hiking up the Yosemite Falls trail to the top of the upper falls and then down again—all during a continuous drizzle and, at the […]
Athlete of the Week
The first time Joseph Rodriguez, 12, hit a home run, he got a piece of a low pitch and lobbed it out past center field. It was a bit of a surprise, he said, when that hit sailed out of the park. But the second time Rodriguez hit a homer, it was much more definite. […]
Hancock softball team recognized for rising stars
An all-freshman team, led by coach Angeli Guerrero, has earned recognition from the Western State Conference. Guerrero was named Co-divisional Coach of the Year for her efforts with the team, leading them to a third-place finish with a record of 15-26. Three players were also named to the all-conference second team: first baseman Lily Ruiz […]
Two pools are ready for swimmers, just in time for summer
This summer, Santa Maria Valley residents have more pool choices than ever. Both the Paul Nelson Aquatic Center and the new Pioneer Valley High School pool will be open to the public and hosting special lessons and events. At Paul Nelson, the People for Leisure and Youth and the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department […]
Wines shine in summer
While the summer sun shines and area grapes happily ripen on their vines, winemakers not patrolling vineyard rows often throw parties to pass the time. They celebrate their bottled gems by discussing their craft over glasses of red, white, and pink, and much to our good fortune, occasionally invite the rest of us to come […]
Hanging it up
It was a sad day at the Town Center Gallery as artists filtered in and out of the space, taking their artwork down and packing boxes. On June 13, the walls were bare at the rent-free venue where local painters, sculptors, and other artisits have displayed their work for the last three years. A group […]
Battles of the heart
There’s hardly a war story out there that isn’t heart wrenching, that doesn’t touch the soul on some level. In that respect, Jos» Cruz González’s play, Heart’s Desire, is no different than any other tale of wartime strife—but just when you think you’ve seen it before, this play reaches out and hits you were it […]
Clean up your fruit, or eat it
I was walking down Branch Street in San Luis Obispo the other day and passed a house that had an apricot tree with overarching branches loaded with fruit growing in the front lawn. The tree had dropped many apricots on the sidewalk and I had to step carefully to not soil my shoes on the […]
Consider that God doesn’t make mistakes
Human beings have a strong tendency to need to be “better than” or superior to others. This tendency is driven by the ego and helps make an individual feel better about him or her self. Often, humans group together, in clubs, religious organizations, political parties, and even entire nations. Then the motivation often is a […]

