In 1999, I was living in Indiana and working as a part-time photographer. I had a car with a five-CD changer and I thought it was the most technologically advanced piece of equipment that had ever existed. The ’90s, my college glory days, were rolling past me and I was heading right into Y2K paranoia […]
I want it that way: Melodrama’s The Mix Tape celebrates 1990s nostalgia
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Stars in her eyes: Russian/American pop singer Marina V talks music and emotion ahead of concert in Lompoc
The Russian-born pop singer/songwriter Marina Verenikina, who goes by Marina V, has wowed audiences and critics across the U.S., Europe, and her home country with her starling voice and piano-centered pop music. Based in LA, the artist is currently on tour, and will make a stop on the Central Coast for an Aug. 10 show […]
Posted inOpinion
Poor choices
I‘m getting really weary of hearing the same tired, and frankly lazy talking points being regurgitated again and again, especially regarding problems that have only gotten worse. Take poverty, a huge problem in Santa Barbara County, recently illustrated by the fact that we were placed at No. 3 of all the counties in the state […]
Posted inNews
Spotlight on: The Ultimate Escape Rooms – Alexis Crouse, co-owner
Central Coast residents and visitors have a new place where they can “escape” from the real world. The Ultimate Escape Rooms, a Ventura-based company, plans to open its doors at 485 Alisal, suite 120, in Solvang sometime this month. The business’s main attraction? Its name says it all. “Real-life room-escape games are a type of […]
Posted inNews
Lacking resources: Santa Barbara County and cities battle high poverty rate
Santa Barbara County has one of the highest poverty rates in California. A new report recently released by the nonprofit think tank Public Policy Institute of California shows the Central Coast municipality’s 23 percent poverty rate trailed only Los Angeles (24.3) and Santa Cruz (23.8) counties. Likewise, childhood poverty was found to be equally dismal […]
Posted inNews
Retraction
The Sun‘s Aug. 2 issue, the annual Best Of readers poll, including a brief that sourced information from an incorrect website. The following brief for the winner of Best Senior Living Community, won by Country Oaks Care Center at 830 E. Chapel St. in Santa Maria, is the correct version: Finding the right place for […]
Posted inNews
Clarification
In the Sun‘s annual Best Of readers poll issue out on Aug. 2, the address of Tips and Toes, which won Best Nail Salon, was stated incorrectly. Tips and Toes is located at 104 N. Concepcion, Santa Maria.
Posted inFood & Drink
Wind down: Costa de Oro is the perfect spot to enjoy a pre-weekend night out
The sun is barely beginning to descend from the sky, leaving us with a blanket of warmth as a cool breeze comes up from the east. The music coming from inside the small two-story building is inviting, bouncy, and familiar as we approach. Here at Costa de Oro‘s tasting room in Santa Maria, Thursday nights […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Backroad rambler: Carol Simon’s work features whimsical interpretations of still life and world travel
Carol Simon admits she has a very patient husband. The artist, whose work currently can be seen at Gallery Los Olivos in a one-woman show running through Aug. 31, laughs when she talks about driving through the backroads of Europe and spotting a place she wants to sketch. “My husband is really sweet,” Simon said. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Guadalupe Dunes Center hosts hike to Mussel Rock
The Dunes Center in Guadalupe will host a nature hike to Mussel Rock on Aug. 18. The park, which lies to the south of Guadalupe, includes 550-foot-high dunes along the Santa Maria River Estuary. The hike to the park will be led by Ray Segovia and will feature a mild pace with highlighted features of […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Maria Civic Theatre holds auditions for new musical
The Santa Maria Civic Theatre is holding auditions for an upcoming production of the musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors. The show will be the second production of the group’s 60th season. Roles include Seymour, Audrey, Orin, Mr. Mushnik, The Plant, and various ensemble members. Ages range from early 20s to middle-aged. Auditions will be […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
CORE Winery presents San Francisco Poet Susan Terence
As part of the winery’s Second Saturday poetry night, CORE Winery in Orcutt presents a reading from Susan Terence on Aug. 11. Terence’s poems have been published in journals including the Nebraska Review, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Southern Poetry Review, and the San Francisco Chronicle as well as numerous other literary magazines and collections. She […]
