Having a business is no new experience for Charlotte Becerra. She began working in retail when she was 8 years old, helping her mom in the family’s houseware stores. She started up her own business in her mother’s store when she was 12, where she sold toys and called it Charlotte’s Christmas Corner. Now, she’s […]
Spotlight on: Charlotte’s Vintage Silver & Western Treasures
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The great eBay war of 2015
They say “war is hell.” I understand that intimately, for I am an eBay shopper. Here is my harrowing tale of survival. The year was 2015. Some young upstart named Kenny G released an album called Brazilian Nights, which shook American pop culture to its core, skyrocketing all the way to No. 86 on the […]
Posted inOpinion
Addressing mental health for the sake of our youth
When it comes to mental health, speaking up can be an act of courage. Several prominent individuals have taken that public step and have helped young and old alike by sharing their personal challenges. It has helped catalyze a conversation about the very real mental health issues many in our community face every day. Our […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Soul’d Out celebrates singer’s birthday with show at Santa Maria Inn
Working isn’t how most like to spend their birthday each year, but there are a few exceptions. Like lead singer for local band Soul’d Out, Lisa Duran, who will perform with the band on her birthday, Aug. 5, at the Santa Maria Inn’s Olde English Tap Room. It’s a good thing the members of the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The story of Bun: Santa Maria couple craft the second installment of graphic novel series
“A boy. A girl. A rabbit. An unspeakable evil.” The epigrammatic descriptor of Brian Silveira and Lisa Nguyen’s graphic novel barely scratches the surface of the provocative and stirring work that is Bun. Based in Santa Maria, the comic book creators have penned a unique work published and distributed almost entirely on their own. They […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Great American Melodrama’s ‘The Tavern’ brings comedy, mystery to Oceano
The history of George M. Cohan’s play The Tavern provides an illuminating insight into the mechanics of playwriting and Broadway politics in the 1920s. Originally penned by Cora Dick Gantt as a serious and twisty melodrama, Cohan’s version turned the piece into a satire, serving an edgy, before-its-time meta spoof of popular stage genres of […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Winemaker Marc Piro quietly makes a name for himself in Santa Maria
You won’t find Piro Wine Company among the sprawling properties that line Foxen Canyon where tourists flock to gather up logo-stamped merchandise and Instagram themselves lounging on luxurious patio furniture. And for now, Marc Piro is happy with that. Inside Au Bon Climat, a short turnoff from Santa Maria Mesa Road, wine barrels are stacked […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Wildling Museum exhibits animal art at Santa Barbara Zoo
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature and the Santa Barbara Zoo have collaborated for a special exhibit showing at the zoo, featuring art by students from Solvang School and the Montessori Center School. The show features art inspired by animals, showing at the zoo’s Volentine Family Gallery through Oct. 9. Students from Solvang School […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Adam Miranda
Ernest Righetti High School graduate Adam Miranda used to be a Warrior, until he became a Spartan. Miranda competed in the 2015 and the 2016 Reebok Spartan Race—one of the most popular obstacle course tournaments in the country. Miranda will compete again at the 2017 race this August in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium. “I […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
One Way Water Polo Club team heads to the National Junior Olympics for the first time
Thirteenth place might sound humbling elsewhere, but not for the Santa Maria 12-and-under One Way Water Polo Club team. For the first time in team history, One Way qualified for the Water Polo National Junior Olympics (NJO)—the largest age group water polo tournament in the country. One Way earned its spot by finishing 13th at […]
Posted inOpinion
Islam in the U.S.
The coverage by Brenna Swanston, “Humans of Islam” (March 30), is a nice piece and it portrays Muslims as peaceful and good citizens, and no doubt many are. But I wonder if you just played into the hands of Islam in their goal of replacing Western morays with the “one and true ideology/religion of Islam.” […]
Posted inOpinion
We can do more for environment
The Santa Maria Times July 13 editorial, “Our View: Facing sketchy future,” is a good start on educating readers on the extremely destructive and rapid path that we humans are on regarding our planet’s ability to sustain the lives of its creatures, including humans! Let’s point everyone to very powerful breakthrough education in the July […]