Save a seatBuy tickets to The Wilderness Table by visiting forestwatch.org. The June 7 dinner runs from 4 to 8 p.m. at Larner Vineyard (955 Ballard Canyon Road in Solvang). For more on the food and beverage providers, visit larnerwine.com, rock12distillery.com, and highonthehogcatering.com. One summer evening, 50 strangers will have the luxury of breaking bread […]
Buellton
Mounting losses: Horseback ride and petting zoo operator alleges pony’s death caused by nearby construction
Runny noses. Swollen eyes. Rashes. Hives. A wave of illness that plagued Bob Sweeney’s horses last summer, he said, coincided with construction work happening adjacent to his stables in Buellton. Sweeney described the city’s nearly yearlong construction of a new 100-space parking lot on Sycamore Drive in 2025 as detrimental to his business—SYV Horseback Rides, […]
Checkout aisle: New housing restrictions impact long-term motel tenants on one corridor in Buellton
There’s at least one framed photo in 34-year-old Cesar Garcia’s living room that tends to elicit a physiological reaction from first-time visitors. Within days of departing from the White House, Joe Biden posed with Garcia in early 2025 for a selfie at Mission Santa Ines—where the Buellton resident has regularly attended Sunday mass since he […]
In-N-Out pitches Buellton location three years after rejected bid
A popular burger chain is trying again to win Buellton’s blessing for a new drive-through proposal. In 2023, In-N-Out’s plan to bring a new restaurant to town—on McMurray Road next to a McDonald’s—fell through after the Buellton City Council nixed it due to traffic congestion concerns. With a new address in mind, at the corner […]
Historical landmark policy complicates Pea Soup Andersen’s demolition
Pea Soup Andersen’s future demolition hinges on how Buellton decides to preserve parts of the more than 100-year-old building. Designated by elected leaders as an official city landmark in 2020, the restaurant has been closed since early 2024. That year also marked its centennial. For Buellton to approve the shuttered eatery’s demolition, staff told the […]
Submit drawings to Buellton’s community art project
Into the Forest is the theme meant to inspire local artists as they create work for Buellton’s newest community banner project. The nonprofit Hearting Arts, led by Kristin Neperud Merz, helps boost art programs in the city. Artists of all ages and experience levels are invited to submit their pieces before April 19 to be […]
Fika Coffee Company brings Swedish heritage to Lompoc
Elizabeth Hudson quit her day job last year to follow a longtime dream of running a coffee business. Her husband was 100 percent in. “We retired the 9-to-5 and started a 24/7 instead,” Hudson said with a laugh. “It’s been a blessing. It’s been my dream job.” The Lompoc couple founded Fika Coffee Company, a […]
Lompoc’s Sea-Stainable makes 100 percent natural pet snacks
Jesse Crouse-Tell doesn’t routinely eat the dog treats he makes, but the ingredients are 100 percent human grade. In the early days of his company, Sea-Stainable Pet Food, the business owner had to try his treats because he wanted to know how they tasted. “I’ll take little nibbles of stuff here and there, just to […]
Buellton Rec Center hosts kids’ art classes during break
Registration is open for kids’ activities and day camps organized by the Buellton Rec Center for students to enjoy during school break. From Feb. 17 to 20 the Rec Center is holding a day camp for 6-to-12-year-olds. Students will go on field trips and take part in games and crafts each day from 8 a.m. […]
Get your hands dirty at Buellton’s Community Clayworks studio
When a friend asked Veronica Medina whose job she would want out of anyone in the world, Medina immediately had an answer: her high school ceramics teacher. The question came after Medina graduated from college and began contemplating her next step. “I just had this absolute, instinctive moment of clarity,” Medina said. “I couldn’t think […]
Small production winemakers gather at their crush facility for an open house tasting event
Two presses. One destemmer. Countless barrels of grape juice. At a 15,000-square-foot warehouse on Easy Street in Buellton, seven small-production winemakers share a custom crush facility. Many don’t have official tasting rooms, relying on wine club memberships and online sales for distribution. Readers’ discountBuy tickets for the Easy Street Wine Collective open house on Jan. […]
Buellton installs the county’s first public pet microchip scanner stations
Typically found in veterinary offices and animal shelters, a pet microchip scanner can quickly help someone who’s found a stray animal—if it’s been microchipped—arrange a reunion with its owner. Although its availability is limited by working hours, staffing, and other factors tied to locations that carry scanners, the Santa Barbara Animal Care Foundation (SBACF) is […]

