Hank Azaria and The EZ Street Band are performing Bruce Springsteen’s classics on Jan. 30 at the Chumash Casino Resort. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets range from $20 to $55 plus fees. Frontrunner Hank Azaria is known for his acting and voice work, including in the television show, The Simpsons. For the […]
Santa Ynez
Chumash Casino hosts comedian Felipe Esparza
Actor and comedian Felipe Esparza will be playing the Chumash Casino Resort on Jan. 23 during his At My Leisure world tour. His stand-up starts at 8 p.m. in the Samala Showroom. After overcoming substance abuse, Esparza found stand-up comedy and began performing when he was 18 years old. His routines comment on cultural identity […]
After a long career embracing Native American history, an author and filmmaker tackles a new topic
Gary Robinson has worked closely with Native American tribes for 45 years, but his cultural heritage wasn’t a big part of his upbringing. He was a city boy from Texas and doesn’t remember his parents taking interest in their Native culture. “I had a couple of generations of people who ran from it because in […]
Christine Fossemalle’s passion of four decades is still going strong
Every day when Christine Fossemalle arrives and parks across the street from her dance studio, she sees her name on the sign. It never gets old, even though the studio is about to turn 40 next summer. “When I look at my sign, Fossemalle Dance Studio, I smile every time,” the owner told the Sun. […]
Food patrol: The county aims to tackle unpermitted streetside vending with the help of a task force
Tensions were sky-high the night Lompoc Mayor Jim Mosby went viral on TikTok for protesting a taco stand located behind a Conserve Fuel station. “This is not legal,” Mosby told sidewalk vendors on the corner of North A and North H streets. “Where’s the refrigeration? What are your temperatures? You have no health permit.” He […]
Topped out: After two decades of serving the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Garrett Huff is now in charge
Memories of sitting at the bottom of a pool flow back when Templeton resident Garrett Huff reflects on practicing for water rescue missions early in his career as a paramedic and firefighter. “We had to do what they call dunker training,” Huff explained. “You’re strapped into a [simulated] helicopter, and they push it into the […]
One artist’s inspiration transformed a hay barn into a modern gallery among vineyards in Santa Ynez
In Indonesian, indah means beautiful. Artist Max Gleason and his wife have traveled to the country multiple times, and in 2022 they lived there for six months. Having learned a little bit of the language, indah stuck with him. “The word indah I thought was—no pun intended—a very beautiful sounding word, and the fact that […]
A Templeton farm brightens the horizon for a Santa Barbara County winery
Blending wine is very common, but not the way Michelle Vautier does it. She owns CrossHatch Winery and uses a method called co-fermentation. Instead of blending wines after they’ve fermented, her grapes—usually two or three varieties—are picked from their separate vines on the same day and start fermenting together right away. “I’m the only winery […]
A veteran uses his voice as a winemaker to spread awareness about mental health
Jason Mergenov first got the “California bug” at 22 years old when the military sent him for training to become a nuclear missile launch officer. He served in the military for 22 years, including time in Iraq. Using the G.I. Bill, Mergenov started studying winemaking at Allan Hancock College in 2012, which turned into his […]
Prescribed burn coming to Sedgwick Reserve to manage vegetation and reduce wildfire fuel
The county Fire Department will begin prescribed burns around the Santa Ynez and Los Alamos valleys with a nearly $1 million grant from Cal Fire. “It’s one of the most effective and cost-effective ways to reduce fuel,” Santa Barbara County Fire Marshal Fred Tan told the Sun. First, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department will […]

