Nipomo promo Follow Cafe DeVille on social media for more info about the restaurant’s future opening and its outdoor pop-up events. Cafe DeVille is located at 133 S. Thompson Road, Nipomo. For additional details, visit cafedevillenipomo.com. Late night cravings are rarely insatiable at the DeBilzan family’s Nipomo home, thanks to its patriarch’s improvisation skills in […]
Section Feature
Cost of living
Santa Maria firefighter Shea Weidler has lived in a van since October because he can’t afford housing costs with the salary he makes. “As a 30-year-old, you see yourself owning a home and more stable, but when you’re living in a van, living paycheck to paycheck, it kind of wears on you,” Weidler said. “While […]
Great American Melodrama’s Grave Mistakes is a rave-worthy romp
Norms we cannot weather The Great American Melodrama presents its production of Grave Mistakes through March 16. The two-act show, which opened in early January, is followed by the Melodrama’s new vaudeville revue, Whatever the Weather We’ll Weather the Weather Together. The theater is located at 1863 Front St., Oceano. Call (805) 489-2499 or visit […]
What a racket!
Tennis players and pickleball players are frenemies who simply cannot share a court—and the battle over volleying space is getting tense in Solvang. Hans Christian Andersen Park hosts the city’s only two pickleball courts but they’re on the verge of closure with cracking and drainage issues. “The current courts are getting to the point where […]
Health & Wellness 2024
For this year’s issue of Health and Wellness, we decided to focus on therapy—not traditional therapy, though. We explored a couple of outside-the-box approaches. Staff Writer Adrian Vincent Rosas from the Sun’s sister paper, New Times, chatted with a certified music practitioner about how she uses her tunes to help individuals going through difficult medical […]
Casa Dumetz founder discusses early ties with two local, long-standing wine traditions
Wine wonderlands Call (805) 344-1900 or visit casadumetzwines.com for more info on Casa Dumetz Wines, located at 388 Bell St., Los Alamos. Tickets to Solvang’s 2024 Garagiste Wine Festival—Feb. 9 and 10—are available in advance at my805tix.com. To find out more about this year’s Santa Barbara County Women Winemakers and Culinarians Celebration, which includes events […]
Projection rejection
Water’s a hot commodity in the Cuyama Valley. So when someone says the word “drill,” people’s ears perk up. This time around, it’s not water they’re looking to store in “frost ponds” on Harvard University’s North Fork Vineyard property in Cuyama. They’re looking for oil. West Bay Exploration Co. wants to drill a probing solitary […]
Northern Santa Barbara County receives minimal damage in storms
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Santa Barbara, SLO, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties, among others, after an atmospheric river slowly made its way through the California. Storms began on Jan. 31. As of Feb. 6, parts of Santa Barbara County had received between 1 and 15 inches of rain total in […]
Local graphic novelist Arvind Ethan David reimagines Dorian Gray with a twist
Story time To celebrate the launch of his latest graphic novel, local author Arvind Ethan David will host a talk at Story of Soil Wine in Los Olivos on Thursday, Feb. 15, at 5:30 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. Admission is free. Donations to benefit the Friends of the Library of Santa Ynez Valley […]
New tasting room in Los Olivos showcases Donnachadh Family Wines, made with grapes from their Sta. Rita Hills vineyards
By the glass, flight, bottle Call (805) 699-5802 or visit donnachadh.com for more info on Donnachadh Family Wines and its new tasting room, located at 2938 San Marcos Ave., No. 101, Los Olivos. The venue is open Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. One mascot found in a new […]
Hancock’s first rodeo
Spring roundup Contact ahcrodeo@gmail.com or (805) 357-6324 for vendor or sponsor information, or if you are interested in volunteering to help Allan Hancock College host its first college rodeo. Gates open at 5 p.m. at the Elks Rodeo Grounds on March 14 and 15, and the college rodeo begins at 6:30 p.m. each day. Paloma […]
Grassroots, shmassroots
As if the campaign for Santa Barbara County’s 3rd District supervisor wasn’t already a little weird—with Frank Troise holding his own candidacy hostage by threatening the other two candidates to agree to his budget terms or else he’ll continue running—the race’s finance filings are weirder still. Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne, who surprised everyone with her […]

