Dave Machin’s hobby collecting View-Master 3D toys started by chance when he picked one up at an antique shop in San Luis Obispo. He clicked through travel reels of destinations like Yosemite, Chicago, and Miami. “What occurred to me was that these are now antiques, so all these pictures of these places were like 70 […]
Solvang
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Esther Jacobsen Bates wins the county’s 2026 arts leadership award
Solvang native Esther Jacobsen Bates has spent 30 years dedicated to supporting arts education and cultural organizations in Santa Barbara County. For her dedication, she received the county’s Leadership in the Arts Award at the Oct. 6 Board of Supervisors meeting. “Over time, I discovered that my strength was not making art but helping others […]
Posted inNews
California grants $2 million to the future Santa Ynez Valley Children’s Museum
Dave Bemis has volunteered with many nonprofits in his life, but never at a start-up like the Santa Ynez Valley Children’s Museum. He experienced new challenges in his role as the president of the board. “It’s hard to recruit people and to raise money for something that doesn’t exist yet. It’s hard to explain to […]
Posted inArts
One of Fossemalle Dance Studio’s first students returns as a teacher
The Fossemalle familyTap right into Fossemalle Dance Studio, located at 3595 Numancia St. in Santa Ynez. Call (805) 688-8494 for information about dance classes or visit fossemalledancestudio.com. Sarah Longoria has spent much of her life in a dance studio. Growing up in Solvang, she remembers putting on a pink petal-sleeved leotard for the first time […]
Posted inNews
Unfinished business: Stalled hotel construction in Solvang remains inactive amid yearlong litigation
More than a year after Solvang red-tagged his unfinished hotel, Ed St. George said he has no intention of raising a white flag over the dormant development. “We’re already 90 percent done. If we were 40 percent done, I would be willing to tear it down. But we are literally 90 percent done,” the developer […]
Posted inNews
Solvang Teamsters strike moves into third week
Two weeks into the first city employee strike in Solvang’s history, labor negotiators met in closed session with the City Council on Sept. 28. The following morning, Solvang’s unionized members of Teamsters Local 986 made good on their word to remain on strike until the city offers a contract they agree to ratify. “The strike […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Creation Station in Buellton celebrates 25 years
Cozy slippers shuffling across tile flooring. Pillows cushioning the seats of chairs. A T-shirt reading: Sorry. Can’t. Quilting. Bye. It’s the sight that Linda Papenfus rolled up to at The Creation Station Fabric and Quilt Shop after a tiresome, traffic-riddled drive from Folsom. She carried a suitcase behind her filled to the brim with fabrics […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Solvang Cinema Arts promotes film screenings in the valley
Bring family and friends to see The Nightmare Before Christmas at Solvang Park on Oct. 2 at dusk. It’s the latest free movie night organized by Solvang Cinema Arts after the sold-out showing of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial on Aug. 28 in Buellton. Audience members are welcome to bring chairs, blankets, and snacks while they enjoy […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Personal Point of View returns to Gallery Los Olivos
Carrie Givens and Karen McGaw are once again bringing their own perspectives to the forefront of the fine art gallery on Grand Avenue. See their featured duo show, Personal Point of View, through October at Gallery Los Olivos. The painters explore their relationships with the natural world, bringing to the table their distinct artistic voices […]
Posted inNews
No deal: Solvang staffers strike after rejecting City Council’s ‘last, best, and final’ pay raise offer
Not long after showing up to his cubicle for an 8 a.m. shift on Sept. 15, engineering technician Cole Phillips hit the pavement with around 30 other unionized Solvang employees to participate in the first labor strike of its kind in city history. Before heading out that morning to protest the City Council’s recent handling […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Meet the Solvang seamstress who makes dresses for Danish Days maids year after year
Witnesses to Roberta Skidmore’s creativity have learned to trust her process. Even the dressmaker’s husband, Kevin. “You see this pile of material, and you go, ‘How are they going to do anything with this?’” Kevin told the Sun. “And then she finishes it, and you go, ‘Oh my God!’” Many of those who wear Roberta’s […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Vendor applications are open for CalNAM’s holiday market
The California Nature Art Museum (CalNAM) invites artisans and local businesses to apply as vendors for its festive makerspace coming up this fall. The application deadline is Sept. 22. “The Holiday Marketplace is part of CalNAM’s ongoing efforts to connect the community with art, nature, and creativity,” the museum announced. Vendors may apply online for […]
