10 May 2018
Commencement Honors Courageous Class of 2018
About 328 students received diplomas at Westmont Commencement on May 5, but none with more courage than Connor McManigal, who was seriously injured but survived the January 9 mudslide in Montecito. “He was literally swept out of his home and swept more than a mile downstream and ended up on the 101,” president Gayle D. […]
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Checking in
An avalanche of amazons descended on the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, formerly Fess Parker’s, for the 14th annual presentation of grants by the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara. Checks totaling $535,000 – $50,000 more than last year – went to seven local non-profit agencies, voted on by the membership of 868 women and were […]
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Rebuilding Montecito: A Focus on Partnership Solutions
The Thomas Wildfire and the January 9 debris flow have presented the county with the most complex disaster recovery and preparedness scenarios in California history. The confluence of events leading to the twin disasters was unprecedented, the threat of a repeat disaster is still imminent, acceptable mitigation solutions are still amorphous, and their costs uncertain. […]
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Twistin’ at The Ritz
Shades of yesteryear! Does anyone remember the Twist or Chubby Checker? He was here with his Wildcats band at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara and so were his fans or new fans. The occasion was the 32nd Amethyst Ball “Twistin’ at the Ritz” given by CADA (Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse). Dress was black tie or […]
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Bill the Thrill
Sheriff Bill Brown was lauded at a sunset soirée hosted by polo playing hotelier Pat Nesbitt and entrepreneur Eric Phillips at Bella Vista, the sprawling Summerland estate of Pat and his wife, Ursula. More than 120 guests turned up to acclaim Bill’s sterling work during the Thomas Fire and the subsequent mudslides that devastated our […]
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Anne with the Plan
The late Polish opera singer Ganna Walska had two passions: her gardens and jewelry. And her two loves were suitably intertwined when two major bling purveyors, Verdura and Belperron, staged an evening of cocktails and shopping at the Montecito estate of Anne Towbes. In the 1930s, Paris-based Suzanne Belperron’s clients included the Duke of Windsor, […]
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MUS Cinco de Mayo Benefit
The Montecito Union School [MUS] held a Cinco de Mayo-themed fundraiser at the lovely Chateau des Fontaines, the Montecito estate of Amanda Winn-Twining and husband Travis Twining, and Alastair and Ann Winn. The full-on affair shuttled guests from the school lot to the party for Cesar Lara’s live Mariachi band, cocktail hour, Gaby’s Catering freshly […]
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Reaching for the Stars
For 19 years, Youth and Family Services (YFS, a branch of the Channel Islands YMCA) has held a fabulous dining experience. This year, they went all out with 15 chefs, plus SBCC culinary students and eight wineries and wines curated by Tama Takahashi for a five-course ultra gourmet dinner at Rockwood Women’s Club. Guests began […]
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Fill at the Grill
Mayor Cathy Murillo made our town’s newest eatery, the Bluewater Grill, official at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The restaurant, formerly Rusty’s Pizza Lighthouse and Castagnola’s Lobster House, is just a tiara’s toss from Stearns Wharf, with the kitchen run by Chanel Ducharme, formerly of the Hungry Cat. Owners Rick Staunton and Jim Ulcickas, who have a […]
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Creative Characters: Sally Krysztal Kramberg
Some people run off to the circus, other people study the circus and form an entire exhibit around it. In her showcase Charivari, on display at the Santa Barbara Center for Art, Science, and Technology (SBCAST), multidisciplinary artist Sally Krysztal Kramberg explores the different circus archetypes, placing herself in these roles to discover her self-identity […]
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The Sound of Silence
Back in February, I had promised I would write about my experiences at my first-ever silent retreat early that month at Sunburst Sanctuary. But at first, trying to put into words what was almost exclusively a sensory and spiritual experience felt profoundly unsatisfying, perhaps alsmost profane. Then time goes by, life resumes, challenges arise, columns […]
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The Outlook is Grimm
Montecito computer whiz Henri Grimm may have a most melancholy last name, but the future is decidedly bright. Henri, 23, who was born in London and raised in the postage stamp-sized principality of Monaco, learned his trade at Mac Mechanic, which closed its doors last year. The former Marymount and Bishop Diego High student, whose […]
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Merry Chrismans
It was a case of high cees on the high seas when Roger and Sarah Chrisman hosted a nautical bash on their new 78-ft cruiser, Polaris II. The tony twosome, who took delivery of the Taiwanese-built vessel in February, welcomed 45 guests, who splashed out $1,000 a ducat, to raise funds for Opera Santa Barbara, […]
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Saving the Future
Last week, an overflow crowd turned out at the Granada Theatre for a community conversation titled “Drought, Fire and Flood: The New Normal” sponsored by the UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, the Santa Barbara Museum of National History, the Santa Barbara Foundation, and the Community Environmental Council. Moderating this Town Hall event […]
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3 May 2018
Clam Jam
Popular Santa Barbara charity The Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation threw its first ever California Clam Bake at Stearns Wharf. The maritime masticatory moment, which was expected to raise $50,000, kicked off at the Natural History Museum’s Sea Center, with canapés by Miso Hungry, before moving to the Harbor Restaurant, a tiara’s toss away for a […]
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Freedom Buried in the Body
Yemaya Renuka Duby moved to Santa Barbara only last year, but the somatic therapy practitioner-health and lifestyle coach brought with her a wealth a experience. Duby is a 25-year veteran of the Rosen Method – a psychosomatic system integrating body, emotional, and mental experiences in releasing unconscious patterns of behavior – who trained directly under […]
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Viva Oliva Unveils New Look
Nearly a year after moving to Montecito from New Zealand and taking ownership of Coast Village Road’s olive oil shop, Viva Oliva, Amanda and Sven Dybdahl are unveiling the store’s new look and offerings. “We really feel like we are part of this great community,” Amanda said during a visit to the store last week. […]
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Perils of Kid-Lit
Here’s a quiz question for you: What one famous piece of literature celebrates (1) a musical feline? (2) an athletic bovine? (3) an amused canine? (4) some amorous tableware? Stumped? Then I’ll have to remind you: Hey diddle diddle, the Cat and the Fiddle,The Cow jumped over the Moon.The little Dog laughed to see such […]
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The Allosphere Science Meets Art
In an unprecedented frame, Nathan Vonk, owner of Sullivan Goss Gallery, accepted a proposal from Dr. JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, director and chief scientist of the AlloSphere Research Facility [UCSB] and her team including Dr. Andres Cabrera, Media Systems engineer; Dennis Adderton, technical director; and Gustavo Rincon, grad student, to present their latest work for free to […]
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The Cecilia Fund
The oldest nonprofit in town, The Cecilia Fund (TCF) met in the oldest club in town, the Santa Barbara Club for a tea. That would be 126 years for both. The Cecilia Fund used to call themselves the Saint Cecilia Society but rebranded recently so it wouldn’t be confused with a religious group. The reason […]
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