14 Jun 2018
Takin’ Care of Business
Social gridlock reigned at the Hilton, formerly Fess Parker’s, when 620 guests packed the ballroom for the 24th annual South Coast Business and Technology Awards, which raised $271,000 for the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. The gala, co-chaired by uber realtor Renee Grubb and Yardi Systems honcho Arnold Brier, presented the Excellence in Service award […]
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Bilt to Last
Karen Earp, manager of the Biltmore, hosted a media bash at the beachside hostelry’s Ty Lounge for local scribes to welcome the Four Seasons hotel’s re-opening after five months of closure due to the catastrophic mudslides in January. “It is so good to be back!” enthused Karen. “There was a lot of cosmetic damage, and […]
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Summer Time
Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s latest exhibition Summer Nocturne: Works on Paper from the 1970s has lots of sets appeal! Centerpiece of the show is Korean-born Nam June Paik‘s TV Clock, on show for the first time in nearly a decade, which features 24 color televisions mounted upright on pedestals arranged in a gentle arc […]
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Montecito Rotary’s New President
Todd P. Smith has been chosen as the new president of the Rotary Club of Montecito beginning July 1. Smith, a retired residential real estate broker-owner with a lengthy resume of nonprofit leadership and consulting activities, will guide the service club in fulfilling its mission to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world […]
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There’s Bad News… And Good News
First, the bad news: “There’s plenty of material up here waiting to come down,” says Kevin Taylor, division chief of Operations at Montecito Fire Department. He says this as he, I, and Montecito Fire chief Chip Hickman examine the Montecito back country and the dry steep mountains directly above in a four-person, single-rotor helicopter flown […]
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Feeling Justified
It has been quite an extraordinary six months for Montecito realtor Houghton Hyatt. It began catastrophically when her home was destroyed in the devastating mudslides, but has ended ecstatically with her father Ted Nixon‘s horse Justify winning the coveted Triple Crown just 111 days after its first ever race. “It is all quite extraordinary,” says […]
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May Sales Summary
I am pleased to report there were 15 Montecito homes that closed escrow in May (sold/changed owners), according to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This is up considerably from just four that sold in April, though the number is down about 30% from the 22 homes that sold in the same month (in the MLS) […]
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7 Jun 2018
Family Resemblance
They looked like ordinary babies when they were born and it wasn’t clear which part of the family either of them took after, but, year after year, both seven-year-old Deacon T and five-year-old Kessler Buckley developed substantial genetic traits, making it quite clear these young men are related to their grandfather, MJ founder James Buckley.
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Remembering Mollie
Okay, okay. Yes, most other media have already reported that Mollie Ahlstrand of Trattoria Mollie on Coast Village Road was planning to open a location on State Street next to the Granada, a space previously occupied by the once popular Tupelo Junction. Can I just tell you that I knew about this a couple months […]
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Summer Sipping in Santa Barbara
While I’m all for vacations to far off places, summer in Santa Barbara is a special time – especially if you love food and wine. For all you oenophiles who need an excuse to stick around this summer, there’s a plethora of fun wine and food-related events in the coming months. From weekly wine tastings […]
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Mama Luma: Children’s Fashion Meets Community Networking Space
A new local children’s clothing brand, Mama Luma, founded by two UCSB graduates, Ata Sari and Kevin Mahany, will be celebrating the grand opening of its new Paseo Nuevo location this June. Focusing on higher-end girls clothing for ages 1-10, the company has a unique vision that accompanies their business goals. Previously only available to […]
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Two of a Kind
Barbara Burger and Susan Aberle have been elected to Opera Santa Barbara’s board of directors. “Both Barbara and Susan have many years of service to the community and will be a great asset to our organization,” says Kostis Protopapas, artistic and general director. Barbara has a lengthy career in public relations and marketing primarily in […]
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High Tydes for Casino Comeback
Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner‘s Coral Casino is alive and well! After five months of closure because of January’s devastating mudslides which engulfed the tony beachside locale, the club, built in 1937, is back to its sparkling pristine self. To celebrate, after multi-million dollar renovations and remedial work, the club – which also underwent a […]
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Foot of the Vine
It was certainly a performance with a difference when State Street Ballet danced in the Funk Zone. The talented dancers, normally used to the Granada or the Lobero, used choreography to interpret wines at the Valley Project. The entertaining program consisted of four different works depicting Merlot, two different Syrahs, and a Sangiovese. The event […]
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Memorial Day
More than a thousand participants gathered at the Santa Barbara Cemetery to honor military veterans on Memorial Day. The idea behind this yearly event sponsored by the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation is to celebrate the everyday heroes who’ve given their all and to keep the fallen in our minds. Bill Boetticher and the Sheriff’s Bagpipes […]
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Community Grief Ritual: Getting to the Heart of the Matter
Grief is a given in this life and a natural part of the human experience, but many people refuse to allow themselves to dive fully into their sadness, and definitely not in public. Yet many other cultures throughout time have processed grief in community; its expression is a casualty of our modern times. Alexis Slutzky […]
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Saved by the Bell
After 29 years as a teacher, including 15 years as director of vocal music at San Marcos High School, Carolyn Teraoka-Brady is retiring. Carolyn, whose innumerable directorships include the Madrigal Singers, A Cappella Choir, Advanced Women’s Ensemble, Men’s Ensemble, and the Girls Choir, was named Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year in 1999. Robert […]
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MClub Lunch and Learn
Montecito Bank & Trust sponsors the MClub, which offers various travel trips. Today we met at the Santa Barbara Club, courtesy of president/CEO George Leis, who is a member and he welcomed everyone. Maria McCall is in charge of MClub and instigates some special outings and programs. This day, it was with Ken Richardson, who […]
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Securing Montecito’s Future
Without a mayor and a town council that have both authority to set priorities and resources to fund selected programs, disaster recovery options are limited. Local efforts are confined to supporting the county government team and offering a host of volunteer services. The historic role, for example, of the Montecito Association (MA) has been “the […]
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Violinist is Red-y to Sync or Swim
Normally, there’s nothing major on the classical calendar between the closing of the Ojai Festival and the opening bell of the Music Academy of the West’s summer festival, which this year is on Monday, June 18. But due to the closure of the 101 Freeway in the wake of the Montecito debris flow, the Santa […]
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