27 Jun 2019
The Lark Wins 3rd Annual Cocktail Contest
For these five bartenders, this was a tall order, indeed: create a mixed drink that encapsulates the essence, the beauty, and the charm of Santa Barbara. They shook and muddled and stirred, and at the end of this annual bartender contest, The Lark came out on top. Their “Sticky Fingers,” a gin- and mezcal-based cocktail […]
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Montecito Moms: Kelly Hatchett
Every now and then I get a glimpse of a bright, rainbow-colored blanket flapping in the wind atop a stroller sprinting down the San Ysidro path. The colors on the blanket are so vibrant, they look like they are ready for Fiesta. So, what a treat to learn that the woman behind the blanket, the […]
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Shakespeare Salon
In just his third season at the Music Academy of the West, Los Angeles-based director and designer James Darrah has already had a dramatic effect on the seven-decades-old summer festival – employing his unique collaborative focus and vision at a convergence of opera, classical music, and theater to the already well-respected program at the stunning […]
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Fun and Games
It doesn’t take much to make me happy. One of my simplest joys is finding a coin in the street – usually a penny, but sometimes something larger, and, once in a great while, a paper dollar or more. I bring these treasures home, and put them in a row on top of a bureau. […]
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Seeking Perpetual Excellence
As we wave the flags and cheer for our kids at our annual 4th of July parade celebrating America’s call for independence, we cannot ignore the reality that we are governed by a county that is totally devoid of local long-range strategic planning for Montecito, including coordination of disparate community efforts. Under the present system […]
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More TV Or Not More TV: That is the Question
We don’t watch much TV, so we have a bare-bones cable package. We get the basic networks, some Spanish-speaking soap operas that involve a lot of yelling and scantily-clad women, and about 16 shopping channels all with excited people that probably “just barely” failed their screen tests for action shows, but who now dramatically sell […]
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Taking The Rough With The Smooth
This may or may not need explaining, because it seems so intuitively obvious – but there appears to be a universal preference for smoothness, as opposed to roughness. The first example which jumps to mind is SKIN. Nobody wants to have, see, or feel, a skin with pimples, warts, or any other kind of bumps. […]
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20 Jun 2019
Getting Ready For The Village Fourth – We Want YOU!
We’re delighted to report that our July 4th Committee is busy making all the magic happen that’s required for a stellar Village 4th Parade and Country Fair. This is Montecito’s annual community-based and highly patriotic event, also known as “The Biggest Little Parade in the World.” We’ll have fabulous treats and a performance from American […]
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A Woman of Our Times
To say that Barbara Greenleaf is accomplished is like saying Clark Gable was “cute.” Barbara, the author of the blog Parents of Grown Offspring (POGO) is a whirling dervish and if you don’t look quickly you will miss her. She is one very busy woman with all interesting things going on and as far as […]
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Corrections & Omissions
In the latest Montecito Journal Glossy Edition, which hit stands last week, one of our writers mistakenly mentioned the former owner of local olive oil and food purveyor Viva Oliva. Current owners Amanda and Sven Dybdahl have in fact owned the store since 2017, and in addition to a vast selection of specialty olive oils […]
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lululemon Pop-up to Open
Fitness clothing company lululemon is opening a seasonal pop-up shop in Coast Village Walk, marking the grand opening next week with a trio of fitness events. The pop-up, which will stay at least through the holiday season, is slated to open on Friday, June 28. The store will offer women’s and men’s athletic clothing and […]
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Paul Cashman Opens Montecito Office
Local State Farm insurance agent Paul Cashman has expanded his business to Montecito, taking over Buzz Faull’s State Farm office on Coast Village Road. “I’m really looking forward to this new phase of my career,” Cashman told us last week. “Helping the community of Montecito gives me great satisfaction,” he said, adding that Faull had […]
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I of the Storm
The Q Process was taught periodically at Unity of Santa Barbara by Rev. Denese Schellink when her husband Larry served as the lead minister at the space. In the wake of Rev. Larry’s recent resignation, Unity has engaged the veteran Unity Rev. Phil Smedstad – who has led hundreds of transformative workshops over the past […]
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Champions Dinner
Community Action Commission (CAC) gave its 14th annual Champions Dinner, this year at the Hotel Corque in Solvang. Donors, sponsors, and employees gathered from all over the county for a wine tasting reception and dinner. This year’s Champions recipient was the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. Giving back to the community has always been […]
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Feria Andalusia
After seven years of living in Spain and going to many ferias, this one was a little different – no horses but lots of art. The board of trustees at Casa del Herrero held an Art Show and Garden Fair at the Casa. This year’s event was a celebration of creativity and preservation of the […]
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La Primavera
Old Spanish Days 2019 got underway at the Carriage & Western Art Museum with the 95th annual La Primavera event. Historically, “In 1920 the La Primavera Association sought to perpetuate the history of Santa Barbara’s founding years through a spring festival and pageant. More than 300 locals played a part in the La Primavera masque, […]
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How Hot is Today’s Market?
The Montecito Heat Index identifies today’s demand for Montecito single family homes in five price sectors. By measuring buyer demand (pending sales), rather than sales (closed escrows), which is lagging typically thirty days, we create a forward looking indicator of both market strength and direction. The Heat Index metric shows us the price point(s) where […]
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Up By The Ranch
If you do not live in Montecito, or if you are not a repeat visitor of the San Ysidro Ranch, then you might not know how big a deal it is that the San Ysidro Ranch has re-opened for business (after being closed for over a year for repairs to some structures following the debris […]
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YMCA Preschool Graduation
The Montecito Family YMCA Pre-School 2019 Graduation took place on Tuesday June 4 at 6:15 pm in their Program Center. The grads, with handmade caps on, performed three songs and recited nursery rhymes for their families in the audience. They received diplomas from their teacher, Annie Fischer, Preschool Director, who said, “This is my twenty-eighth […]
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Alexander the Great
Despite the fact that she has spent a large part of her adult life in musical theater, Arizona Theater Company’s Chanel Bragg was initially reluctant to listen to the 2015 original cast recording of Hamilton: An American Musical, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “sung-and-rapped through” show that had opened on Broadway only a few months earlier. “I’m from […]
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