30 Aug 2022
Garden Party for the Rona Barrett Foundation
Scott and Kohanya Groff opened the doors of their delightful Riven Rock estate for a garden party for the 22-year-old Rona Barrett Foundation with 70 guests raising more than $20,000, its first ever event in Montecito. The monies will go towards the construction of a 60-unit extension to the former Good Morning America gossipeuse’s Golden […]
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Reading Up on Irish Roots
Montecito globetrotting accountant Frank McGinity has just published his latest 246-page work chronicling nearly 40 years of the California branch of the American Irish Historical Society from its creation in 1983 through the first quarter of the 21st century. Riven Rock-based founder Frank says his work serves not only as a historical document of the […]
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New Director of Veterinary Services Announced
Dr. Rebecca Aldoretta is the new Director of Veterinary Services at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. She has vast experience in veterinary care, including wildlife and exotic pet medicine, companion animal general practice, and emergency medicine. After earning her veterinary degree from Kansas State University in 2015, she worked all over the U.S. including […]
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Thoughts for Salman Rushdie
On a personal note, my thoughts are with writer Sir Salman Rushdie, 75, as he recovers after being stabbed repeatedly by an Iranian sympathizer as he was about to speak at the Chautauqua Institute literary festival in upstate New York. It follows the fatwa issued by Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 after his 1988 […]
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An Evening of Cuisine at the Historical Museum
Dietary concerns went out the window when the Santa Barbara Historical Museum was the venue for a 14-course dinner for 40 guests as part of a gastronomic evening of Spanish cuisine hosted by the Consul of Tourism Affairs in Los Angeles, local California missions honcho David Bolton, and Gonzalo Sarmiento. Two of Madrid’s top chefs, […]
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23 Aug 2022
Santa Barbara County Food Action Network
Everything seems to move quickly these days, but the speed of growth and expansion of the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network (SBCFAN) is fast enough to turn heads. It was just six years ago that the Community Environmental Council and the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County created the Santa Barbara County Food Action Plan […]
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Don’t Call This Court “Conservative.” “There’s a bad moon on the rise…”
Does it upset you when you hear traditional media refer to the current Supreme Court as dominated by “Conservatives”? If not, it should. The truth is, there is nothing conservative about the current six-person majority of the Supreme Court. They are radical, pure and simple. Referring to these Justices as “conservative” implies that their judicial […]
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In Passing: Richard Ray Easbey
Richard Ray Easbey was born in Helena, Montana to his parents Jim and Doris on April 19, 1945. There he shared his childhood with his late brother, Jeffrey. Richard moved to the Los Angeles area in the early ‘70s to attend the Light and Powerhouse – a bible college. Soon after he moved to Goleta, […]
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Art for All: Painting in Portico
I am no artist. In school, art class was offered until eighth grade, a curriculum that didn’t exactly develop my inner Frida Kahlo. I have always been interested in painting, but never really knew where to start. That is, however, until one morning, when I saw a sign advertising art classes in the window of […]
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Writing from the Wound: Resh Grewal
For young writers, the advice is often “write what you know.” And so, the question becomes: What do I know? In many ways, this may be a question that young people seek to avoid. In painful periods of self-growth and in mundane life trials – your chemistry pop quizzes and the like – what you […]
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Pedestrian-only Areas in Germany
I saw a letter by Jeffrey Harding about CVR and removing the parklets. He just wants it to go back to the way it was – this is a mistake in my opinion. I am from Germany originally and know of the commercial value of pedestrian-only areas. Check out some images of this small city […]
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La Merienda
The Santa Barbara Woman’s Club gave the first La Merienda since the pandemic. Merienda translates to “snack,” but it was much more than a snack. It was a full-on Mexican dinner with tacos, guacamole, chicken, beef, and salad. Event chair Sue Ziliotto told us, “This event has been going on for 92 years.” All the […]
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Courthouse Legacy Foundation Soirée
Many folks don’t realize there is a group that looks after the preservation of our Santa Barbara Courthouse called the Courthouse Legacy Foundation. During Fiesta they gave their annual party in the Mural Room and adjoining balcony where guests could look over into the Sunken Garden to view the Noches de Ronda show going on […]
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Goodbye
Over 27 years ago I walked into the Montecito Journal’s offices and told the founder of the new paper, Jim Buckley, that he didn’t have a society column. He replied, “Write one and if we like it, it’s yours.” Seen Around Town was born and my life changed forever! I always had liked to dress […]
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Fiesta Finale
The John E. Profant Foundation for the Arts welcomed everyone to “Where Fiesta traditions began,” the El Paseo Restaurant for one final night of celebrating. John Profant was born in Santa Barbara on May 23, 1928. His parents, Dr. Henry and Mabel Profant, were very active in the cultural community, helping to found CAMA and […]
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Limestone Scramble
They could’ve been tiny patches of snow on a distant mountain face, winter clinging to an Arctic summer on the North Slope of the Brooks Range in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). However, scanning with my binoculars while on a braided, swift-moving raft, on the Kongakut River, 18 snowy white Dall sheep gradually grazed […]
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Poverty is Expensive?
A recent New York Times Opinion piece claimed that inequality is not as bad as it appears because “spending power” is a more accurate measure than income or wealth. I reached out to author Peter Coy and to Berkeley economist Alan Auerbach who wrote the original paper. I asked Coy if he was familiar with […]
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Summer Triangle Shines from Milky Way
This month’s public viewing of the stars will focus on several exotic Messier objects as the summer Milky Way stretches across the sky from the northeast to the southwest. The free viewing on Friday, August 19, begins at sunset and lasts several hours at the Westmont Observatory. Face coverings are required at the event, which […]
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New Year With a New Provost
Westmont’s new provost Kim Battle-Walters Denu and her family have arrived in Santa Barbara. She began August 1 and has been getting to know faculty who are preparing for the first day of classes August 29. “I’m thrilled to welcome her to Westmont,” says Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe. “With her 25 years of experience […]
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Parklet Discussion
Last Friday morning, a group of 30 business owners, property owners, employees, and restaurant patrons gathered at the conference room of Montecito Inn to discuss the fate of parklets on Coast Village Road. A recent letter sent to the Santa Barbara City Council signed by over 25 Coast Village Road business and property owners sparked […]
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