12 Mar 2024
Donors Equip Warriors for NCAA DII Success
This spring, several of Westmont’s athletic facilities have seen dramatic upgrades to accompany the Warriors’ move to National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II in hopes of attracting exceptional student-athletes who will thrive with a rigorous Christian liberal arts education. The Westmont community and supporters have stepped up to provide vital resources for the challenge. Westmont […]
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Wind Beneath Their Wings
The only active-duty Air Force band west of the Rockies energized audiences at two free performances on Feb. 27 at Westmont and Montecito Covenant Church. The United States Air Force Band of the Golden West Winds woodwind dectet performed several patriotic and classical pieces, including one song that featured kazoos to the delight of the […]
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SBIFF at the Oscars
The masterful moviemakers of 2023, at least as measured by the powers that be, have been speechifying down in L.A. at the SAG and PGA awards and across the pond for BAFTA. Many of them will likely get one last chance to orate on their opportunities and output at the Oscars, when the Academy Awards […]
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Movie Scenes, Music and Guests, oh my!
If you find yourself still craving Academy Award-winning cinematic splendor on the big screen, the Santa Barbara Symphony has just the ticket. In its return to the Granada – following a forced move to the Lobero last month due to water damage at The G – the symphony builds on the Oscar buzz with its […]
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Illuminate Ideas and Imagination Through Movies
The area’s newest film festival, and one with a decidedly different focus, gets going next month. The ILLUMINATE Film Festival, an annual celebration of short and full-length evolutionary cinematic endeavors that aspire to elevate humanity’s sense of self, purpose and possibility, is actually celebrating its 10th anniversary, but relocated from Sedona, Arizona last year. With […]
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Milt Is Gone, but Magic Marches on
If Juliana Chen hadn’t broken her knee as a foot juggling teenager, we might be seeing the native of the Hunan Province of the People’s Republic of China performing in town with the famous Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe or another Chinese extravaganza. Instead, Chen chose magic as the best way to channel her dexterity and dreams […]
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Flower Power: Orchid Overflow at Showgrounds
Folks who aren’t fanatical about orchids may not realize it, but the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show is a very big deal. The show’s longevity is a big part of that – it’s been nearly eight decades since its first iteration in at the Montecito Grange Hall in 1945, and the SBIOS has ensconced at […]
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Plane Fun and Fundraising
Rain certainly didn’t stop play, nor pulling, when the Alpha Resource Center hosted its third annual Plane Pull at Santa Barbara Airport, raising more than $72,000 for the popular 70-year-old nonprofit, which empowers individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Teams of ten in four divisions, including schools and public safety – military, EMTs and firefighters […]
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Strong Foundations
Santa Barbara’s Turner Foundation, which since its founding 65 years ago has provided 3.3 million nights of accommodation for low-income individuals and families, has opened its latest outpost, Dunamis House – Greek for strength – at De La Guerra Street and Marilla Avenue. It’s the fifth property the organization has purchased with the first in […]
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A ‘Seraglio’ Show
To the Arlington Theatre for the one-night only revival of the folkloric ballet Seraglio, an Eastern version of Romeo and Juliet, written, choreographed and produced by Santa Barbara’s Alexandra King. The colorful three-act, two-hour production was first presented in 1989 in our Eden by the Beach, Ojai, Culver City, and Salt Lake City, featuring Greek […]
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On Tour with Ivor
How fitting that on the 60th anniversary of The Beatles “invasion” of America, an old friend, Ivor Davis – who toured with the Fab Four as an “embedded” correspondent for the London Daily Express, one of the world’s largest newspapers at the time with five million readers – should give a fascinating talk at the […]
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Meet the Neighbor
Montecito animal rights activist Gretchen Lieff didn’t have to look far when she moved into a new estate. The property, built in 1964 and designed by architect Carl Hillmann, was right next door to her former Arcady home! To mark the occasion Gretchen, owner of the La Lieff vineyard and Funk Zone tasting room, hosted […]
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5 Mar 2024
Brady United Against Gun Violence
Brady United Against Gun Violence, aka the Brady Center, marks its 50th anniversary since its founding. But the organization that was catalyzed by the assassination attempt against President Reagan – gunshots that permanently disabled his press secretary James Brady – isn’t planning any big celebrations. Rather, the nonprofit’s efforts continue to be focused on doing […]
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ShelterBox to Host Inspiring Panel for International Women’s Day
On Thursday, March 7th, ShelterBox USA will convene a powerhouse panel of trailblazing women at the Music Academy in recognition of International Women’s Day. The conversation is intended to recognize women’s achievements, raise awareness on gender equality issues, and inspire action towards a more equitable world. The free community event, taking place from 5-7 pm, […]
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Cecily Barth Firestein at the Funk Zone’s Art & Soul
A New Yorker, iconoclast, and pioneering expressionist painter and printmaker, Cecily Barth Firestein’s “career” as an artist paralleled – and was subordinate to – what she would surely have described as her first calling of wife and mother. Therein lies a story. Firestein’s large format wonders will be on display in the Funk Zone’s communal […]
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Sun and Suspension
So much depends on that big bright ball in the sky. And, in the cosmic scheme of things, our sun in turn depends on many other things. Truly, in the long run, everything depends on everything else. But where does that leave us? – Back where we started, with a burning ball up there, out […]
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Conrad’s Falcon
OS asked for a dollar estimate for her Barnaby Conrad signed lithograph. When an artist is a huge personality with a legendary past, “comparable sales” (prices paid of past works) will NOT accurately reflect the stature of the artist’s oeuvre. Artist, author, portraitist, cabaret owner, bar room pianist, bullfighter, friend to writers, one-time Vice Consul […]
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Midwinter Night’s Dream: Artful Affairs at the SB Museum of Art
Santa Barbara Museum of Art held its annual fundraiser titled, “Artful Affairs: Seasons of Change, Midwinter Night’s Dream,” on Saturday, February 24, at the museum galleries. The coveted upscale attire event saw the mix of art and music, as the SBMA joined with the Music Academy for a collaborative affair, accented with art themed hors […]
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Alluvial Alternatives
The Channel Islands National Park has more sea caves documented than anywhere else in the world, with close to 300 grottos. However, there isn’t a toothy grotto quite like the geological feature that’s wave-battered into the sheer, 200-foot-tall cliffs of West Anacapa Island. As I kayaked inside the dark, dank sea cave at dawn, I […]
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Blood Oranges
Blood orange season! This breathtaking citrus fruit – first cultivated in Italy – has circled the world, and today comes in three main varietals: the Moro, the Sanguinelli, and the Tarocco. Rancho Vista Del Mundo at the farmers market has some gorgeous and super tasty ones right now. The natural color mutation comes from the […]
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