Bee-utiful Montecito!

Save the date for this Saturday, November 5, for Montecito Association’s annual Beautification Day! Sponsored in conjunction with the Montecito Community Foundation, the event will be back at the Village Green in front of Tecolote in the Upper Village. The event was canceled in 2020 and was much smaller scale last year in 2021.

Hundreds of volunteers are expected to participate in picking up litter along Montecito’s trails, roads, and beaches, donning special safety vests – rather than t-shirts – and pick-up sticks. The family-friendly event will begin with a continental breakfast provided by Andrea Newquist and Jacqueline Duran. Participants will then head out to their designated litter site, filling bins provided by MarBorg. 

Volunteers will return to the Upper Village green around 11:30 am, when there will be a short awards ceremony before lunch – provided by Montecito Village Grocery and San Ysidro Ranch – which is prepared and served by Montecito Firefighters. Local school kids have been busy creating their “Bee Kind, Nice, & Happy” artwork, which is currently displayed throughout the community at Tecolote, the hardware store, and Rori’s and Toy Crazy in Montecito Country Mart. “I am overwhelmed at the amount of artwork we got from local schools,” said Montecito Association Executive Director Sharon Byrne. Kids from Montecito Union School, Cold Spring School, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel participated.

Local organizations will host community tables during the event, including Montecito Water District, Montecito Sanitary, MERRAG, Casa Del Herrero, and more. New this year: live music provided by former American Idol contestant Jackson Gillies. “We’re really excited about adding live music this year,” Byrne said.

Two Citizens of the Year have been announced and will be honored at Beautification Day: local environmental leader Kathi King, who has worked with the Community Environmental Council, served on the Montecito Association Board, and chaired the Village Fourth;  and Mike Clark, the Montecito Water District’s Water Conservation Coordinator. Clark works directly with District residents to help them identify water waste on their property, and use less water during this historic drought. The Montecito Water District is strongly encouraging customers to reduce water use, and Clark is dispatched to homes to discuss irrigation, drought tolerant landscaping, and more. 

This year’s Beautification Day is chaired by Houghton Hyatt and the committee includes Mindy Denson, Michael Edwards, Cindy Feinberg, Dana Hansen, Berna Kieler, Lisa Waldinger, Sharon Byrne, Andrea Newquist, Jacqueline Duran, Nina Terzian, Jean von Wittenburg, and Patty Rich Zucherman. 

The event begins at 9 am in the Upper Village green. For more information, visit montecitoassociation.org.