A Presidential Reception

Our tony town’s annual Fiesta fest kicked off at a sold-out La Recepción del Presidente for 300 guests when 17 past presidents with current president David Bolton filled the historic Santa Barbara Club – where in 1924 the idea for Old Spanish Days began.

Eight members of the club have served as El Presidente, including Charles Storke in 1953 and Joanne Funari in 2011. David is the ninth.

After a blessing from fun-loving Franciscan friar Larry Gosselin, the dazzling entertainment, emceed by the ubiquitous KEYT-TV reporter John Palminteri, began with the six-piece all-women Mariachi Femenil Nuevo Tecalitlan, and live flamenco featuring the Maria Bermudez Dance Studio and the Zermeno Dance Academy.

Among the flurry of Fiesta fans dancing the night away to Heart and Soul after a dinner featuring the four nations that governed Santa Barbara – the Chumash, Spain, Mexico, and the U.S. – were Mayor Randy Rowse, Riley and Dacia Harwood (parents of Jack Harwood, the first male Spirit of Fiesta who danced with Junior Spirit Olivia Nelson), Saint Barbara Lisa Osborn, Chris Nelson, Stephanie Petlow, Isaac Hernández, George and Laurie Leis, Fritz and Gretchen Olenberger, Mark Whitehurst and Kerry Methner, David Edelman, Sigrid Toye, Sharon Bradford, Bob and Holly Murphy, Donna Reeves, Hiroko Benko, Lynn Kirst, Lisa Burns, former mayor Sheila Lodge, and Rick Oshay and Teresa Kuskey Nowak.

A cracking start to a fulsome week of Andalusian activities…