The Southern California Artists Painting for the Environment, SCAPE, held the opening of their fall fundraiser exhibition – titled Central Coast Reflections – at the Music Academy’s Lehmann Hall on Friday, September 13. There were over sixty artists contributing approximately 150 works of art focused on the natural environment of the Central Coast. Artists worked […]
The Santa Barbara Mental Wellness Center (MWC) launched its first gala fundraiser on Saturday, September 14, at the Dos Pueblos Ranch, Goleta. The event, titled One Shining Night, was sold out and drew a wide demographic from Carpinteria through Goleta to support the organization. Due to the location, the Garden Attire dress code brought in […]
Society Invites reports the upcoming 50th Anniversary of SEE International, an organization founded in our town by Dr. Harry Brown, and dedicated to sight-restoring surgeries and essential eyecare world-wide. To celebrate its Golden Anniversary, the organization is inviting the community to a formal black tie Golden Gala ball on October 24, at the Hilton Santa […]
In a press conference on Monday, September 9, David Bolton, Executive Director of The California Missions Foundation, presented a prestigious $750,000 matching grant award to Board of Trustees President Heather Biles and Executive Director of Casa del Herrero Rose Rafferty for preservation work at Casa del Herrero. The grant is awarded from the Department of […]
The Montecito Association Land Use September meeting was held in person at the Montecito Library community room and on Zoom. The meeting was led by its Chair, Dorinne Lee Johnson. Attendees were the Land Use Committee members: Montecito Association Executive Director, Houghton Hyatt; Chief of Staff for Santa Barbara County First District Supervisor Das Williams, […]
Soul Bites Restaurant, on lower State Street, is the community-based entertainment space during Black History Month and all year round. The food is served up homemade by owner and actor, Stirling Nix-Bradley and his partner Rose. Their mission: “To feed the soul of our community through the comfort of our kitchen.” Due to recent financial […]
Executive Chef and a 2024 California Michelin Bib Gourmand winner, Ramon Velazquez has opened his restaurant Alma Fonda Fina in the Montecito Country Mart. To celebrate, Velázquez held a Labor Day weekend soft opening from Saturday, August 31 through Monday, September 2. Taking Tuesday and Wednesday off, Alma is officially open on Thursday, September 5. […]
It is full on for the Los Angeles Olympics 2028 [LA28], as peeps are vying to reserve tickets for this epic event coming to our most loved metro-neighbor for all things culture, arts, and sports. Imagine, being only 90 normal traffic minutes away from this global masterpiece of athletics! With all the LA28 Hollywood drama […]
Dr. Leonie H. Mattison, Ed.D., MBA, president and CEO of Pacifica Graduate Institute (PGI), is inviting mental health organizations in Santa Barbara County to join a free event via Zoom on Sept. 6, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. PGI will provide a platform to connect and work together on the mental health issues in the […]
The Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (TBCF) has announced its annual major fundraiser, The Golden Gala,to take place Oct. 5 at a private Montecito estate. Tickets are selling fast and maxed at 300 attendees, and sponsorships are available on the TBCF website. The Gala marks their capstone event following National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. […]
The SB Eastside 9.5 acres Ortega Park located next to Santa Barbara Junior High School at 640 Salsipuedes Street, is awaiting funding to proceed with a revitalization plan. Current data shows funding from the City of SB at $1,390,000 and a Community Development Block Grant at $146,690. The amount for construction of the current site […]
El Encanto, A Belmond Hotel, holds a monthly “Lunch with an Author Literary Series,” led by lectiophile and host of The Bookshop Podcast, Mandy Jackson-Beverly. The program includes meeting the author, a signed copy of the book, the author interview hosted by Jackson-Beverly, a three-course lunch, and complimentary valet parking. This year saw A-List authors […]
This week I met with the new President of the Rotary Club of Carpinteria (RCC), Whitt Hollis. I started the conversation asking about the history of the RCC, and he explained, “The Rotary Club of Carpinteria was formed 52 years ago when some people from Carp who were doing rotary work with the Montecito club […]
On the wings of his curated Santa Barbara Museum of Art exhibition of the Ridley-Tree Collection, Contemporary Art Curator James Glisson,PhD, has moved into a new role as the museum’s Chief Curator. He was appointed to the position by Eichholz Foundation Executive Director Amada Cruz, who said in her press release, “I am delighted that […]
The Channel Islands YMCA has appointed Ryan Power as the new Executive Director of the Montecito Family YMCA. Power brings a breadth of experience in recreational management, having worked as the General Manager at La Costa Beach & Tennis Club, the Operations Manager at Pierpont Racquet Club, and leadership positions with the City of Ventura, […]
The Montecito Association held its monthly open-to-the-public meeting August 13 in person at the Montecito Library and via zoom. The main conference agenda item was a presentation by Nick Turner, Montecito Water Protection District General Manager, on the July rate increase, which is one year earlier than planned due to inflation, aging infrastructure, water procurement/treatment […]
It’s that time of year for the Santa Barbara area and our neighbors in Ojai to host their annual Studio Artist Tours. Both tours’ ticket proceeds are to benefit a charity they are supporting this year. The artist tours and their respective reception kickoff parties are an all-ages event. The tours are self-guided with maps […]
President & CEO of SB Cottage Health Ron Werft first made his announcement to retire via internal hospital communication last week, resulting in a press release the same day. The announcement initially caught both internal staff and the town a tad off guard, in view of his full-on 37-year career at SBCH, one marked by […]
Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s 805 Beer is the official craft beer partner of the World Surf League North America. At the U.S. Open Surfing Competition in Huntington Beach, look for the Cold Beer Surf Club podcast by legendary pro surfer and 805 Beer Authentico Conner Coffin. Coffin takes the deep dive with his interviews of […]
In the midst of Coast Village Week is the Coast Village Road Art Walk on August 8, from 4 pm – 7 pm. The addition of art, music, literature, culinary arts, fashion, jewelry, leather, and pet jewelry crafters to celebrate all things art is spearheaded by Beth Sullivan, Executive Director of the Coast Village Association. […]
Society Invites was invited by Natalie Olivas Sanchez, owner of the Helena Mason Art Gallery, to meet with their newest artist, Luca Barberini (b. 1981, Ravenna, Italy) and view his works before he returned to Italy. His exhibition, titled Inner Landscapes, is on view through October. It was fab to reconnect with Sanchez; its #beenaminute, […]
I talked with Tommy Faragher this week about his band, The Faragher Brothers, who will be doing a two-night residency at the Alcazar Theatre, Carpinteria, August 9 and 10. The original band was formed in the 1970s up in Redlands, CA by four brothers, Tommy, Davey, Jimmy,and Danny Faragher. While their long history in the […]
The MJ was asked to the installation and testing of the Mighty Fire Breaker MFB-31 Citrotech®system. The test took place at a Bella Vista Drive estate in Montecito on Wednesday, July 24. This is the first location in our town to install the fire-retardant system. When I arrived, Steve Conboy, Founder, President and Chief Technologist […]
Executive Director of the Coast Village Association Beth Sullivan invites everyone to the upcoming Coast Village Week, Saturday, August 3 through Saturday, August 10. Sullivan mentioned, “After a successful launch of this event in 2023, the Coast Village Association is proud to announce the First Annual ‘Coast Village Week,’ a weeklong celebration that will showcase […]
The 2nd Annual Summerland Businesses Block Party is on Saturday, July 27, from 11 am to 4 pm. Chairing the event are local business leaders Aimee Miller, owner of Home Crush; Marie Ferris, owner of Juniper; Leslie Person Ryan, owner of Farm to Paper and Sweet Wheel Farms; D’Arcy Cornwall, President of Summerland Beautiful; and […]
Brian Storr MBA is the newly appointed Chief Financial Officer for the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, as of May 2024. Storr was previously with the ABC-CLIO Goleta company in three positions, the Vice President of Finance & Manufacturing, Director of Manufacturing, Logistics & Strategic Analysis, and Director of Business & Financial Services. His […]
Tim Lister PhD, Senior Scientist at the Las Cumbres Observatory, Goleta, has been awarded a grant from NASA to join the European Space Agency’s Hera Mission, as one of 12 U.S. participating scientists. On September 26, 2022, the world’s first planetary defense test mission was carried out by NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). In […]
Society is happy to announce that the famed Montecito celebration of Old Spanish Days (OSD), known as the “Noche de Gala,” has been revitalized and will be held on Saturday, July 27, after its 30-year hiatus. The event, re-imagined by OSD El Presidente 2023 David Bolton, is hosted at Casa del Herrero, with tickets on […]
Lotusland is holding its annual fundraising duo of an art exhibition and gala. Good news art lovers, the exhibition and art works for sale are online through July 20. If you are attending the sold out Lotusland Celebrates: The Way of the Lotus gala this Saturday, you can select and purchase artwork along the garden […]
The boutique store Emily Joubert has now opened in Montecito is located at the Montecito Country Mart. Owner Judy Cottingham-Sieber and her husband Mike Sieber held a private opening for friends on Thursday, July 11, and a public opening July 12. Their first stores are in San Francisco and Woodside, CA. I attended the private […]
The official ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening of Drybar Montecito at 1046 Coast Village Road, Suite J, was held on Wednesday, July 10. Marking the day official for owner Erin Moone Lazzaro was the special recognition and plaque by the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce Director of Communications Mary Lynn Harms-Romo and […]
The Coast Village Road women’s designer shop, J. McLaughlin, has collaborated with local designer Kate McHale Jensen, owner of KMJ, for a Limited-Edition Selection of Women’s shirts and tops, sold exclusively at the Montecito store in a limited quantity. The launch was held on Tuesday, July 2, at the store with store manager Diana Romero, […]
The 27th Annual Rods & Roses Auto Show was held on Saturday, July 6, in Carpinteria, on Linden Avenue and its side streets. There were 210 autos – from classics to exotics and somewhat beyond – showing and competing for trophies and awards. Many auto owners had the original car registration, dealer paperwork, car history, […]
Two important groups working to support Black based organizations in the State of California at the business, community and legislative levels will be presenting with our local Black leaders on Saturday, July 13, 9:30 am to 1 pm at Santa Barbara City College BC Forum Building. The event titled, “State of Black California,” is a […]
Photos by Joanne A. Calitri The gray skies cleared for the Village 4th parade celebrating Independence Day and drawing crowd estimates of over 2,000 people, plus dogs of all sizes wearing patriotic adornments. Officially the 38 entrants were: Boy Scout Troup 33, the CHP, the Montecito Association, the Montecito Community Foundation, SBC 1st District Supervisor […]
The artworks from the collection of Paul and Leslie Ridley-Tree will be honorably on view in the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s McCormick Gallery, July 7 through November 3. The exhibition is titled A Legacy of Giving: The Lady Leslie and Lord Paul Ridley-Tree Collection. During installation week, I interviewed the exhibit’s curator, James Glisson, […]
The energy and face of Amy Alzina EdD, Cold Spring Elementary School District (CSESD) Superintendent/Principal, is well noted in our town. For the past seven years, she has led the school and increased growth levels in education, STEAM, and community interface. She and her team have maintained this through multiple environmental disasters and lockdowns, without […]
UCSB’s Media Arts and Technology Program (MAT) 25th Annual End of Year Show titled soft AI+ M: Realities Altered Realities Emerging, was a dual treat with students showing at UCSB and SBCAST. I attended the SBCAST show on June 6. The poster for the show quipped, “No AI was harmed in the generation of this […]
Casa del Herrero held its 2nd Annual Docent Graduation on Friday, June 21, at the estate. The new docents are responsible for leading the classic 90-minute tours of the Casa, volunteer at events where they provide modified tours that cater to the focus of the event, and answer any questions visitors have about the property. […]
At UCSB, the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) is a Technology Incubator Lab in Elings Hall. The Incubator has 1,500 square feet with wet bench lab space and office space available for lease by local tech start-ups. Its location near the CNSI Shared Experimental Facilities, the Materials Characterization Facilities, as well as conference rooms and meeting […]