The wildest place in town, the Santa Barbara Zoo, gets a little wilder every August with the Zoofari Ball, this year the 33rd. Co-chairs Lisa Carter and Nancy McTolbridge and honorary chair Kathy Jensen deemed it the “Summer of Love” a la 1967. Remember when bell bottoms were de rigueur along with tie-dye anything – […]
The Santa Barbara Yacht Club (SBYC) held their annual cocktail party in honor of Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care (VNHC) as a “thank you” to sponsors and members of the fundraiser Regatta to be held in September. Admission is open to everyone for an exciting day filled with racing, cruising, music, and games. There’s a […]
Something new is happening at the bird refuge. There used to be a restaurant called Café del Sol. Today it is being transformed into a private-members-only club called the Magic Castle Cabaret and is located at 30 Los Patos Way. The owners are Arlene and Milt Larsen. If that name sounds familiar, associate it with […]
Because I lived in Napoli, Italia, for three years and my son was born there, I have a soft spot for all things Italian. Of course, Don and I said, “yes,” when invited by our Italian friends Dr. Jim Barbabella and Frank and Jean Umanzio to a Ferragosto picnic in lower Manning Park. The group […]
Artist Tom Mielko and wife Eileen gave a summer soirée alfresco on their deck. As T.S. Eliot would have said, “Such a nice party. I can’t believe it. Such a nice party. I hate to leave it.” Tom used to be my neighbor at the Polo Fields. He had an art gallery on the pier […]
Jaws came alive at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) recently with the screening of shark movies by filmmakers Harry Rabin and Tom Piozet, along with Dr. Chris Lowe of the Cal State University Long Beach Shark Lab. It was a look behind the scenes of the Weather Channel’s show Into the Shark Zone and […]
It was the best canine party of the season, according to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden (SBBG). Dogs on a leash are always welcome, but this day if you brought your dog, it could treat you by getting you in free. My daughter in the Escondido, San Diego area, wants to commend Santa Barbara for […]
The Music Academy of the West gave its 2018 Summer Festival Gala weaving its magic to turn a parking lot into an elegant, glamorous venue. Co-chairs Regina Roney and Judy Getto called it a “Feast for the Senses”. After cocktails in the garden with a white Steinway player piano tinkling away, guests made their way […]
One last “Viva” and one last cascaron happened on August 12 at the end of Fiesta. It’s the Fiesta Finale given by the Profant Foundation at the El Paseo Restaurant – the perfect venue. This was the center of the celebration at one time. Rita Hayworth danced here in her father’s troupe. This is where […]
The Santa Barbara Women’s Club (SBWC) began a tradition, which is now 90 years old – the La Merienda Luncheon. The Clubhouse at Rockwood is open to the public. Along with lunch, there is a program of Spanish dancers and musicians that ends with Mexican cookies served on the patio. Folks join the fun by […]
One of the Old Spanish Days traditions is the president’s reception, and this year was no exception. It’s usually held in the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, which always brings to mind what the rotunda used to be in the old days – the train turntable and roundhouse. The great earthquake in 1925 destroyed the […]
Emma’s patio garden at the Santa Barbara Club came alive when Keith Mautino Moore and Jeannie De la Guerra Davis threw a Fiesta bash with all the trimmings. Keith is a fifth-generation Santa Barbaran, and Jeannie is a direct descendant of the De la Guerra family from the 18th century, when it was Las Californias […]
Lotusland held their always-sold out garden soirée, which seemed a metaphor for Montecito. As they said, “Just as our namesake, the lotuses, awaken annually from their winter dormancy to rise out of the deep mud and bloom in glorious splendor once again, we gather to celebrate our community’s extraordinary resilience and renewal.” This 37 acres […]
The theme of Old Spanish Days this year is to celebrate traditions. The Montecito Bank & Trust began a new one under the auspices of bank president George Leis, who says, “It’s my favorite time of the year.” They held their first Fiesta Party at the bank’s historic downtown branch on State Street for about […]
We were all “Runnin to Bunnin” Chevrolet Cadillac for a media event cocktail party to talk about the Montecito Motor Classic September 23 (9 am to 3 pm) that’s coming to Coast Village Road in Montecito. The evening’s honoree was that car guy named Dana Newquist. Dana came from Chicago and after one trip to […]
The Music Academy of the West probably never had a more lively campus than the other day when 350 Fun in the Sun kids visited for some fun in the sun. I had a bit of a problem getting there because of a school bus stuck in the gate and driveway. It was so stuck […]
Every year, the Santa Barbara Historical Museum (SBHM) launches the Fiesta season with their party a couple weeks before the official Fiesta. They know how to do it and it just keeps getting better. If our Old Spanish Days roots come from Spain, it’s no wonder. After living near Sevilla for seven years, I can […]
The Inn Crowd airs every Saturday night on KEYT News Channel 3. The Montecito Bank & Trust MClub headed up by Maria McCall took a gang of folks to the Carriage & Western Art Museum to watch a taping of the show and eat some pie. Chairman/CEO of Montecito Bank & Trust, Janet Garufis, cannot […]
Join the Profant Foundation for the Arts as they celebrate Santa Barbara traditions Sunday, August 5, 5:30 to 9 pm at the El Paseo Restaurant. There’ll be fabulous cuisine, vibrant costumes, lively music, and dancing all while raising funds for scholarships. The cover is from a poster from the 1947 movie Fiesta, which starred Ricardo […]
One of the most complex and fun fundraiser in the County has to be Rally 4 Kids, which is all for the United Boys & Girls Clubs in Santa Barbara County. There was a meet-and-greet on Friday night, and Saturday morning 60 cars were roaring to go. The drivers came back with their navigators and […]
In keeping with not forgetting, the Santa Cruz Island Foundation (SCIF) presented a 75th Anniversary Salute to San Miguel Island’s Lost Liberator in collaboration with the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) and the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation. It was held outside on the terrace by the SBMM. The heavy bomber, a B24 Liberator, was lost […]
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum (SBHM) has a special exhibit going on – “Missions in Watercolor” by Edwin Deakin. Art historian Jeremy Tessmer, who is also curator for Sullivan Goss, An American Gallery, was there to give us a lecture about the origins and history of the collection. Edward Deakin (1838-1923) was born in England […]
Caroline and Steve Thompson, who own Cabana Home at 111 Santa Barbara Street in the Funk Zone, gave one of their artists’ receptions with a new twist. A portion of the sales from artist Robyn Geddes’s works will be donated to refresh supplies and spirits of the Bucket Brigade. In case you haven’t heard of […]
The Art Foundation of Santa Barbara (AFOSB) invited members of the Santa Barbara Club to exhibit works of art they owned or their own art if they were painters. Keith Mautino Moore chaired and hung the event. Members gathered for champagne and delicious bites while perusing the pieces, including sculpture. The art was throughout the […]
Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) gave its summer Kick Off Party for the Shining Light Society at the Wine Cask Tasting Room in El Paseo. That was to say “thank you” to donors who have made a gift of $1,000 or more over the last few years or have made a lifetime gift of more […]
When the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH) began its Wine Festival, it was only about wine. Today it’s an even bigger event with the addition of restaurants’ food samples to go with wine. Ever-popular with another sellout crowd of 900 tickets this year three weeks before the event. Add in the vendors and […]
While in the midst of a $50 million renovation, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) continues to function, even having opening exhibits and receptions. Recently they opened with two, Summer Nocturne: Works on Paper from the 1970s on view until September 25, and Nam June Paik: TV clock on view until October 14. Nam […]
When someone from Los Angeles says to me, “What is there to do in Santa Barbara? They are inferring it’s such a small town. I always think, “What is there not to do?” We have our own symphony, our own ballet company, and our own opera company to name just a few. And then we […]
La Casa de Maria retreat center has a special place in our hearts. Don and I were married in their chapel 17 years ago. Many of our wedding photos were taken there both inside and out. It was all nearly destroyed during the January mudslide. They lost nine buildings and are still trying to decide […]
CADA (Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse) gave its 7th annual Gratitude Luncheon at the Four Seasons Biltmore to honor the mentors in our lives. The event is the primary fundraising source for CADA’s long-time Mentor Program, which is a school-based prevention program to encourage positive development and education for thousands of students. As the […]
Hillside House has been around for more than 80 years providing a home for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Caregivers are there round the clock with a wide range of therapies, independent living skills, and continued education, as well as life enrichment opportunities. Each year, there is a fundraiser for Hillside House in the […]
The 11th annual Women of Achievement Awards luncheon was held at El Paseo restaurant with the 2018 honorees California State Senator Hannah–Beth Jackson and SBCC professor and social justice activist Dr. Carrie Hutchinson. As the AWC-SB (Association for Women in Communication) president Lisa Angle explained, “AWC is all about connections both here and all over […]
The Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara (BGC) found a new and beautiful country venue, the Heartstone Ranch, in Carpinteria for its annual gala. This time the attire was – what else? Country chic! All the “cowgirls” and “cowboys” gathered on the terraced lawn amid dozens of rose bushes to toast 80 years of […]
The Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort (formerly The Fess Parker) was the venue for the 2018 Spirit of Entrepreneurship (SOE) Awards. An exciting event for the 33 finalists, all women, being judged in 11 categories with three finalists in each. The SOE Foundation is to support entrepreneurship at all levels in our area and to […]
The Community Action Commission (CAC) of Santa Barbara County just held their 13th annual CAC Champions dinner in Solvang at the Corque Hotel. Until recently, I was not aware of this nonprofit and all they do. But during the mudslide, they were my lifeline when I called 211. I always got a real person on […]
Our Courthouse is a City, State, and National landmark. There are only four National Historic landmarks in Santa Barbara: the Courthouse, the Mission, Casa del Herrero, and the Rafael Gonzalez adobe. Yet, surprisingly there are no funds in the budget to maintain and or restore the Courthouse. If it weren’t for the Courthouse Legacy Foundation […]
Casa del Herrero staged another Feria Andalusia Art Show and Garden Fair this year to honor the Casa’s Spanish architectural heritage while celebrating the connection they share as a community. The 18-featured artists offered a variety of work from paintings to fine art photography and sculpture. These were all showcased on a perfect Santa Barbara […]
The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara (SFSB) in partnership with the Santa Barbara Foundation presented its 2018 awards at a ceremony in the Courthouse Sunken Garden. More than 600 folks, including students, parents, educators, and community leaders, gathered to witness or receive awards. This year, SFSB awarded more than 2,700 college and vocational scholarships totaling […]
La Primavera means “spring” in Spanish, and in Santa Barbara it means the beginning of Old Spanish Days (OSD). There’s always a Fiesta party to unveil the poster and pin that will be the symbol of this year’s celebration. Fiesteros gathered at the Carriage & Western Art Museum in costumes for margaritas, wine, food, and […]
Rosie the Riveter a la World War II has nothing on the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission (SBRM). They recently sent out invitations titled “We Can Do It”, hoping women would band together to fund the women’s homeless shelter at the SBRM. They have learned that the average age of homeless women is 59, and they […]