Tag archives: Fiesta
Though the beautiful and elegant Fiesta del Museo is cancelled this year, Project Fiesta: A History of Old Spanish Days is not. And what better place to see the latest exhibition than outdoors in the spacious and beautiful courtyard of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, where fresh air and social distancing create an idyllic environment? […]
Virtually all of Old Spanish Days’ annual celebration of the city’s heritage have been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. But apparently even a deadly disease can’t rain metaphorically on the most popular events in the five-day Fiesta as the 2020 El Desfile Historico has been reimagined as the Caravan Fiesta Parade. As always, […]
As my docent Courthouse tour continues, we have exited the Mural Room and walked into the Lobby just outside the door on the second floor. We see the nine-by-twelve-foot painting of the landing of Juan Cabrillo which Dan Groesbeck had painted in 1924 for County National Bank. It was influential in his being chosen to […]
The John E. Profant Foundation for the Arts just held their 20th Fiesta Finale in the historic El Paseo Restaurant. That was the epicenter of Fiesta in the olden days so it’s a perfect venue. John Edward Profant was born in Santa Barbara in 1928. His parents, Dr. Henry J and Mabel Profant were very […]
The Courthouse Legacy Foundation (CLF) gives one of my favorite Fiesta parties of the week. It’s held on the 2nd floor of the Santa Barbara Courthouse overlooking the Sunken Garden and Las Noches de Ronda. There were tables in the Mural Room for sitting and eating the taco buffet or you could be on the […]
Montecito Bank & Trust gave its annual Fiesta party in their historic building at 1010 State Street. According to Chairman and CEO Janet Garufis it was completed in 1921 for County National Bank and is an historic landmark. Its design is Italianate, popular at the time and related to the Medici family chapel, an extension […]
A positive plethora of presidents, past and present, descended on the Hilton Beachfront Resort for the sold-out 71st annual La Reception del Presidents, kicking off Fiesta Week in grand style. The fun fête in the Plaza del Sol, short on speeches and long on tradition with dancing and music, attracted more than 330 local dignitaries, […]
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum (SBHM) gives one of the best Fiesta parties in town. The venue makes a perfect backdrop – it looks like a movie set and all we have to do is don our costumes and we’re ready for action! We entered through the front door and trekked through the galleries, one […]
A record 305 guests at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum for La Fiesta del Museo got a warm reception, but maybe too warm. President Bill Reynolds says the museum’s current central conditioning system, installed in the 1990s, does not cool the air sufficiently and is “inadequate” for the institution’s needs in keeping innumerable historical artifacts, […]
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more bubbly and enthusiastic supporter of Old Spanish Days Fiesta than Barbara Carroll, a Santa Barbara native who serves as a litigation attorney for a prestigious local firm when she’s not busy shouting “Viva La Fiesta!” for the better part of a week in mid-summer. Which is good news […]
Friends and fans gathered at the Tecolote Book Shop in Montecito’s upper village for a book signing of Willard Thompson’s latest novel, The Girl from the Lighthouse. His wife, Jo, had treats for us with rosé wine and finger sandwiches. This is not Willard’s first historical novel. He has written a trilogy with Dream Helper, […]
Debbie (Bruce) Saucedo sold her company, Debbie’s Delights, some time ago, but she has never left our sunny enclave. She and her husband, Mike Bruce, are big supporters of local non-profits and charities, including especially Fiesta Finale, which takes place on the Sunday at the tail end of Fiesta. Debbie and Mike offered a catered […]
Fiesta Ranchera celebrated its 12th anniversary with a sold-out bash for more than 800 guests at the 147-year-old Rancho La Patera and Stow House in Goleta, raising around $60,000 split equally between Old Spanish Days and the 52-year-old Goleta Valley Historical Society. The colorful gala, co-chaired by Tim Aceves, Gaia Zellet, and Hatty Husband, featured […]
Old Spanish Days 2019 got underway at the Carriage & Western Art Museum with the 95th annual La Primavera event. Historically, “In 1920 the La Primavera Association sought to perpetuate the history of Santa Barbara’s founding years through a spring festival and pageant. More than 300 locals played a part in the La Primavera masque, […]
Everywhere you look in California, there are larger, more explosive fires. Why? As the left once again blames climate change, could there be another reason why we are seeing so many huge fires? What role have environmental activists, eco lobbyists, green NGOs, lawyers, and politicians played? What about forest management? Forests need thinning to promote […]
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 […]
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 […]
A plethora of presidentes, past and present, descended on the Hilton Beachfront Resort for the sold-out 70th annual La Reception del Presidentes, kicking off Fiesta week in grand style. The fun fete, short on speeches and long on tradition with dancing and music, attracted more than 300 local dignitaries, including current La Presidente Denise Sanford […]
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 […]
