24 Mar 2026
Orchid Escape: The Annual Show Returns with All New Colors
The Santa Barbara International Orchid Show (SBIOS) opens like a passage into another world. For this upcoming weekend, March 20-22, Earl Warren Showgrounds will fill with dense greenery, towering installations, and orchids from across the world arranged in full-scale displays. These are not small tabletop exhibits. They are built out as environments, with layered foliage, […]
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Vintage Tobacciana
Coops sends me a fantastic piece of ancient history – that is, an ashtray (classy looking in silver) with little cradles for cigarettes. This object occupies a vintage category called Tobacciana, and hails from that epoch when most of us smoked. This ashtray features a revolving roll top for discrete dispensing of ashes (if one […]
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The Chesley Initiative: Upcoming Forum Looks at the Road Ahead for Long COVID
Long COVID resists easy definition. It arrives unevenly, lingers unpredictably, and for many patients, exists in the uneasy space between symptom and diagnosis. In the years since the pandemic began, millions (18M in fact) have reported not returning to baseline – fatigue that doesn’t lift, cognitive disruption, respiratory changes that persist without clear explanation. What […]
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Pickleball Court Opens, Final HWY 101 Construction & Other Updates
The Montecito Association Board of Directors met in March to discuss a wide range of community issues, including public safety, infrastructure projects, and community initiatives. The meeting highlighted regional construction plans, wildfire preparedness efforts, ongoing work to strengthen community engagement, and the recognition of Fire Chief Neels as he prepares to retire at the end […]
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SB Cottage Health’s 23rd Tiara Ball Elegance
The SB Cottage Health’s 23rd Annual Tiara Ball took place at the Ritz-Carlton on Saturday, March 7. This elegant, bejeweled gala is ticketed out a year in advance to over 500 lucky guests. Noted this year was the super high energy and warmth from the attendees who came dressed to impress in gowns from Paris […]
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Coast Village Association Presents Annual Art Walk
Coast Village Association invites you to the first art walk of the year – our spring Beyond the Canvas event. This special evening has become a favorite gathering where creativity, culture, and local businesses come together in a lively evening stroll along Coast Village Road. On Thursday, March 26th, from 4-7 pm – galleries, boutiques, […]
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Last Light in Paradise: Chapter 9 Part 3
Editor’s note Every now and then, a story comes along that refuses to stay put. It lingers on your nightstand. It sneaks into conversation. For us, Last Light in Paradise is one of those stories, and we’re delighted to let it loose, one chapter at a time, in the pages of the Montecito Journal. You […]
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17 Mar 2026
The Women Winemakers of the County
On Saturday, May 7, beneath the Santa Ynez Valley sunshine, an extraordinary group of women gathered at the beautiful 27 Vines boutique vineyard. Glasses clinked, laughter carried across the vines, and tables overflowed with wines and culinary creations that told the story of a region where women are not just participating in the wine industry… […]
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The Coffee Culture Fest Cometh
As organic molecules go, C8H10N4O2 is a winner two thumbs up green light all systems go punch that pedal is it warm in here oh I really like your shoes where’d you get those drapes my uncle carl had a Buick that color – ahem. Chemistry as a subject brought some of us low in […]
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Sheriff’s Blotter — 93108
Mailbox Theft / 700 block Park Lane — Sunday, February 22, at 08:32 hours The victim ordered a package (value of $159.00) to his residence and received an email that it was delivered at 13:08 hours on 02/21/26. At approximately 16:46 hours on 02/21/26, the victim arrived at his residence and discovered his package was […]
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Ode to Wing and More Letters to the Editor
Oh, my dear Jeff!I’ll be the first to confessYour acerbic finesseSinges my skin like a spark to a dress. But your piece on Ms. Flagg–Well, on that I will brag!I laughed out loud–truly cackled, by gag!Every phrase, every turn,Had a bright comic burn;What a picture you painted–what language! What swag! So bravo, good Wing–Let the […]
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SB Museum of Art’s 2nd Annual Gilded Gala
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) held its second annual Gilded Gala on Saturday, February 28, at Rosewood Miramar Beach. Proceeds from the event support the museum’s commitment to art, education, and community. Guests arrived in elegantly fashionable black-tie and formal attire. The reception featured a formal step-and-repeat area with a Getty Images photographer, […]
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Road Trippin Up North: Part 1
Happy New Year, a bit belated, armchair travelers and road warriors alike! A new year offers a clean slate for travel this year. I’ve made plans for Japan, Hawai’i and Europe, that hopefully won’t get delayed by illness, a lost passport, a death in the family or other unknown factors which wreaked havoc on my […]
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Inaugural Santa Barbara Literary Festival
A new cultural event celebrating storytelling and the written word will debut in Santa Barbara with the inaugural Santa Barbara Literary Festival (SBLF) set for May 2-3, 2026. The citywide festival will feature keynote talks, panels, workshops, and pop-up events across downtown venues including the Lobero Theatre, La Arcada, the Canary Hotel, and the Santa […]
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The Mesmerizing South American Dung Beetle
This beetle flew around the South American rainforest hoping to smell a dead mouse. He used his horny protuberances to fight off other males and control the carrion. Following this adventurism he might mate with a female, because who can resist a guy with a dead mouse? Together, they’d bury the body and she’d lay […]
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Whether We Weed It or Not…
The song goes something like… “Though April showers may come your way, they bring the flowers that bloom in May.” Obviously, that’s an eastern song. In Santa Barbara it’s more like… “Though February deluges may fill our needs, in March we’re stuck with hella weeds.” I have bonsai trees. This being repotting season, I’m taking […]
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In a Pickle About Where to Play? Plus More Sporty Happenings
It’s a bit of a schlep from Montecito to Fairview Ave. in Goleta, but given that it can often be hard to find an available pickleball court at Muni, or worse yet, have a game go belly up before it begins because of bad weather, The Picklr (yes, that’s the spelling) might be a valuable […]
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Silver(?) Bride’s Basket
JB has admired a (now tarnished) silver handled basket with a clear glass lining since she was a kid. She calls it her grandmother’s German Silver Bride’s Basket. It is a filigreed reticulated silver metal object with a fancy pierced basket handle, a flaring dramatic profile, and artistic classical-style silhouettes of plaques of flowers and […]
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