30 Jun 2026
You’re Invited to Celebrate 30 Years of Village 4th Tradition
The Montecito Association and Montecito Community Foundation invite residents and visitors to join the community for the 30th Annual Montecito Village 4th of July Celebration on Saturday, July 4, a hometown tradition that has brought neighbors together since 1996. Known as the home of the “World’s Shortest Parade,” the Village 4th is a uniquely Montecito […]
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Pursuit of Happiness and the Longmont Liquor Store
July 4 approaches. It seems to be an annual occurrence but that’s just an impression I have. It also seems to have some association with tea? One thing it surely commemorates is ordnance. Some of us remember a time when The Fourth of July meant a nationally recognized evening of maimed celebrants and curbside mailboxes […]
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Life After Vision Loss: Dr. Brock Will See You Now
For many people, vision loss arrives gradually. A favorite novel becomes difficult to read. Faces across a room lose their clarity. Street signs resolve later than they once did. The television gets larger, the lighting brighter, and the magnifying glasses stronger. Eventually, many people assume they have reached the blurry end of the road. Dr. […]
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Mixtapes & Misfits: Free Movies and Music Outdoors for the Summer
UCSB Arts & Lectures just released its impressive slate of events for the 2026-27 season. But before diving into everything the fall, winter and spring seasons gather under the A&L auspices, there is the 15th season of the free Summer Cinema series with which to happily reckon. These Friday night communal screenings at the Santa […]
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The Sounds of Summer and More
Does music sound better in the great outdoors, or is it just the ambience that adds something special? Does it matter? Not so much when it comes to Santa Barbara’s enormously popular weekly series, which get a new entry this season in a more sporadic format by the beach. The first show of the summer […]
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Purple Potatoes
Purple always makes me marvel at nature. In purple potatoes, that vibrant color comes from anthocyanins – the same antioxidants found in blueberries. Roots Organic Farm has some beautiful potatoes right now, and the purple varieties contain significantly more antioxidants than regular potatoes. Anthocyanins help neutralize free radicals, reduce oxidative stress, improve artery flexibility, and […]
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Vernal Connection
Charles Salas led me down into a recently restored ephemeral creek on his 1700-acre Estrellita Ranch tucked away in the rolling green hills of Paso Robles in Central CA. The creek was lush with fragrant arroyo lupine, purple sage thistle, and vibrant California poppies, and low-growing goldfields, a far cry from what it was when […]
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The Spirit of America and More Spirituality Matters
Dr. James Kwako’s upcoming class in his ongoing The Light of Healing series comes just in time for the nation’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. “The Spirit of America” is described as the presence and power that guides and encourages us to fulfill our highest yearnings for the good that […]
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Sheriff’s Blotter — 93108
Rolling Stop/No Driver’s License / Ortega Hill Road — Monday, June 08, at 20:56 hours A vehicle was stopped for rolling through a stop sign (22450(a) VC). The driver of the vehicle was unlicensed, in violation of 12500(a) VC. The driver was issued a citation for both violations, and he had someone come to collect […]
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Conducting and Quartets
By the time Peruvian-born Conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya finishes his residency at the Music Academy of the West early next month, he will have conducted the last three concerts in a row as part of the Academy’s summer season. Harth-Bedoya closed out the 2025 festival last August leading the by then well-seasoned Academy Festival Orchestra in […]
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Spotlight Coast Village: The Insider’s Guide to What’s Good
Clark’s Montecito | Happy Hour: Every day from 3 to 5 pm | 1/2 off martinis, 1/2 off burgers, $5 Trumer Pilsner, $10 featured wine, $5 oyster shooters, $2 off oysters – Wine Wednesdays: 1/2 off bottles of wine all day • Lilac | Happy Hour: Tuesday through Sunday from 3 to 5 pm | […]
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Meerschaum, Not Ivory
LS writes to ask me if his vintage pipe is ivory, and if so, can he sell ivory? First question: it is not ivory; it is carved meerschaum. If it were ivory, LS would have to donate it, as ivory cannot be sold today without extensive paperwork. This is a 1880s sea-foam hand carved pipe; […]
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Part 2 of Japan Journey: The First Blossom
After making my way through Japanese customs, I was thrilled to be greeted at the airport by Yoshi, who announced with great enthusiasm, “The first cherry blossom has bloomed!” How auspicious, I thought, to arrive on the day of the first official bloom. At first, I imagined there was only one cherry blossom somewhere in […]
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Know Before You Go: Fourth of July Pancake Breakfast
One of Montecito’s most time-honored traditions is back for America’s 250th birthday. The Montecito Firefighters’ Association’s annual Fourth of July Pancake Breakfast will kick off at 7 am on Saturday, July 4, at Fire Station 91 – 595 San Ysidro Road. Montecito Fire Engineer/Inspector Billy Wrenn is the lead organizer of the event. “We’re looking […]
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Meet Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Andrew Beckler, MD
What drives someone to spend a life in medicine? In this Q&A series, a group of leading local physicians share the moments that set them on their path, the breakthroughs shaping their fields, and the realities behind the work. Their answers are candid, occasionally surprising, and grounded in experience. Together they offer a clear-eyed look […]
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Homeless, Not Hopeless
I was homeless before I knew what that meant. The place I remember most is Lake Tulloch – doing my homework by flashlight, shivering, my shoulders searing from sunburn so deep we packed them in mustard to draw the heat out. The smell of mustard is still the smell of those nights. I would lie […]
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Paying One’s Part
Jeffrey Harding’s spirited defense of capitalism (Montecito Journal,May 14-21, 2026) by way of castigating “liberals-progressive-socialists” whom he alleges despise and wish to destroy billionaires, presents a familiar argument – capitalism good, socialism bad. Maybe an independent mind would consider capitalism and socialism as tools in a toolbox of ideas and approaches that can be used […]
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Celebrating More Space: More Mesa Open Space at Faulkner
“In wildness is the preservation of the world,” wrote Henry David Thoreau in his famous essay, “Walking.” In it, he maintains that humans are a part of nature, and that all things come from the natural world, which must be protected for our own health. In another essay he said, “We need the tonic of […]
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Dancing into Summer Solstice
Why La Boheme Dance Group Inspires People to Join, Return, and Begin Again Summer Solstice has always felt like the true beginning of the season in Santa Barbara. It is the moment the city tips fully into joy, and nowhere is that more visible than in the annual Solstice Parade. This year, the 52nd annual […]
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Montecito Sheriff’s Substation Grand Opening
Rick Caruso – along with First District SB County Supervisor Roy Lee and SBC Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown –held a grand opening of the long-awaited Montecito Sheriff’s Office Substation, located at the Rosewood Miramar Beach, Montecito, on Wednesday, June 17, at 3:30 pm. The new substation serves the community of Montecito, an unincorporated town in Santa […]
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