Montecito’s First Annual Pie Baking Contest! And More News Bytes

The Montecito Country Mart is hosting its First Annual Pie Baking Contest at the mart on October 17. Pie drop off time is 11 am, and winners announced at 12:30 pm. All homemade pies to be submitted with categories for adults and kids. First prize takes home $100, with gift cards for second and third place. Pie baking demo by Miette.

411: www.montecitocountrymart.com/events

Friday Night Movies at Montecito Country Mart

Free, and in the center courtyard, starting at 6 pm. Food and beverages to go.

9/25 – Luca
10/2 – Lilo & Stitch
10/9 – Ratatouille
10/16 – Finding Nemo
10/23 – Finding Dory
10/30 – Coco

A Perfect Day at Dodger Stadium

A convivial group of MClub and Santa Barbara Club members headed south aboard a luxury motorcoach courtesy of Montecito Bank & Trust for the Dodgers-Giants showdown, enjoying a lively day of baseball, history, bus games, and plenty of Dodger spirit.

On the ride down, Gary Simpson entertained us with Dodgers standings and history, recalling the team’s move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958, around the time his family moved to L.A. He also told us about the making of Dodger Stadium and the staggering amount of dirt moved to carve out the ballpark.

Then Brent Anderson turned the bus into a guessing contest: What time would we arrive to the stadium? What time would the crowd sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame?” How many fans would be there? How many strikeouts would we see? And, so forth! 

At the stadium, we had marvelous, shaded Field Level seats under the loge just beyond first base. The group enjoyed Dodger Dogs, took photos of Shohei Ohtani in the dugout, and when 47,410 fans rose to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” the stadium seemed to shimmer. It was a happy crowd.

Once they hit their stride, the Dodgers ramped up their game, including a sixth inning home run by Tommy Edman, and a nine-strikeout pitching performance by Emmet Sheehan, as they defeated the Giants 3–1. This day delivered everything a Dodgers outing should!

Baseball fans included SB Club President Ellen Robinson, Tim Vail, Judy Milam, Jill Nida, Hiroko Benko, Dirk Brandts, Bill Macfadyen, Mary and Bob Gates, Emily Calkins, Orfael Gomez, and our very own Priscilla.  

Ecologist Dr. Rae at SBMNH

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant will read You Belong in the Wild at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Storytime on October 3, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, in the museum’s backyard area. Her connection with the museum grew after she was photographed there for the cover of the Summer 2026 issue of Montecito Journal Magazine, helping spark a relationship that now brings her back for this special community event.

The reading encourages children from all backgrounds to see themselves involved in nature and science. The first 50 participating families will receive a free copy of the book, provided by the Cheeryble Foundation in memory of Steve Hicks. Wynn-Grant is a wildlife ecologist specializing in research on how human activity influences carnivore behavior and ecology. She co-hosts Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom: Protecting the Wild on NBC and hosts the PBS-produced podcast Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant.

411: https://sbnature.org/

Marine Debris Finds New Life in Art

The Chrisman California Islands Center in Carpinteria will present Current Findings, an exhibition featuring artwork by Cal State Channel Islands students created with artifacts collected through a marine debris research project in the Northern Channel Islands. 

Since 2016, the Santa Rosa Island Research Station has removed and cataloged more than 21,000 pounds of marine debris from Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands. Some of that waste, including lobster buoys and Mylar balloons, has been repurposed into multimedia artworks exploring the effects of debris on island ecosystems. 

A free opening reception will be held Friday, October 9, from 5-8 pm at 4994 Carpinteria Avenue, with drinks, artist discussions, research conversations, and guided tours.

North American Chumash Intertribal Powwow

In its fifth consecutive year, on October 3 and 4, the SY Band of Chumash Indians will have its annual Powwow held on sacred grounds in Santa Ynez, at the corner of Meadowvale Road and Highway 246 in Santa Ynez. The event is $5, kids free, parking free, and open to the public. Leading the event are Native American tribes from throughout North America who gather to celebrate Indigenous heritage and culture. The powwow features dancing, singing, drumming, arts, crafts, food, and artisans. Frank Dominguez’soriginal design is the winner of the annual Powwow Art Contest for its logo. The tribe’s first powwow was held in 1965 as a fundraiser to bring running water to the Santa Ynez Reservation. More than 60 years later, the annual event continues to unite tribes from across North America while providing an opportunity to share Chumash culture, traditions and heritage with the local community.

411: https://chumash.gov/powwow

MLK Poetry & Essay Contest Submissions 

The Martin Luther King Jr. Committee of Santa Barbara is proud to present the 2027 Essay and Poetry Awards Program (EPAP). This annual initiative invites students to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through original essays and poems that reflect his timeless values. The theme for this year’s application is a quote from The Wisdom of Martin Luther King Jr. (Ayres, 1993):

“It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people.”

Entries must be a single essay of 1,000 words or less. Poetry entries must be 50 lines or less. Maximum of two essays and/or poem entries per person. All entries MUST include student’s name, grade level, and poem/essay title.

411: https://mlksb.org/essay-poetry-program

Organic Soup Kitchen Expands to Lompoc

Organic Soup Kitchen is expanding its medically tailored meal program to Lompoc this October, bringing the service north for the first time. The move follows more than a year of requests from Lompoc-area residents living with serious chronic illnesses who previously could not access OSK’s meal delivery program because of geography.

Working with Lompoc Valley Medical Center and DoorDash, OSK will establish a weekly delivery day, with client orders transported north and distributed directly to the community. Enrollment and intake processing began September 18.

The expansion comes after the closure of another meal delivery provider in the area. Lompoc residents on Medi-Cal who are living with serious chronic illness can apply for the program through Organic Soup Kitchen.