Chabad of Montecito October Events

October 11, 10:30 am: Bagels, Lox and Torah

October 25, 2 pm: Mega Challah Bake at the Louise Lowry Davis Center

411: www.sbchabad.org

Montecito’s First Annual Pie Baking Contest!

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.

‘Refined Home’ Book Signing

Hudson Grace will host a book signing with designer Sheldon Harte for his new book, Refined Home, on Friday, October 9, from 3:30-5:30 pm. The event will be co-hosted by antiquarian Lee Stanton and Ann Backen, co-founder of Backen & Backen’s lifestyle and wellness department.

Earth Science Week Rocks the Museum

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History will celebrate Earth Science Week October 11-17 with a lineup of all-ages activities exploring geology, paleontology, astronomy, minerals, and mapping. Most programs run from 2-4 pm and are included with museum admission. 

Highlights include Mineral Day, Earth Observation Day, National Fossil Day, hands-on activities for Geoscience for Everyone Day, and Geologic Map Day, featuring the science and history hidden beneath our feet. 

The week concludes October 17 with the reopening of the fan-favorite Dinorama: Miniatures Through the Mesozoic, where miniature dioramas bring the animals of the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods to life.

Botanic Garden Launches $30M Centennial Campaign

As the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden celebrates its 100th anniversary, it is looking toward its next century with a new $30 million Centennial Campaign supporting conservation, community programs, and long-term sustainability. 

The campaign divides its goal equally among three initiatives. Connected Communities will invest $10 million in demonstration gardens, youth programs, professional training, and resources encouraging native landscapes. Rooted in Place will direct $10 million toward capital improvements, including improved ADA accessibility, pathways, a remodeled visitor center, and a new food service window. The final $10 million, A Legacy for the Future, will strengthen the Garden’s endowment for research, education, advocacy, and conservation. 

The campaign is co-chaired by Mark Funk and Nancy Weiss. Today, the Garden oversees more than 50 active conservation projects and maintains nearly five million seeds representing more than 400 at-risk species in its conservation Seed Bank.

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. 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

Muddy Madness Celebrates the Art of Clay

Maker House and the Santa Barbara Sculptors Guild are getting their hands dirty with Muddy Madness and the Eloquence of Clay, a juried exhibition celebrating ceramic sculpture from across the Central Coast. Running through November 7, the show brings together 37 works by 36 artists, ranging from intimate figurative pieces to ambitious abstract forms. 

The exhibition explores clay’s versatility as artists mold, fire, texture, and reinvent one of humanity’s oldest creative materials. The works showcase approaches inspired by everything from the natural world to contemporary abstraction. 

The exhibition was juried by Christopher Rupp, interim director of the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art and a ceramics educator at Westmont College. Muddy Madness is on view at Maker House Gallery, 1351 Holiday Hill Road in Goleta.

Grace Fisher Foundation Honors Poet Max Ritvo

The Grace Fisher Foundation will honor poet Max Ritvo on Saturday, October 10, with a poetry reading and dedication at its Inclusive Arts Clubhouse, marking 10 years since his passing. A space within the Clubhouse will be renamed the Max Ritvo Reading and Writing Corner, where visitors can use a typewriter and explore books centered on belonging, positivity, and inclusivity. The free public ceremony will include readings of Ritvo’s poetry and light refreshments. 

The dedication is part of the Foundation’s 2026 Matching Campaign honoring Ritvo. The Alan B. Slifka Foundation, led by his mother, Dr. Riva Ariella Ritvo-Slifka, has pledged to match donations dollar for dollar up to $150,000, toward a $300,000 fundraising goal. Funds will support art and music supplies, accessible furniture, and free programming at the Clubhouse. The campaign continues through December 31.

Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Events

October 8, Thursday, 5-8 pm, SYBCI Cultural Museum: Serrano Natural Health Founder Katya Adachi Serrano, MD

October 16, 8 pm: Jumping Jack Flash, a Rolling Stones Tribute Band