The Montecito YMCA held its much anticipated Pickleball Courts Grand Opening on Saturday, May 10, from 9 am through 12 pm. It was a great sun-filled day with balmy temperatures, perfect for hitting the courts. When I arrived, the pickleball courts were packed with people playing and others waiting to jump into a game – […]
In what appears to be a huge gain for environmental and coast organizations locally, on Monday, May 5, 2025, the City of Carpinteria Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the inconspicuously titled, “Project 21-2128-DP/CDP” – a Development Plan and a Coastal Development Permit to decommission and remediate the Carpinteria Oil and Gas Processing Facilities under […]
The Montecito Association Land Use Committee (LUC) May meeting was held at the Montecito Library community room and on Zoom. The meeting was called to order by LUC Chair, Dorinne Lee Johnson. Attendees were the LUC members; MA Executive Director Houghton Hyatt; General Manager Montecito Water District (MWD) Nick Turner,and his team – Groundwater Specialist […]
The C.A.R.E4Paws organization held a “Happy Tails Celebration and Fundraiser” event on Sunday, May 4, at the Cabrillo Pavilion. The event focused on celebrating the organization’s establishment 16 years ago this May, its mission, and the work it does for pets and their owners on the Central Coast. Starting with a silent auction during […]
Youth and Family Services division of the YMCA celebrated the 25th Anniversary of its annual fundraiser, Reaching for Stars, on Thursday, May 1, at the Santa Barbara Woman’s Club at Rockwood. The event was attended and supported by many locals. Noted were Marilyn and Steven Gutsche, Steve Lyons, Bob and Patty Bryant, Lynn and Roger […]
The Montecito Association hosted a Community Safety Town Hall for all residents and businesses in Montecito on Tuesday, April 22, at the All Saints-by-the-Sea community hall. Moderating the meeting was MA Executive Director Houghton Hyatt. Present were MA Board President Doug Black and MA Board Members; SBC 1st District Supervisor Roy Lee and his Deputy […]
Like your mom or grandmother says, early birds get the worms! It’s time to set up your reservations for flowers, restaurant, spa offerings, and more! Here’s our local delights for our Mother’s Day: San Ysidro Ranch The San Ysidro Ranch is serving a festive Mother’s Day brunch, Sunday, May 11, from 10 am to 2 […]
On Thursday, April 24, David Bolton, Executive Director of the California Missions Foundation (CMF) held a private soirée at the El Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara to honor the CMF’s grant recipients, and to welcome Gerardo Fueyo Bros – Consul General of Spain in Los Angeles with jurisdiction in Southern California and the States of […]
Explore Ecology (EE) held its 1st Annual Environmental Stewardship Awards Luncheon fundraiser at the Cabrillo Pavilion on Thursday, April 17. The luncheon comes as the next level in the humble nonprofit’s work since establishing the awards in 2016. EE Executive Director Lindsay Johnson and Marketing/Communications Director Jill Cloutier are the founders of the annual awards, […]
On April 27, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH) will open its Maximus Gallery for a unique nature-art-science-history exhibition to celebrate the gallery’s 30th anniversary and its patrons, Peggy and John Maximus. The exhibit is titled, Drawn from Nature: The Maximus Legacy, curated by Linda Miller, Maximus Gallery Curator. The gallery collection holds […]
The Montecito Association April 2025 meeting was held on Tuesday, April 8. MA President Doug Black with 1st VP Leslie Lundgren called the meeting to order, alongside Executive Director Houghton Hyatt. Board members were present in person and via Zoom. Jillian Wittman of the MA Safety Subcommittee reported on the Sheriff’s Department Montecito satellite office. […]
Society Invites was contacted by Jeannine Morgan – former Head of School for El Montecito School in Montecito (ELMO) – about her son Judson Pearce, who has volunteered to direct the Providence School play Annie Jr. The performances are April 25 – 26, tickets are on sale now. Proceeds benefit the school. Jeannine is a […]
The Montecito Association Land Use Committee (LUC) April meeting was held at the Montecito Library community room and on Zoom. The meeting was called to order by LUC Chair, Dorinne Lee Johnson. Attendees were the LUC members, Montecito Association Executive Director Houghton Hyatt, Montecito Fire Chief David Neels andBattalion Chief/Fire Marshall Aaron Briner, Lotusland Trustee […]
It’s Spring and the time of year for Easter services, visits with the Easter Bunny, Easter Egg Hunts, and at Chabad Montecito, a Community Pesach Seder. Here is the quick guide for our readers! Chabad of Montecito Community Pesach Seder on Saturday, April 12. Event starts at 7 pm with Hors D’oeuvres; 7:30 pm, Seder […]
Scott Wester MHA is starting his new role as the President and CEO of Cottage Health on April 7. He was selected from a national search by Cottage Health’s executive search committee chaired by Steve Zola, prior Board Chair. Wester follows Ron Werft MHA, who recently retired as Cottage Health’s President and CEO having served […]
The Montecito Trails Foundation (MTF) celebrated 60 years of operation in 2024 and is already doing collabs with its community partners in Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria. Dedicated to maintaining the trails and working with environmental issues, they are the BTS foundation of people and volunteers who keep nature going for us in the back country. […]
Shabbat Shalom! It’s time for the 13th Annual Mega Shabbat on Friday, April 4, at 6pm at the Chabad of UCSB’s Rohr Chabad Jewish Student Center, 779 Camino Pescadero. The event is free and open to all, but registration is required. Parking is the usual at UCSB, and the event is held outside on the […]
Patricia Iglesias Peco (born in 1974, Buenos Aires, Argentina) is part of the SBMA’s current exhibition featuring Latin Women. Titled Accretion, the exhibit is curated by Lauren Karazija, SBMA Curatorial Assistant of Contemporary Art. In her interview with me on the exhibit, Karazija explained, “Accretion celebrates the rich diversity of Latina experiences, moving beyond and […]
State Senator Limón Honors Dr. Katrina B. Mitchell at Capitol Ceremony In honor of Women’s History Month, California State Legislature comes together to highlight women in their community. District 21 Senator Monique Limón celebrated Katrina B. Mitchell, MD. In addition to her role as a breast surgical oncologist in Santa Barbara at Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, […]
The Montecito Association March 2025 meeting was held in person at the Montecito Library community room and on Zoom, Tuesday, March 11. MA President Doug Black with1st VP Leslie Lundgren called the meeting to order and moderated the presentations. The key agenda item was the presentation by FLOCK representative Brooke Midgett, via Zoom. Flock makes […]
Montecito’s Trish Davis is being featured in my column for her contributions to preserve the history of Montecito. Davis was recommended to me by the Montecito Fire Protection District Fire Chief David Neels in response to my community request for Montecito women to be featured in my news column for Women’s History Month.Neels stated in […]
The renowned 22nd Annual Tiara Ball by the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Foundation (SBCHF) was held in all its elegance at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara Resort on Saturday, March 8. This annual beyond the black-tie soirée showcases guests in bejeweled tiaras, formal gowns, fine wool tuxedos and more ahead of Paris Fashion Week. While the gala […]
The Montecito Association Land Use Committee (LUC) March meeting was held at the Montecito Library community room and on Zoom. The meeting was called to order by LUC Chair, Dorinne Lee Johnson. Attendees were the LUC, Montecito Association Executive Director Houghton Hyatt, SBC Planning Commissioner Laura Bridley, and Aida Thau representing Roy Lee First District […]
In what will turn out to be setting the bar for galas in our town, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s 1st Annual Gilded Gala Fundraiser was held on Friday, February 28 at none other than the Rosewood Miramar Beach. The gala’s mission is to raise funds for the SBMA’s “…dawn of a new era, […]
Laguna Blanca School is announcing their annual Golden Oak Gala on Saturday, March 15 at the Rosewood Miramar Beach Montecito. The event has tickets for sale for 300 to attend and be part of their annual giving for the school. The theme this year to dress for is “Miami Nights.” Event Co-Chairs are Nicholas Miller […]
It was all diamonds and gold, Jimmy Choos and gowns, black tie and diamond studs arriving at the amazing Montessori Center School Diamond Gala fundraiser at the Rosewood Miramar Beach on Friday, February 28. From Porsches to limos, the valet was full as over 250 guests arrived to celebrate 60 years of their favorite school. […]
Kathryn Westland, MPH,Executive Director of the Friendship Center (FC) held a healthy aging event at the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center on Sunday, February 23, from 1-3 pm. The event was focused on bringing the FC’s programming and services to Carpinteria residents and their families in response to a need in the area. This meet […]
The Carpinteria Girls Inc. held their first “Red, Black and White” Gala on Saturday, February 22, at their newly renovated Carpinteria campus, transforming both the inside and outside area into an elegant ballroom, with decorations by the girls in their programs. Girls Inc. has humble beginnings – the national organization was founded in 1864 after […]
Society Invites is pleased to announce its time to get your tickets for the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show happening March 7-9, at the Earl Warren Showgrounds. The theme for this year is “Exotic Gardens” – said to take attendees on a journey through the stunning beauty of orchids and their natural habitats. It is […]
The Montecito Association February 2025 meeting was held in person at the Montecito Library community room and on Zoom, Tuesday, February 11. Leslie Lundgren, 1st VP MA, called the meeting to order and moderated the presentations. Present were MA Executive Director Houghton Hyatt and the full MA board. The top agenda item was the crime […]
This week I sat down with Eric Seale, the 2025 appointed Board Chair of SB Cottage Hospital (SBCH), to talk about his role, SBCH’s strategic plan, directives, and a new President & CEO to arrive in the spring following the retirement of Ron Werft. (My interview with Werft here) We met at the SBCH Library […]
For Week Three of Black History Month we are blessed with a healing poem by Dr. Leonie H Mattison, EdD, MBA, President and CEO of Pacifica Graduate Institute, Carpinteria. I asked her how and when her poem came about. She said she wrote it this year, and shared, “This season has been very thick with […]
Your Society Invites gal-Friday is pleased to share the 2025 Legacy Award Winners of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH), who were announced at a trés private soirée called the Leadership Circles of Giving Dinner held at the Fleischmann Auditorium. This year’s honorees are UCSB Professor Emeritus Michael Glassow, PhD; geologist John Powell, […]
For week two of Black History Month, we bring our focus to Healing Justice SB, a nonprofit organization that will celebrate its five-year anniversary this May. Founded May 2020 by Krystle Farmer Sieghart, Simone Akila Ruskamp,and Leticia Forney Resch,their mission is, “To uplift all Black African Americans to affirm that they are deserving of safety, […]
The Montecito Association (MA) Land Use Committee (LUC) February meeting was held Tuesday, February 4, at the Montecito Library community room and on Zoom. The meeting was called to order by its Chair, Dorinne Lee Johnson. Attendees were the LUC members, Montecito residents, MA ED Houghton Hyatt, and Chip Wullbrandt of Price, Postel & Parma […]
My annual Black History Month is launched for 2025 with Wendy Eley Jackson MFA; a filmmaker, TV Director/Producer, and college faculty. She is the Founder and Executive Producer of Auburn Avenue Films with 30 plus years of television broadcasting and film experience in the industry. Jackson’s TV/Film work spans SONY Pictures TV, Turner Broadcasting, and […]
Let’s start my annual NAMM report right with this statement from John Mlynczak, NAMM President & CEO, “The 2025 NAMM Show will unite our global industry in support of those impacted in Los Angeles. We are coordinating relief efforts with our partners and are communicating with our members in L.A. on their needs. The NAMM […]
For the first time since being established in 1951, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art Women’s Board (SBMAWB) is now fully DEI with its first men members introduced alongside new women members at its annual January Luncheon. I attended the luncheon held on Thursday, January 23, at the University Club. Presiding was SBMAWB President, Paula […]
Your trusty Society reporter is here with the new board members appointed to your favorite nonprofits. The Music Academy of the West, now in its 78th season, has three new officers and four new members appointed to its Board of Directors. The new Board Officers are Board Chair Danner Schefler, Vice Chair Susan Lichtenstein,and Secretary […]
During NAMM 2025, I had the privilege to interview Tom Sumner the President of Yamaha and the Chair of the NAMM Board of Directors. We conversed in person at the Yamaha Dealer meeting rooms, and I took a photo of him with the Yamaha grand piano for Alicia Keys’ 2023 tour that hallmarked their display […]