Instead of a ballroom like usual, VNA Health held their annual health and safety PHorum at the West Wind Drive-in Theatre watching a movie. It was a special documentary produced by Emmy Award winning actress Jane Seymour about guitarist Glen Campbell and his battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Executive Director Lynda Tanner says, “It is important […]
Those things that go “bump” in the night! They could be caused by five dinosaurs that now reside at the Museum of Natural History, permanently, along with some babies. After the summer of 2019 when the electronic dinosaurs visited and were then shipped onto the next place, the kids have been asking for them. One […]
There’s something new at 1331 State Street: the Thomas Reynolds Gallery near the Arlington Theatre! The Gallery was founded in 1994 in San Francisco in the Pacific Heights neighborhood and was known for contemporary California art and artists. I met with Thomas Reynolds the other day and he said, “I am also an editor-publisher and […]
Sadly, we’ll miss the Mad Hatter Luncheon again this year, but the group will make up for it with an online auction April 1 to April 15. That will be on their website: transitionhouse.com. To tease you a little bit, there will be an original 1913 Rose O’Neill Kewpie Doll up for bids. There’s also […]
One of the things that fascinated me when we first moved to Santa Barbara in the mid-‘70s was the polo field just south of town. We soon became social members even though we lived in town and spent many a Sunday watching and learning about polo and its ponies. Yes, they are called ponies. We […]
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) Women’s Board held their annual luncheon to honor new members at the Santa Barbara Club. In addition, special attention was paid to Barbara Wallace as the longest member ever—50 years of service. The newest members, as introduced by vice president Julie Blair, are Marna Coday, Colette Cosentino, Paula […]
With Valentine’s Day coming up, what did Jose Lobero (born Giuseppe in Genoa, Italy) love? He loved opera and in 1873 he built a theater to house that love. It began as an old wooden schoolhouse and became the largest adobe structure in California for its time, housing the only opera house south of San […]
This was the 55th annual meeting for the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP) held in the Presidio Chapel. Board president Terease Chin called the meeting to order and said, “Let us have a moment of silence for the devastation we have all just been through.” As we all know, it’s hard to even […]
Did you ever wonder about the Plaza del Sol or the Rotunda at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, formerly Fess Parker’s Resort? Was it originally for bullfights because it’s patterned after the bullring in Sevilla, Spain. Why was it built there anyway? The arches are reminiscent of the façade of the Old Mission. The […]
One of these days the Santa Barbara Courthouse will be open to the public once again. Meantime there is an interesting story about the sixth Theo Van Cina painting that hangs on the ground floor near the lawyer’s entrance titled “Fiesta at the Courthouse,” circa 1930s. There are five others on the second floor: “Cabrillo […]
Yes, it’s time to think about that 97 year-old-fun fest, Old Spanish Days (OSD). To start the Fiesta year off La Presidenta 2021 was just announced, Stephanie Petlow. She has lived here for many years and served on the OSD board for 20 years. Her leadership team is primer Alex Castellanos, vice presidente; David Bolton, […]
There is a wonderful art exhibit of 55 naval paintings at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum awaiting your visit as soon as lockdown is over and executive director Greg Gorga can unlock the doors. The exhibit was scheduled to open December 3, 2020 until May 30, 2021. It’s sponsored by George H. & Olive J. Griffiths […]
In case you’ve never heard of a ShelterBox, it’s a big green box filled with lifesaving items for families the world over who have lost their homes due to a disaster. The ShelterBox headquarters are right here in Santa Barbara. They recently had a virtual fundraiser, livestreamed, and raised more than $250,000. Since 2000, ShelterBox […]
Instead of getting all decked out in long gowns and tuxes for the Military Ball, we donned our best drive-in attire to pay tribute to veterans and have a night at the West Wind Drive-In. “Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation (PCVF) is proud to be able to have a Veterans Day event for Santa Barbara since […]
What many alcoholics need in Santa Barbara is a new house, on a new street, in a new city, for a newfound recovery.” – Elmo Little Elmo was one of the leaders in establishing a rehab place in Santa Barbara. It is called New House and is 64 years old. The idea that alcoholism is […]
The first time I ever heard of tapas was when my Navy pilot husband, Cork, our two young children Kim and Dane, and I moved to Spain in 1969. The kids went to school on the Rota Navy Base but we lived on the economy. When Friday night came we didn’t go to McDonald’s (there […]
Christmas at the Casa: From Our Casa to Yours” will be a new experience this year. Usually Casa del Herrero is decorated with all the traditional trees and twinkling lights and is one of my favorite holiday events. This year it will be an amazing online Christmas boutique silent auction that opened November 1 and […]
When Pearl Chase was attending the founding meeting of Santa Barbara Beautiful (SBB) in 1965 she offered this quote from Abraham Lincoln, “I like to see a man proud of the place he lives.” And so Santa Barbara Beautiful was born. Arriving at the Music Academy of the West for the annual awards, I was […]
I first learned of the Blessing of the Animals when we lived in Spain. My daughter, Kim, came home one day and said, “We need to take Alegria (her horse) to the Blessing of the Animals.” Really? Okay! And that was the beginning of St. Francis in my life. Even though I heard he began […]
The Community Action Commission has just rebranded itself CommUnify and they do many things. Their dinner event at Firestone Vineyard had to be changed because of the pandemic. It was replaced by “The Good Ole Days” or a blast from the past – the 1950s. The location was the West Wind Drive-In movie theatre on […]
Girls Inc. of Carpinteria hosted its eighth annual “An Evening in Bloom” but with a different twist this year and the community “showed” up. Their bold goal was $250,000. So far they are just over $230,000 and still counting! The usually elegant affair at the Girls Inc. campus was quiet this year because of the […]
The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission is holding its annual fundraiser for the nineteenth time, this year titled “The Bayou Derby.” Again the Women’s Auxiliary, 70 women strong, wove their magic, only this year they were not at Rancho Dos Pueblos. This year, the party came to us. Don and I had Keith Mautino Moore and […]
Coast Village Road had an extra bit of excitement last Saturday morning. The Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation held a masked and social distanced event, partnering with Renaud’s Pattisserie and Bakery, which provided free coffee and yummy croissants, and Nurture Cottage and Mesa Burger, which provided the space for silent auction items (more than 100 online), […]
When I think of a state park I think of mountains and trees, not downtown Santa Barbara. Wrong! We have one in the middle of town. El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park sits between Anacapa and Garden streets on East Canon Perdido Street. The main part of the site is across the street […]
Across from the Bird Refuge (30 Los Patos Way), we have a pop up during October just in time for Halloween. Did you know there will be two full moons that month? Arlene and Milt Larsen from the Magic Castle Cabaret will be having a Halloween gift shop for the month of October, open Tuesday […]
Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) recently held an opening reception for their latest exhibit, “Salt & Silver: Early Photography, 1840 – 1860.” There were over 100 seldom seen salt prints from the Wilson Centre for Photography in London with the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut. These are some of the earliest […]
According to the California Missions Foundation press brochure, “Nothing defines California and our nation’s heritage as significantly or emotionally as do the 21 missions that were founded along the coast from San Diego to Sonoma. Their beauty, stature, and character underlie the formation of California. Over time, many mission enclaves have developed into some of […]
The Santa Barbara Courthouse docents just announced a self-guided walking tour of the courthouse exterior starting Labor Day weekend using your cell phone or tablet or to view the tour on a computer anywhere with wifi. The courthouse interior remains closed except for official court business and docent-led tours are suspended due to COVID-19. Docents […]
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum is one of the cultural gems of our city with a collection of more than 80,000 irreplaceable objects and artifacts relating to Santa Barbara’s extraordinary past. For local history it’s a must. The museum complex was constructed in 1965 by the Santa Barbara Historical Society (now called Museum), which was […]
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That’s what the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation did. Because of COVID-19 their spring event was cancelled and also their fall fundraising event, the Gold Ribbon Luncheon. They have been operating since 2002 and hope their latest venture will add to the coffers. And it did. The […]
After eight months of negotiations, the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara is joining the United Boys and Girls Clubs of the County. This is the first time since the first club was founded in 1938 that all the clubs from Carpinteria to Lompoc will operate together. This affects 5,000 kids along with 450 […]
My docent tour of the Santa Barbara Courthouse began in the Mural Room and proceeded through the second floor and out the back by the old jail. We crossed the grounds to the Hall of Records and ended up in front of the courthouse. As we walk along the path you see three plaques. The […]
As my docent Courthouse tour continues, we have exited the Mural Room and walked into the Lobby just outside the door on the second floor. We see the nine-by-twelve-foot painting of the landing of Juan Cabrillo which Dan Groesbeck had painted in 1924 for County National Bank. It was influential in his being chosen to […]
While we’re waiting for this pandemic to subside it might be fun to learn a bit about one of our five National Historic Landmarks, the County Courthouse. The others are the Mission, Casa del Herrero, the Raphael Gonzales Adobe, and the Santa Barbara Club. As I write this the Courthouse has a lock on the […]
From the olden days fast forward to the current days for the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM). I remember when it first began and now is the 20th anniversary. With the pandemic, the Hawaiian themed party had to be cancelled. Instead supporters browsed and bid on online auction items to support SBMM children’s education program, […]
The wildest place in town has to be the Santa Barbara Zoo and certainly a child’s favorite. When I moved here in the ‘70s I thought the Child estate related to children because the Zoo was there. I soon learned it had once been Lillian Child’s property. When she passed away it eventually became a […]
The Cecilia Fund is Santa Barbara’s oldest philanthropic charity founded in 1892. It was due to host “Earl Gray & Chardonnay” at the Santa Barbara Club for its annual tea and membership drive until the pandemic. It’s named after St. Cecilia but was never affiliated with any church. Its founding members all played musical instruments […]
The Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network (WCN) is a wild and amazing place located at 1460 North Fairview in Goleta. The Spring babies are here! Wildlife doesn’t know about the pandemic. They just need to be fed and cared for. Because of the virus the Wildlife volunteer force is absent and the small staff has […]
Santa Barbara has five National Historic Landmarks – the Courthouse, the Mission, the Raphael Gonzales Adobe, the Santa Barbara Club, and Casa del Herrero. The Casa is a great tourist attraction and I have been lucky enough to be a docent there for twenty years. I would like to tell you about the origins of […]
There is a new book just published about Ganna Walska by her niece Hania Tallmadge called Portraits of an Era. The book was meant to coincide with an exhibit at Lotusland. But while we’re all still operating under stay-at-home orders, doesn’t mean we can’t take a moment this spring for some fresh Ganna Walska/Lotusland appreciation. […]