Tag archives: auction

‘5×5’ Art Auction a Big Draw
By Scott Craig   |   January 2, 2024

The Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art’s exhibition and auction of 683 small pieces was a huge success. By the time the gavel came down December 15, the “5×5” fundraiser sold 617 unique art pieces, raising more than $41,000 for the Montecito museum. Ninety-two percent of people who created an account bid on works in the […]

Positive Thinking
By Richard Mineards   |   May 23, 2023

Montecito actor Michael J. Fox, 61, says the cure for Parkinson’s disease is “closer than it has ever been.” The now retired star, who was diagnosed with the degenerative condition when just 29, has raised more than $2 billion for the cause and says he is optimistic the disease can be eradicated following “a single […]

SBMA Women’s Board Annual Fundraiser: The return of Off the Wall
By Joanne A Calitri   |   May 9, 2023

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art Women’s Board decided to do their signature event, Off the Wall, for their annual fundraiser and to pay tribute in memoriam to one of its co-founders, Cecia Hess, who started this lively auction in 2007 with Peggy Odgers. This is the 7th time it has been held since inception […]

The Ultimate Paddle Party: Santa Barbara Vintners’ Charitable Gala Returns
By Gabe Saglie   |   November 8, 2022

Winemaker phenom Bryan Babcock is throwing open the doors to his Montecito estate. The exclusive invite includes a five-night stay for six people at what’s affectionally dubbed Villa Flora, a captivating property located just three minutes from Miramar Beach that features Mediterranean architecture and elegant gardens. Guests will also be treated to a Spanish-inspired dinner […]

Miss Daisy’s: Moving Your Dresser and Your Heart
By Charles Rous   |   July 5, 2022

For locals in the know, Glenn Novack has been heard to say, “Miss Daisy’s is kind of like May Madness, all year long!” Upon entering Moving Miss Daisy’s Consignment and Auction House, I first saw Glennstanding at a 360-degree checkout counter, the center of a vast solar system of furniture, artwork, and energy. Here, new […]

Selling Jobs
By Richard Mineards   |   March 29, 2022

The Declaration of Independence was famed for its signatories, but Santa Barbara former tech whiz David Palermo certainly knows how to capitalize on his autographs. David, who was a senior product manager at Apple, had the original cover from the first edition of Macworld from February 1984, signed by both founders, Steve Jobs and Steve […]

Festival of Hearts Goes Virtual
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   February 4, 2021

For the last 22 years, Montecito’s Friendship Center has hosted a fun-filled pre-Valentine’s event to raise funds for the Center’s HEART (Help Elders At Risk Today) Program, subsidizing the cost of adult day services for low-income aging and dependent adults and their families. This year, thanks to the pandemic, the event is going virtual, and […]

Chock Full of Chanel
By Richard Mineards   |   January 28, 2021

New York auction house Christie’s is selling more than 100 pieces of rare vintage Chanel jewelry estimated to be worth more than $163,000. The 106-piece hoard of designer necklaces, earrings, brooches, and more comes from the collection of Susan Gutfreund, an interior designer and Manhattan socialite, who was a good friend of the Kate fan […]

Paul Walker’s Shelby Cobra
By Richard Mineards   |   January 28, 2021

The late Santa Barbara actor Paul Walker was an avid car collector and one of his prized autos is coming up for auction. The Fast & Furious franchise star, who died in a car accident in 2013 in Santa Clarita aged 40, had a number of exotic cars in his collection, including the 1965 Shelby […]

Collection of Artifacts Up for Auction
By Richard Mineards   |   December 17, 2020

The extensive Chinese collection of the late society doyenne Beverley Jackson is being sold by Kaminski Auctions in, appropriately enough, Beverly, Massachusetts. The former society editor of the News-Press for 22 years, who died in August aged 91, was an avowed Sinophile after a visit to China during the Cultural Revolution changed her life. The […]

For Christmas, Mi Casa Es Su Casa
By Lynda Millner   |   November 26, 2020

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 […]

Up for Auction
By Richard Mineards   |   November 19, 2020

An old New York friend, former model and socialite Barbara Allen de Kwiatkowski, who left us far too early, dying of natural causes aged 69 in June, is having her possessions sold by Christie’s in Manhattan in a total of eight sales over the next few months. Barbara, whom I first met when she was […]

Enter United Boys and Girls’ Club Raffle for a Vintage 1956 GMC Truck!
By Tim Buckley   |   November 10, 2020

Ever see a beautifully restored vintage pickup truck and think you’d love to have one? Well, here is your chance and be able to do so from the safety and comfort of your own home. We are excited to raffle off this beautiful 1956 GMC truck valued at $60,000. Tickets are $150.00 each and the […]

United Way of Santa Barbara
By Zach Rosen   |   August 13, 2020

With so many schools having to turn to online classes, students in need are having an even tougher time getting the educational resources they need. One organization, United Way of Santa Barbara, has been helping at-risk and low-income students and members of the community since 1923. Of their many community programs, two of their educational […]

Remembering Peter
By Richard Mineards   |   April 23, 2020

On a personal note, I remember dashing Yale-graduate Peter Beard, the legendary wildlife photographer, who has died at the age of 82 after going missing from his Montauk, Long Island, home. Peter, heir to two great fortunes in tobacco and railroads, was a fixture on the New York social scene, where I first met him […]

What is it Worth?
By Ashleigh Brilliant   |   April 9, 2020

How do we determine the value of things? Is it only the question of what people will pay? Some American railroad tycoon of the “Robber Baron” era spoke in terms of exacting “all the traffic will bear” – meaning that he charged not what seemed fair or reasonable, but simply as much as he could […]

A Night in Paris
By Tim Buckley   |   February 20, 2020

I don’t speak French but neither did anyone else at the “A Night in Paris” benefit for Montessori Center School (MCS) at Rosewood Miramar Hotel. Ball gowns and tuxes were de rigueur as guests sipped mimosas and wine. The ballroom doors opened to a stunning sight of white with white feathers in very tall vases […]

Festival of Hearts
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   January 30, 2020

Friendship Center is hosting its 21st Annual Festival of Hearts on Saturday, February 8, at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. This festive pre-Valentine’s Day event features an elegant sit-down lunch with local wines and live music by A la Carte, owned by Jan Ingram and Henry Garrett. The theme this year is the Roaring […]

Turkey Day Feast
By Richard Mineards   |   December 5, 2019

The Rescue Mission, which has just undergone a $10 million renovation, was unusually oversubscribed when more than 300 guests turned up for the Thanksgiving Feast. The non-profit’s intrepid new chef Freddie Rashad acquitted himself admirably cooking 90 turkeys, 120 pounds of potatoes, 75 pounds of carrots, and 120 pounds of green beans, for the occasion […]

OLMC Gala
By Richard Mineards   |   November 14, 2019

It was a record turnout when Montecito’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel School threw its 75th anniversary gala in the chandeliered ballroom at the Rosewood Miramar. The school, which started off with 30 students and now serves more than 200, raised around $200,000 for scholarships from the socially gridlocked fête for 350 guests co-chaired by […]