Tag archives: Summerland

A farm is a lovely thing – a pastoral slice of heaven that restores the soul, reconnects the bewildered human to unbridled nature, and just incidentally pushes food out of the dirt. It is the darndest thing. “You see a lot of lettuce. We’ve got broccoli, cauliflower, kale…” Our gesturing tour guide today is the […]

At 8 am on Saturday, June 17, the sun came out with blue skies after six months of gray, cloudy, and rainy weather. I couldn’t help but wonder if the Sun God Re and Mother Nature were sending their blessings to the Summerland Beautiful organization and the Summerland Citizens Association (SCA) Beach Committee, who planned […]

Handily sandwiched between this world and the next, we have the picturesque village of Summerland, California. This quaint California idyll derives its name from ‘The Summerland’ – a term Theosophists apply to the heavenly sphere that surrounds our yearning planet Earth. Summerland was indeed founded by Spiritualist H.L. Williams in 1883 as a colony for […]

On Saturday January 28, the Summerland Elementary School held a community-wide reception to celebrate the re-opening of the school. After being closed since summer 2021, this re-opening signifies a complete rebuild from the soil on up to new classrooms, a multi-purpose room, a library, an office and an outdoor playground funded by Measure U at […]

A mysterious oil slick in the waters off Summerland Beach continues to be closely monitored by multiple agencies, while beach access remains closed to the public. According to Summerland Citizens Association Board President Phyllis Noble, the oil slick, which appeared earlier this month following heavy rains, now appears to be breaking up and no additional […]

Also at the Land Use Committee meeting, representatives from the Summerland Citizens Association (SCA) reported to the committee that they are spearheading an appeal of a portion of developer John Price’s new Fuel Depot project at 2285 Lillie Avenue in Summerland. Specifically, the SCA is appealing the gas station’s sign on the back side of […]

Montecito’s Aimee Miller recently opened Home Crush on Lillie Avenue, after converting a 1930s ocean-view Bungalow into an interactive design studio with multiple rooms, terraces, and destinations. “We kept the home feeling like a residence, but removed the doors so customers can come in and actually see stuff and how it lives in a room,” […]

Summerland is blessed with the beautiful green thumb of Sonya Harris, who single-handedly created a garden scape with over 250 plants and stonework along Lillie Avenue’s sidewalk through the northbound 101 onramp.  Caltrans was ready to bulldoze through that garden were it not for a good deed message from Kirsten Ayars, PR for the Caltrans […]

by Sofia Fouroohi-Martin Montecito and Paris collided on June 23 when fashion designer and Central Coast native Doni Nahmias unveiled his Spring-Summer 2023 collection at Paris Fashion Week. The collection was inspired by Montecito’s Butterfly Beach. Twenty-nine-year-old Doni grew up in Summerland, often frequenting Butterfly Beach. He describes it as his favorite beach, where he […]

In a quiet off-market sale that closed last week, QAD’s 28-acre blufftop site in Summerland has reportedly sold to the University of California for over $100M.  Once utilized in off-hours by nonprofits in the area for large-scale events, the property boasts impressive coastline views and was fairly open to the public for sunset viewing. Speculation […]

Two months after closing – and attempting to sell – her longtime Montecito stationery store, Letter Perfect, owner Leslie Person Ryan is prepping to open a new iteration of the shop, Farm to Paper, in downtown Summerland, just steps away from the small, open-air farm cart she operates on Lillie Avenue. The shop is located […]

We are always curating our environment to fit our feelings and lifestyle. Just as we put on music to match a mood, we select the colors, materials, and objects of our home to pair with how we want to feel there. Or as Aimee Miller of Home Crush puts it, “Design your life.”  Home Crush […]

These K-Rails on the 101 are extreme causes of fear. Who pays for the cleanup after accidents, including the semi on fire in Summerland backing up traffic for hours? Does the City have recourse for cleaning up after the fire and accidents? This superhighway they are building will have big effects on the community. I […]

Not long ago, saying “I live in Summerland” would trigger a puzzled “where?” Then someone would mention the Big Yellow House. Had the restaurant then been empty and a shade of white as it is today, the landmark might have been the enormous LIQUOR sign looming over town. The next place to dog Summerland just […]

The latest business addition soon to open in Summerland is the newly remodeled former gas station, now called The Point Market and Fuel Depot, located at 2285 Lillie Avenue. The property owner, Sharon Kussman, is the successor Trustee of the Rose T. Robertson Revocable Trust (property owner since May 1988).Its new business owner is John […]

With the hustle and bustle of Paseo Nuevo or Montecito Country Mart, or either the Upper or Lower villages, there are a couple of other local options if you’re looking for last-second holiday shopping ideas. And they’re just a short drive down the 101 — OK, depending on the time of day, it can be […]

The recipes – tied to each season – in Santa Barbara-based lifestyle doyenne, cook and gardener Valerie Rice’s forthcoming cookbook Lush Life: Food & Drinks from the Garden are absolutely mouth-watering. Broken into seasons, don’t let that stop you from preparing leg of lamb stuffed with feta and oregano, Hope Ranch mussels with chorizo and fennel, or Indian-spiced […]