No Fuss and No Chemicals, a Natural Wine Trend Here to Stay
By Hana-Lee Sedgwick   |   December 24, 2020

Natural wine refers to wine made from grapes farmed without pesticides and with minimal intervention in the cellar, meaning nothing is added or removed. Devotees think of it as the purest form of wine, and something as essential as choosing to eat organic foods. The arrival of two new natural wine-focused bars to downtown Santa […]

Ojai Music Festival’s Virtual Holiday Home Tour & For-real Shopping
By Leslie Westbrook   |   December 17, 2020

Every November, I look forward to the Holiday Home Tour in nearby Ojai that benefits the annual Ojai Music Festival, now entering its 75th year. Organized by the OMF Women’s Committee, this year, due to COVID, they have done a terrific job of creating a video tour of three lovely homes. Narrated by architect/designers Steve […]

 

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More from Montecito

The Christmas Tree Has Arrived
By Sharon Byrne   |   December 17, 2020

Hospice Santa Barbara has installed our Christmas tree in the Upper Village for the third year in a row, and Light Up A Life takes place December 16 at 6 pm. We will be well into Hanukkah, and closing in on the Winter Solstice on December 21, the longest night of the year. Light Up […]

Promotion, Partnerships, and Polo
By Richard Mineards   |   December 10, 2020

Dallas dynamo and former TV anchor Charles Ward, who has been promoting the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club for nearly two decades, is expanding his empire. Charles, who plays President George Washington with my King George III in the village parade each year, has forged a strategic alliance with the international luxury glossy Polo […]

Santa Barbara’s Bucket Brigade Unveils New Trail Project in Montecito
By Nick Schou   |   December 10, 2020

If you’ve ever trekked up the walking path on the west side of San Ysidro Road between the 101 Freeway and East Valley Road, or along the north side of North Jameson Lane between San Ysidro and Olive Mill Road, then you are already familiar with Montecito’s recently established community trail network. While sidewalks were […]

Grab-n-Go Services Announced
By Kim Crail   |   December 10, 2020

Winter is coming! Santa Barbara Public Library is transitioning our sidewalk service indoors. Montecito Library will be allowing one household at a time to browse a curated selection of materials inside for 15 minutes.  Grab-n-Go in Montecito will be on Tuesdays from 2 pm to 5 pm, and Thursdays 10 am to 1 pm, starting […]

A Safe Space
By Richard Mineards   |   December 10, 2020

Santa Barbara creative marketing agency Oniracom is giving back to the community during the COVID-19 crisis, particularly during the holiday season. The company, whose studio facilities are located near the Funk Zone, is providing at-cost pandemic friendly media space and live stream technology solutions. “We are all part of an incredible community that it’s our […]

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  • Heal the Ocean and MarBorg Industries Team Up to Remove Maritime Debris From Montecito Beaches
    By Nick Schou   |   December 10, 2020

    Thanks to a collaboration between Heal the Ocean and MarBorg Industries, as well as funding from the Ohana Foundation, which was created by Kim and Jack Johnson (yes, that Jack Johnson), all the debris from a boat that disintegrated in early November near the Santa Barbara Cemetery has been removed. Although the identity of the […]

    Montecito Planning Commission Approves Plan to Keep Debris Nets Up For Next Three Years
    By Nick Schou   |   December 3, 2020

    In a unanimous vote last week, the Montecito Planning Commission extended the permits for several Swiss-built flexible steel debris nets that were installed above town after the tragic mudslides that occurred in the wake of the Thomas Fire nearly three years ago. Thanks to a multi-million-dollar fundraising effort by The Partnership for Resilient Communities (TPRC), […]

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    Tina Frey Designs
    By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   December 3, 2020

    A new home design store has opened in San Ysidro Village; TF Design Montecito softly opened earlier this month. Namesake owner and designer Tina Frey has personally curated the space with a comprehensive collection of her simple and modern resin designs. All pieces are conceived and hand-sculpted by Frey, and handmade by a talented and […]

    Homelessness Update: Montecito Leading the Way
    By Sharon Byrne   |   December 3, 2020

    The Hands Across Montecito initiative got off to a great start this September. We did a census count with a terrific team of Montecito volunteers, our fire chiefs, sheriffs, and members of Behavioral Wellness, organized by City Net. We hiked all over Montecito, interviewing, and finding out more about who is living unsheltered here, and […]

    Keeping up With the New Innkeeper
    By Richard Mineards   |   December 3, 2020

    Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner didn’t have to look very far for a new manager at his 500-acre, 41-cottage, five-star hostelry, the San Ysidro Ranch. Ian Williams, who replaced bonnie Scottish lass Maxine Rutledge as overseer of the historic property where the late President John Kennedy and wife, Jackie, spent their honeymoon, and actor Laurence […]

    Home, Sweet Hacienda
    By Leslie Westbrook   |   December 3, 2020

    Hacienda, by Bonita Lifestyle, the latest incarnation of retail shopping therapy in Summerland by Rita Villa, opened its doors mid-November. Located just down the street from the Summerland Beach Café (and in the same row as Garde on the street behind the liquor store), the shop is the culmination of the many years of Rita’s […]

    Joel Reed, Head of School, Howard School
    By Sigrid Toye   |   December 3, 2020

    I have been writing this column for years and I wonder how I could have missed a visit to the Howard School, the oldest operating private school in Santa Barbara. Once located on San Ysidro Road in Montecito, the 1934 designed campus, now the Laguna Blanca Lower School, is a community landmark. On a crisp […]

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