Social gridlock reigned at the historic Santa Barbara Club when the Ensemble Theatre Company marked its 43rd season with a Curtain Up! gala for 150 guests, raising more than $200,000 for productions at the New Vic. Susan Van Abel chaired the fun fête that featured the ubiquitous Chris Fossek on classical guitar, singer Linda Purl, […]
Scott and Kohanya Groff opened the doors of their delightful Riven Rock estate for a garden party for the 22-year-old Rona Barrett Foundation with 70 guests raising more than $20,000, its first ever event in Montecito. The monies will go towards the construction of a 60-unit extension to the former Good Morning America gossipeuse’s Golden […]
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Montecito globetrotting accountant Frank McGinity has just published his latest 246-page work chronicling nearly 40 years of the California branch of the American Irish Historical Society from its creation in 1983 through the first quarter of the 21st century. Riven Rock-based founder Frank says his work serves not only as a historical document of the […]
Dr. Rebecca Aldoretta is the new Director of Veterinary Services at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. She has vast experience in veterinary care, including wildlife and exotic pet medicine, companion animal general practice, and emergency medicine. After earning her veterinary degree from Kansas State University in 2015, she worked all over the U.S. including […]
On a personal note, my thoughts are with writer Sir Salman Rushdie, 75, as he recovers after being stabbed repeatedly by an Iranian sympathizer as he was about to speak at the Chautauqua Institute literary festival in upstate New York. It follows the fatwa issued by Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 after his 1988 […]
Dietary concerns went out the window when the Santa Barbara Historical Museum was the venue for a 14-course dinner for 40 guests as part of a gastronomic evening of Spanish cuisine hosted by the Consul of Tourism Affairs in Los Angeles, local California missions honcho David Bolton, and Gonzalo Sarmiento. Two of Madrid’s top chefs, […]
A record 160 guests turned out for the fourth annual Compassionate Care of Carpinteria lunch at the Rincon Beach Club raising more than $40,000 for the nonprofit that deals with end-of-life care. The fête, chaired by Marybeth Carty, was emceed by brothers Ed and Winfred Van Wingerden, with Virginia Benson Wigle, who lost her husband […]
Teresa Kuskey Nowak’s birthday bash at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum may have had an Under the Sea theme, but there was not a flipper or snorkel to be seen when 112 guests descended on the harborside institution for the fun fête hosted by social gadabout Rick Oshay. After margaritas and comestibles on the museum’s […]
A sea of colorful hats proliferated in the stands at the Santa Barbara Polo Club when, for the 15th consecutive year, I had the onerous task of judging the mélange of magnificent millinery. Sorting out the torrent of tony tête toppers and choosing three winners was not the easiest of jobs given the sheer number […]
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Professional polo player, philanthropist, and movie producer Sarah Siegel-Magness is selling her 61-acre Carpinteria estate for $50 million. Sarah, a regular patron at the Santa Barbara Polo Club with her Dundas team and partner in Smokewood Entertainment, bought the property, a tiara’s toss or two from Bella Vista, the sprawling estate of polo playing hotel […]
As its 75th anniversary season winds down, the Music Academy’s Academy Festival Orchestra under conductor Stéphane Denève was in fine form at the Granada. The entertaining concert featured Ravel’s masterpiece “Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2” and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3.” Frenchman Denève, music director of the St. Louis Symphony and the Brussels Philharmonic, was […]
Pedro Paz has been named executive director of the Santa Barbara Education Foundation. Paz joins the organization after working for the Santa Barbara Foundation as Director of Policy and External Affairs, and First 5 in Santa Barbara and Merced counties. Raised in our Eden by the Beach and attending Dos Pueblos High, he holds a […]
Longtime team member Juli Askew has been promoted to development manager of the Santa Barbara Symphony. Askew, who has been in charge of special events, will oversee critical donor appeals and seven distinct events celebrating the symphony’s 70th anniversary. A native of our Eden by the Beach, Askew is a seasoned development professional with expertise […]
Fiesta fever was palpable when the Santa Barbara Historical Museum hosted its La Fiesta del Museo, chaired by Sharon Bradford, for the first time in two years with 300 traditionally garbed guests helping raise 10% of the popular institution’s annual budget. A colorful variety of musical acts kept the fiesta fans entertained including Juan Zaragoza […]
