It was a welcome sight, two years in the making: the usual crowd of Montecito locals gathered this past Saturday to trim the giant tree near the Manning Park tennis courts on San Ysidro Road. The tradition took a hiatus last year because of the pandemic; the tree was trimmed quietly by a skeletal crew […]
Christmas would appear to have arrived early! Mega restaurateur Sherry Villanueva, who owns The Lark and La Paloma Cafe through her Acme Hospitality group, among many other eateries, has worked a Yuletide “miracle” at Pearl Social, which normally serves as a Funk Zone cocktail and music bar. Described as “a kitschy Christmas experience” that will […]
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The venerable Granada Theatre has officially unveiled Plaza Granada, a new $2 million pathway to the historic arts district in downtown Santa Barbara. “It took more than 10 years to complete,” says Montecito’s Palmer Jackson, the Granada’s executive chairman. “It is a meticulously planned project. It was the dream of the late Michael Towbes and […]
After premiering at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2014, the documentary Lutah – A Passion For Architecture: A Life In Design aired at the Lobero, fittingly a building she conceived, to raise funds for a George Washington Smith pavilion restoration project at Lotusland, the 37-acre Montecito botanical garden owned by opera star Ganna […]
Condor Express owner Hiroko Benko made sure everyone had a whale of a time when she hosted a sunset cruise for her good friend Dolores Johnson, organizer of the Montecito Motor Classic at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, which attracted more than 200 exotic and luxury cars. “It was a truly wonderful event,” gushed Hiroko, […]
There were decidedly fishy goings on at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum when it reopened its exhibit, “Mermaids: Visualizing the Myths and Legends – Photography by Ralph A. Clevenger & Friends,” part of an underwater photography course he taught at Brooks Institute for 33 years. The colorful show, which features 16 images on canvas, was […]
Jackie Waddill, who has served Dream Foundation recipients, their families, and the organization’s family of supporters for the last 23 years, has announced her retirement. “In my career with the foundation I’ve seen the delight and pure joy a final dream can bring,” says Jackie. “I’ve felt the short distance between hello and goodbye. I […]
Competition is so fierce to get the new black badge Rolls-Royce Ghost that one owner in La Jolla paid more than $60,000 over the list price of $400,000, I’m reliably informed. My trusty shutterbug Priscilla and I were invited to O’Gara Coach in Westlake to test drive the new 591 horsepower auto with Swiss car […]
Veteran travel writer Mary Tonetti Dorra has just published her double memoir, Two Lives on Four Continents. Mary, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Travel & Leisure, and Gourmet magazine, celebrated the occasion with a boffo bash at the Granada penthouse of Dan and Meg Burnham. “I’m a Texas girl who happened […]
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Montecito professional skateboarder Sean Bolis, 37, has inadvertently found himself one of America’s top “influencers” garnering an amazing 86 million responses on TikTok, the video sharing social networking service, over the last 60 days. Sean, who attended San Marcos High School and studied business-marketing at Santa Barbara City College, attains similar multi-million figures on YouTube […]
Just a couple of weeks after launching its new season with mariachi opera Cruzar la Cara de la Luna at the Granada, the singers, accompanied by talented dancers from the State Street Ballet and the Opera Santa Barbara Orchestra under artistic director Kostis Protopapas, were at the top of their game with a delightful double […]
Gourmands and oenophiles were out in force when the Fund for Santa Barbara hosted its 28th Annual Bread and Roses event for 500 guests at Elings Park, a new venue after years at the QAD headquarters in Summerland. The bountiful bash, co-chaired by Gloria Soto and David Moore, raised $165,000 for the 41-year-old nonprofit that […]
Enterprising sisters, Malia Christensen and Makena McGinley, who lives in San Luis Obispo, used the enforced downtime cause by the pandemic to launch their own business, the charmingly named Petite Fleet, which consists of a converted horse trailer and two vintage mail cars. “We love events and everything they entail,” says Santa Barbara-based Malia. “Planning, […]
Montecito über philanthropist Sara Miller McCune certainly knows how to celebrate! For her 80th birthday Sara, a longtime fan of New York’s Great White Way, underwrote the costs of Kismet, which opened on Broadway in 1953 and the following year won a Tony Award for best musical. “Over the years, the music and the words […]
