Old Spanish Days has chosen its latest Saint Barbara, a tradition dating back to 1926. This year’s halo wearer is Julie Romero Hathaway, a three-year member of the Native Daughters of the Golden West Reina Del Mar Parlor No. 126, whose mother held the coveted title in 1946. She is a graduate of Carpinteria High […]
Bellosguardo – magnificent estate of the late reclusive tycoon Huguette Clark – and the Santa Barbara Symphony staged a landmark cultural event on July 4; the first ever outdoor Independence Day concert at the East Beach aerie. The sold-out event attracted more than 700 guests to the 90-minute performance on the estate’s seaside lawn overlooking […]
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After 23 years on the board of the Granada, philanthropist Sarah Chrisman – wife of fellow philanthropist Roger Chrisman – is retiring and was honored at a reception of the Birnam Wood home of fellow board member Leslie and Harrison Bains for 60 guests. “Sarah’s work has been important and inspiring,” said Caren Rager, the […]
Pamela Gann, a legal scholar and former college administrator with broad experience in higher education, public affairs, and international relations, has been elected chair of the board of directors for the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. Gann studied mathematics as an undergraduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before earning a law […]
Meghan Markle’s As Ever rosé wine went on sale last week and is already sold out. Customers are able to buy three bottles for $90, six for $159 and 12 for $300. It is made by Fairwinds Estates, a California vineyard that creates wines for celebrity labels, according to the tabloid, London’s Daily Mail. This […]
James Daniel Simmons, known as Jay to most, passed away peacefully on July 5, 2025, at the age of 57 after his short battle of liver and kidney disease. Born and raised in Oxnard, California, Jay was a proud graduate of Rio Mesa High School, class of 1986. Jay was a devoted husband to his […]
Society Invites is most pleased to report that Rona Barrett is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her foundation to help seniors. Founded in 2000, the Rona Barrett Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide affordable and dignified housing and care for seniors aged 62 and older. With that, she established first the […]
To polo playing billionaire Tom Barrack’s Happy Canyon Vineyard for the 13th annual Santa Ynez Valley Polo Classic benefitting local charity People Helping People with 300 guests helping raise more than $25,000. The energized equestrian bash, co-chaired by T.J. Barrack and Sean and Jodi Pitts, consisted of two matches – female and male – and […]
Prince Harry says wife Meghan Markle was “the most trolled person in the world” during a surprise appearance at a New York conference. The Duke of Sussex was speaking at the Nexus Global Summit in the Big Apple in front of 350 next-generation philanthropists, social entrepreneurs, artist, and impact leaders, according to the Archewell Foundation’s […]
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Following a rigorous national search, Meghan Bush has been appointed the Miller McCune Executive Director of UCSB Arts & Lectures effective immediately. Bush brings two decades of dedicated service to A&L and a proven record of creative leadership, operational excellence, and deep commitment to the role of arts in public life. In accepting the new […]
Our family and community lost a wonderful human being on March 22, 2025. Thelma Fraley Mead, just three weeks shy of 102, was born on April 13, 1923, in Ashland, Oregon, and lived for 68 years in Santa Barbara. She grew up in Alameda, California, attended Pasadena College for two years, and graduated from UC […]
To the Ritz-Carlton Bacara for a pre-opening bash for its new oceanside eatery Marisella, which replaces Angel Oak. Chef and partner Danny Grant of Chicago’s Maple Hospitality Group calls the establishment, which opens this week, one that “creates dining experiences.” The company also has restaurants in Miami, Florida, and Dallas, Texas. Grant says his menu […]
Lee Stanton’s Upper Village antiques emporium, Private Stash, a tiara’s toss from Maison K, was jamming with bibliophiles for the launch of a new Rizzoli 256-page coffee table tome Santa Barbara: At Home in Paradise by L.A. author Douglas Woods with lavish photographs from Matt Walla. Woods, who has written myriad works including The California […]
As the season nears its end, social gadabout Rebecca Brand hosted one of her last dinner party art classes at the Middle Road estate of Jim Melillo, the site of the first Santa Barbara Polo Club. The colorful bashes held every month, accompanied by delicious gourmet-style food, attract an eclectic crowd with guests at the […]
