Mr. Green Goes to Sacramento
By Jeff Wing   |   October 24, 2023

Local Nonprofit Lion Moves to the Heart of Service Geoff Green smiles a lot in conversation, and he’s smiling now. This is not the tactical smile produced through gnashed teeth (you know the one), but a genuine show of pleasure in the moment. This can be disorienting to the part-time social cynic. Or so I’ve […]

A Totally Tubular Time
By Richard Mineards   |   October 17, 2023

It wasn’t quite Dr. Who and there was not a Tardis to be seen, but the Storyteller Children’s Center celebrated its 35th anniversary with a Totally Awesome ‘80s Gala in the Hilton Rotunda, with the 270 suitably garbed guests raising $327,000 for the therapeutic preschool that provides high-quality early childhood education for youngsters facing adverse […]

 

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CAMA-ing to an End
By Richard Mineards   |   October 17, 2023

Retired lawyer Robert (Bob) Montgomery, probably the longest serving president in the Community Arts Music Association’s 106-year history, received the organization’s top Bravo! Award for his extraordinary service at a packed dinner of 70 guests at the Birnam Wood clubhouse. Fittingly enough, it was presented by former award winner Deborah Bertling, immediate past president of […]

Sun, Bread & Roses
By Richard Mineards   |   October 17, 2023

Oenophiles and gourmands were out in force when the Fund for Santa Barbara hosted its 30th annual Bread & Roses event for 520 guests at Elings Park after many years at the QAD headquarters in Summerland. The bountiful bash, co-hosted by Eric Cardenas and Julia Hamilton, raised more than $200,000 for the 43-year-old charity that […]

A Plein Air Affair
By Richard Mineards   |   October 17, 2023

Peripatetic accountant Frank McGinity opened the gates of his charming historic Riven Rock estate for An Artful Affair for 135 guests and organized by the Art Foundation of Santa Barbara. Nine local artists – Ralph Waterhouse, Chris Chapman, John Iwerks, Danuta Bennett, Chris Potter, Ann Sanders, Patricia Post, Ray Hunter, and Andrea Anderson – and […]

History al Dente
By Richard Mineards   |   October 17, 2023

Fittingly enough, a variety of spaghetti was on the menu when local historian and Noozhawk scribe Erin Graffy spoke to members of the Montecito Bank & Trust’s MClub about our Eden by the Beach’s rich Italian heritage, which started from the Piedmont region in the late 19th century. The influx continued from the Veneto region […]

Thanks to ETC
By Richard Mineards   |   October 17, 2023

Just in time for the holiday, Ensemble Theatre Company presents its first play of the new season, the Broadway hit The Thanksgiving Play, written by Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse and directed by Brian McDonald. Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in the wickedly funny satire as a troupe of terminally “woke” teaching artists scramble […]

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  • A Mission to Paint
    By Richard Mineards   |   October 17, 2023

    Social gridlock reigned at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum when it opened its latest exhibition California Missions by English artist Edwin Deakin. From 1769 to 1833, the Franciscan Order established 21 missions in Alta California stretching from San Diego to Sonoma, with the primary purpose to convert the indigenous peoples to Roman Catholicism while at […]

    MOXI’s Annual Gala Fundraiser
    By Joanne A Calitri   |   October 10, 2023

    MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, held its Annual MOXI@Night fundraising gala at the museum on Saturday, September 30. The theme this year was “A Celebration of Sound + Light,” utilizing both throughout the museum with multi-genre live music and light show entertainment experiences. Funds raised are dedicated to the museum’s STEAM education […]

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    A Rawr-ing Good Night
    By Richard Mineards   |   October 10, 2023

    Party guests at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network gala got an early taste of Halloween with its theme Wild Night Out: Nocturnal. Many of the 225 party animals dressed as Dracula or sported bat wings at the beastly bash at the historic Santa Barbara Club that raised around $150,000 for the popular 35-year-old nonprofit, […]

    A Beautiful Bash
    By Richard Mineards   |   October 10, 2023

    Former award-winning opera performer Joan Rutkowski certainly had a lot to sing about when she won the Jacaranda Award for Community Service at the 59th annual Santa Barbara Beautiful bash, chaired by Marcella Simmons, at the Music Academy. Fittingly enough, Joan, who moved to our rarefied enclave in 1968 with her late cellist husband, Geoffrey, […]

    Gala Goes Green
    By Richard Mineards   |   October 10, 2023

    Santa Barbara’s Community Environmental Council hosted its annual Green Gala for more than 200 guests at its new 10,000-square-foot Environmental Hub on State Street, just a tiara’s toss from the Granada Theatre. The handsome property, formerly the home of the Unity Shoppe, underwent a major $3.5 million renovation, with the boffo bash, which brings together […]

    Opera ‘Carmen’ at You
    By Richard Mineards   |   October 10, 2023

    Opera Santa Barbara kicked off its 30th season on a particularly high note at the Granada when it staged Bizet’s 1875 masterpiece Carmen, the first time in seven years. The hugely entertaining three-hour, four-act show with Kostis Protopapas, general director, conducting, featured mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino, a Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition, in […]

    For the Love of Literacy
    By Richard Mineards   |   October 10, 2023

    Santa Barbara Education Foundation hosted its annual Love of Literacy lunch at the Rockwood Woman’s Club with a sold-out crowd of 200 raising more than $49,000 for the cause. The bibliophile bash, chaired by Tisha Ford, featured prolific author Thomas Sanchez, 79, a descendant of Spanish immigrants and Portuguese cattlemen, who has lived in Paris, […]

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