After 31 years of loving what she did, the Montecito YMCA Preschool Director Annie Fischer retired at the end of the school year. She was lauded for her steadfast teaching legacy of children and helping their parents at her retirement party on Wednesday, July 26, held at the outdoor playground area of the Y. The […]
Our tony town’s annual Fiesta fest kicked off at a sold-out La Recepción del Presidente for 300 guests when 17 past presidents with current president David Bolton filled the historic Santa Barbara Club – where in 1924 the idea for Old Spanish Days began. Eight members of the club have served as El Presidente, including […]
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The final weeks of the Music Academy’s 76th annual Summer Festival have been the icing on the classical cake! Principal players with the London Symphony Orchestra showed their prowess at Lehmann Hall when they performed chamber works by Britten, Villa-Lobos, Perivolaris, Salzedo, Hahn, and Haydn with flutist Gareth Davies, cellist David Cohen, violinist Clare Duckworth, […]
Heidi Holly, executive director of the Friendship Center in Montecito and Goleta, has retired after 38 years, and 120 friends and supporters gathered at a fun-filled farewell bash at Brass Bear Brewing Uptown to give her a rousing sendoff. Kathryn Cherkas, Heidi’s successor who worked as a program director of the organization as well as […]
Fiesta fever was palpable when Montecito Bank & Trust hosted its annual Viva La Fiesta bash in the picturesque courtyard of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. More than 250 colorfully costumed guests noshed on tacos, burritos, and all food Spanish as the Spirit of Fiesta Jack Harwood, son of museum director Dacia Harwood, and Junior […]
Adam’s Angels founder Adam McKaig and fellow realtor Melissa Borders have been sole searching! The dynamic duo have just received 200 pairs of new shoes from Deckers, the fashion, lifestyle, and performance brand in Goleta. Adam tells me the footwear will be distributed to homeless recipients, along with young adults transitioning out of foster care. […]
Amada Cruz has been appointed the new Robert and Mercedes Eichholz director and CEO of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, succeeding Larry Feinberg, who is retiring in November after 15 years at the helm. “We are grateful to the more than 100 stakeholders, including members of the community, employees, trustees, and donors who participated […]
Valerie Banks, the dynamic force behind the Dream Foundation’s Flower Empower program, is retiring after nearly 15 years. Since assuming leadership in 2008, Valerie has grown the popular program from humble beginnings at Santa Barbara’s Saturday Farmers Market, forging partnerships with local growers and flower wholesalers, while rallying dozens of volunteers. Today the enthusiastic helpers […]
Storyteller Event Committee Co-Chair Kelly Finefrock – who has supported several fashion pop-ups in Montecito – offers her tips for ‘80s gala fashion. Hair: the bigger, the better. Don’t be afraid of hairspray. Side parts, bold bang waves, and foam-roller curls (brushed out and sprayed) are what it’s all about. Fortunately, today’s hairspray is less […]
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The Santa Barbara Historical Museum (SBHM) held its annual La Fiesta del Museo fundraiser on July 22, in the museum’s outside courtyard, which was elegantly decorated with wrought iron chandeliers, Arabic lanterns, velvet table linens, and fresh flowers. The event drew more than 300 guests in classic fiesta attire, with women in elaborate Spanish flamenco […]
It wasn’t quite Tin Pan Alley, but the Music Academy’s latest chamber night at Lehmann Hall as the 76th annual Summer Festival winds down was pretty novel when a talented quartet played Bay Area composer Gabriella Smith’s work “Anthozoa.” Inspired by a diving trip to French Polynesia, Smith, 31, used two baking tins and even […]
A bountiful bevy of parasol-carrying anthophiles and phytologists turned out for Lotusland’s sun-soaked sold-out annual fundraiser gala with 500 guests raising a hefty $800,000 towards sustainability and plant conservation programming. The fun fête at the 37-acre botanical paradise dubbed Lotusland Celebrates: Where the Wild Things Grow, organized by Merryl Brown Events and designed by Mary […]
Social gridlock reigned at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum when it hosted its annual La Fiesta del Museo for 220 guests raising around $100,000 for the popular institution with all tickets selling out in two hours. Ubiquitous KEYT-TV reporter John Palminteri emceed the bustling bash and conducted the auction, with an etching by cowboy artist […]
A profusion of creative and colorful tony tête toppers packed the stands at the Santa Barbara Polo Club for the annual Ladies Day. As usual, I had the difficult job of judging the mélange of magnificent millinery, having learned my “craft” donning my top hat and tails attending the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot races […]






