After going through hundreds of entries—too many to count—submitted to our annual 55 Fiction contest from all over the world, the winners are in. On-staff judges narrowed the publishable down to almost two dozen tales with characters, a beginning, middle, and end, often with a twist and some death thrown in there. We’re already taking entries for next year’s contest if you think you can write a better plot in 55 words or less. We accept entries year-round. Take a gander before you get out your pen and find a dark corner to be creative in [8]
Also, read about Buellton’s attempt to turn long-term residences back into short-term ones [4]; stories of foster care in Santa Ynez [22]; and what Clementine Carter Wines
pouring on Bell Street [25]
We’ve only begun spreading the word over the past year, ’s membership program has enabled readers like you to support our journalism since 2020. It’s about time we raised our voices: We want to grow our member base—and we’d love for you to join!
•Retired U.S. Navy commander and California District 24 candidate for congress Bob Smith issued a statement on July 15 regarding the July 10 ICE raids at Glass House Farms sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo. Smith credited reports from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with info on the raids he summarized. While executing federal warrants at the two sites, agents rescued “14 trafficked minors from Mexico and Honduras from potential forced labor, exploitation, and trafficking amid a crisis of over 300,000 missing border children,” Smith wrote. He added that California law prohibits people under age 21 from cannabis work. He also wrote that U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) visited the Carpinteria raid site on July 10 “not to demand answers about the exploited minors, but to ‘inspect’ and ‘criticize’ agents,” while “effectively shielding a major donor facing scrutiny for potential child trafficking and labor issues.” “Rather than supporting law enforcement or the victims, my opponent, Congressman Salud Carbajal, defended the farm, overlooking child labor exploitation. Glass House Farms’ leadership contributed $8,800 directly to him from President Graham Farrar, whose farm is now under federal criminal investigation for child labor violations,” Smith wrote. “ICE reports Carbajal participated in a violent mob that obstructed justice, even doxxing an agent by sharing his business card with rioters who left the officer bloodied from thrown rocks.” In a July 14 statement, Carbajal described DHS and ICE’s reports on the Carpinteria raid as inaccurate and misleading. “DHS and ICE conducted their raid using a disturbing and disproportionate level of force, both on the farmworkers they were targeting and the peaceful protesters who gathered to defend their neighbors. … Claims of ‘doxxing’ and ‘violent mobs’ are attempts to deflect attention from their unjust tactics,” Carbajal stated. “I witnessed agents, in full military gear, fire smoke canisters and other projectiles into a crowd of peaceful civilians. Just before I arrived at the scene, witnesses told me the agents threw a stun grenade into the crowd. Several civilians were injured, including a child. … I went to the scene to seek answers and represent my constituents. In response to my questions, an ICE Public Affairs Specialist voluntarily gave me his card in full public view of the dozens of TV cameras, reporters, and livestreaming smartphones that were around us to film the interaction.”
•U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) recently criticized President Donald Trump ’s $9 billion rescissions package to revoke congressionally appropriated funding for public broadcasting and foreign aid. “On the heels of giving away $4.5 trillion in tax breaks to corporations and billionaires, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are now claiming we can’t afford essential public broadcasting services and important foreign aid programs,” Padilla said in a July 17 statement. “Republicans’ cuts to public broadcasting will put lives at risk by undermining the last line for lifesaving emergency alerts in so many communities across the country, just days after the devastating floods in Texas. At the same time, their cuts to foreign aid will end low-cost, high-impact programs while undermining U.S. national security, creating a vacuum in global leadership that China and Russia are more than happy to fill.” Padilla described the rescinded funds as negotiated and approved in a good-faith and bipartisan manner. “By breaking those commitments, Republicans have made it exponentially harder for themselves to seek and secure the support they’ll need from Democrats to fund the government later this year,” Padilla stated. m
Lompoc dissects new arrangements with chamber, TBID
Local artists, educators, and business owners were among the 40-plus public speakers who protested the Lompoc City Council’s initial decision to cut the Chamber of Commerce’s annual budget down from $108,000 to $60,000 in late June.
Their efforts swayed the council to maintain the former allocation, via a newly revised contract that became the focal point of a recent meeting with far more shoulder room than the June 17 hearing.
At the council’s July 15 meeting, nobody stepped forward to speak during public comment about the city staff’s proposed contract with the chamber for fiscal years 2025-27.
City officials however had a lot to say about the contract, which Councilmember Steve Bridge described as impossible for the chamber to comply with at the $108,000 threshold.
“I’m not suggesting that they’re not performing. I’m suggesting that we’re establishing clauses on this contract that they won’t perform,” Bridge said. “I don’t think it’s fair to put the chamber on a contract that they can’t perform, … and I don’t think we should set anyone in this city up to fail.”
Bridge argued that the contract’s scope was more appropriate for a $200,000 budget, which warranted alterations to match the $108,000 allocation, he suggested. Tourism promotion, for example, was an easy focus area to cut since it duplicates services other agencies already handle, Bridge said.
“At the end of this meeting, we’re going to discuss an organization that has $1 million in reserve for tourism promotion,” Bridge said, referring to the Lompoc Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID), also known as Explore Lompoc or Visit Lompoc LLC.
“We’re spending money on things that other people are doing and that just doesn’t make sense to me,” Bridge continued. “I think Explore Lompoc is much better equipped for doing tourism promotion.”
During a separate discussion later in the meeting, the council reviewed the TBID’s annual report for 2025, which described some of the agency’s sales and marketing initiatives: digital marketing, print advertising, social media engagement, media and influencer relations, promotional materials, and more.
The report also said that the TBID has $980,948 in reserve.
“I don’t believe this [TBID] was formulated for the group to accumulate such a large amount of revenue,” Mayor Jim Mosby said at the hearing. “That’s a lot of money sitting there that was collected to do something, and I don’t think it
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was collected to sit in a money market account or wherever it might be. … [The council] didn’t say, ‘Hey build a huge war chest and the money sits there.’”
In March 2024, a Santa Barbara County grand jury investigation targeted Lompoc’s TBID and found fault with its accounting practices. The jury asked Lompoc to establish a better system of checks and balances to monitor the TBID, which city staff refuted a couple of months after the report.
During the council’s July 15 review of the TBID’s 2025 report, Mayor Mosby asked staff to clarify some details about the city’s current contract with the agency and which financial info is available to the council without the need of a formal audit.
The current contract allows “the city to request pretty much any kind of financial information, receipts, expenditures, all the vendors that they use and give money to,” City Attorney Jeff Malawy told the council. “The city has the right to request that at any time from Visit Lompoc.”
Mosby then motioned for city staff to collect the TBID’s receipts and other records from the past five years.
“I’m not asking for anything greater than what’s already in the contract,” Mosby said. “They’ve been saying that, ‘Hey, we’ll give it to you if somebody asks for it.’ … I think what really needs to happen is, for the sake of transparency, we need to look at this.”
Mosby’s motion passed 5-0, while Bridge’s motion for city staff to work with the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce on altering its proposed service agreement and return with a new contract passed 4-1 (Councilmember Jeremy Ball dissented).
“If they can tighten up with clarity what they can perform and deliver right now, I’m hopeful that you remain open to being agreeable to some finish line that keeps them open and funded,” Ball told Bridge before the vote. “That’s fine to say that tourism shouldn’t be included. I hear you. But they still get a lot of organic requests and calls about tourism-related things that they don’t necessarily just pass them off to the TBID.”
—Caleb Wiseblood
area as a commercial corridor, which is outlined in the Avenue of Flags specific plan.
Between 10 and 20 years ago, “those motel uses were transitioned in violation of our municipal code into these long-term residential uses,” Wolfe explained at the Buellton Planning Commission’s July 17 meeting.
“Somewhere along the line after that, the state through legislative means and administrative interpretations of those pieces of legislation have deemed those long-term residential uses to be permanent residential uses and therefore protected under law,” Wolfe told the commission, before introducing a draft ordinance that aims to revert motels on Avenue of Flags back to short-term lodging without breaking state or local housing laws.
One piece of the ordinance allows current long-term residents of the affected motels to remain living in their units as long as they register on waitlists for any of three Buellton developments with affordable housing: the existing Pollo Village Project or the incoming Village Senior Apartments or Buellton Garden Apartments projects, both of which are currently in construction.
“Those units will probably open in late spring, early summer of 2026,” Wolfe said, referring to the projects in development. “[Those waitlisted] would be allowed to remain in their existing units until that point.”
However, long-term residents of Avenue of Flags motels who don’t qualify for affordable housing or those who choose not to apply would need to find alternative housing if the ordinance gets adopted, Wolfe said.
In those cases, “the owners of the motel units would be on the hook for things like relocation assistance,” Wolfe explained, “and there’s other possible renter assistance programs that they as landlords would need to undertake.”
After Wolfe’s presentation, Planning Commissioner Shannon Reese asked if staff could add leniency for long-term motel residents who end up qualifying for waitlists tied to affordable housing projects outside of Buellton’s city limits.
Wolfe recommended that the commission attach a six-month time limit to that revision, to avoid situations where applicants qualify for projects that are more than a year from their openings to occupants.
Reese agreed. She seconded Planning Commissioner Marcilo Sarquilla’s motion to send the ordinance forward to the City Council with the commission’s recommendation. It passed 3-0 (Planning Commissioner Kasey Kump was absent).
“It really does make sense to do this on a systemic level to get these people into permanent housing,” Reese said. “It makes sense to me.” —Caleb Wiseblood
County supervisors amend zoning to protect senior mobile home parks
Almost 7,000 seniors populate housing authority waitlists for affordable senior housing in Santa Barbara County.
Buellton
drafts motel reversion ordinance to help ‘revitalize’ Avenue
of Flags
Some motels along Buellton’s Avenue of Flags gradually evolved into offering long-term housing without city permission over the past two decades, City Manager Scott Wolfe recently told the Planning Commission.
Wolfe also described the motel conversion trend as contradicting the city’s vision for the
“In the face of such high demand, the preservation of existing affordable housing, including mobile home parks, is clearly important,” county planner Lila Spring said at the July 15 Board of Supervisors meeting. “However, the county lacks regulations to prevent the conversion of senior mobile home parks.”
But by the end of the meeting, that was no longer the case.
Supervisors passed zoning ordinance amendments to preserve existing mobile home parks in the unincorporated areas of the county and prevent the conversion of senior mobile home parks to all-ages parks. The move impacts 11 senior mobile home parks and eight mobile
LOMPOC RECORDS: Lompoc Mayor Jim Mosby’s motion at the July 15 City Council meeting, for city staff to collect all the receipts and other expense records tied to the Lompoc Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) over the course of the past five years, passed 5-0.
home parks in the county, including Del Cielo Mobile Estates, a longtime senior park in Orcutt that changed ownership in 2024 and has pushed to become an all-ages park.
New Del Cielo management, Harmony Communities, and longtime park residents have been at odds over the conversion push, and county supervisors passed an urgency ordinance banning those kinds of conversions last October, later extending it for a year until the county could come up with a more permanent level of protection. Del Cielo’s owners sued the county over that decision last year, and the suit is ongoing.
I am less hopeful for Del Cielo under the ownership of Harmony Communities. Harmony Communities has deliberately ignored the moratorium that was put into place by this body.”
Instead, management is putting the word out to real estate agents that park home sales should be labeled for all ages, instead of for seniors, Halter said. He added that senior residents in the park are often denied access to the clubhouse, where historically the park community has gathered for exercise, bingo, and coffee.
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In May the county Planning Commission voted to recommend the proposed ordinance changes, which include a senior mobile home park overlay in areas of the county where those senior parks already exist, to the Board of Supervisors.
“The overlay is intended to promote the use of mobile homes as an accessible housing option,” Smith told supervisors.
As part of the changes, the county will require 80 percent of the sites in senior mobile home parks be occupied by a resident who’s 55 years old or older and that the mobile home be that resident’s primary residence. Enforcement, Planning and Development Director Lisa Plowman said, will be complaint-based.
“We would investigate that and work with them to determine if there was a violation and then we would work with them to correct that violation,” she said.
Del Cielo resident Gary Halter thanked the board for moving so quickly on putting the protections in place
“Senior parks are very special places for our older population in a multitude of ways,” he said during public comment. “Unfortunately,
“I now watch my neighbors sell their homes, who just don’t want to live like this anymore, which only plays into Harmony’s hands. They are schoolyard bullies in suits,” Halter said. “Like bullies do, they look for weaknesses, emotion, that moment when we flinch so they can pounce.”
Nick Ubaldi, the regional property manager for Harmony, told the Board of Supervisors that the property management company continues to believe that Del Cielo is an all-ages park and that it was illegally operating as a senior park.
“For the record, this ordinance is unfair to families looking for housing within the county,” Ubaldi said during public comment. “Legally, Del Cielo has always been an all-ages park. All the park did recently was update the rules to reflect this reality.”
Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino pushed back on Ubaldi.
“The owners’ position, honestly, of claiming that we are discriminating against poor families, when he’s got 80-year-olds sitting next to him asking for protection, just baffles me,” Lavagnino said. “It just seems a little strange.”
Supervisors passed the amendments 4-0. Fourth District Supervisor Bob Nelson recused himself due to what he said was a recently inherited mobile home. m
—Camillia Lanham
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The winning stories from our annual 55 Fiction contest
Surprise! It’s the culmination of this year’s 55 Fiction contest! And much like the endings of the stories that people send us, the stories are always a shock—well not always, but mostly. We’ve got love, war, murder, politics, twists, and more for you in this year’s collection of printable pieces. Our judges sifted through hundreds of entries from all around the world to come up with the almost two dozen finalists that we’re publishing in this issue. Each tells its story in 55 words or less—complete with characters, a plot, a beginning, a middle, and end. But, as with every contest, you’re the final judge. Happy reading!
—Camillia Lanham
Blue jay
He showed up early. Blue suit, no tie. Didn’t knock, helped himself to the sunflower seeds, stared at me like I owed him rent. I had to admire the confidence.
“Where’s the fridge?” he asked.
“Over there.”
He stole a tin of caviar and flew off. California scrub jay. Total menace. James Lowe Morro Bay
Cold plastiC
“What is it?”
I almost didn’t recognize it at first. We hadn’t seen one for so long.
Wyatt picks it up and wipes the sand off its ripped label.
“It’s cold.”
He tosses it to Trevor.
“What’s inside?”
I take it from him and crack the cap off.
“We used to call this water.”
Aaron Izek Burbank, California
license plates
His license plate theory was confirmed. After seeing LEK and PBR license plates, he avoided costly water damage by calling the plumber. Easy money, he thought, when he spotted LTR and MNY. He immediately bought 100 lottery tickets. Glee turned to dread at the mailbox. A LeTteR from the attorney. A demand for more aliMoNY.
Renne Gardner San Luis Obispo
the beast
Panic sets in; sweat drops fall on the side of my face. My legs are aching but will not stop. My chest tightens, gasping for breath. Continuing to run for my life as this vicious beast chases me down.
“Sir! I caught her. You don’t need to run anymore!” he shouts holding a chihuahua.
Kim Toniutti Fair Lawn High School, New Jersey
‘holy ship!’
Nonstop rain added a hazy gray to the endless, roiling blue of the ocean.
The ship’s captain, barely able to keep his passengers from killing each other in a hunger-induced frenzy, cried out to the sky for help.
As if in answer, his first mate shouted, “Noah, darling, look! The dove is returning.”
Mitchell Hoffman League City, Texas
Contains: milk, eggs, soy, CoConut, and freedom
Blackshirts apprehended the couple. Handcuffs cut into aging flesh.
“We gotta tip about your anti-American activity. Come with us.”
“What tip? Can we at least take our grocery bag? The mint chip’s melting.”
“Don’t try to resist. Hand over the bag! It’s evidence you support that traitor Biden!” The bag said Trader Joe’s.
Diane Smith Arroyo Grande
Foggy vision
I was staring at a remarkable image, similar to gazing at the universe through a planetarium telescope on a clear night. Large and small dots everywhere, spectacular nebular fog in the background. Suddenly a door opens, doctor speaks. “It’s not the universe, unfortunately. It’s your MRI results.” I was just then diagnosed with breast cancer.
Pamela Justin San Ramon, California
Breaking news
The TV crackles, a chorus of voices exploding from the small box, her eyes are glued to the screen.
“A killer is on the loose … crazed eyes … last seen near Wall Street … ”
But if she would look up from the television, and look out the window, she’d see those crazed eyes in her reflection.
Madison Anderson Delafield, Wisconsin
ARTWORK BY LENI LITONJUA
Get a hobby
People are so stupid. I was shopping at Joann’s, taking advantage of their massive going-out-of-business sale. Unbelievably, some people were crying! I’m like, get over it! Honestly, such ridiculous drama. The world’s on fire, and they’re crying over a store closing.
OK, it was me. I was crying.
nostalgia
“Movies, music, sports, politics, traffic: name one thing that’s better today than it was 30 years ago?” lamented the jaded diner waitress as she took one of her regulars’ lunch order.
“How’s the chicken-fried steak today?”
“Better than ever,” she boasted.
Diane Smith Arroyo Grande
Who to ask to the prom?
I sit in the cafeteria wondering who I should ask to the prom. I have History with Mary, but I have Chemistry with Jane. No way I ask Margaret, all the Drama we share every day. Debbie’s cool, but she’s into Art. Must decide soon. Just wish I had the nerve to ask Polly (sigh).
Tom Corona Los Osos
that’s what she said
“What happened?”
“She killed herself. She felt guilty about having an affair with you. She told me everything, and about the others.”
“Others?”
“You thought you were the only one? That’s so cute.”
“You need to call the police.”
“I will. After you kill yourself.”
“I’m not going to kill myself.”
“That’s what she said.”
Charles West Fresno
War
The days had been long, hot, and dry. The army quickly organized and arrived. At this point, their purpose was simply provisions, water, and relief. They marched with resolve, numbering in the thousands, blackening the horizon, quite the imposing sight. Anxiety swiftly crept over me. Looking down at my list, I carefully added “ant traps.”
Tina Niebuhr San Luis Obispo
Man in back
The pulled the plug on Bill at the 11th hour. At his funeral, many wept openly. One man in back could only smile. Later on at the tavern, the stranger ordered his final martini before disappearing into the night. Next morning, headlines declared: “Man vanishes without a trace.” In other words, Death drinks to forget. Benjamin Welles San Luis Obispo
Colin Jones San Luis Obispo
a soldier’s aMmo box, an artist’s craft
Once it held bullets, stacked for war, rattling across Europe in a soldier’s Jeep. Now, decades later, it rests quietly in a sunlit studio. Inside: watercolors, soft brushes, rags.
A young artist lifts the lid, unaware of its past. The box, once thunder, now explodes with color—war reborn as peace, rage transformed into beauty.
Robert J. Schmoldt San Luis Obispo
d-day
The amphibious landing craft approached the beach, which was littered with barricades and barbed wire. The Allied troops prepared their assault.
“Remember our mission,” the lieutenant shouted. “We are here to liberate a nation of people from the tyranny of a fascist regime.”
The bow ramp dropped, and the German soldiers stormed onto American soil.
Mark Turner San Luis Obispo
a hard-boiled story
I sized her up as a good egg looking to get laid. After a few laughs at the hotel bar, she followed me upstairs. I flipped her over, easy on the bed. She whipped out a gat. Scrambling, I knocked it away.
“Start talkin’ sister.”
She folded like an omelet. “Benedict Frittata sent me … ”
Tom Corona Los Osos
War
I tear across the battlefield, praying I don’t get hit on my way to better cover. I hear explosions all around me, my ears ringing. Gunshots whiz past me, hitting my fellow soldiers. I listen to their screams. Then it hits me. In my final moments I hear, “Respawn on me bro, I’ve got cover.”
Eli Neuman Sussex, Wisconsin
a good connection
No problem if I show up early. No problem if I show up late. No problem if I don’t show up at all. I have abandoned you many times, but you never leave me.
You are always there waiting for me without judgment.
My Zoom link.
Paul Hertig Los Angeles
eGg on his face
Humpty Trumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Trumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men—wait a minute, oh, that’s right, he fired all of them—couldn’t put Trumpty together again.
Poor old Humpty Trumpty. Barbara-Jo Osborne Morro Bay
endinG a life
Sam has been dissatisfied with his life. He hated school because it was boring and also despised his parents since they were strict with him. He was very stressed out. He bought a rope and made a knot to end his life, which he hated. Sam is ready to move out and become a cowboy.
Ririka Hatanaka Chigasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
QWertY
I sit quietly in typing class, q…w…e…r…t…y
I tremble as I type, q…w…e…r…t…y
“I’ve been struggling recently with-” q…w…e…r…t…y
I pause, choking back salty tears, q…w…e… r…t…y
“my mental health.” q…w…e…r…t…y
I pause once more, q…w…e…r…t…y
“I think I need help.” q…w…e…r…t…y
Sawyer West-Toebe Delafield, Wisconsin
Fashion forward
Lumina Alliance’s Lumina Days brings a fashion show that aims to help survivors of sexual and domestic violence
BY BULBUL RAJAGOPAL
Former San Luis Obispo County resident
Kimberly Victor’s nonprofit Fashion for a Purpose is set to be reborn in Nipomo as Lumina Days—a fashion show that ultimately helps survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence.
“This event has always been in South County,” Lumina Alliance Development Director Brandee Brown-Puett said. “We do have our transitional housing in Grover [Beach] and just to kind of build community connections in South County since our Lumina Nights has always been in North County.”
Lumina Days will make its debut on Oct. 4 at the Dana Adobe in Nipomo from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Table sponsorship and ticket sales will benefit the more than 2,000 people who turn to Lumina Alliance for help every year. In fiscal year 202425, the nonprofit received more than 2,000 calls to their crisis line and provided more than 17,000 services, according to Brown-Puett.
“Currently, we’re operating as if we’re going to lose half of our federal funding,” she said. “Just to keep our doors open, we’re having to raise an additional $1.7 million every year.”
That money supports the 24/7 crisis hotline, advocacy work, free trauma-informed therapy services, free emergency shelter services, transitional housing, and free prevention services conducted in schools.
Lumina Days is the daytime and sartorial counterpart to the Dancing with the Starsinspired Lumina Nights, which raised more than $500,000. Instead of local personalities cutting a rug, Lumina Days will feature fashionistas walking the runway.
Grover Beach Mayor Kassi Dee and SLO County 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg are poised to model looks curated by several South County boutiques. Brown-Puett told the Sun that Lumina Alliance is finalizing the businesses. Fourth District Supervisor Jimmy Paulding will serve as concierge.
“He will be pouring wine and taking care of our guests and doing all that for tips to benefit Lumina,” Brown-Puett said.
Lumina Days guests can also shop at Muse Markets, drink local wines, and enjoy
a catered lunch during the fashion show. Each ticket includes a Lumina Days shopping tote and an event-branded wine glass to take home and use as they taste local wines throughout the event.
With KZOZ-FM 93.3 Program Director and radio DJ Suzanne Schonig as the emcee, attendees will get to listen to stories narrated by a survivor.
Faced with a bleak funding future, Lumina Alliance—the only nonprofit in SLO County that serves sexual and intimate partner violence survivors—also hopes to raise more money through its Light the Way campaign.
It aims to raise $5 million over the next three years to keep Lumina Alliance running.
According to national data, 1 in 4 women experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Twenty-six percent of children are exposed to domestic violence.
“Based on these figures, that means potentially more than 35,000 women and nearly 13,000 children in our community have been impacted,” Brown-Puett said. “The campaign is a commitment to ensuring that no one in our community is forced to face violence alone.”
For more information on buying tickets or becoming a sponsor at event.auctria. com/7bfe4aa3-1da3-4dbb-9ef4-8920f45e12e5. Donations can be made to Lumina Alliance at luminaalliance.org.
Highlights
• The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department will host a family-friendly lineup of Western-themed activities for all ages during Day of the Cowboy at Los Flores Ranch Park, on Saturday, July 26, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event will include a special demonstration by Escaramuza Charras, an all-female equestrian group of skilled sidesaddle riders. Attendees can also look forward to face-painting, crafts, games, and more.
• The Land Conservancy of SLO County partnered with volunteer Chris Strodder to publish a book called The Official Field Guide to the Pismo Preserve. The handbook details the trails and corners of Pismo Preserve, while exploring the area’s history and noting the flora and fauna visitors could encounter. The book is available for $10 on Amazon. m
Reach New Times Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal, from the Sun’s sister paper, at brajagopal@newtimesslo.com.
EVER-EVOLVING: Lumina Alliance is addressing a possible loss in federal funding with a new fundraising event on Oct. 4 at the Dana Adobe in Nipomo called Lumina Days, where local figures will walk the runway.
Attention local singers, songwriters, musicians, & bands... Become a legendary New Times Music Award (NTMA) recipient!
Enter to win amazing prizes including a custom NTMA Newtie, your name/band name on all NTMA merch, and a performing spot at the New Times Music Awards and Showcase at SLO Brew Rock on Friday, November 21, 2025.
GENERAL RULES
Entries must be received between Thursday, July 24, 2025 and Monday, August 11, 2025 by 5 p.m. , to be considered for the 2025 New Times Music Awards (NTMA).
• $20 entry fee for each song, songwriter, and album entry.
Enter 2 songs and get the 3rd FREE.
Participants may enter a maximum of 13 songs (10 genre category, 3 songwriting category) and 1 album.
ONLINE ENTRIES ARE PREFERRED FOR SONGS Fill out the entry form, upload songs, and pay for your entries with a credit card at NewTimesSLO.com. Best Album entries must be entered in person or by mail.
If you wish to pay with cash or check, you may drop off your entries at either the New Times or Sun offices. Bring your music entries on a CD or USB drive along with your completed entry form. Checks should be made payable to “New Times.”
All entrants must reside primarily in San Luis Obispo County or Northern Santa Barbara County.
All entrants must be able to play at the showcase event at SLO Brew Rock in San Luis Obispo on Friday, Nov. 21, 2024.
All entrants under 18 years of age must select the Youth category and must have a parent or guardian sign the entry form.
By entering the contest, all entrants give permission to New Times Media Group to reproduce submissions on compact disc and on the web. All entries remain the property of performers.
New Times Music Awards is not responsible for lost, damaged, incomplete, or late entries.
The top 3 songs in each category need to provide high-quality versions of their songs (16 Bit, 44.1 Sample Rate).
Songs may have multiple co-writers, but please designate one contact name only on entry form.
Winners will be chosen by a select panel of judges.
Songs will be judged on overall performance.
Live performers will share the ‘Back Line.’
Check NewTimesSLO.com or contact NTMA@NewTimesSLO.com for more information.
The New Times Music Awards Showcase and Competition is an all-ages show. Performers agree to eliminate explicit lyrics during their performance.
GENRE CATEGORIES
The Youth category is for musicians entering music who are under the age of 21 as of July 24, 2025.
The Open genre includes reggae, world beat, jazz, classical, new age, electronic, etc.
Each song submission must have a genre selected. If nothing is selected, the song will go into the Open genre.
If judges determine a song to be a better fit with a different genre category than what was originally submitted, they reserve the right to recategorize it.
SONGWRITER CATEGORY
You may enter up to 3 songs in the Songwriting genre, which is being judged separately.
Upload a .txt or .doc file or include a printout of lyrics with your entry.
ALBUM CATEGORY
Albums must have been released between November 21, 2024 and July 24, 2025 to be eligible. Please deliver a hard copy to either the New Times or Sun office along with a completed entry form by 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025 for consideration.
The entire presentation will be judged, including quality of songs, sound, and packaging. Only 1 album per entrant total.
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ARTIST NAME
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LOCAL LEGEND AWARD NOMINEE
The Local Legend Award recognizes an individual or group who has contributed to help enrich, support, and further music’s reach in our community; someone whose ideas, inspiration, and dedication to this art scene have helped nurture and grow the music scene—whether it’s bringing new sounds to the area or giving people the tools they need to create their own. We would love your input! Please use this space to nominate an individual, group, or organization you feel should be considered for this award:
I certify that I am the writer or co-writer of the song(s) or lyrics submitted. *Except for Cover Genre. I also certify that I have read, understood, and accept the rules and regulations of the New Times Music Awards. If entrant is under 18 years old, the signature of a parent or guardian is required.
Name: Phone:
Signature:
Date:
Email: TOTAL NUMBER OF ENTRIES (14 MAX POSSIBLE) _____________ x $20 = $
ONLINE ENTRIES ARE PREFERRED FOR SONGS, BUT YOU MAY ALSO MAIL OR DROP OFF SUBMISSIONS AT EITHER OF OUR OFFICES BEST ALBUM ENTRIES
Who would you like to see take the Buellton City Council’s 4th District seat?
36% Dave King. He’s got a ton of experience.
28% It’s hard to pick. I like both of their platforms.
18% Carla Mead. The council needs new blood.
18% Neither of them.
Unmet obligations
BY RON FINK
There were two items on the Lompoc City Council agenda on Tuesday, July 15. Both concerned similar subjects.
11 Votes
Vote online at www.santamariasun.com.
Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce contract still undecided Northern Santa Barbara County’s News & Entertainment Weekly 801 S Broadway Suite 3 Santa Maria, CA 93454
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The first was the Lompoc Tourism Improvement District (aka Visit Lompoc Incorporated or VLI). A nonprofit organization dedicated to “position Lompoc as a sought-after destination for tourists, meetings, and events.”
This special district receives no funding from the city of Lompoc; instead it is self-funded with an assessment added to each guest’s hotel/motel bill. According to the organization’s report, it has a very robust sales and marketing program. Ninety percent of the money collected is used for sales and marketing and only 5 percent for “administration.”
The other item was approving the agreement with the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce (LVCC) for business assistance services. LVCC is also a nonprofit organization whose membership includes much of the business community.
Unlike the self-funded Lompoc Tourism Improvement District, the cost to city taxpayers would be $108,000 per year coming out of the general fund.
During a previous City Council meeting, several citizens made glowing comments about the accomplishments of the chamber and its contributions to the city in general. There was no crowd at this meeting.
However, LVCC hasn’t always met its
Let’s champion Vandenberg’s growth together
On behalf of the Space Force Association— Western Region, I write to express our strong support for the increased launch cadence at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Vandenberg is not just a critical national security asset—it is a cornerstone of California’s aerospace industry and our nation’s space enterprise. The Western Range enables polar and sun-synchronous orbit missions vital for
contractual agreements. The staff report says, “Staff recommends a demand letter be sent to the chamber requesting the full financial audit that was due to the city by March 31, 2024, and the accounting review that was due to the city by March 31, 2025, as required by the [fiscal year] 2023-25 chamber contract. Staff recommends the letter demand those reports at no further expense to the city, since funding for those reports was previously provided to the chamber in the 202325 agreement. In addition, the City Council has requested that the chamber agreement be reviewed in six months with a report from the chamber on the services provided during that timeframe.”
According to the contract, LVCC is required to provide “a comprehensive budget including a detailed and itemized list of expenses that have been charged against the monthly payment received by city and chamber’s contribution to the expense item.”
The LVCC also had a task to “provide on-site greeting and volunteer staff, for the street level desk of chamber’s location at 111 S. ‘I’ St. Such staff shall be present, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, as volunteers are available.”
Mayor Jim Mosby pointed out that he had attempted to visit the LVCC location several times during the appointed hours and no one was present.
LVCC submitted its revisions to its next contract. These edits deleted the economic development committee, consulting services for
civil, commercial, and defense needs. Growing launch demand is a testament to the Space Coast of California’s strategic importance, driving innovation, investment, and workforce opportunities in our region.
An increased launch cadence at Vandenberg directly supports our nation’s ability to maintain space superiority, respond to emerging threats, and ensure assured access to space. It also creates high-quality local jobs, strengthens the Central Coast’s role in the space economy, and attracts new businesses and partnerships to our communities.
As the Western Region of the Space Force
retail strategies, and the annual State of the City address. That sounds like a significant change of scope from previous contracts to me, thus reduced funding is justified.
In addition, the LVCC is tasked with “tourism promotion,” which is already being accomplished by Visit Lompoc at no cost to taxpayers. When taxpayer funds are involved, we shouldn’t pay twice for the same service.
During the public hearing, Councilmember Steve Bridge made a motion that the staff enter discussions with LVCC regarding several substantial changes to the contract. Among them was to eliminate duplication of efforts currently performed by Visit Lompoc at no cost to taxpayers. In addition, there should be measurable goals and, before an additional contract is approved, all financial audit obligations should be received by the city.
Councilmember Jeremey Ball didn’t favor the idea that a council member would be structuring a contract. Maybe he forgot that the City Council provides direction to the staff and that Councilmember Bridges’ proposal was doing just that.
Mayor Mosby asked the city manager if the chamber was “in breach of contract” because it hadn’t submitted financial audits. The answer was “yes,” but the city hadn’t specifically requested the required submittals.
With a motion on the table, the council voted 4-1 (Councilmember Ball voted no) to continue the item and forward Councilmember Bridges’ proposal to the staff. m
Ron Fink writes to the Sun from Lompoc. Send a response for publication to letters@ santamariasun.com.
Association, we stand behind efforts to streamline operations, modernize range infrastructure, and collaborate across government, industry, and academia to safely and sustainably increase launch tempo at Vandenberg. We encourage our elected officials, civic leaders, and neighbors to recognize the economic, security, and technological benefits of a thriving spaceport on California’s Central Coast. Together, let’s champion Vandenberg’s growth as a gateway to the stars and an anchor of our local prosperity.
Brent Page vice president, Western Region Space Force Association
Dear President Trump
I am the former mayor of Guadalupe, a small agricultural city with a population of less than 10,000 on the beautiful Central Coast of California. I am writing to you, Mr. President, to respectfully urge you to create a legal program for all honest and hardworking migrants who have labored for years, some even decades, for our local farmers, hotel owners, restaurant owners, and many other small businesses reliant on migrant workers.
I agree with you that all criminals, gang members, and released prisoners from other countries should immediately be arrested and sent back to their countries of origin; but these are not the migrants that I am advocating for. I advocate for the hardworking migrants who find pride in an honest day’s work and in providing for their families.
As a businessman at heart, who knows how essential a stable workforce is for any industry to succeed, let’s make America stronger and better than ever. I implore you to work with Congress, on both sides of the aisle, and fast-track any program, whether permanent or temporary, to provide for the stability of America’s industries.
In closing, Mr. President, doing nothing is not an option for Guadalupe, Santa Barbara County, California, or the United States of America. The time to act and lead is today, and not tomorrow! Lupe Alvarez former mayor of Guadalupe
Vital affordability Opinion
In a time when affordable housing is in such high demand, when the California Legislature tries over and over again to alleviate the housing crisis and stimulate building, Buellton is trying to figure out how to kick certain residents out of long-term housing situations and turn those spaces into hotel rooms again.
“Those motel uses were transitioned in violation of our municipal code into these long-term residential uses,” City Manager Scott Wolfe told the Planning Commission on July 17.
In the interest of revitalizing Avenue of Flags, city staff found a loophole in state rules designed to keep people in housing.
If those who qualify for affordable housing can get on a waitlist associated with an affordable housing project, they’ll eventually leave whatever situation the city is hoping to commercialize again. Those who don’t qualify for affordable housing?
Best of luck finding a place to live!
The rental vacancy rate in Buellton is between 2 and 4 percent, meaning housing is tight. Tight! I’d hate to be someone in long-term housing and be told to beat feet so Buellton can “revitalize” Avenue of the Flags.
And, if you’re a “motel” owner who needs to get to revitalizing, good luck!
“The owners of the motel units would be on the hook for things like relocation assistance,” Wolfe added.
Nice. I bet that will go over well.
At least Santa Barbara County is trying to keep people in their housing situations and maintain affordable housing stock. On July 15, the Board of Supervisors voted to place an overlay over 19 mobile home parks in unincorporated areas of the county to keep them as they are: mobile home parks.
The county is also placing a specific carve-out for senior mobile home parks to hold them for seniors. Almost 7,000 seniors are on local housing authorities’ waitlists for affordable senior housing.
“In the face of such high demand, the preservation of existing affordable housing, including mobile home parks, is clearly important,” planner Lila Spring told the board.
Well, unless you’re Buellton.
And unless you own and/or manage Del Cielo Mobile Estates in Orcutt, which is a senior mobile home park, according to both park residents and the county. But it’s an all-ages park if you speak to Harmony Communities, the park manager that took over the park last year and pulled the rules out from under the residents.
Residents call Harmony Communities a bully that fails to comply with county rules: “They are schoolyard bullies in suits. … Like bullies, they look for weaknesses, emotion, that moment when we flinch so they can pounce,” resident Gary Halter said during public comment.
Regional Property Manager Nick Ubaldi again accused the county of discriminating against families by holding housing specifically for seniors, and continued to hammer Harmony’s line: “Legally, Del Cielo has always been an all-ages park. All it did was update the rules to reflect his reality.”
Interesting. I guess the folks who bought homes in a senior park weren’t living in reality? Or can park owners just make reality whatever they’d like it to be?
That’s the whole purpose of this ordinance. To put a stamp on reality in perpetuity so new park owners can’t just change it. m
Hot Stuff
INKY AFTERNOON
Paint bamboo, swallows, and orchids at the Ink Brush Painting Workshop on Saturday, July 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cypress Gallery in Lompoc. Follow step-by-step exercises, and create your own masterpiece inspired by Chinese art. Tickets are $40 and participants can register on the gallery’s Facebook.
—Angie Stevens
ARTS
SANTA MARIA VALLEY/LOS ALAMOS BALLROOM, LATIN, AND SWING DANCE
CLASSES Social ballroom, Latin, and swing lessons for all ages. Beginner and advance classes. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m. $45-$55. (805) 928-7799. Kleindancesarts.com. Klein Dance Arts, 3558 Skyway Drive, suite A, Santa Maria.
DANCE CLASSES: EVERYBODY CAN DANCE Classes available for all skill levels. Class sizes limited. ongoing Everybody Can Dance, 628 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria, (805) 937-6753, everybodycandance.webs.com/.
FREE BOOK SUNDAYS FOR AGES 0-17
Visit the Youth Services Desk on the first Sunday of each month to receive a coupon for a free book of your choice from the Library Bookstore. For ages 0-17. First Sunday of every month Free. (805) 925-0994. cityofsantamaria.org/services/ departments/library. Santa Maria Public Library, 421 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria. SOMETHING ROTTEN Join the Bottom Brothers on a riotous quest to outshine Shakespeare in this uproariously entertaining musical romp. Get tickets and more info at the link. July 25, 7-9:30 p.m. and July 26 1:30-3:45 & 7-9 p.m. $25. (805)922-8313. pcpa.org. PCPA: The Pacific Conservatory Theatre, 800 S. College, Santa Maria.
VALLEY ART GALLERY: ROTATING
DISPLAYS Featured artists of Santa Maria’s Valley Art Gallery frequently display their works at the airport. Check website for details on monthly exhibits and full list of the gallery’s artists. ongoing valleygallery.org. Santa Maria Airport, 3217 Terminal Drive, Santa Maria.
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY HOLMES AND WATSON (SOLVANG) A twisty, tantalizing mystery that keeps its characters and audience guessing until the final moments. Wednesdays-Sundays, 8-9:30 p.m. through July 26 Starting at $25. (805) 922-8313. pcpa.org/events/holmesand-watson-solvang. Solvang Festival Theater, 420 2nd St., Solvang. RHAPSODY IN HUE ARTISTS NEIL ANDERSSON AND VICKI ANDERSEN
See the work of artists Neil Andersson and Vicki Andersen on display at Gallery Los Olivos from August 1 to 31. Aug. 1 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 805 -688-7517. GalleryLosOlivos.com. Gallery Los Olivos, 2920 Grand Ave., Los Olivos.
SOMETHING ROTTEN Blends sixteenthcentury wit with twenty-first-century Broadway flair to prove that stardom requires kicking up your heels and staying true to yourself. Wednesdays-Sundays, 8-10:45 p.m. through Aug. 23 Starting at $25. (805) 922-8313. pcpa.org. Blends sixteenth-century wit with twenty-firstcentury Broadway flair to prove that stardom requires kicking up your heels and staying true to yourself. ThursdaysSundays, 8-10 p.m. through Aug. 23 Starting at $25. (805)922-8313. pcpa.org/ events/something-rotten-solvang. Solvang Festival Theater, 420 2nd St., Solvang. SUMMER CAMP 6: VIVA LA FIESTA Join for a week of fun, creativity, and artistic expression. Children can create paintings, drawings, sculptures, weavings, and more. Get tickets and more information at the link. July 28 , 10 a.m.-2 p.m. $405. https:// artspotonwheels.com/events/summercamp-6-july-28-aug-1-viva-la-fiesta/. artspotonwheels.com. Art Spot on Wheels, 320 Alisal Road, unit 306B, Solvang. YOSEMITE: SANCTUARY IN STONE A solo exhibition by award-winning nature
and landscape photographer William Neill. Through Sept. 1 California Nature Art Museum, 1511-B Mission Dr., Solvang, calnatureartmuseum.org.
LOMPOC/VANDENBERG
INK BRUSH PAINTING WORKSHOP Paint bamboo, swallows, and orchids in the Manner of Chinese Artists. Follow step-bystep exercises, then combine subjects to create life filled paintings. July 26, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. $40. (805) 739-1129. Cypress Gallery, 119 E Cypress Ave., Lompoc, lompocart.org.
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY
AIR PLANT MOBILE WORKSHOP In this workshop, you’ll get several air plants, grapewood pieces, and all the other supplies and instructions to create your own hanging air plant mobile. Aug. 3 2-3 p.m. $40. (805) 270-4083. theplantedparlour.com. The Planted Parlour, 592 W Grand Ave., Grover Beach.
DANCE FITNESS ART AND CULTURE FOR ADULTS Discover dance as a form of artistic expression and exercise, using a wide range of styles and genres of music (including modern, jazz, Broadway, ethnic). Tuesdays, 4-5 p.m. $10 drop-in; $30 for four classes. (510) 362-3739. grover.org. Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach. HOW THE WEST WAS REALLY WON Complete with a saloon setting, card games, duels, and more. Through Aug. 12 Great American Melodrama, 1863 Front St., Oceano.
IMPROV YOUR LIFE This fun applied improvisation class helps participants tap into their creativity through interactive exercises that build confidence, reduce stress, and ease social anxiety. Fourth Sunday of every month, 6-7:30 p.m. through Aug. 24 $15.
New Times and the Sun now share their community listings for a complete Central Coast calendar running from SLO County through northern Santa Barbara County. Submit events online by logging in with your Google, Facebook, or Twitter account at newtimesslo.com. You may also email calendar@newtimesslo.com. Deadline is one week before the issue date on Thursdays. Submissions are subject to editing and approval. Contact Calendar Editor Angelena Stevens directly at astevens@newtimesslo.com.
(805) 556-8495. improvforgood.fun/. Women’s Club of Arroyo Grande, 211 Vernon St., Arroyo Grande. WORKSHOPS AND MORE AT THE LAVRA Check the venue’s calendar for storytelling workshops, lectures, movie nights, and discussions held on a periodic basis. ongoing thelavra.org/home. The Lavra, 2070 E. Deer Canyon Road, Arroyo Grande.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
“A CRESCENDO OF COLOR” CALL FOR ARTISTS Our next show will be music themed so bring us your most melodic pieces. July 30 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $10-$25. (805) 747-4200. artcentralslo.com/thingsare-heating-up-for-the-summer/. Art Central, 1329 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
6-WEEK BEGINNING WHEEL SERIES
A great intro to the pottery wheel! Students learn to throw various shapes, surface decorate and glaze. Book on our website to save spot. Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. through Aug. 19 $275. app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule. php?owner=22676824&appointmentTy pe=77943567. A great intro to the pottery wheel! Students learn to throw various shapes, surface decorate and glaze. Book through the link to save a spot. Tuesdays, 5:30-7:30 p.m. through Aug. 19 $275. app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule. php?owner=22676824&appointmentTy pe=77943668. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
ACRYLIC WORKSHOP WITH DREW DAVIS A ticket includes all acrylic paints needed, along with a canvas, brushes, an apron, and 2 hours of personalized instruction by Drew Davis himself! More info at the link. July 26 12-2 p.m. $88. my805tix.com. Drew Davis Fine Art, 393
Pacific St., San Luis Obispo.
ACTOR’S EDGE: ACTING CLASSES
Actor’s Edge offers film and television acting training in San Luis Obispo, plus exposure to Los Angeles talent agents. All ages and skill levels welcome. Classes available in SLO, LA, and on zoom. ongoing $210 per month. actorsedge.com. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
ALL AGES SCULPTING WITH JOHN ROULLARD John a retired school teacher who patiently guides potters of all ages to sculpt and work on details and design. Saturdays, 1:30-3 p.m. $40. anamcre.com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
ALL LEVELS POTTERY CLASSES Anam Cre is a pottery studio in SLO that offers a variety of classes. This specific class is open to any level. Teachers are present for questions, but the class feels more like an open studio time for potters. Thursdays, 6-8 p.m. $40. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, anamcre.com.
ART AFTER DARK Art After Dark features an art opening of world-class artists. Refreshments will be served. First Friday of every month, 5-8 p.m. through March 7 Free. slocountyarts.org/art-after-dark. SLO County, Various locations countywide, San Luis Obispo.
BLUE BARN SUMMER SILVERSMITHING SERIES Take this intro to anti-clastic forming and make a bangle and napkin ring, with your choice of silver or copper. Learn from master silversmith Randy Stromsoe in an authentic silversmithing studio. Sign up through the link and receive the exact address. July 26, 1-5 p.m. and July 27 1-5 p.m. $295 plus materials. (805) 704-6298. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
CAT VIDEO FEST 2025 CatVideoFest is a theatrical compilation of the best cat videos, raising funds for local shelters and animal charities to help cats in need. Aug. 2 and Aug. 3 $10. slofilmcenter. eventive.org. Palm Theatre, 817 Palm St, San Luis Obispo.
CENTRAL COAST SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Enjoy The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare’s tale of trickery,
and revenge on an overconfident swindler. Through Aug. 10 centralcoastshakespeare. org/themerrywivesofwindsor. Filipponi Ranch, 1850 Calle Joaquin, San Luis Obispo. CERAMIC LESSONS AND MORE Now offering private one-on-one and group lessons in the ceramic arts. Both hand building and wheel throwing options. Beginners welcomed. ongoing (805) 8355893. hmcruceceramics.com/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo. CLAY BABY HANDPRINTS Offers a unique experience of pressing your baby’s hand/ foot into clay so parents can cherish this time forever. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays $55. anamcre.com/babyhandprints. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo. DATE NIGHT POTTERY Bring your date and throw a cup on the pottery wheel. Next, texture a clay slab and press into a form creating a personalized piece. Guest are welcome to bring drinks; venue provides aprons. Pieces are fired, glazed, and ready in two weeks. Saturdays, 6-7:30 p.m. $140. anamcre.com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo. DEANNA BARAHONA California artist Deanna Barahona’s work centers her lived experiences, identity, and personal objects in intimate and domestic spaces through the creation of sculpture, and installation. Through Aug. 31, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 543-8562. sloma.org/ exhibition/deanna-barahona/. San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, 1010 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.
FAMILY FRIENDLY WORKSHOP: LARGE PLATTER CLASS Fun for all ages. Instructors will guide you in creating large platters and decorating them. Create pieces together for your home. Saturdays, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $50. anamcre.com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
FRIENDS OF THE ARROYO GRANDE LIBRARY ART AUCTION The first ever art auction fundraiser for Friends of the AG Library is now live. Includes work by local artist Ellen November. Every 30 days, 9 a.m. Various. (310) 384-6912. app.galabid.com/aglibrary/items. Online,
Gallery, Highway 1, San Luis Obispo, cuesta.edu/ student/campuslife/artgallery/.
IMPROV COMEDY SHOWS AT THE HUB
The show contents will be rotated among the group’s ensemble, house, and musical improv team casts, as well as stand-up and student shows. Fourth Friday of every month, 6 p.m. my805tix.com/. The Hub, 1701 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
IMPROV EXTRAVAGANZA AT THE BUNKER Experience the “whirlwind of wit, chaos, and unscripted brilliance at Improv Extravaganza—the ultimate showcase of indie improv talent!” Cheer on your favorite teams, or discover new ones. Tickets are available at the link. July 25 6:15-8 p.m. $13. my805tix.com. The Bunker SLO, 810 Orcutt Road, San Luis Obispo.
JAPANESE CALLIGRAPHY AND ART
Owen and Kyoko Hunt from Kyoto, Japan offer classes for Japanese calligraphy (Fridays, 5:30-6:30 p.m.), a Japanese art called “haiga” (Fridays, 10-11:30 a.m.) and more at Nesting Hawk Ranch. Fridays $45. (702) 335-0730. Nesting Hawk Ranch, Call for address, San Luis Obispo.
LEARN TO WEAVE MONDAYS An opportunity to learn how a four-shaft loom works. You will get acquainted as a new weaver or as a refresher with lots of tips and tricks. This class includes getting to know a loom, how to prepare/dress a loom, and much much more. Mondays, 1-4 p.m. $75 monthly. (805) 441-8257.
Patricia Martin: Whispering Vista Studios, 224 Squire Canyon Rd, San Luis Obispo, patriciamartinartist.com.
MOBILE CLAY CLASSES Offering handbuilding, throwing, and ceramic
OBON FEST
Head to the Guadalupe Buddhist Church Obon Festival at the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Center on Sunday, July 27, from noon to 6 p.m. Watch Obon dancing, martial arts demonstrations, and taiko drumming, and eat an assortment of Japanese cuisine. For more information about this free cultural event, head to guadalupebuddhistchurch.org.
decorative arts. All ages and abilities are welcome. Call for more info. ongoing (805) 835-5893. hmcruceceramics.com/ book-online. SLO County, Various locations countywide, San Luis Obispo.
MYLR GALLERY OPENING NIGHT
PARTY Join the opening night party for the art installation “Break the Cycle” by artist Vanessa Morrow. A photo booth, music, and exclusive merchandise will
be featured. Aug. 1 , 12-8 p.m. Free. MYLR Gallery, 1238 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 439-1611, mylrgallery.com.
RESONANCE PRESENTS: MAGNIFICAT
Resonance is a 30-voice choral ensemble based in San Luis Obispo, under the direction of Paul Osborne. Hear “Magnificat” live, and purchase tickets at the link. Aug. 2 , 7:30 p.m. $30. my805tix. com. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa,
751 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo.
SATURDAY FAMILY POTTERY CLASS
This family-friendly open studio time is a wonderful window for any level or age. Saturdays, 11 a.m. & 1:30 p.m. $40. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, anamcre.com.
SLO COMEDY UNDERGROUND OPEN
MIC NIGHT Enjoy a night of laughs provided by the local SLO Comedy
Community. It’s open mic night, so anyone can perform and “you never know what you’ll see.” Tuesdays, 8 p.m. Free. Libertine Brewing Company, 1234 Broad St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 548-2337, libertinebrewing.com.
SLO REP’S ACADEMY OF CREATIVE THEATRE SUMMER CAMPS Registration is open for the summer theatre camps at SLO REP. They are week-long camps for ages five to 18. Scholarships are available. Mondays. through Aug. 4 $230. (805) 7813889. slorep.org/education/act-theatrecamps/. San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre, 3533 Empleo St., San Luis Obispo. SUMMER ART CAMPS Camps include projects like weaving, sewing, dyeing, painting, zines, patches, and more— perfect for kids ages 8 through 13. Through July 30, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. $295. (805) 439-1022. slolifestudio.com/collections/ camps. SLOLife Studio & Mercantile, 1337 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
TRISH ANDERSEN Combining fibers gathered from field, sheep, and those developed in a factory, Andersen proves that there is always room for both the vibrant and muted. Through Sept. 14, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 543-8562. sloma.org/exhibition/trish-andersen/. San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, 1010 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY
COOL CHARACTERS CHILDRENS’ WORKSHOP -- 3-WEEK SERIES This fun and engaging art class series focuses on creating characters and animals, while introducing and developing fundamental drawing techniques in a playful manner.
Wednesdays, Thursdays. through Aug. 7 $150. (805) 772-2504. artcentermorrobay.org. Art Center Morro Bay, 835 Main St., Morro Bay.
COSTA GALLERY: FIVE YEAR
ANNIVERSARY Join Costa Gallery as the venue celebrates its fifth anniversary. Stop by for art, music, food, and wine. July 27,
12-4 p.m. Costa Gallery, 2087 10th St., Los Osos, (559) 799-9632.
DROWSY CHAPERONE Step into a world of laughter, romance, and musical mayhem with The Drowsy Chaperone— the five-time Tony Award-winning musical comedy that is “equal parts love letter and hilarious send-up of classic Broadway.” Get tickets at the link. July 25 - Aug. 3 $30. my805tix.com. Cambria Center for the Arts Theatre, 1350 Main St., Cambria.
GALLERY AT MARINA SQUARE
PRESENTS JEWELRY & ART BY HOPE MYERS Award-winning artist Hope Myers blends her love of watercolor and jewelry. Her work recently has been focused on more elegant, refined pieces. See it in the gallery, open daily. Through July 29, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
GALLERY AT MARINA SQUARE PRESENTS OIL PAINTINGS BY PATRICIA NEWTON Oil Painter Patricia Newton’s current body of work has been inspired by the powerful movement of the sea and its magnificent coastline. See Newton’s work at the gallery, which is open daily. Through July 29, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Patricia Newton loves the Central Coast; its green rolling hills and endlessly crashing waves always provide inspiration for her oil paintings. Her work will be displayed daily at the Gallery at Marina Square. Through July 30, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
GALLERY AT MARINA SQUARE PRESENTS PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREGORY SIRAGUSA Photographer Greg Siragusa captures scenes from around Morro Bay and beyond. Discover his photography of otters, birds, landscapes, and seascapes at the gallery, which is
open daily. Through July 29, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
JEWELRY, SMALL WORKS, AND ART BY HOPE
MYERS Hope Myers has been creating art, jewelry ,and more on the Central Coast for a long time. Rediscover her great many artworks at the Gallery Gallery at Marina Square. Through July 30, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREGORY SIRAGUSA
Greg Siragusa is eternally searching for the sublime, and his photography represents life as he sees it –– colorful, dynamic, interesting, and mindful. See his work at Gallery at Marina Square. Through July 29, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
CULTURE & LIFESTYLE
SANTA MARIA VALLEY/LOS ALAMOS
BULLDOG EXPRESS WORKSHOPS Bulldog
Express workshops will be available to assist Allan Hancock College students with free enrollment support and financial aid information starting June 23 at both the Santa Maria campus and Lompoc Valley Center. Workshops will be held at the Student Services Building A on the Santa Maria campus, on Mondays and Tuesdays, from June 23 to August 12, from 3 to 6 p.m. At Lompoc Valley Center, they will be held in Building 1 on June 30, July 15, July 21, and August 5, from 3 to 6 p.m. More information can be found at the link. Through Aug. 12, 3-6 p.m. Free. hancockcollege.edu/. Allan Hancock College, 800 S. College Drive, Santa Maria.
FEEL GOOD YOGA Tuesdays, Thursdays, 8:309:30 a.m. (805) 937-9750. oasisorcutt.org. Oasis Center, 420 Soares Ave., Orcutt.
FIRST FRIDAY First Friday of every month facebook.com/firstfridayoldtownorcutt/. Historic Old Town Orcutt, S. Broadway and Union Ave., Orcutt.
FREE BOOK SUNDAYS FOR AGES 0-17 Visit the Youth Services Desk on the first Sunday of each month to receive a coupon for a free book of your choice from the Library Bookstore. For ages 0-17. First Sunday of every month Free. (805) 925-0994. cityofsantamaria.org/services/ departments/library. Santa Maria Public Library, 421 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria.
GROUP WALKS AND HIKES Check website for the remainder of this year’s group hike dates and private hike offerings. ongoing (805) 343-2455. dunescenter.org. Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, 1065 Guadalupe St., Guadalupe.
GUADALUPE BUDDHIST CHURCH OBON
FESTIVAL This Japanese cultural event will feature chicken teriyaki dinners, sushi, assortment of Japanese cuisine, along with obon dancing, a raffle, martial arts demonstrations, taiko drumming, bonsai, and a silent auction. July 27, 12-6 p.m. Free. guadalupebuddhistchurch.org/obon-festival. Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Center, 313 W. Tunnell St., Santa Maria.
JUNK JOURNAL BOOK CLUB Junk Journal Book Club combines a love of crafting and reading. The book for July is The Guncle by Steven Rowley. Registration is required for this club, geared towards ages 18 and over. July 26 3-4:30 p.m. Free. (805) 925-0994 ext.8562. cityofsantamaria.org/services/departments/ library. Santa Maria Public Library, 421 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria.
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
STEAM FOR GIRLS CAMP There will be explorations in science, tech, engineering, art, and math, along with swimming, licensed lifeguard, local mentors in STEAM. This is geared towards ages 8 to 12. Every 4 days, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $175 with sibling discount. (805) 710-7681. steamtrunk.org. Indah Gallery, 2190 N. Refugio Road, Santa Ynez.
LOMPOC/VANDENBERG
SUMMER “MOVIES IN THE PARK” SERIES The city of Lompoc’s Parks and Recreation Division will host three free movies for community members throughout the summer at Ryon
Memorial Park. The first will be Moana 2 and screened in June, followed by Dog Man in July and Minecraft in August. Aug. 2 , 8 p.m. (805) 736-1261. cityoflompoc.com. Ryon Memorial Park, Lompoc, CA, Lompoc.
THE VILLAGE TREASURE CHEST This event is for the whole family. There will be vendors selling their wears, music, facepainting, and some kind of food booth. Come out and spend part of your Saturday supporting local vendors. First Saturday of every month, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Vandenberg Village Community Services District Office, 3745 Constellation Road, Lompoc, (805) 291-6370.
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY
BEGINNER GROUP SURF LESSONS AND SURF CAMPS Lessons and camp packages available daily. All equipment included. ongoing Starts at $70. (805) 835-7873. sandbarsurf.com/. Sandbar Surf School Meetup Spot, 110 Park Ave., Pismo Beach.
BEGINNING BALLET FOR ADULTS Enjoy the grace and flow of ballet. No previous experience needed. Wednesdays, 5:15-6:15 p.m. $12 drop-in; $40 for four classes. (510) 362-3739. grover.org. Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach.
BODY FUSION/EXERCISE AND FITNESS
CLASS Do something good for yourself and stay fit for outdoor sports, while enhancing flexibility, strengthening your core to prevent lower back issues, improving your posture through yoga, and more. Tuesdays, Thursdays, 9-10:30 a.m. Free. (970) 710-1412. Avila Beach Community Center, 191 San Miguel St., Avila Beach, avilabeachcc.com.
COMMUNITY NATIVE GARDEN MONTHLY
VOLUNTEER WORKDAY Volunteers accomplish a variety of tasks including pathways maintenance, litter patrol of the garden perimeter, weeding, irrigation system expansion/repairs, pruning, and plantings. Volunteers should bring work gloves, a hat, drinking water, and tools related to the above activities. First Saturday of every month, 9 a.m.-noon Free. (805) 710-3073. Nipomo Native Garden, Camino Caballo at Osage, Nipomo.
DONATION-BASED
YOGA FOR FIRST RESPONDERS, EMTS, AND CARETAKERS
Class schedule varies. Contact empoweryoga805@ gmail for details and reservations. ongoing (805) 619-0989. empoweryoga805.com. Empower Yoga Studio and Community Boutique, 775 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach. FIND WALDO LOCAL IN ARROYO GRANDE
Staring July 1, join the hunt to find Waldo in local businesses in Arroyo Grande. To participate, pick up a stamp card from Monarch Books. The first 125 seekers who get 10 stamps can return to Monarch Books for a Waldo sticker and a coupon. Seekers who collect 20 or more stamps will have the opportunity to enter a grand-prize drawing. Through July 31, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. (805) 668-6300. monarchbooks805.com. Monarch Books, 201 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande.
JIMMY PAULDING’S CAMPAIGN KICKOFF
EVENT Join us at Heritage Square Park on Saturday for an exciting afternoon, as we launch Jimmy Paulding’s campaign for County! July 26, 2-5 p.m. Free. (805) 994-0025. jimmypaulding.org/news/events/. Heritage Square Park, 201 Nelson St., Arroyo Grande. MULTICULTURAL DANCE CLASS FOR ADULTS Experience dance from continents around the earth, including from Africa, Europe, and more. Described as “a wonderful in-depth look at the context and history of cultures of the world.” Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30 p.m. $10 drop-in; $30 for four classes. (510) 362-3739. grover.org. Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach.
PISMO BEACH SPEED NETWORKING Join this in-person Pismo Beach Speed Networking Event, geared towards business professionals, business owners, executives, and sales reps who are looking to expand their business network and social circle. July 31 6-8 p.m. $60. my805tix.com. SeaCrest OceanFront Hotel, 2241 Price St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 773-4608.
POINT SAN LUIS LIGHTHOUSE TOURS A docent-led tour of the buildings and grounds of the historic Point San Luis Light Station. Check website for more details. Wednesdays, Saturdays pointsanluislighthouse.org/. Point San
Luis Lighthouse, 1 Lighthouse Rd., Avila Beach.
QI GONG FOR LESS STRESS AND MORE ENERGY Experience the energy of Qi Gong through simple standing movements promoting flexibility, strength, relaxation, and increased energy. Suitable for all ages and fitness levels, Qi Gong revitalizes and enriches your life. An outdoor class overlooking the ocean. Wednesdays, 4-5 p.m. $14 per class or $55 for 5-class card with no expiration. (805) 440-4561. pismobeach.org. Margo Dodd Gazebo, Ocean Park Blvd., Shell Beach.
QI GONG: MINDFUL MOVEMENTS FOR LESS STRESS AND MORE ENERGY Balance your mind, body, and spirit with Qi Gong — gentle stretching and strengthening movements that promotes physical wellbeing and inner peace. This is geared towards all fitness levels and ages. Mondays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. $14 per class or $55 for 5-class card. (805) 440-4561. balancedlivingayurveda.com. Shell Beach Veterans Memorial Building, 230 Leeward Ave., Pismo Beach.
STRIDE WITH THE TIDE Race start is 8:30 a.m. with registration from 7:15 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. at the pier. No pre-registration is required, and walkers are welcomed! Rain or shine! July 26 7:15 a.m. $35 with shirt; $20 for race only. (805) 773-7063. pismobeach.org/73/Recreation. Pismo Beach Pier, West end of Pomeroy, Pismo Beach.
STROLL AND ROLL Stroll and Roll is a guided nature walk, for adults with disabilities, led by a State Park Interpreter along the scenic Guiton Trail. Aug. 2 , 10 a.m.-noon Free. (530) 338-6913. eventbrite.com/e/stroll-and-rolltickets-1366514665149?aff=oddtdtcreator&u tm-source=cp&utm-campaign=social&utmcontent=attendeeshare&utmmedium=discovery&utm-term=listing. Oceano Dunes Visitor Center, 555 Pier Ave., Oceano.
SURF LESSONS ALL SUMMER LONG Learn to surf with Sandbar Surf School. All equipment is provided, including a surfboard, wetsuit, and leash. You must pre-register. Through Aug. 31, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $60. (805) 835-7873. sandbarsurf.com. Addie Street Surfer Parking Lot, Addie Street, Pismo Beach.
WEEKLY WATER
SAFETY LESSONS Facility advertised as open and safe. Give the office a call to register over the phone. Mondays-Fridays $160-$190. (805) 481-6399. 5 Cities Swim School, 425 Traffic Way, Arroyo Grande, 5citiesswimschool.com.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
BEYOND MINDFULNESS Realize your potential through individualized meditation instruction with an experienced teacher via Zoom. This class is for those who wish to begin a practice or seek to deepen an existing one. Flexible days and times. Certified with IMTA. Email or text for information. MondaysSundays, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Sliding scale. (559) 905-9274. theartofsilence.net. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
BRAVER ANGELS: REUNITING AMERICA, A 50-MINUTE FILM WITH FOLLOW-UP
DISCUSSION Braver Angels: Reuniting America is a 50-minute documentary about polarization. Watch 8 Democrat-leaning voters and 7-Republican leaning voters go through a Red/ Blue Braver Angels workshop. July 27 4-6 p.m. Free (use code word BRAVER). (805) 595-2211. braverangels.org. Unitarian Universalist, 2201 Lawton Ave., San Luis Obispo.
CAL HOPE SLO GROUPS AT TMHA Visit website for full list of weekly Zoom groups available. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays calhopeconnect.org. Transitions Mental Health Warehouse, 784 High Street, San Luis Obispo, (805) 270-3346.
PICKCENTRAL COAST DIALYSIS ORGAN
TRANSPLANT SUPPORT GROUP Not faith based. All are welcome. Please wear a mask. First Saturday of every month, 9:30-11:30 a.m. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church SLO, 650 Pismo St., San Luis Obispo.
COMMUNITY FARM TOUR Join at the farm on the first Saturday of each month and get a public tour of the regenerative farm! First Saturday of every month, 9:30-11 a.m. through Dec. 6 (805) 769-8344. cityfarmslo.org/ community-tours. City Farm SLO, 1221 Calle Joaquin, San Luis Obispo.
DAILY QIGONG PRACTICE For the early riser or commuter, every weekday morning. Maintain or
improve concentration, balance, and flexibility. Includes weekly Friday 3 p.m. class with more practices. Led by certified Awareness Through Movement teacher. Mondays-Saturdays, 6:10 a.m. and Fridays, 3 p.m. $35/week or $125/ month. (646) 280-5800. margotschaal.com/ qigong. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo. ESTATE PLANNING – THINK OF IT AS PREPARING FOR A TRIP OUT OF TOWNBRIGHTON HUSHING-KLINE This class is a primer on the “parts” of what make up the documents that most people call an “Estate Plan” and how they work with each other. The difference between a “Power of Attorney” and a “Revocable Trust” will be demonstrated and taught. More info at the link. July 29 1-3 p.m. $12. my805tix.com. Oddfellows Hall, 520 Dana Street, San Luis Obispo, (805) 544-0876. GYM JAM AND OPEN PLAY CLINIC Get your Gym Jam on with us! There will be one hour of progressive gymnastics skill training, followed by an hour of open play. No experience is necessary for this clinic, geared towards children 5 to 17 years old. July 26, 1-3 p.m. $25/ 1st child, +$10 per additional sibling.. (805) 547-1496. performanceathleticsslo.com/ saturday-event-clinics. Performance Athletics Gymnastics, 4484 Broad St., San Luis Obispo. HEALING DEPRESSION SUPPORT GROUP A safe place to share feelings of depression with those who suffer and those who have recovered to a full, healthy outlook on life. Mondays, 6-7 p.m. Free. (805) 528-3194. Hope House Wellness Center, 1306 Nipomo St., San Luis Obispo. “JOYFUL RHYTHMS” DRUM CIRCLE / CHUMASH VILLAGE SLO Join for another fun, unique, and uplifting social experience at the Chumash Village Clubhouse in SLO — a welcoming, inclusive space for all!Get more information about this drum circle at the link. July 29 3:30-5 p.m. $15-$25. my805tix.com. Chumash Village, 3057 S Higuera St., San Luis Obispo, (510) 301-1286.
MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION (ONLINE MEETING) Zoom series hosted by TMHA. Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon Transitions Mental Health Warehouse, 784 High Street, San Luis Obispo, (805) 270-3346.
PARK PALOOZA 2025: COLOR RUN AND MUSIC FESTIVAL Join the second annual event, brought to you in benefit of the SLO Noor Foundation and Surfing For Hope. Participate in the 5K color run, hear live music from The Main Squeeze, and enjoy vendor booths. More info can be found at the link. Aug. 2 1-8:30 p.m. $25. my805tix.com. Dairy Creek Golf Course, 2990 Dairy Creek Rd., San Luis Obispo, (805) 782-8060. Q YOUTH GROUP (VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM) This is a social support group for LGBTQ+ and questioning youth between the ages of 11-18. Each week the group explores personal, cultural, and social identity. Thursdays, 6-8 p.m. Free. galacc.org/events/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
SAN LUIS OBISPO BUDDHIST CHURCH OBON Join for the Obon Festival, a Japanese cultural event, at the San Luis Obispo Buddhist Church Aug. 2 12-4 p.m. Free. (805) 595-2625. San Luis Obispo Buddhist Church Obon, 6996 Ontario Road, San Luis Obispo, slobuddhistchurch.org.
SLOCA PRESCHOOL AND KINDER SUMMER CAMPS This is a six-week summer camp for those going into preschool and kindergarten. Get tickets and more info at the link. July 28 9 a.m.-1 p.m. $270-450. (805) 548-8700. sloclassical.org. SLO Classical Academy, 165 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo.
SUNDAY EVENING RAP LGBTQ+ AA GROUP (VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM) Alcoholics Anonymous is a voluntary, worldwide fellowship of folks from all walks of life who together, attain and maintain sobriety. Requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. Email aarapgroup@gmail.com for password access. Sundays, 7-8 p.m. No fee. galacc.org/events/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo. TEEN MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT GROUP Learn more about mental health and coping skills to help you through your journey towards wellness and recovery. Thursdays, 4:30-6 p.m. Free. (805) 540-6576. t-mha.org. Hope House Wellness Center, 1306 Nipomo St., San Luis Obispo.
TRANS* TUESDAY A safe space providing peer-to-peer support for trans, gender nonconforming, non-binary, and questioning people. In-person and Zoom meetings held. Contact tranzcentralcoast@gmail.com for more details. Tuesdays, 7-9 p.m. Free. GALA Pride and
Diversity Center, 1060 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, (805) 541-4252.
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY
CENTRAL COAST WOOD CARVERS Learn the art of wood carving or wood burning.
Join Central Coast Wood Carvers in Morro Bay at St. Timothy’s. Open for beginners, intermediate, or advance. Learn a wide range of techniques and skills. Tuesdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. St. Timothy’s Catholic Church, 962 Piney Way, Morro Bay, (805) 772-2840, sttimothymorrobay.org.
CO-DEPENDENTS ANONYMOUS
MEETING Co-Dependents Anonymous
(CoDA) is a Twelve Step recovery program for anyone who desires to have healthy and loving relationships with themselves and others. Meeting is hybrid (both in person and on Zoom). For information, call 805-900-5237. Saturdays, 1-2:15 p.m. Free. thecambriaconnection.org/. Cambria Connection, 1069 Main St., Cambria, (805) 927-1654.
GET INTO YOUR SANCTUARY Visitors can participate in guided recreational pier fishing with Cambria Fishing Club (all supplies provided), create oceanthemed arts and crafts, and learn about local wildlife! Aug. 2 Free. (805) 801-0773. montereybay.noaa.gov/ getinvolved/giys.html. Coastal Discovery Center at San Simeon Bay, CA-1 and SLO San Simeon Road, San Simeon.
LEARN TO SAIL AT MORRO BAY YACHT
CLUB Learn to sail at the Morro Bay’s only sailing school, with the goal of getting comfortable commanding your own sailboat. There will be a focus on teamwork, developing leadership skills, and having fun. Register at the link. Through Aug. 3 $450. my805tix.com. Morro Bay Yacht Club, 541 Embarcadero, Morro Bay, (805) 772-3981.
SAVE OUR COAST! RSVP and donate to REACT Alliance, whose Mission is to protect the Central California coasts from destructive energy industries, and to educate the public through dissemination of information designed to encourage informed decisions about proposed projects. More info is available at the link. July 26 1 p.m. my805tix.com. Tidelands Park, South end of Embarcadero, Morro Bay.
SOCRATES DISCUSSION GROUP Have a topic, book, or article you wish to discuss with interested and interesting people? Join this weekly meeting to discuss it, or simply contribute your experiences and knowledge. Contact Mark Plater for instructions on entering the Chapel area. Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-noon (805) 528-7111. Coalesce Garden Chapel, 845 Main St., Morro Bay.
FOOD & DRINK
SANTA MARIA VALLEY/LOS ALAMOS
FOOD TRUCK FRIDAYS AT COSTA DE ORO Featured vendors in the series include Cali Coast Tacos, Cubanissimo, Danny’s Pizza Co., Chef Ricks, and more. Call venue for monthly schedules. Fridays (805) 922-1468. costadeorowines.com. Costa De Oro Winery, 1331 S. Nicholson Ave., Santa Maria.
FOOD TRUCK FRIDAYS AT WINE STONE
INN Fridays, 5-8 p.m. Wine Stone Inn, 255 W. Clark Ave., Orcutt, (805) 332-3532, winestoneinn.com/.
FRIDAY NIGHT FUN Karaoke with DJ Nasty. With Beer Bucket specials. Kitchen stays open late. Come out and sing your favorite song. Fridays, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866.
PRESQU’ILE WINERY: WINE CLUB Call or go online to make a reservation to taste at the winery or find more info on the winery’s Wine Club offerings. ongoing presquilewine.com/club/. Presqu’ile Winery, 5391 Presqu’ile Dr., Santa Maria, (805) 937-8110.
SIPPIN’ SUNDAYS Every Sunday, come cozy up inside the tasting room and listen
Join in on the festivities at this year’s Park Palooza Color Run and Festival on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 1 to 8 p.m. at the Dairy Creek Golf Course in San Luis Obispo. Parcitipate in the 5K color run and enjoy live music afterward. There will be merchant vendors, a kids corner, along with local food and drinks for sale. Get tickets and more details at my805tix.com. —A.S.
to great artists. Sundays, 1-4 p.m. Free. (805) 937-8463. cottonwoodcanyon.com. Cottonwood Canyon Vineyard And Winery, 3940 Dominion Rd, Santa Maria.
TACO TUESDAY Tuesdays, 5-8 p.m. Wine Stone Inn, 255 W. Clark Ave., Orcutt, (805) 332-3532, winestoneinn.com/.
THURSDAY EVENING BAR TAKEOVER Call venue or visit website to find out about featured vintners. Thursdays stellerscellar.com. Steller’s Cellar, 405 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt.
WINE AND DESIGN CLASSES Check Wine and Design’s Orcutt website for the complete list of classes, for various ages. ongoing Varies. wineanddesign.com/ orcutt. Wine and Design, 3420 Orcutt Road, suite 105, Orcutt.
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
RHONE RANGERS TWILIGHT TASTING
Join the Rhone Rangers for an evening twilight wine tasting with 24 wineries on the lawn at Rideau Vineyard in Solvang. Aug. 1 , 5:30-7:30 p.m. $55. (800) 467-0163. rhonerangers.org/event-calendar/event/ twilight-tasting-1. Rideau Winery, 1562 Alamo Pintado Rd., Solvang.
LOMPOC/VANDENBERG HEAD GAMES TRIVIA AND TACO TUESDAYS CLASH Don’t miss Head Games Trivia at COLD Coast Brewing Company every Tuesday night. Teams can be up to 6 members. Earn prizes and bragging rights. Kekas will be serving their delicious local fare. Fun for all ages. Tuesdays, 7-9 p.m. Free. (805) 819-0723. coldcoastbrewing.com. COLD Coast Brewing Company, 118 W Ocean Ave., Lompoc.
MUSIC
SANTA MARIA VALLEY/LOS ALAMOS THE ALTONS AND THEE SINSEERS AT PRESQU’ILE WINERY Get ready for a soulful night at Presqu’ile with The Altons and Thee Sinseers. The evening will be full of vintage vibes, smooth harmonies, and rhythm you can feel. July 30 6-9 p.m. $47. (805) 937-8110. presquilewine. com. Presqu’ile Winery, 5391 Presqu’ile Dr., Santa Maria.
HAPPY HOUR MUSIC SERIES Enjoy live music at the winery most Friday evenings. Check site for concert schedule. Fridays presquilewine.com. Presqu’ile Winery, 5391 Presqu’ile Dr., Santa Maria, (805) 937-8110.
LADIES NIGHT OUT Music by DJ Van Gloryious and DJ Panda. Features delicious daiquiri specials. Thursdays, 8 p.m.-midnight Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866.
LIVE MUSIC AND FOOD BY LOBO BUTCHER SHOP Check out live music
every Friday night from a variety of artists at Steller’s Cellar in Old Orcutt. Dinner served by Lobo Butcher Shop between 5 and 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 5-9 p.m. Varies according to food options. (805) 623-5129. stellerscellar.com. Steller’s Cellar, 405 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt.
LIVE MUSIC AT STELLER’S CELLAR
Various local musicians rotate each Friday. Fridays, 6-8:30 p.m. Free. Steller’s Cellar, 400 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt, (805) 623-5129, stellerscellar.com.
MUSIC AT ROSCOE’S KITCHEN Live DJ and karaoke every Friday and Saturday night. Featured acts include Soul Fyah Band, DJ Nasty, DJ Jovas, and more. Fridays, Saturdays, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866.
MUSIC LESSONS AT COELHO ACADEMY
Learn to play piano, drums, guitar, base, ukulele, or violin, or take vocal lessons. ongoing (805) 925-0464. coelhomusic.com/Lessons/lessons.html. Coelho Academy of Music, 325 E. Betteravia Rd., Santa Maria.
OLD TIME GOSPEL SING-ALONG All are welcome. Call for more details. Last Saturday of every month, 5-6 p.m. (805) 478-6198. Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria.
SUNDAY NIGHT FUN End the weekend with some good vibes. Music by DJ Van Gloryious. Sundays, 8 p.m.-midnight Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866.
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
DIRTY CELLO LIVE Hear the San Franciscobased blues, rock, and Americana band Dirty Cello perform a live set at Lost Chord Guitars in Solvang. July 25 8 p.m. $20. (805) 331-4362. lostchordguitars.com/shows/dirtycello. Lost Chord Guitars, 1576 Copenhagen Dr., Solvang.
LIVE MUSIC SUNDAYS Sundays, 2-6 p.m. Brick Barn Wine Estate, 795 W. Hwy 246, Buellton, (805) 686-1208, brickbarnwineestate.com.
THE MOLLY RINGWALD PROJECT If you haven’t experienced our Sunday afternoon concerts in our beautifully renovated Lobby Garden, come find out for yourselves— and come ready to dance! July 27 3-5 p.m. $37. (805) 686-1789. solvangtheaterfest.org/show-listing. Solvang Festival Theater, 420 2nd St., Solvang.
WINE DOWN WEDNESDAYS Wednesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Brick Barn Wine Estate, 795 W. Hwy 246, Buellton, (805) 686-1208, brickbarnwineestate.com.
LOMPOC/VANDENBERG
KARAOKE AT COLD COAST BREWING CO. Pick out a song, bring your friends,
PARK PALOOZA
Morro Bay
LUPILLO RIVERA
FRIDAY,
FRIDAY,
FRIDAY,
and get ready to perform. Wednesdays, 6-9 p.m. COLD Coast Brewing Company, 118 W Ocean Ave., Lompoc, (805) 819-0723, coldcoastbrewing.com.
YOUTH OPEN MIC NIGHT A fun, welcoming environment for first time performers and an opportunity for kids and teens to showcase their talent. Prizes awarded every month for Outstanding Performer. Last Friday of every month, 6-8 p.m. certainsparks.com/. Certain Sparks Music, 107 S. H St., Lompoc.
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY
2025 LIVE AT THE LIGHTHOUSE CONCERT SERIES Head to the Point San Luis Lighthouse in Avila Beach for Saturday afternoon concerts. Get tickets and more info at the link. Through Oct. 11 $28. my805tix.com. Point San Luis Lighthouse, 1 Lighthouse Rd., Avila Beach.
ARROYO GRANDE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES These free concerts will begin on July 4 and run every Sunday until September 21. Sundays, 1-3 p.m. through Sept. 21 Free. (805) 473-5472. arroyogrande.org/events. Heritage Square Park, 201 Nelson St., Arroyo Grande.
BASIN STREET REGULARS SUNDAY JAZZ CONCERT TOM RIGNEY & FLAMBEAU + LES ROSE’S “GETTING READY FOR BENNY” Join Basin Street Regulars for a high-energy afternoon of fiery fiddle, swingin’ clarinet, and non-stop rhythm at one of our biggest concerts of the summer! July 27 11 a.m.-4 p.m. $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Pismo Beach Veterans Memorial Hall, 780 Bello St., Pismo Beach.
BIG VARIETY NIGHT WITH TED WATERHOUSE Ted Waterhouse hosts multiple local musicians, singer-songwriters, and ensembles, each doing a short set. Hear up to eight performers in an evening. First Sunday of every month, 5-8 p.m. through Aug. 3 Free. (805) 773-6563. Puffers of Pismo, 781 Price St., Pismo Beach, puffersofpismo.com.
DIRTY CELLO LIVE AT THE LIGHTHOUSE Enjoy a magical Saturday afternoon at the lighthouse with live music from Dirty Cello. Food, wine, and beer will be available for sale. Visit site to learn about ticket options and get more info about the band. July 26 2:30-5 p.m. $29. my805tix.com. Point San Luis Lighthouse, 1 Lighthouse Rd., Avila Beach.
KARAOKE AT SLO COUNTY’S ONLY FILIPINO CAFE Join for all day, all ages karaoke hosted at SLO County’s only brick and mortar Filipino cafe, Lumpia Bros Cafe. Enjoy karaoke, filipino dishes, acai, and coffee. Tuesdays-Saturdays-6 p.m. through Dec. 31 Free. (805) 202-8473. Lumpia Bros Cafe, 1187 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach.
KARAOKE EVERY WEDNESDAY A weekly event with barbecue offerings and more. Wednesdays, 4-8 p.m. Rancho Nipomo BBQ, 108 Cuyama Ln., Nipomo, (805) 925-3500.
THE LOUNGE AT BESO An upscale after-hours nightclub experience. With limited capacity and a dress code. For ages 21 and over. Fridays, 10 p.m. my805tix.com. Beso Cocina, 1050 Willow Road, Nipomo.
WHITE WINGED DOVE: THE BEST OF STEVIE NICKS AND FLEETWOOD MAC The ultimate Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac experience. An immersive tribute celebrating 40 years of Nicks’ legendary solo hits and timeless Fleetwood Mac classics. July 26 , 7:30-9:30 p.m. $39-$65. (805) 489-9444. clarkcenter.org/shows/white-winged-dove/. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
BRASS MASH FIRST FRIDAY IN AUGUST 2025 First Fridays are magical nights filled with the vibrant energy of our all-horn band. Join the festivities at Liquid Gravity and immerse yourself in the unique fusion of your favorite rock and pop songs. It’s a musical journey that promises to be unforgettable, so make sure to wear sensible shoes for the dance-worthy beats. Aug. 1 , 6-10 p.m. $26. my805tix.com. Liquid Gravity Brewing Company, 675 Clarion Ct., San Luis Obispo, (805) 457-4677.
CELTIC CABARET OF SAN LUIS OBISPO Poets, players, and artists, come join us at Celtic Cabaret to play your party-piece on a safe listening stage, or come enjoy as our friends entertain! July 27 12-4 p.m. Free. (805) 710-3309. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church SLO, 650 Pismo St., San Luis Obispo. LOS YESTERDAYS Los Yesterdays, the a Chicano soul band from Los Angeles, are set to take the Fremont Theater stage. Hear them live and get tickets at the link. July 31 $37. fremontslo.com/events/los-yesterdays-1/. The Fremont Theater, 1035 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 546-8600.
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY MORRO BAY WHITE CAPS COMMUNITY BAND, MUSIC BY THE SEA SUMMER CONCERT SERIES The Morro Bay White Caps Community Band, conducted by Brenda Hascall, will perform a variety of pops, classical and jazz music by the sea. July 26 , 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. (805) 459-9543. morrobaywhitecaps.com.
ARTS BRIEFS
Local high school students compete in International Thespian Festival
Center Stage Theatre Company performers from Pioneer Valley and Ernest Righetti high schools represented California in Indiana this June while competing in the International Thespian Festival (ITF).
They performed 21 Chump Street and competed in vocal solos and duets during the weeklong event at Indiana University Bloomington. Mariah Escobar and Bloom Carrera received superior rankings for their solos, while Kyle Sheehy and Jesus Manriquez received an excellent ranking for their duet.
“ITF was such an inspirational and loving event, which brought passionate thespian students together to celebrate their love of theater and performing,” Sheehy said in a press release. “We had a great time, and it was such an honor to represent our state, our schools, and our program in the nationwide event.”
The weeklong festival focuses on performance, education, and community, bringing together theater students, teachers, and professionals from across the country.
Pioneer Valley theater teacher Selyn Barrette Harwin said students received great feedback at the festival.
“Watching our students perform at the largest high school theater event in the country was such an amazing experience,” she said in the release. “They made our district and Center Stage proud.”
Calling all musicians!
It’s Newtie time!
It’s time to submit your entries to the New Times Music Awards.
The competition is all about local music and is open to anyone in northern Santa Barbara County and SLO County who’s put out music in the last year. Locals can enter up to 10 original songs in five categories. Are you an acoustic folk or country singer? The country/American/folk category is the one for you. Other categories include R&B/blues, rock/alternative, hip-hop/reggae/worldbeat, and open—if you think your brand of jam doesn’t fit anywhere else.
Let’s not forget the songwriting competition or album of the year awards! There’s something for everyone here!
Submissions will be accepted starting Thursday, July 24, through Monday, Aug. 11, at 5 p.m. Each song or album entry costs $10.
Winners must be available to play the showcase on Friday, Nov. 21, in Rod & Hammer Rock in San Luis Obispo. The event starts at 7 p.m., and the winners will be competing for the annual Live Performance Newtie award. There, New Times Media Group will also present the Reader’s Choice and Local Legend awards and announce the winner of the annual Ernie Ball guitar raffle! Visit newtimesslo.com/sanluisobispo/ntmahome/page for more information, to see rules, and find entry forms. Email ntma@newtimesslo.com. m
Arts Briefs is compiled by Editor Camillia Lanham. Send information to clanham@newtimesslo.com.
‘Vulnerable
with intention’
Stories of local foster youth in Trauma to Hope exhibit now on display in Santa Ynez
BY ANGIE STEVENS
It was past midnight when a 9-year-old girl living in Santa Maria found herself crying in the back of a police car. She felt swallowed up by the dark seats; the bars made her feel small and scared. Earlier, she had escaped her abusive home, crawling on all fours to the back gate, praying, then bolting through it and pounding on the next-door neighbor’s house, knowing a detective lived there. Instead of soundly sleeping and dreaming, she was then questioned and examined by detectives and ushered to a temporary foster home.
“Do you believe in God?” the two police officers asked her, before dropping her off at her new unknown home.
“Yes,” she responded.
“Would you mind if we said a prayer with you?” they replied, soon speaking one of protection and love into the night. Before driving away, they placed a teddy bear into her trembling hands—leaving her with a beacon of hope in such a confusing and scary time.
“I’ll never forget their faces, and I’ve thought of them often over the years,” Jessica Salutan, now 52, said of the officers who consoled her.
Her story of entering the foster care system 43 years ago is one of the many firsthand experiences on display now through July 26 at the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum, in an exhibit called From Trauma to Hope: Stories of Foster Care.
Spearheading the exhibit is Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County—a local nonprofit organization that trains volunteers to advocate for the health and safety of children experiencing abuse or neglect. Of the eight former foster youth featured in the exhibit, many were matched at a young age with CASA advocates, who became consistent mentors in their lives during times when they were moving from home to home and navigating uncertain and lonely years.
The exhibit’s goal is twofold: to spotlight the powerful and vulnerable stories of foster youth, giving the community a glimpse into their experiences, and to advocate for greater community involvement and support for CASA’s work.
“This exhibit reminds us that history isn’t just about the past. It’s about the people and experiences shaping our communities today,” said Krissy Castillo, executive director of the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum.
To get the intended experience, visitors start in the exhibit’s first room, which begins with trauma. Stories, letters, photographs, and memorabilia lead viewers to the second room,
Hope in art
which ends with hope and a “Take Action” wall with 30 tangible ways anyone can make a difference in the lives of local foster youth, including becoming a CASA volunteer—there are currently 81 children in the county’s foster care system waiting for an advocate—fulfilling a foster child’s Christmas wish list, or supporting drug prevention programs for youth.
Now aged out of the foster care system and in their adult years, many of the individuals featured in the exhibit have since taken action by stepping into roles as youth mentors, supporters for local foster youth, or CASA volunteers.
Estefany Can, whose experiences are featured in the exhibit, entered the foster care system at age 6, leaving behind her brothers who, she said, were always her source of comfort.
Overwhelmed by loneliness and coping with the separation from her siblings, Can discovered the world of books, and “with every flip of a page I could escape my reality and step into another, where the stories became my sanctuary and inspiration,” she wrote on a plaque near her display at the museum.
Showcased in the exhibit are poems she wrote between the ages of 8 and 12 that “capture the heart of a little girl searching for safety and belonging in an ever-changing, often dangerous system.”
One poem, written in her pink and blue fluffy diary adorned with gold stars begins: “A different house./ A different room./ A different bed.”
It ends with a similar repetition: “The same wish./ The same fear./ The same system.”
Writing, Can said, became her refuge, “a way to soothe the deep undercurrents of anxiety, depression, and never-ending isolation.” It also afforded her, as she wrote, “the power to write my own story and to control the outcomes in a world where I otherwise had little control.”
During her time in foster care, Jojo Murdock didn’t have a CASA advocate, but she’s still felt called to return and serve the community she was from. For the last 20 years, she has spent her time in social work. In 2022, Murdock launched Awakening Giantz, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting young adults exiting the foster care system and providing them with resources, workshops, and a community to belong to.
One of her pieces displayed at the Trauma to Hope exhibit is a large cartoon depicting her challenges living with a bipolar-schizophrenic mother and later how her stuffed teddy bear provided comfort as she was shuttled by police officers to a foster home. It’s one story featured in a series of four comic books her organization
created, called Awakening Stories.
“My hope is for people to realize we were vulnerable with intention and with purpose,” Murdock said of the former foster youth who shared their stories in the exhibit. “The fact that we get to choose how to tell our story is imperative.”
The idea for an exhibit of this nature came to CASA’s executive director, Kim Davis, during a conference, where she saw a small, similar display showcasing former foster youth’s stories. Davis said she vowed to some day find a way to put on an exhibit for the community in Santa Barbara County. It launched in Santa Maria last October and has since moved around the county to Lompoc and Santa Ynez, and it’s planned to be displayed in Santa Barbara this winter.
“Every single time, it has been an emotional journey of revisiting the stories and handling them with the care and compassion that they deserve,” said Crystal Sullins, CASA’s donor relations and grants manager.
“Unless you’ve walked in someone else’s shoes, it’s hard to understand,” Sullins said. “So many of us, myself included, have never been in foster care. But I feel so much compassion, and I want them to have the best possible outcomes given their circumstances.” m
Calendar Editor Angie Stevens is a beacon. Reach her at astevens@newtimesslo.com.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SANTA MARIA JOINT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
THE MEMORIES THEY CARRY: The CASA exhibit From Trauma to Hope: Stories of Foster Care is on display at the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum. The two rooms feature a collection of firsthand experiences, brought to life with meaningful objects, art, poetry, letters, and photographs.
FILE PHOTO BY JAYSON MELLOM
POETRY AS SOLACE: Estefany Can discovered the world of books when she was 8 years old and in foster care. Writing poetry became a way to make sense of her confusing and lonely childhood years.
BOBBY BEAR: Jojo Murdock’s cartoons detail early childhood memories of living alone in an apartment when her mother would disappear for weeks on end. She said her teddy bear, named Bobby, featured in the exhibit, is “the last part of my childhood that ties me to this time.”
Located at 3596 Sagunto St., the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., and the From Trauma to Hope: Stories of Foster Care exhibit is on display until July 26. For more about the exhibit, visit at sbcasa.org.
Dark days
Writer-director Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar, Beau Is Afraid) helms this neo-Western black comedy set in 2020 that chronicles a showdown between Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), leading to violence in the small town of Eddington, New Mexico. (148 min.)
Glen: There are no heroes and no one to root for in this story that takes us back to the bad old days of COVID-19 and mask mandates, of 6-foot social distancing and shuttered businesses. Black Lives Matter and critical race theory are also in the mix of social traumas, as well as contingents arguing for and against a proposed data center to be built on the outskirts of the fictional town of Eddington, New Mexico, population
EDDINGTON
What’s it rated? R
What’s it worth, Anna? Full price
2,634. Yes, there’s a lot to divide the citizens of this small town, which abuts an Indian reservation. At loggerheads are libertarian-minded Cross and liberal-minded Garcia, who are not only politically opposed, but also have a shared history with Cross’ wife, emotionally fragile Louise (Emma Stone). According to Louise’s mother, conspiracy-obsessed Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell), Garcia is the source of her daughter’s emotional state.
What’s it worth, Glen? Full price
Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Regal Arroyo Grande
of California, I encountered people in stores and at my workplace who would happily rant and rave about mask mandates. In Aster’s film, the overarching story soon becomes about much more. Egos and jealousy and the “don’t tread on me” attitude all swirl into a pressure cooker just waiting to explode. Once Cross has it in his head that he should be mayor and Garcia should essentially be run out of town, it becomes his whole focus. All these other things like protests and gun violence and national tragedies, like the death of George Floyd, are just bothersome distractions keeping his constituents from focusing on getting him elected. Phoenix is really great here; no surprise there. In fact, this cast is as solid as they come. Aster has a knack for forcing his audience to live in the uncomfortable, but they are too engaged to look away, and Eddington seems to hit that mark again. Did I “like” watching it? Well, not always. Was it a fantastic piece of work? Absolutely.
Anna: The beginning of the film definitely had some flashback effects on me. Even on the coast
TITAN: THE OCEANGATE DISASTER
What’s it rated? TV-MA
When? 2025
Where’s it showing? Netflix
When the OceanGate disaster happened, I remember thinking that one of the streaming services is bound to make a documentary, and by golly, here it is! This event captured the attention of a lot of people at the time. I remember it being all over social media sites as well as news outlets. I think it’s one of those things that’s so out of touch with reality for most people that we don’t even think about it, but when you do, you think, “Well, of course rich people would do this wildly dangerous, ridiculous thing.”
Glen: The film effectively depicts the idea that the various sides are absolutely sure they’re right and their opposition is dead wrong, and they have no interest in finding common ground. Sound familiar? Add in the online conspiracies that shaped many people’s thinking, and rationality is just gone. Cross turns out to be as fragile as his wife, and he eventually reaches his
The Titan was a submersible that held five people, typically a couple of people working for OceanGate and three “tourists” who paid $250,000 each for a chance to stare through the murky depths at the ill-fated Titanic wreck. The documentary becomes less about who was on board, or even the accident itself, and much more about the company and people—CEO Stockton Rush in particular— behind it and the safety concerns that were brushed aside long before the Titan imploded.
If you were one of those fascinated folks when the Titan sank, give this one a watch. It’ll give you even more insight to the ill-fated journey. (111 min.) —Anna
breaking point after his wife is caught up in the nonsense spewed by online viral guru Vernon Jefferson Peak (Austin Butler). There’s really no one to like here. Even the young idealists impassioned by BLM protests are using their politics to judge others rather than to repair broken connections. Anger, jealousy, paranoia— the worst of human emotions are on full display. It’s uncomfortable viewing, and Aster has no answers for us. He just holds up a mirror. It’s also tragically comical, and the joke’s on us.
Anna: Everyone seems out to make their
HEADS OF STATE
What’s it rated? PG-13
When? 2025
Where’s it showing? Prime
Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry, Nobody ) cooks up another funny, action-packed popcorn flick. John Cena stars as Will Derringer, former action movie star and newly elected U.S. president. His British counterpart, more seriousminded Sam Clarke (Idris Elba), doesn’t much care for the preening president, but when they both narrowly survive an assassination attempt aboard Air Force One on the way to a NATO summit, they’re forced to work together.
After parachuting to safety, they make their way to CIA agent Marty Comer (Jack Quaid) just in time for another assassination attempt, but with the help of MI6 Senior Agent Noelle Bisset (Priyanka Chopra), they escape. Lots of gun battles, fights, explosions, and chases follow, and Naishuller’s direction keeps the action propulsive. Now they need to figure out who betrayed them and reach the NATO summit before the alliance is dissolved.
Despite the mayhem, this is a lighthearted affair examining geopolitics and two very different men who learn to appreciate one another. Its impressive cast also includes Paddy Considine as a Russian
message the most heard, in that no-matter-whatit-takes way that can happen in heated divisive moments in our country. It should matter what it takes, otherwise we end up like the fictional town of Eddington. This film is a commitment at two and a half hours, but if you’re like me, you’ll be in it the whole time. Fans of Aster should definitely see this in the theater. m
New Times Arts Editor Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Sun Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
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On-Demand wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV) brought to you by Care Connection Transport Services powered by Santa Barbara County
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DIVIDED WE FALL: In a small New Mexico town at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix, left) and Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) find themselves in vehement disagreement over how to navigate the pandemic, in Eddington, screening in local theaters.
arms dealer, Stephen Root as a computer hacker, Carla Gugino as U.S. Vice President Elizabeth Kirk, and Sharlto Copley as Bisset’s CIA counterpart. Totally worth a look for action fans. (113 min.) m —Glen
RUSH’S RUSH: Netflix’s Titan: The OceanGate Disaster chronicles OceanGate CEO and Titan submersible creator Stockton Rush’s doomed tourist adventure to the Titanic wreck.
DEATH DEFIERS: U.S. President Will Derringer (John Cena) and British Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) survive an assassination attempt on the way to a NATO summit and reluctantly work together to save the world, in Heads of State, streaming on Prime.
Explore more
look to the future.
BY CAMILLIA LANHAM
No two vintages of Clementine Carter are the same.
“You should be able to read each vintage in each bottle,” owner and winemaker Sonja Magdevski said. “Everything that happened that year should be in this bottle.”
The soil, sun, wind, rain, frost, temperature. The hands that tended the vines, the decisions that were made and when.
“All of those are variable and flexible, I believe,” she said. “How do we exemplify that in each vintage and make it taste good in the end. … You’ve got to thread that.”
It’s about taking cues from the environment and forming a wine based on those inputs, not forcing through an idea about what a wine should be.
In 2020, she said, one section of a vineyard she worked with experienced sunburn during a late season heat wave. The vineyard manager talked about thinning out the sunburned clusters prior to harvest.
“I said, ‘Well don’t do it too much, because we can’t pretend that it didn’t happen,’” she said. “We can’t pretend that we didn’t have any sunburn. We can’t pretend we didn’t have any heat spike.”
Winemaking is a labor of exploration, discovery, and creativity, said Magdevski, who also leans on experience and knowledge built by about two decades in the industry. The confidence she gained in that time also helped when it came to rebranding her longtime winery, Casa Dumetz, to Clementine Carter in April 2024. It was time, she said, to
She’s continuing the pursuit she started at Casa Dumetz: working with Sta. Rita Hills vineyards that produce cooler climate Rhône varieties and showcasing the resulting wines out of her downtown Los Alamos tasting room, which cuddles up next to Babi’s Beer Emporium— also a Magdevski creation, dishing up cheese plates and light bites alongside cider, beer, wine, and Champagne right on Bell Street.
Casa Dumetz, which debuted in Los Alamos more than a decade ago, pulled its name from a Malibu vineyard planted in 2004 with pinot noir. That place no longer exists. The climate, she said, just isn’t right for wine grapes. It’s too foggy for too long as clusters start to set at the beginning of summer. By 2014, the property the vineyard was on sold and “everything changed,” she said. But she had just opened her tasting room in 2011. With the place where she started making wine gone, she was uncertain of how to move forward,
but Magdevski said she didn’t have the confidence at the time to pull the trigger on a rebrand.
“Last year was our 20th year making wine, and I thought, ‘Well, you know, I’ve earned the right to call my name whatever I want it to be,’” she said.
Clementine Carter is a character in Magdevski’s favorite Western, My Darling Clementine. Her father loved Westerns, and she loved them through him. They watched the film maybe 20 years ago, she said.
The 1946 film is one in a long line of Wyatt Earp movies about the shootout at the O.K. Corral, but Carter isn’t part of any of the other films, Magdevski said. Carter travels across the country looking for love, and she arrives in Tombstone, unrequited. Yet, Carter builds a new life for herself, pushing through hardship and establishing herself in town—a character arc Magdevski said is similar to her own.
The Clementine Carter line initially was introduced in 2016, so, for customers, it was a name they already knew. The wines Magdevski produces
under her label are the ones she’s already known for.
Grenache, graciano nouveau, roussanne, mourvèdre, syrah, pinot noir, and picpoul blanc from vineyards that stretch the length and width of the Sta. Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County. All of it done with an eye for experimentation and the search for what is right, what works for each vintage from each vineyard, because they’re all unique.
“I’ve worked with almost every grenache vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley, but I joke that I don’t really know what grenache tastes like,” Magdevski said. “Everything I do I sort of approach with a beginner’s eye. Not like I have the answer, but like I’m looking for the answer.”
Without a vineyard, she works closely with production vineyards like Robert Rae, which grafted an acre of mourvèdre and an acre of roussanne for Clementine Carter in 2020.
“It sort of just shifted our whole perspective and our priorities and our
MY DARLING CLEMENTINE: A little more than a year ago, Los Alamos winemaker Sonja Magdevski rebranded her longtime winery, Casa Dumetz, as Clementine Carter, a character in one of her favorite Westerns.
COOL CUSTOMER: With a focus on the Sta. Rita Hills, Clementine Carter produces Rhône wines, such as grenache, grown in Santa Barbara County’s cooler climate.
EATS continued page 26
Find Clementine Carter Wines in Los Alamos at 388 Bell St. Owner and winemaker Sonja Magdevski also hosts vineyard tours, a Friday night speaker series, and cheese and wine parings. Find out more at clementinecarterwines.com and on Instagram @clementinecarterwines.
goals and what we want to focus on,” she said.
“We’ve been doing this for 20 years, and what’s for the next 20 years, hopefully?”
This year, Robert Rae Vineyard is planning to put in more vines for Clementine Carter: picpoul blanc, grenache blanc, and more roussanne.
“It’s been this goal since then to gently encourage growers to plant these grapes for us,” Magdevski said. “I just want to sort of show something different and defy the expectation a little bit of what we think things are supposed to taste like.”
Fetch Pet Bowtique
In a region known for its chardonnays and pinot noirs, she’s pushing the western edge of wine with 2,000 cases of what’s possible when you try something a little different.
“They’re not widely planted, and we love them, and they’re unique and sexy, and they have a fun drive growing in our climate, and so it’s about that fun exploration,” she said. “I’m not here to change the world, I’m just here to try new things. … It’s something that keeps me going.” m
Editor Camillia Lanham is a little different. Send new things to her at clanham@ santamariasun.com
FIRMLY PLANTED: Winemaker Sonja Magdevski leads a vineyard tour of Robert Rae Vineyard, one of several that she sources grapes from in the Sta. Rita Hills. What makes Robert Rae extra special for Magdevski are the mourvèdre and roussanne vines planted just for Clementine Carter.
