Coast Village Week by Montecito Journal

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3 – 10 SEPT 2026 | VOL 32 ISS 36 www.montecitojournal.net

Voice of theV illage

SERVING MONTECITO AND SOUTHERN SANTA BARBARA

Chief Concerns – Montecito Fire’s new chief on wildfire season, an El Niño winter and Hot Springs Trail, P.12

Trailer Blazers – Fire and water districts park crews at both ends of town before wind season, P.22

Years of hard backcountry miles finished off their old command truck. A $50,000 boost from Montecito Community Foundation and a One805 grant closed the gap, page 5

Goal Rush – Klentner Ranch takes the Pacific Coast Open, and Billie Eilish officiates at San Ysidro Ranch, P.6

Verona Persona

Luca Crestanelli landed at LAX with no English and an address on a scrap of paper. He may not have foreseen Ancora Osteria, page 16

Coast Village Week September 10-17 2026

Coast Village Week is making a splash for the fourth year running — with art, dogs, exotic cars, special menus, and in-store promotions. There’s something for everyone! (Story starts on page 34)

Hair Apparent

Three gens of Sanchez barbers, 60 years at the Country Mart, one chair. Tim Sanchez shares his family’s moving saga, page 14

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In Passing – Remembering Allan Gary INSIDE THIS ISSUE 18 Brostrom of Brostrom’s in Montecito and Dr. Harlan “Ted” Thoreson, longtime

Coast Village Week – Coast Village Week 34 returns September 10-17 for a fourth year, with

ophthalmologist and Casa Dorinda resident

the Beyond the Canvas Art Walk, Top Dog Day, Exotic and Vintage Car Day

eings and Doings – Not drinking enough 20 Bwater can have serious physiological

Foraging Thyme – Chuy Berry Farms’ fresh 39 raspberries inspire a batch of raspberry and

Letters – A reader stuck at the roundabout asks 22 The Water Column – Montecito Fire and 10 where Montecito Water District team up on two the detour is, and two more remember

Body Wise – A simple summer dinner with 42 friends can rekindle social connection, ease

Local News – SB County Search and Rescue’s 5 drive for a $5 million endowment is all about us Montecito Moments – Klentner Ranch takes the 6 Pacific Coast Open and the smallest riders get a

tournament of their own at the Polo Training Center

Pedro Rivera 93108 Sheriff ’s Blotter – A public intoxication arrest outside a Summerland liquor store and credit cards taken from an unlocked car on Torito Road Tide Guide

ur Town – New Montecito Fire Chief Brian O Fallon on wildfire readiness, a super El Niño winter, the Hot Springs Trail, and what residents can do to help

ramifications, but drinking the stuff at recommended dosages? Infinitely worse.

temporary firefighter housing sites to speed response during high fire danger

On Entertainment – Paper mosaics and slow26 looking photography as the Santa Barbara Studio Artists open two dozen doors for the 25th annual Labor Day tour

our Westmont: Five impressive tenure-track 28 Yprofessors begin new semester; and 19 new nurses are lauded at a summer ceremony

The Spoken Word – A climate insider’s Faces of Montecito – Three generations of 30 account 14 the of crafting the nation’s biggest climate Sanchez family in the same barber’s chair. Montecito Barbers marks 60 years at the Country Mart

law, a screenwriter’s reflections, and the unsung artistry of native bees

pecan waffles topped with berries and maple syrup

isolation, and remind us how good gathering together feels Curator’s Choice – Carl Gustav Jablonsky’s exquisite 18th-century butterfly etchings reveal the artistry and science of entomology

Calendar of Events – Butterflies take their 44 final flutter, 1st Thursday closes out the

summer, Nikki Glaser gets Stunning at Chumash, the Transatlantic Guitar Trio touches down at SOhO, Terell Stafford salutes Miles, and flamenco comes home to the Historical Museum.

Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified 46 ads, in which sellers offer everything from summer rentals to estate sales

Stories Matter – A slacker detective in Austin, a File – Chef Luca Crestanelli brings Verona 33 publishing 16 FtooodMontecito’s satire, Venezuelan excess, a gap-year Upper Village at Ancora Osteria, 47 Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles by way of Santa Ynez farms, a Santa Barbara barn studio, and an aunt’s kitchen outside Verona.

Montecito JOURNAL

romance, Haitian grief, 1920s Oklahoma murder, and a stirring mystery on the Antarctic ice “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” – Genesis 3:19

Local Business Directory – Smart business owners place business cards here

3 – 10 September 2026

Local News

Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue. They Walk Among Us. by Jeff Wing

here is something very DC Comics about Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue. One minute Clark Kent is strolling around the Daily Planet newsroom and in the next he’s in a phonebooth frantically struggling into tights. For SBCSAR’s volunteer rescuers the tights-and-phone-booth situation has been obsoleted, but not the sudden call to arms. When someone is in distress anywhere in Santa Barbara County and the signal goes out, you may see your co-worker drop everything and briskly leave the office. Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue’s volunteer guardians are scattered throughout the city, working and living alongside us, cohering into a seamless force for good at a moment’s notice. Joe Plowman explains. “The reason we have 47 members and not 12, for instance, is that we’re all working; doctors, teachers, attorneys...” That is, highly trained Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue volunteers summoned in the middle of a workday are all over the city working the 9 to 5. “When dispatch receives the call,” Joe says, “we’re alerted through our cell phones via proprietary software. And it’s loud. It cuts through anything except airplane mode with a loud, audible noise.” Once the responding members are on the move, the software connects the whole of the mobile team, showing the live location of the individual activated team members, availability of apparatus, and a score of other data points that sharpen and optimize the mission’s efficacy.

August rescue of missing runner on Jesusita (courtesy photo)

3 – 10 September 2026

Joe Plowman in his other office (courtesy photo)

The all-volunteer nature of SB County Search and Rescue seems almost cinematic, our friends and neighbors and co-workers dropping everything to pivot to the seamless rapid-response mission for which they’ve been rigorously trained. The volunteer nature of the gig is that way for a reason. Any fleeting hesitation on the part of the person in distress could lead to a devastating outcome. “The theory,” Joe says, “is let’s not have someone in jeopardy up in the mountains worrying about what the rescue will cost, what they might have to pay. That can delay their call. And so we want them to call immediately. That’s why every single search and rescue in the United States is all-volunteer, working under a Sheriff ’s Department.” The ironclad self-reliance doesn’t end there. If you’re going to build a search and rescue juggernaut that lives up to its name, it can’t be beholden to purse strings, political vagaries, or any other expedience that could stand in the way. The plain business of saving lives isn’t a business at all, but an obligation. “We receive no direct funds from the Sheriff’s Department, or state or federal money for our vehicles or equipment. All the volunteers contribute their own gear when you finish the academy. It comes to about $5,000, and we continually invest about that much again every couple years in our personal gear. And then we raise money for our trucks and all the other equipment.” The vetting of willing recruits seems to be ongoing. Presumably the process of signing on is a meticulous but quick turnaround. “The interview process takes about 8 months,” Joe says. “You’re sent to

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Montecito Moments Pacific Coast Crown

WINNERS! The Klentner Ranch team, winners of the Pacific Coast Open: Nachi Viana, Jesse Bray, Jake Klentner and Justin Klentner, with their happy fans (©PhotosByPriscilla)

by Lisa Duncan

And there were spills. Multiple players were dismounted, including Viana, while one horse-and-rider combination crashed into a goal post hard enough to knock it down and send the player out of the saddle. USPA Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel Bob McMurtry summed it up: “Very exciting! Just full of adrenaline.” McMurtry has served as Central Circuit Governor and Chairman of the Polo Development

“I

t was close! A big battle. It’s an amazing feeling to win,” said Most Valuable Player Nachi Viana after Klentner Ranch captured the Pacific Coast Open Sunday afternoon, defeating La Karina 16–9 at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club. For Jake Klentner, the victory still felt unreal. “It’s just amazing. I still can’t believe it,” he said after the final chukker.

Moments Page 234 234

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Local News (Continued from 5) the Sheriff ’s Office to undergo about a 3-month background check, lie detector tests, and everything a law enforcement officer would go through to get considered to be on the team. We weed it down from maybe 100 to 50 applicants to about 10. They go through an academy, and about eight pass. Those eight go through an apprentice phase for about a year, year and a half; responding on calls and fully participating, but they’re not allowed to work alone. And so after about a year and a half of this training in the field, the board and the operations groups review your application.” I sit there blinking. “And then,” Joe says with a grin, “you become a full rescue member..”

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“There’s a lot.” The Foundation and the Truck

SBCSAR’s Rescue Roundup wants YOU

There are only 19 teams in California with Type 1 certification by the Mountain Rescue Association, and SBCSAR is one of them. “And we’re one of the busiest search and rescues in California,” Joe says. Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue has been operating since 1962. “The current 501(c)(3) was formed in 2001 when the county teams unified,” Joe says. “There were about six different teams and the Sheriff at that time brought them all together and created Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue.” When Joe signed up and saw all the moving parts, it was an eye-opener. “I’m a business guy, so I joined the team, and immediately…there’s a lot,” he says. “We have to join two committees, minimum, like marketing, ropes, K9. We have, you know, the drones.” He pauses, eyebrows arching. “So I’m like, ‘Wait a second. I have to train most weekends, I have to be on a couple of committees, and I have to raise money?” Never mind the bit about climbing, rappelling, rescuing the incapacitated and dodging churlish rattlesnakes. “I said, ‘let me work with a few guys I know. Let’s see if we can create a foundation...” Plowman tapped a number of talented folk to get the foundation off the ground, including (but not limited to) friend John Van Donge, former president of the Santa Barbara Police Foundation and Police Activity League; retired CPA and Los Padres Council Legacy Award winner Bob Maloy; and Thomas Tighe, retired President and CEO of Direct Relief. Joe is treasurer of the Foundation he bootstrapped, and which operates under the auspices of the Santa Barbara Foundation. “Our goal is to raise $5 million and create an endowment so the team never has to raise money again. We would use the interest of the $5 million to fund operations. SBCSAR is about $350,000 to run a year.” He pauses. “And then when we have big purchases like a truck,

we have to raise that on top of the $350,000.” With a little help from their friends (as they say) SB County Search and Rescue have just procured a new truck for the fleet. It’s good to have the support of powerful and compassionate friends. “We needed a new Incident Command and Response Truck to replace one of our aging vehicles that was basically falling apart after years of heavy backcountry use,” Joe says. They’d raised a majority of the funding through private donors, community grants, their own foundation events like Rescue Roundup, the upcoming iteration of which is fast approaching and not to be missed (see inset). The dear Montecito Community Foundation kicked in $50K, as reported to me by a delighted Ruth Green, MCF president. Then who should arrive in leather pants but the rock n’ roll pal of every First Responder within shouting distance. “We were right around $20,000 short of our final target when One805 came through at the 11th hour with that final grant,” Joe says with a grin. “We expect to take official delivery of the truck and put it into active service in the coming months. It’s going to make a massive difference for our team’s response capabilities across the county.” Falls from cliffs, fast water rescues, lost and dehydrating nature lovers – SBCSAR is what every mountain-adjacent community of overexcited weekend trailblazers needs. “And they were here in force for the Debris Flow for 40 consecutive days,” Ruth had told me with feeling on an earlier phone call. “Pretty great.” We’re talking self-equipped volunteers who train throughout the year and endanger themselves while extracting the rest of us from our wilderness missteps. How do you sum that up? “We have about 47 members,” Joe says. “And this is what they do in their spare time.”

“All we are is dust in the wind.” – Kerry Livgren

3 – 10 September 2026

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Letters to the Editor

Editor’s note: The following letters remember Pedro Rivera, the longtime Santa Barbara and Montecito bartender who was struck and killed by a car on Coast Village Road on August 2.

Around and Around We Go

Remembering Pedro Rivera

hese are our daily traffic concerns going into the roundabout, with road closures, people not letting you in, people not sharing. The road is all long lines. It seems to be heavy traffic, daily now, and with the overpass being built, what is it that local traffic can do to bypass some of this inconvenience? Can we go through the Music Academy, or do we just sit in traffic with the fumes? Frustrated in Montecito

Like so many others, I had the pleasure of getting to know Pedro at his various places of employment over the years. Fortunately for me, our paths would also cross at Polo and while walking near my office on State Street. One day, we were talking about travel when Pedro said, “David, I know you and your wife and your passion for food and wine. Go to San Sebastián, Spain. You will love it, as I have. Go, I promise you!” Pedro was spot on. We took his advice, and San Sebastián has become a special place for us. We have returned each of the past two years, spending almost two months there. Thank you, Pedro, for all that you were and for all that you gave to so many. Your warmth, generosity, and genuine enthusiasm touched countless lives. I feel very fortunate to have known you. David Catalfimo

A Delightful Gentleman

Intoxication / Ortega Hill Road, Summerland Sunday, August 16, 2026, 10:19 am A man was contacted outside of Sandpiper Liquor store. He displayed signs of extreme intoxication from alcohol. Multiple witnesses reported seeing him urinate in front of the store and fall into nearby bushes. He was arrested and transported to jail for being in violation of 647(f) PC. Credit Card Theft / 2900 Block Torito Road, Montecito Sunday, August 16, 2026, 12:40 pm Unknown suspect(s) stole some credit cards from the victim’s unlocked vehicle.

JOURNAL

M SHERIFF’S BLOTTER

I first met Pedro more than 26 years ago when he was the barman at the El Encanto Hotel. At that time the hotel was run by Eric Friden, a polo player who was sadly killed while playing the game. At the various subsequent places he worked, I would always see him displaying the same personal yet still professional approach to serving customers. Unfortunately, I was at the location on the night of the incident and still there when it happened. This sadly concluded my era of being a friend. He was a delightful gentleman, and he will be missed, especially at the polo fields. I retain many memories of him at various other places where he relaxed when not working. Que en paz descanse. Nigel Gallimore

YOUR LETTERS MATTER!

Executive Editor/CEO | Gwyn Lurie gwyn@montecitojournal.net President/COO | Timothy Lennon Buckley tim@montecitojournal.net Managing Editor | Zach Rosen zach@montecitojournal.net MoJo Contributing Editor | Christopher Matteo Connor Art/Production Director | Trent Watanabe Graphic Design/Layout | Stevie Acuña Administrative Assistant | Jessica Shafran VP, Sales & Marketing | Leanne Wood leanne@montecitojournal.net Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Scott, Joe DeMello, Thomas Mock

The Montecito Journal thrives on community input…

Have thoughts on a local issue? Comments on one of our articles? Contact us at letters@montecitojournal.net

Features | Jeff Wing Proofreading | Helen Buckley Contributors | Scott Craig, Chuck Graham, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Robert Bernstein, Christina Atchison, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye, Elizabeth Stewart, Leana Orsua, Jeffrey Harding, Houghton Hyatt

Montecito Tide Guide Day

Low

Hgt

High

Thurs, Sept 3 3:31 AM Fri, Sept 4 03:46 PM Sat, Sept 5 12:05 AM 0.3 7:32 AM Sun, Sept 6 1:06 AM -0.2 8:05 AM Mon, Sept 7 1:54 AM -0.5 8:34 AM Tues, Sept 8 2:35 AM -0.7 9:03 AM Wed, Sept 9 3:11 AM -0.6 9:32 AM Thurs, Sept 10 3:44 AM -0.4 10:01 AM Fri, Sept 11 4:15 AM 0.0 10:30 AM

10 Montecito JOURNAL

Hgt

Low

Hgt

High

Hgt

Low Hgt

3.0 7:04 AM 2.6 02:26 PM 5.5 10:41 PM 0.7 5.5 3.5 10:31 AM 3.2 05:10 PM 5.7 3.8 12:11 PM 2.9 06:23 PM 6.0 4.2 01:17 PM 2.5 07:22 PM 6.3 4.5 02:10 PM 1.9 08:14 PM 6.4 4.8 02:57 PM 1.5 09:01 PM 6.3 5.1 03:43 PM 1.1 09:46 PM 6.0 5.3 04:28 PM 0.8 10:31 PM 5.5

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Montecito Fire Dept. Chief Brian Fallon in his office at the San Ysidro Road Fire Station No. 91. In the bookcase are his prized firefighter helmets from the roles he had prior to MFD. (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

by Joanne A Calitri

his week I interviewed Montecito Fire Department (MFD) Chief Brian Fallon, who has been leading MFD since April of this year. But first, there is a September 14, 4:30 pm, Montecito Community Meeting at Montecito Union School on the upcoming wet-weather months. Presenting are Montecito Fire, Santa Barbara County Flood Control, and Supervisor Lee’s Office. Now back to our interview. The goal is to discuss Fire Chief Fallon’s plans for fire safety, flooding and emergency safety for Montecito, and the status of the Hot Springs Trail Stakeholders Project led by Joe Cole and Pat McElroy in 2024. The project is under the watch of Supervisor Roy Lee in conjunction with MFD since May 2025. Data points include Red Flag Fire Warnings; Enhanced Closure Fencing; Oversize Vehicle Restrictions; No Overnight Parking Restrictions; and Public Education/Outreach. We met in Chief Fallon’s office at the San Ysidro Road Fire Station No. 91 for the photo op. In the bookcase are his prized firefighter headgear from the roles he had prior to MFD – Captain at Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District; Fire Chief at the City of Victorville Fire Department; and Fire Chief at the City of Lompoc Fire Department. Here is our interview: JAC: Let’s start with your projected last quarter of 2026 plan for fire safety in the Montecito area. Chief Fallon: My plan has been to assess the programs currently in place that provide protection and preparedness for our community. I am pleasantly surprised to see that Montecito Fire provides exceptional programs that are not available in many communities. Programs such as home hardening, chipping, hazard abatement, and defensible space surveys are services that many communities are unable to provide to their residents. We have an incredible team here that works hard to provide these valuable services to our community members. Our goal is to inform and educate residents about how they can better prepare for the variety of emergencies Montecito might experience. We continue to prioritize road access in the front county and maintain partnerships with key stakeholders, including Southern California Edison (SCE), County of Santa Barbara, and the U.S. Forest Service, to ensure our crews and mutual-aid partners have quick and safe access to wildfires in our local foothills. Montecito Fire is proactive in increasing staffing levels on high-fire-danger days, including Red Flag Warning days, to ensure that any potential fire start can be identified and mitigated quickly by our crews. We strategically position these crews throughout the community to provide the most effective coverage possible. These

12 Montecito JOURNAL

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Montecito JOURNAL

Faces of Montecito

1966 they moved the business to its current location at the Montecito Country Mart, thus creating what would become a multi-generational business that, in 2026, is celebrating its 60th year at the same location. Think about that! It took a few years for the next member of the Sanchez clan to join the business. In 1991 Bob’s son, Matt Sanchez, arrived. By the time I knew Matt, shortly after he’d purchased the shop from his father and Jess, he was already a huge presence in Santa Barbara as an advocate for troubled teens. “My dad was my hero,” announced Tim. “He could stand up and speak to Santa Barbara’s city leaders, chair community meetings, create partnerships and convince large crowds and troubled kids about options to gang violence… from his heart.” What made young gang members and the entire community listen was his personal history. A former Eastside gang leader who’d spent four years behind bars and battled drugs, Matt chose to devote the rest of his life to providing at-risk teens an alternative to the gang life he’d left behind. He created the Hoods in the Woods and All for One Mentoring programs offering experiences such as wilderness trips, often together with rival neighborhoods, out-of-area activities,

Loving Hands at Home vs. the Legendary Montecito Barbers by Sigrid Toye

humor and family pride are the page upon which his story is written.

o Cut or not to Cut… that is the Question! Standing with elementary school scissors in hand facing the mirror, I stopped to think: Do I start cutting now or might a storied professional be a better choice? If I’m suggesting this was the first time for that question, I’d be lying. Years of disastrous ‘Loving Hands’ haircuts jettisoned me to Montecito Barbers for repairs… and the Sanchez family: Bob Sanchez along with co-owner Jess Martinez, Bob’s son Matt and his grandson Tim. Three generations in the No. 1 barber’s chair at Montecito Barbers… just that belongs in the Guinness Book, doesn’t it? After calling for a sit-down (…not in the barber’s chair!), Tim Sanchez told stories of Santa Barbara’s barbershop history, his father and grandfather, those who came before, and his connections to the Santa Barbara and Montecito communities. His modesty, self-effacing

Our main purpose, of course, is to cut hair, but making friends along the way with our customers creates a community network and a welcoming place to be. The Sanchez family traces its barbering tradition back six generations, with Bob, Matt and sons Josh and Tim representing the generations connected directly to Montecito Barbers. “The entire barbering community began on Figueroa Street downtown at the present site of Willie’s Barbers,” explained Sanchez. “At the time, many who worked at Willie’s continued for decades as barbers in Santa Barbara.” The history was so complicated

ANACAPA

STREET

Tim Sanchez, Master Barber at Montecito Barbers and the third generation of his family to work the shop’s No. 1 chair, where he has cut hair since 2010

that he had to draw me a picture, a genogram of interconnections. More specifically however, the story of Montecito Barbers actually began with Jess Martinez, who’d also worked at Willie’s, but moved to the Upper Village in Montecito in 1964 as owner of his own barbershop. Bob Sanchez occupied a chair there, an arrangement that eventually led to a business partnership between the two men as co-owners. In

THE

Faces Page 434 434

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3 – 10 September 2026

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3 – 10 September 2026

• Voice of theVillage •

Montecito JOURNAL

Food File

From Verona with Love “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking, you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” – Julia Child by Lisa Duncan

ulia Child spent her final years in Montecito. Her words could almost serve as a blessing over Ancora Osteria, where Chef Luca Crestanelli has built a restaurant, and a life, around much the same philosophy of taking the chance, working hard, and doing things properly. Luca was 23 when a friend from his summer restaurant job on crystal blue Lake Garda suggested he try the United States. “Do you want to go try work in the U.S.?” he said. “I’m like, Sure.” “I had no idea! I didn’t even bother researching anything. It could have been Ohio. It could have been Hawaii. It’s far away, it’s an opportunity. I’m gonna take it.”

He landed at LAX with no English and an address scribbled on a little piece of paper. That was it? “That’s plenty,” he said. “I was young. I would have slept under a rock.” Before California, there was Stallavena, Luca’s tiny hometown outside Verona, surrounded by farms and close to Valpolicella wine country. But his first lessons in food began even closer to home. Asked who in his family gave him “the heart” for cooking, Luca answered immediately. His Aunt Virginia. What did it feel like walking into her house? “Comfortable.” She would be cooking at the stove

Peace Prize Luncheon

Brothers Luca and Francesco Crestanelli, who opened Ancora Osteria on East Valley Road in August after more than a decade working together at S.Y. Kitchen in Santa Ynez (photo by Laura Casadonte)

when he came over, and that memory, of food and comfort as inseparable, stayed with him. “I want them to feel at home in a way,” Luca said of his guests at Ancora. “I want them to be really comfortable.” For Luca, food, service and decor, must work together. “I think it has to be a complete picture.” His cooking follows the same philosophy. “We’ll do a few things and we’ll do them the right way.” That approach appears on the menu, from Blistered Cherry Tomato Pinsa to Tagliata with arugula and Parmigiano. And the seasons get the final say. “What’s the point of ordering tomatoes in December?” Luca asked. “Why should I eat a summer melon in January?” Years earlier, California had begun leading him toward a landscape that felt familiar, like Verona. “The first time I went ‘wine tasting’ with my cooking friends, we drove up from L.A.,” he recalled. “We got to Santa Barbara and wondered where all the vineyards were.” They ended up on the end of the pier and finally asked someone.

Chris Cadwell, who founded Tutti Frutti Farms in 1988 and began growing heirloom tomatoes in the early 1990s, back when customers had to be coaxed into trying the lumpy, bumpy fruit

“They said, ‘Oh, you guys have to drive to Santa Ynez!’” So they piled in the car and kept going, over the mountains into rolling country and vineyards that echoed the countryside around Verona and Lake Garda. “God, this is a beautiful place for a restaurant,” he said. Private-chef work, and later his wife’s family, kept bringing him back, and he opened S.Y. Kitchen in Santa Ynez, with Kathie and Mike Gordon, of Toscana in Brentwood. “Life kept pulling me back to the area,” Luca said. “I love it here.” He now works with his brother Francesco Crestanelli. Ancora doesn’t recreate Verona. It feels more personal, Verona translated through California farm ingredients and a Santa Barbara way of life. At Tutti Frutti Farms, Olive Cadwell said Luca calls or texts about what he needs and what is tasting best. “Knowing your farmer is very important,” Olive said. “The farmer can also be honest and just say, ‘I like these more,’ or ‘this didn’t do that well this year.’” For Ancora, they settled on softer red cherry tomatoes for sauce. When Olive talks about heirlooms, she sounds almost like she’s describing wine. Cherokee Purple and Chocolate Stripes tomatoes, she said, can be “earthy and smoky,” with extraordinary depth of flavor. The Cadwells have farmed for eight generations, and Olive’s father, Chris Cadwell, began growing heirlooms in the early 1990s.

For more information and RSVP:

Olive Cadwell, whose family has farmed for eight generations and who still saves seed by hand from the farm’s best Chocolate Stripes tomatoes

16 Montecito JOURNAL

Food File Page 384 384 3 – 10 September 2026

3 – 10 September 2026

• Voice of theVillage •

Montecito JOURNAL

In Passing

Allan Gary Brostrom: December 13, 1948 – August 3, 2026

llan Gary Brostrom passed away peacefully in Santa Barbara, California, on August 3, 2026, surrounded by his loved ones, after a courageous battle with cancer. Born in Stillwater, Minnesota, to Robert and Lucille Brostrom, Allan spent his early childhood there before his family moved west. He grew up alongside his brother, Steve, in Menlo Park, California, and graduated from Woodside High School in 1967. He went on to San Jose State University, where he was a proud member of the Theta Chi fraternity, graduating in 1971. Allan began his career in Santa Paula, working in the family jewelry business and earning his credentials from the Gemological Institute of America. He welcomed two children, Elizabeth Erin in 1976 and Grant Anton in 1978. Later, he moved to Hawaii, where he continued working in jewelry and fell in love with the islands, their culture, and their spirit of aloha. That love stayed with him throughout his life and became part of the warmth and hospitality he shared with others. Eventually, Allan settled in Santa Barbara to be closer to his children. There, he met Daniel Bifano, his partner of more than four decades and husband since 2015. Together, they built a home filled with laughter, friendship, support, and countless happy memories. In 1999, Allan opened Brostrom’s in Montecito, an antique furniture business that brought together his entrepreneurial spirit, eye for design, and love of people. There, he began collecting glass Christmas ornaments, particularly those designed by Christopher Radko and Patricia Breen, and became known for his elaborate Christmas tree displays in both his store and home. He ran the business for two decades before retiring and closing the store in 2018. Allan was a devoted father, but his greatest joy was his four grandchildren, all of whom grew up in Santa Barbara and knew him fondly as “Fun-Pa.” He loved being part of their lives, showing up for milestones, cheering them on, and filling family

dinners, which he loved best of all, with laughter and stories. He had a deep love of music, with a record collection spanning nearly every genre. He loved discovering new artists and sharing old favorites, passing that appreciation on to his children and giving them a lifelong love of music. Allan also had a remarkable green thumb, filling his home with plants that flourished under his care. He loved animals, too, and in his later years, his beloved dog Rosie was a constant source of companionship and comfort. Allan will be remembered for his warmth, humor, generous heart, and genuine interest in others. He loved to tell a joke, laugh until he cried, and find joy in everyday moments. Whether through his work, friendships, or stories shared over a meal, he had a way of making people feel welcome. He is survived by his husband, Dan Bifano; his children, Elizabeth and Grant; his grandchildren, Addison (18), Isla (16), and twins Frank and Cate (13); and many extended family members and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Lucille, and his brother, Steve Brostrom. His family is deeply grateful for the love and support shown throughout his illness and for the many wonderful memories shared over a life well lived. A celebration of Allan’s life will be held at a later date.

In Passing Page 434 434

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3 – 10 September 2026

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3 – 10 September 2026

• Voice of theVillage •

Montecito JOURNAL

Beings and Doings Darned Water by Jeff Wing

ullo. I’m the local columnist whose carefully crafted words are the last thing your drowsy cockatiel sees every evening as he nods off on his little trapeze or whatever. My name is Jeff Wing, but since around third grade people have mis-addressed me as Jack Wayne, so feel free. Now, I don’t want to sound like a desiccated mummy murmuring through foul and ancient bandages (who does?), but my doctor tells me I need to drink more water; or any water, I guess. {a rasping sigh escapes the ghastly mummy-man with a sound like dried tamarind seeds rattling around an empty gourd}. It’s been difficult, particularly in a Western World where everyone is walking around with a clutched bottle of water. Do I dislike water? What a question. Hahaha! Haaaahahaha! Yes. What do I disklike about it? Hard to say. It is colorless, flavorless, odorless, and when you fling it into the face of a stranger the outcome leaves one wishing for a kinder and gentler world – a

world where one isn’t sometimes obliged to weave hurriedly through honking, stopped traffic in a panting attempt to escape a beatdown. Darned water. What memo did I miss? Asteroid? Blight? Invasion? End Times? Cormac McCarthyism? At a certain point in our recent cultural development people began walking around like the anxious survivors of a crashed mission to Mars. These water freaks skulk around the streets and shopping malls, hospital waiting rooms, weddings, parent-teacher conferences and emotionally racking death bed vigils with a little plastic bottle of water in hand. “I’m gonna miss you, cousin Pete! *takes swig of Hallstein Artesian* I’m really gonna glug-glug-glug! miss you!” Life, daily life, that is, has become a cheaply produced 1973 Tuesday Movie of the Week sci-fi thriller. It stars Richard Hatch, Kristoffer Tabori and an increasingly hairy-headed John Saxon. It is a small-budget cautionary tale written around commercial breaks for AeroWax (“Now with 50% more plastic. Ladies, we heard you!”) Salvo Tablets, Shake ‘n Bake, and

the damnable molecule: one oxygen atom covalently bonded to two hydrogen atoms – a gift to apron sales (Sakurambo, via Wikimedia Commons)

or so of missed Tuesday Movie of the Week footage. Oh, yeah. The movie of the Week. The film is mesmerizing once one hurriedly returns from the Heatherton Chamber (or ‘bathroom’ as my parents called it). Like all good cautionary TV fables of the seventies, the story transfixes with its all-too-plausible portrait of a future dystopia – usually

Alka Seltzer. Then during the same whiplashing commercial break, ‘Now, instead of counting sheep, you can count upon a good night’s sleep, from Serta!’ – tousled bottle-blonde Joey Heatherton yells an off-key jingle next to a showroom bed while writhing suggestively in a painted-on knit jumper with flying nun lapels and deeply plunging neckline, costing this 13 year-old many many many nights of sleep, and every 7 days an aggregated 22 minutes

Beings & Doings Page 244 244

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3 – 10 September 2026

• Voice of theVillage •

Montecito JOURNAL

The Water Column

MFD Partners with MWD to Increase Firefighting Resources During High Fire Danger by Laura Camp

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22 Montecito JOURNAL

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ontecito has two new temporary firefighter housing sites for use during periods of elevated fire risk and other significant weather events thanks to a strong partnership between the Montecito Fire Department and Montecito Water District. Strategically located on the east and west ends of Montecito Fire’s service area, these sites will provide enhanced public safety and significantly improve emergency response capabilities. Building on recent collaboration, Fire Chief Brian Fallon approached Montecito Water District to propose tactical housing for firefighting crews on Water District properties when conditions are prime for extreme fire behavior. The east end location is the Water District’s East Valley Pump Station property, located near the intersection of Sheffield Drive and East Valley Road. The west end location is at the Water District’s Terminal Reservoir, located near the intersection of East Mountain Drive and Cold Spring Road. “By proactively positioning firefighters at these two locations on the far ends of our district, we can greatly reduce the time it takes to arrive on scene of a vegetation fire in remote wildland areas where our fire risk is the highest,” Montecito Fire Chief Brian Fallon said. “We are exceedingly grateful to the Montecito Water District for coordinating with us on this project. It’s just one example of the great partnership we have with MWD and our willingness to work together for the community’s benefit.” Following the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles in January 2025, Montecito Water District and Montecito Fire Department teamed up to identify priority projects for community protection. As a result, four new fire hydrants were added at sites with vital water facilities. Ongoing conversations about how to better protect our community led to the further development of these temporary firefighter housing locations at the East Valley Pump Station and Terminal Reservoir. “We are pleased to collaborate on these important initiatives to increase protection for residents,” said Montecito Water District General Manager Nick Turner. “This will also improve fire resilience at these water facilities that

“For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” – John Milton

As a symbol of appreciation, Montecito Fire Chief Brian Fallon presented Montecito Water District’s Board of Directors with a firefighter’s bell. (From left: Montecito Fire Chief Brian Fallon, Montecito Water District Board President Brian Goebel, Montecito Fire Division Chief Anthony Hudley)

benefit the entire community. Reducing risks to help ensure water availability during times of need is a top priority.” Montecito Fire Department increased firefighter staffing due to severe fire weather and storm events 17 times in 2024 and 17 times in 2025, most often from November through February. This September, travel trailers equipped with water and power will be placed at the East Valley Pump Station and Terminal Reservoir, so they are ready to quickly house firefighters when critical fire weather conditions or storm events are predicted. Depending on weather conditions and resource availability, one or both locations will be staffed with either two- or four-person firefighting crews. Firefighters will staff a Type 6 engine with 250 gallons of water or a Type 3 brush engine with 500 gallons of water. The newly added fire hydrants at these facilities will facilitate on-site replenishment if needed. Montecito Fire Department and Montecito Water District have more than a century-long tradition of working side by side, the Water District’s formation in 1921 following on the heels of Montecito Fire’s establishment in 1917. Strong collaboration creates a more unified, efficient system of protection from fire risks.

Laura Camp is the Public Information Officer for the Montecito Water District

3 – 10 September 2026

Moments (Continued from 6)

very charming daddy-daughter day. The tournament was organized by Mindy Denson and Rhys Williams, who kept the emphasis on encouragement, horsemanship, and fun. For the first time, the young riders got to choose their own prizes – from new backpacks to colorful horse figurines – which may have been nearly as exciting as the riding itself. A sweet afternoon of ponies, parents and future polo players.

Sightings Chuck Lande introduces the winning grooms, who drew applause for their work with the horses (©PhotosByPriscilla)

Initiative, and led the Chicago Polo Association. Klentner Ranch fielded Jake Klentner, Nachi Viana, Jesse Bray and Justin Klentner against La Karina’s Brian Boyd, Carlos Gracida Jr., Felipe Vercellino and Lucas Escobar. Viana repeatedly found the goal as Klentner Ranch pulled away in the later chukkas, with Bray helping drive the attack. Watching from the sidelines, the fashionable social set rubbed elbows with equestrians Victoria and Wesley Ru, who saw something larger than the score. “It was fantastic! This is what makes polo such an exciting game. To see the families of incredible players here at this polo club is amazing. It’s generational.” Among those taking in the afternoon were Ursula and Pat Nesbitt, Chuck and Margarita Lande, and Dr. Madison Richardson, who hosted a tent filled with family. At the trophy presentation, Viana received MVP honors from SB Polo Club Board President Henry Walker and McMurtry. Best Playing Pony went to Cocina, played by Jake Klentner. On a day of fast ponies, fallen goal posts and a hard-earned championship for the Klentner family team, the lasting

impression was just what Victoria and Wesley Ru observed: polo here is not simply a sport. It truly is generational.

Billie Eilish played officiant Saturday at San Ysidro Ranch, hosting brother Finneas O’Connell’s star-studded wedding to Claudia Sulewski. Guests included Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, Nina Dobrev, Jason Sudeikis

and Emma Chamberlain. The couple’s dogs, Peaches and Moose, served as “flower dogs”…Also turning heads at the Ranch wedding were Hailey and Justin Bieber, with Hailey arriving in a vivid lime-green vintage Versace gown from the early 2000s. The halter-neck, floor-length look – sourced from Raffe Vintage – just happened to match the SYR green chairs and lush landscaping, couture camouflage.…Word across the pond is that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry want nine bedrooms – the very same number as their Riven Rock estate - on a wish list that includes a film studio, with a reported “gargantuan budget.” Apparently, you can take the Duchess out of Montecito, but not the Montecito out of the Duchess. From Richard and Friends to all of you……Pip! Pip!

Small Stirrups “It’s all about appreciation, sportsmanship, loving and caring for your horse,” said Mindy Denson, summing up the spirit of Saturday’s children’s tournament at the Polo Training Center. And there was plenty to love. Tiny tots, little riders, proud parents and patient ponies filled the field for an afternoon that felt less like high-goal polo and more like the world’s cutest family affair. The youngest riders competed in the leadline/walk division, followed by children in trot/canter, while the more experienced youngsters picked up the pace – with a few even trying a little galloping. Perhaps the sweetest sight of all was seeing some of polo’s professional players trading competition for dad duty. Jesse Bray helped his daughter along on a leadline pony, while Santi Wulff and Pipe Vercellino were also out there with their daughters. For one afternoon, it was less about goals and handicaps and more about tiny boots, pony reins, and a

Youth polo student Teddy Ru riding Coca Cola, pictured with his mom, Victoria, sister Carolina and dad, Wesley (©PhotosByPriscilla)

The future of polo is before you. Future 10-goal players in the leadline division practice their maneuvers with parents in attendance and an audience in awe (©PhotosByPriscilla)

3 – 10 September 2026

• Voice of theVillage •

Montecito JOURNAL

Beings & Doings (Continued from 20 20))

Ganymede, a promising new market for water bottlers a billion years hence (courtesy NASA/ JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill)

evolutionary jack-in-the-box optimizes with the usual fervor, Life As We Know It will make of them a race of tentacular, bottle-clutching water obsessives? Something to look forward to. One is of course reminded that when the booze-themed fraternity hazings turned deadly and the campus Greeks were obliged to switch to a more benign initiation torment, their choice was water, which in sufficient quantity has also proven deadly. Though coma-exiting survivors of the initiation report extremely supple skin and healthier hair. The conventional physiological wisdom falls short. “We came from water and we are made of water. The human body is 60% water!” Like that makes sense as a reason to drink water? Both Joni Mitchell and Big Bang cosmology teach us that “we are stardust,” so I guess diving into the sun is doctor-recommended? How stupid do you think I am (a rhetorical question not intended as an open invitation to abuse)? For now I will grudgingly continue this new water-sipping routine on the off-chance it makes me incrementally healthier/more magnetically attractive to passerby. The ironic fact that water is a diuretic has not helped in this regard and I have taken to wearing a full apron in public to conceal what the medical hotshots calls “crotch osmosis.” Wish me well–hey HEY! My eyes are up here, sport!

Serta’s appointed sleep-stealer Joey Heatherton (public domain)

the unlikely year 1997 or so – which portrays an Earth whose ‘resources’ have been so denuded by Man’s greed (or Person’s greed, as Ms. Magazine would churlishly correct us all in the inevitable rejoinder) that the bland future-folk have to carry water in their hands all day, taking blank-faced metronomic swigs as they walk along, like self-oiling robots in a realm of the mechanized damned. I’ve even been lectured by my work colleague, Trent – a perennially cheery picture of health at whose behest I purchased a 40 oz. HydraGear container. [I assume the marketers meant “HydroGear” and only inadvertently invoked the many-armed nightmare invertebrate]. I picked this fluid receptable up on Trent’s recommendation and it is a rain barrel with a handle. Four of those a day and I’m set! If “set” means I become an undulating H.P. Lovecraft horror amoeba and am no longer recognizably a man (reader, please hold your cruel augmenting comment till the column has reached its conclusion). Trent will occasionally poke his head into my office to good-naturedly inquire “… are you drinking your water?” My health-conscious co-worker is right to be concerned and I often regret having screamed at him to “GET OUT!! OUT OUT OUT!!” Trent, thank you for caring, and I apologize for tearily pelting you with hurled office supplies.

Jeff Wing is a journalist, raconteur, autodidact, and polysyllable enthusiast. He has been writing about Montecito and environs since before some people were born. He can be reached at jeff@ montecitojournal. net

shaddup Can everyone shaddup about water? The astrophysicists are excited that Jupiter’s moon Ganymede has water and may support “Life As We Know It”. Shouldn’t someone warn those Ganymedian space protozoa that, if the

24 Montecito JOURNAL

“Ashes to ashes, funk to funky.” – David Bowie

3 – 10 September 2026

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3 – 10 September 2026

• Voice of theVillage •

Montecito JOURNAL

On Entertainment Paper Route by Steven Libowitz

aintings, photography, sculpture and assemblage populate most of the workspaces for the 2026 Santa Barbara Studio Artists tour that takes place every Labor Day weekend. But it’s a fairly good bet that if you join the 25th anniversary of the self-guided visit to artist studios around town, you won’t see much that resembles what paper artist Marilyn McRae produces. McRae works almost exclusively with roll-up pieces of existing printed paper, drawn largely from recycled magazines, books or other publications, fashioning fascinating and brightly colored three-dimensional mosaics that become much more than the sum of their parts. Layers of color, texture, and typography emerge from the printed fragments of everyday media, turning the familiar materials into images that are both striking and an invitation for closer inspection. What’s surprising for something so intriguing is that McRae stumbled upon the concept pretty much absentmindedly. “I’ve told this story many times, but it’s true,” she said. “Like many of us do – or did when there were a lot of magazines around – I took one and rolled it up then started fanning the edges. All of a sudden I was struck by the colors and the textures, and it hit me, ‘I could do something with that!’” On the other hand, it’s not all that surprising that McRae found a new method for art in magazine paper. She’s been working in creative fields all of her adult life. As a student she designed her own clothes, and later remodeled homes. A home economics major at Cal Poly, she spent nearly a quarter-century working in the film industry as a freelance food stylist with clients ranging from industry giants Kraft and Best Foods to fast food restaurants. The latter required sharp attention to the minutiae of how subtle changes in lighting and placement can deeply affect what food looks like in photos or a TV commercial. “The idea was to make everything look irresistibly edible,” she said.

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It wasn’t that great a leap to apply her experience to meticulously shaping and manipulating paper, which she started doing a few years into retirement back in 2012. As she did in her days working with foodstuffs, McRae performs all of the rolling, shaping and (otherwise indefinable) transforming of paper pieces by hand. “I knew nothing about paper, but I learned quickly,” she said. “There are so many different ways of cutting or tearing it either against the grain or with the grain, and different methods of folding. It’s just been a fun discovery.” At first McRae used whatever magazines she came across but soon realized she could separate the materials by colors, weights, finish and other variables, creating a paper artist’s equivalent of a painter’s palette. “I have drawers full of all the different options. There are lots of tools, from different types of scissors, dowels, Paper artist Marilyn McRae rolls and shapes recytweezers for handling the little pieces. cled magazine pages into three-dimensional mosaDifferent types of adhesive depending ics at her Hope Ranch studio, open for her sixth on what I’m doing, too.” year on the Santa Barbara Studio Artists tour More recently, she’s started separating out the paper based on content, such as watches, lips or other themes, using the similarly-themed subjects to create works that have nothing to do with the themes. Although abstracts have made appearances, the majority of what McRae creates are free-flowing interpretations of nature, including scenes from her home abutting the golf course in Hope Ranch, a view that sports lush greenery and a little lake. The patience developed over a career in food styling comes in handy in manipulating paper to create a collage, as a single work can take many multiples of hours to go from pasting down the first piece to a finished project. “It’s a slow process,” she said. “Some are extremely intricate, and the bigger pieces could take up to 200 hours. Honestly, I used to keep track of time, but now I don’t. What’s the point? I’m enjoying it.” Indeed, McRae said the entire pursuit becomes a meditative process. The word bored doesn’t enter, ahem, the picture. “It’s very relaxing and calming,” she said. “I can have my music on or a podcast playing. I love every minute.” McRae said she’s looking forward to her sixth year on the SBSA tour, particularly the interactions with visitors, especially those viewing her work for the first time. “I love to watch them first see a piece from a distance and you can tell they’re thinking, ‘What am I looking at?’” she said. “They get closer and see the little piece of paper and then go back and forth. It’s a little dance that everybody does.”

Bearing Witness Brian Kuhlmann has been a professional photographer for more than 40 years, working in a wide array of fields. His photography has been featured in many advertising campaigns for big-name brands – Coca-Cola, Coors and Corona, just under the letter ‘C’ – splashed across the pages of innumerable publications and hung on the walls of exhibitions all around the country. His portfolio includes action shots, portraits, nature scenes and even still lifes, plus a workplace series capturing people on the job or pausing to pose. Now, with his debut on the Santa Barbara Studio Artists tour this Labor Day weekend, Kuhlmann is collating several different bodies of his work for the first time to share with visitors to his Westside studio. He’s calling the presentation “Witness,” which represents a recent shift in his state of mind whenever he raises his ever-present camera. “Starting out (as a pro) you’re just racing and racing and going and going,” Kuhlmann said. “Suddenly I found when I’m looking back at the work that means the most to me, it was when I slowed down and really observed.” So for the weekend, Kuhlmann has been drawing from several different collections, which blends pictures of trees against the night sky, the latter created via extremely long exposures to capture the changes as the earth rotates, which fashions highly

Entertainment Page 314 314

26 Montecito JOURNAL

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3 – 10 September 2026

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3 – 10 September 2026

• Voice of theVillage •

Montecito JOURNAL

Your Westmont

New Faculty Bring Faith, Excellence to Classroom by Scott Craig (photos by Brad Elliott)

ive tenure-track professors, including a returning alumnus and an international design expert, join the Westmont faculty this fall, bringing a shared commitment to

Stephen Owusu

integrating faith with academic excellence. The new tenure-track appointments include Stephen Owusu (economics and business), Gregg Ten Elshof ’92 (philosophy), Demetrius Tucker (English), Jarrett Walbolt (kinesiology) and Kristin Wood (engineering). Owusu, who taught last year at Westmont, says the college is “a place filled with faithful servants of God whose true intentions are not only to train students academically but also shepherd them in the light of God’s Word.” He also learned that teaching is truly his calling. “I always knew I wanted to teach, but I have been surprised by how passionate I am about teaching economics,” he says. “I also learned that my life is more meaningful when I am at a place where I can easily connect with people spiritually.” He graduated from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana before earning a master’s and doctorate from the University of New Mexico. This year, he hopes to work on three separate research projects. The first evaluates the impact

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Gregg Ten Elshof

of a city-level development program on crime against women in India. The second determines the impact of free elementary school on language dynamics. And the third assesses the impact of the implementation and rollback of extended secondary schooling in Ghana. Ten Elshof, who graduated from Westmont with a degree in business and economics, taught philosophy at Biola University for 27 years, serving as the founding director of the Center for Christian Thought. In his final semester at Westmont, he took his first philosophy course – taught by Bob Wennberg and attended by history professor Shirley Mullen. “Wennberg was sort of laid back and Shirley would fire questions at him,” he says. “There was such genuine affection, respect and friendship, and yet they seemed to disagree about everything. I was so taken, I thought, this is what I should have been doing for four years at Westmont. This is what I’m going to do when I leave here.” He earned a Master of Arts in philosophy of religion and ethics from Talbot School of Theology and a doctorate from the University of Southern California. He specializes in metaphysics, epistemology and Confucianism, and has authored several books, including “I Told Me So” and “Confucius for Christians.” “There’s always been something very special about this place in my mind,” he says. “There’s

Demetrius Tucker

a passion for the liberal arts.” He says he fell in love with learning and his wife, Laurel ’92, at Westmont. Their children, Silas ’24 and Larkin ’26, both graduated from Westmont, and Gideon ’30 is a first-year student. Tucker credits his undergraduate work at Boyce College, a private Christian institution in Louisville, Kentucky, with preparing him well for Westmont’s academic and community setting. “Westmont’s integration of faith in the classroom, my love for reading, and work in African American literature intersected,” he says. “It seemed like this could be a great fit and a place to grow and grow with the students as well.” Tucker earned a master’s degree at the University of Louisville and a doctorate at Georgia State University. At Westmont, he is looking forward to teaching a seminar on Frederick Douglass, drawing on Douglass’s autobiographies to examine the American experience and explore his efforts to shape and reform the nation. “Douglass carries an awareness of his own social power, and that makes everything he writes deeply charged,” Tucker says. “It’ll be exciting for students to understand this type of American identity – where we were, where we are, and where we’re still trying to go. Frederick Douglass can help mediate that for students. I’m most looking forward to being a carrier of culture – almost like a missionary of culture.”

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Jarrett Walbolt

28 Montecito JOURNAL

“Dust is the parent of a universe.” – Carl Sandburg

3 – 10 September 2026

Walbolt graduated from Bethel University and earned a doctorate in exercise and nutrition sciences, exercise physiology at Baylor University. “Westmont is a great school that combines the liberal arts with an amazing environment,” he says. “The philosophy of the institution plays a huge role in the way I approach my teaching: How do we bring kinesiology alive right here?” His early research explored low-cost treatments for PTSD using nutritional and exercise interventions. Since then he has diversified to examine ways to build physiologic resilience, the ability to keep moving under stress and adapt to the environment. “I’ve taken some of my interdisciplinary research with nutrition and exercise and included the psychological components to look at how your personality affects your stress response to exercise, and to consider how different exercise treatments would work better with certain personalities versus others.” Wood, who served as an adjunct professor and instructor in Westmont’s engineering department last year, says that taste of the college is what brought him back as a tenure-track professor. “The students are fabulous, and I felt God’s calling to come back and work with them,” he says. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering at Colorado State University and a master’s and doctorate in engineering and applied sciences at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) before becoming a faculty member in engineering at the University of Texas at Austin for over two decades. He was also a professor and founding Head of Pillar (Engineering Product Development) at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), where he directed the MIT International Design Center. “It’s basically a leadership role in design thinking and design innovation,” he says. “I am currently engaged with a robotics program at SUTD that received a $7 million grant for the next few years, and I hope to get my students here involved. I’m wholly looking forward to bringing my faith into my teaching to assist and mentor these young folks to grow in their faith and connect it to their academic discipline.” The college also welcomes several new, full-time, one-year professors. Kaydie Carr and Mia Pasini join the nursing faculty. Jack Keefer (business and economics) returns after teaching as an adjunct professor at Westmont in spring 2025. Alumnus Winston Gee ’21 will teach general chemistry labs and physical chemistry.

pinning ceremony Aug. 20 at Montecito Covenant Church. The Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing Program has quickly expanded to include three cohorts studying each year. The ceremony, which dates to the 1860s, symbolizes both the mastery of healthcare skills and the commitment to a calling of healing and service. Each graduate recited a pledge, a nurse’s version of the Hippocratic oath. Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe reflected on the profound role nurses play in the community, citing early Christian theological traditions regarding service. “Saint Augustine was once asked to sum up the love of God and said this: ‘God’s love has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of others,’” Beebe said. “This is what God’s love looks like and how I think of nurses. We’re grateful for your willingness to go through the training, and we look forward to your service in our community.” Dianthe Hoffman, who directs the nursing program, recognized the network of support surrounding the graduates. “No one reaches this day alone,” she said. “Behind every graduate is a circle of family, friends and mentors who believed in you, who cheered you on through every exam, sat with you through every doubt, prayed with you and reminded you why you started.” David and Anna Grotenhuis, whose generous support helped establish the program, attended the ceremony. Students expressed appreciation and gratitude for the couple’s vision and leadership. Ilyssa Glick addressed her peers in an inspiring reflection about finding their “why” in life, sharing memories of early pharmacology flashcards, late-night study sessions and clinical rotations. She highlighted the central theme of discovering purpose through the rigorous accelerated curriculum. “The funny thing about the story of our character is that it never truly ends,’ Glick said. “It continues to evolve, kind of like us. ‘Why’ will continue to be with us as

3 – 10 September 2026

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we navigate our careers, care for patients and serve as advocates. We’ll make phone calls and lean on one another for support throughout the rest of life. I’m so inspired every day by each of you. You’ll forever be my ‘why.’ It has been such an honor to come to this calling with you, and I thank you for giving me my ‘why.’” Nursing instructor Jessica Barbosa praised the students for their grit, curiosity and resilience throughout the intensive program. She urged the new nurses to lead with both clinical competence and moral clarity as they enter healthcare settings. “You’re going out into the world as nurses, grounded in the liberal arts and guided by Christian values, and I want you to hold that identity with intention,” Barbosa said. “It means bringing not only your clinical skill but moral clarity, not only technical knowledge, but your genuine humanity. “The world needs who you are. Go forth with confidence, lead with compassion and never underestimate the difference you will make.” Cohort 8 includes Lesly Alatorre, Anika Terese Boncich, Madison Ann Burnett, Baby Jane Marcial Catura, Lara Cisneros (Cum Laude), Sarah Marie Easley, Monique Esparza, Lea Yee Gillett (Cum Laude), Ilyssa Glick (Cum Laude), Mikayla Marie Gonzales, Cindy Gonzalez, Nicole Herrin (Magna Cum Laude), Casey Milne (Magna Cum Laude), Jacquelyn Monet Kortenhoeven, Keala Christine Newman (Cum Laude) Emma Jayden Samano, Tiffany Tran (Magna Cum Laude), Savannah Weber (Magna Cum Laude), David You (Cum Laude).

Scott Craig is manager of media relations at Westmont College

Nursing Grads Inspire at Summer Pinning Westmont’s first nursing cohort to graduate during the summer term honored 19 new registered nurses at a traditional

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Jessica Barbosa

• Voice of theVillage •

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Montecito JOURNAL

The Spoken Word

Hickman, native bees “are the unsung artists of ecosystems … specialists, evolved to pollinate specific flowers.” The astonishing close-up photography on her Instagram account draws viewers into the tiny world of bees and includes those that wrap their babies in flower petals, bees that need bare soil to build nests, and bees that sleep curled up in flowers or upside-down in holes in the ground. Hickman’s quest to track and photograph the hidden diversity of the state’s native bees culminated in her beautiful, carefully researched book The ABCs of California’s Native Bees. Her public talk is open to all experts and the merely bee-curious alike. Tickets are $12.

The ABCs of Public Speaking: Antwone and Annabelle, Bees, and Riding the Carbon Wave by Steven Libowitz

CSB professor Dr. Leah Stokes, a rising climate advocate named to the Time100 Next list, has penned the just-published The Carbon Wave: A Story of Democracy, Parenthood, and the Race to Protect Our Planet. Stokes, policy director of The 2035 Initiative, shares the true inspiring story of the new parents who spearheaded an unlikely climate victory. Working with the policy wonk Sonia Aggarwal in the White House and the DC insider Adrian Deveny in the Senate, Stokes helped craft the Inflation Reduction Act. The book chronicles the turbulent path of their climate bill as it veered between breakthrough and collapse before the landmark legislation passed four years ago, some of whose legislative language Stokes had drafted alongside her premature twins in the NICU. Aggarwal and Deveny were also new parents, seeking a cleaner planet for their kids. Bringing a personal lens to the Inflation Reduction Act, the author will discuss the people, political negotiations and pivotal moments that shaped the bill’s passage with Marianne Partridge, editor-in-chief of the Santa Barbara Independent, at a free event at the Community Environmental Council’s Hub on Thursday, September 10. Following the conversation, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions, meet Stokes, and have their copy of The Carbon Wave, which will be available for purchase, signed by the author. Visit the link below https://cecsb.org/events/leah-stokes-author-talk

Notes from a Fisher Man Antwone Fisher reached his apex in Hollywood as the screenwriter of the eponymous autobiographical film, directed by Denzel Washington, that earned him a WGA nomination for Best Original Screenplay in 2003. The screenplay drew on the same story he told in his memoir Finding Fish – the horrific physical and emotional abuse Fisher suffered for 14 years in the home of his foster parents. These days, Fisher regularly works as a keynote speaker, sharing his life story of overcoming foster care hardships and homelessness to inspire audiences and advocate for children. He also still writes screenplays for film and

30 Montecito JOURNAL

Visit www.sbnature.org

Gurwitch Gives Back

Antwone Fisher brings Reflections Beneath the Buckeye Trees to Chaucer’s on September 9 (courtesy photo)

TV as well as books. His most recent work in the latter category, Reflections Beneath the Buckeye Trees: Notes From a Life, brings Fisher to Chaucer’s Books on Wednesday, September 9, for a talk and signing of the collection of personal stories and reflections drawn from his life marked by adversity, resilience, discovery, and gratitude. Also at Chaucer’s: Ellen O’Connell Whittet, who will talk about her recent novel Book of Hours, which examines spiritual doubt, bodily autonomy and expectations of women as it follows an unnamed woman’s journey from mystical childhood experiences to fertility struggles and motherhood. Whittet, who teaches in the UCSB Writing Program and College of Creative Studies, will be joined by Reverend Sarah Thomas, associate rector at Trinity Episcopal Church, for the Tuesday, September 15, event. Admission is free.

Actress, activist and bestselling author Annabelle Gurwitch heads back our way from LA to continue her long-standing partnership with New Beginnings, raising money and awareness for homelessness prevention and mental health services. Gurwitch, whose film and TV credits include Daddy Day Care and The Cable Guy, is the author of six popular memoirs, the most recent being the national bestseller The End of My Life Is Killing Me: The Unexpected Joys of a Cancer Slacker. Published in March, the book shares her coping strategies and how she cultivates joy even in her darkest hours, with both hilarity and heartfelt insights. The author, who has talked about the book on NPR’s Fresh Air and All Things Considered, will present a talk and discuss the work at a reception for New Beginnings on Thursday, September 24, at the nonprofit’s Collaborative Center, raising funds in her ongoing work as a dedicated activist in support of housing the underserved and providing mental health services for mar-

Annabelle Gurwitch benefits New Beginnings on September 24 (courtesy photo)

ginalized members of our community. Tickets are $50 and include a copy of the book. Visit www.sbnbcc.org

Kavli’s Keeping Up with AI with UCSB’s Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics comes at artificial intelligence from the perspective that the universe is made up of things that interact, from nanoscopic particles in matter to human minds on the internet. Some of these interactions produce remarkable examples of “emergence” – complex behaviors and phenomena that cannot be predicted from constituent individual parts. Physicists remain puzzled by the process, as the mystery extends beyond physics to the rise of life, the existence of consciousness, and even the spread of internet memes. In the next public Kavli lecture, Prof. Roger Melko – who earned his PhD at UCSB, spent two years at Oak Ridge National Laboratory developing quantum simulations for some of the largest computers in the world, and now works at the University of Waterloo’s own version of KITP – aims to bring AI and quantum computers together, creating a virtuous cycle in which intelligent machines help accelerate the development of quantum computers, and new AI/quantum hybrids open entirely new frontiers in complexity and intelligence for physicists to explore. A one-hour reception precedes his talk on Tuesday, September 15, at UCSB’s Kohn Hall.

Visit www.chaucersbooks.com

Beeing and Doing National Geographic Explorer Krystle Hickman is bringing her artist’s eye and knowledge of bee diversity to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on Wednesday, September 9, when she’ll present a stunningly illustrated visual journey demonstrating what it’s like to spend a whole day tracking and photographing native bees in the field. There are more than 4,000 species of native bees in North America, almost a hundred in Santa Barbara alone. For

National Geographic Explorer Krystle Hickman spotlights native bees at the Natural History Museum on September 9 (courtesy photo)

“We are stardust, we are golden.” – Joni Mitchell

Visit the link below www.kitp.ucsb.edu/talks-archive/public-lectures

3 – 10 September 2026

Entertainment (Continued from 26 26))

Photographer Brian Kuhlmann makes his Santa Barbara Studio Artists debut at his Westside studio with “Witness,” gathering together several bodies of work for the first time in a 40-year career

nious connection between man and horse. The heartfelt and humorous evening celebrates the timeless bond between horse and human, drawing on Beck’s lifetime spent studying with legendary horsemen Bill Dorrance, Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt, plus years as a working cowboy throughout the American West, performing as a perennial favorite at the prestigious National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, and decades leading horsemanship clinics. The series closes on September 11 with the RTC debut of Brush Arbor, the award-winning “positive country,” gospel, and bluegrass band that has been around for more than half a century. Honored by the Academy of Country Music as Vocal Group of the Year and Touring Band of the Year, in its time the group has shared stages with Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Marty Robbins, Charlie Rich, and The Everly Brothers, and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry. Visit https://rubicontheatre.org/events for details and tickets.

Make Plans for Mariposa stylized scenes of vanishing landscapes; and the timely “Horses,” natural scenes of rescued wild mustangs at Freedom Reigns, the Gilroy ranch of Montecito resident Alicia Goetz, among others. Though the subjects of the bodies of work are decidedly different, they’re connected by what Kuhlmann calls a deceptively simple question: “What becomes visible when we slow down enough to truly pay attention?” “With the proliferation of digital and how easy it’s become to be a photographer, I’m not satisfied with simply taking a good photograph anymore,” he said. “I’m looking for one that says something. It’s the point of view that matters.” Kuhlmann said how visitors to his studio this weekend view his photographs is also paramount. Just appreciating the craft isn’t good enough anymore. “I’d like people to look at my work and not be the same person when they walk away,” he said. “Hopefully, it changes them a little bit.”

Single tickets for the Music Academy of the West’s Mariposa Concert Series and its quartet of performances go on sale September 9, meaning potential subscribers wanting to guarantee seats to all four events need to act soon. The chamber music concerts featuring at least one MAW alum at each event take place monthly, October-February (skipping December), at Hahn Hall on the Miraflores campus.

Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage

Visit https://musicacademy.org/mariposa.

Open Doors All Weekend Several longstanding Montecito-based SBSA members will also be participating once again in the Santa Barbara Studio Artists Tour over the long weekend, including Danuta Bennett, whose surrealism and symbolism often touch on fantasy and mythology; Susan Tibbles, who works in mixed media assemblage and collage using found and fabricated objects; and abstract porcelain sculpture artist Joan Rosenberg-Dent. Almost two dozen others will open their work spaces in downtown Santa Barbara, the Westside, and Goleta. Collectors, gallery owners, fellow artists, art enthusiasts, and the merely curious can get a sneak preview of the full slate of participating artists at the official Opening Reception and Exhibition from 5-8 pm on Friday, September 4, at the Community Arts Workshop, which is also where tour passes and studio maps will be available all weekend. As always, each artist will have one painting or other work on display there to help appreciators plan their self-guided tour over the next three days. The work stays up all weekend. Most of the artists will also be on hand and refreshments will be served. Tickets cost $25 and cover both the reception and three-day tour. Passes can also be purchased online. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to this year’s selected nonprofit, Adam’s Angels, an all-volunteer organization that extends help to community members in need across the entire South County.

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Visit www.SantaBarbaraStudioArtists.com.

Ventura Adventures Rubicon Theatre Company has dramatically scaled back on last year’s ambitious 30-shows-in-30-days introduction of Ventura LIVE!, turning instead to just a handful of offerings. But the charming church-turned-intimate theater in downtown Ventura still has some shows well worth the trip down the 101. The Folk Legacy Trio returns to share stories and American folk songs laced with unforgettable harmonies for two nights, September 4-5, when the trio will once again celebrate the “living library” of the great folk era of the 1950s to early 1970s, touching on songs made famous by The Weavers, The Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary and many more. But they’re not a cover or tribute band, as both George Grove and Rick Dougherty, Lifetime Grammy Award recipients, played for decades with The Kingston Trio and The Limeliters, while Jerry Siggins was the longtime lead singer of The Diamonds. Friday’s show has a VIP option that includes preferred seating and a private reception that also boasts a short singalong. Next Thursday, September 10, brings Mike Beck performing his one-man show The Ponies: A Celebration of the Horse in Songs and Stories, which combines original songs, classic favorites and stories of his life’s work in pursuit of forming a harmo3 – 10 September 2026

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• Voice of theVillage •

ty Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20260002030. Published August 20, 27, and September 3, 10, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 26CV03921 To all interested parties: Petitioner Le’Von RaeAnne Martin filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to RaeAnne Martin. The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be

granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed August 13, 2026 by Narzralli Baksh. Hearing date: October 9, 2026 at 10 am in Dept. 4, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published August 27, September 3, 10, 17, 2026

Montecito JOURNAL

MONTECITO PLANNING COMMISSION NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING DATE OF HEARING: PLACE:

SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING ROOM 123 E. ANAPAMU STREET, RM. 17 SANTA BARBARA, CA 93101 IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The following methods of participation are available to the public. 1. You may observe the live stream of the Montecito Planning Commission meetings on (1) Local Cable Channel 20, (2) online at: https://www.countyofsb.org/1333/CSBTV-Livestream; or (3) YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/CSBTV20 2.

If you wish to provide public comment, the following methods are available: • Distribution to the Montecito Planning Commission - Submit your comment via email prior to 12:00 p.m. on the Friday prior to the Commission hearing. Please submit your comment to the Recording Secretary at dvillalo@countyofsb.org. Your comment will be placed into the record and distributed appropriately. •

Attend the Meeting In-Person: Individuals are allowed to attend and provide comments at the Montecito Planning Commission meeting in-person.

•

Attend the Meeting by Zoom Webinar - Individuals wishing to provide public comment during the Montecito Planning Commission meeting can do so via Zoom webinar by clicking the below link to register in advance. Register in advance for this meeting: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing important information about joining the webinar. Register in advance for this webinar: https://santabarbaracounty.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_gBaU68tZT1Kd9Gq7dLZ59g OR PARTICIPATE VIA TELEPHONE: US: +1 669 254 5252 or +1 669 216 1590 or +1 415 449 4000 or +1 646 964 1167 or +1 551 285 1373 or +1 646 828 7666 or 833 568 8864 (Toll Free) or 833 435 1820 (Toll Free) Webinar ID: 165 124 5428

The Commission’s rules on hearings and public comment, unless otherwise directed by the Chair, remain applicable to each of the participation methods listed above. The Montecito Planning Commission hearing begins at 9:00 a.m. The order of items listed on the agenda is subject to change by the Montecito Planning Commission. Anyone interested in this matter is invited to speak in support or in opposition to the projects. Written comments are also welcome. All letters should be addressed to the Montecito Planning Commission, 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, California, 93101. Letters, with nine copies, and computer materials, e.g. PowerPoint presentations, should be filed with the secretary of the Planning Commission no later than 12:00 P.M. on the Friday before the Montecito Planning Commission hearing. The decision to accept late materials will be at the discretion of the Montecito Planning Commission. Maps and/or staff analysis of the proposals may be reviewed at https://www.countyofsb.org/plndev/hearings/mpc.sbc or by appointment by calling (805) 568-2000. If you challenge the project(s) 26TEX-00019 or 25LLA-00003 in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence to the Montecito Planning Commission prior to the public hearing. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this hearing, please contact the Hearing Support Staff (805) 568-2000. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the hearing will enable the Hearing Support Staff to make reasonable arrangements.

Stuart Whitman, Inc. Vesting Tract Map Time Extension

26TEX-00019

749 San Ysidro Road Nicole Lieu, Supervising Planner (805) 884-8068 Veronica King, Planner (805) 568-2513

Hearing on the request of the property owner, Scott L. Whitman, to consider the following: • Case No. 26TEX-00019 for a six-year Time Extension from September 15, 2026, to September 15, 2032, for Tract Map Case No. 20TRM-00000-00001, in compliance with Section 21-10 of County Code Chapter 21; • Determine that the Time Extension is not a project pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5) as it is an administrative government activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. The application involves Assessor Parcel No. 011-100-049, located at 749 San Ysidro Road in the Montecito Community Plan area, First Supervisorial District. 25LLA-00003

Tilson Lot Line Adjustment

928 Park Lane West

Exempt, CEQA Guidelines Section 15183

Shannon Reese, Supervising Planner (805) 934-6261 Kevin De Los Santos, Planner (805) 884-8051

Hearing on the request of Tilson Family Trust, Property Owner and Applicant, to consider the following: • Case No. 25LLA-00003 for approval of a Lot Line Adjustment of 0.61 acres between two legal lots (Parcel 1 and Parcel 2). Existing Parcel 1, Assessor Parcel Numbers (APNs) 007-020-011, -036, and -037, is 53.89 acres in size, and Existing Parcel 2, APN 007-030-001, is 4.41 acres in size. Both parcels are zoned Resource Management Zone (RMZ-40) and designated Mountainous Area (MA-40), both of which have a 40-acre minimum parcel size. As a result of the Lot Line Adjustment (Project), Parcel 1 will decrease and become 53.28 acres in size and Parcel 2 will increase and become 5.02 acres in size in compliance with County Code Chapter 21 (Land Division) Section 21-90 and Montecito Land Use and Development Code Section (MLUDC) Section 35.43.110, and; • Determine the Project is exempt from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15183 [Projects Consistent with a Community Plan or Zoning], as outlined in the Notice of Exemption. The application involves two legal lots (Parcel 1 and Parcel 2). Parcel 1, APNs 007-020-011, -036, and -037, is 53.89 acres in size, and Parcel 2, APN 007-030-001, is 4.41 acres in size. Both parcels are zoned RMZ-40 (Resource Management Zone, 40-acre minimum parcel size) and are located at 928 & 960 Park Lane West in the Montecito Community Plan area, First Supervisorial District. MONTECITO COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION RECORDING SECRETARY (568-2000)

32 Montecito JOURNAL

“For dust are the sons of men, and dust their monuments.” – Percy Bysshe Shelley

Published September 3, 2026 // Montecito Journal

3 – 10 September 2026

Stories Matter

‘Killer Vibes’

Killers, Con Men & Kisses by Leslie Zemeckis kisses one or two handsome strangers. Grieving the death of her sister, Emily discovers the trip and her adventures – good and bad – are just the antidote she needs to heal and find herself.

ack Friday, a pseudonym for author John Fram, delivers a funny, entertaining detective novel in Killer Vibes: The First Peter Key Mystery. Set in Austin, Texas, the story follows Peter Key, the self-proclaimed laziest detective, as he stumbles into a case that becomes dangerously personal. When Peter inherits a broken-down property from an uncle he barely knew, he suddenly finds himself surrounded by strangers trying to convince him to sell. With a found bag of cash and a mystery car fire, Peter’s slacker life just got complicated, and he becomes convinced his uncle was murdered. It’s a fun romp through Peter’s very sexual, stoner world as he tries to do the right thing despite himself.

‘#AuthorLife’

‘Dèy’ townspeople who don’t have much to say about Richard Milford that is positive in nature. With gorgeous prose, sharp wit, and a deliciously sinister edge, this slim book is both darkly comic and unmistakably feminist. lionaire who made piles of cash through profligate corruption back in Venezuela. The twisty fast-paced tale explodes in decadent suites from Las Vegas to Cuba to Caracas, and on private jets, depicting along the way lines of cocaine and a bevy of hookers. Juan falls hard for Scarlet, a noir femme fatale who may be playing him – or has she really fallen for him? This one is killer, with plenty of raw sex scenes steamy enough to fog the most jaded pair of reading glasses.

‘The Introvert’s Guide to Kissing in Europe’

hen a formerly popular author finds his career spiraling, he comes up with a questionable scheme to make it hot again – and chaos ensues. Joe Zagets #AuthorLife (another pseudonym for a published author) is a joyous satire on cancel culture and an inside look at the world of publishing. If you are an author, this isn’t for the faint of heart.

‘Las Aventuras de Juan Planchard’

onathan Jakubowicz hooked me from page one with Las Aventuras de Juan Planchard. His protagonist, Juan, is a Venezuelan “entrepreneur,” a mil3 – 10 September 2026

he Introvert’s Guide to Kissing in Europe by Brenda Janowitz is a delight. Billed as YA, it really is for anyone wanting to capture, or re-capture, those carefree gap-year days before the onset of adulthood. Emily Tannenbaum sets off for Europe with the financial help of her eccentric grandmother. With stops in Spain, Paris, Rome and Sweden, Emily meets new people, dances all night, and

‘Under Story’

èy by award-winning novelist Edwidge Danticat asks a powerful question: “Is home the place where we are born? Or is it the place where we die?” Magnolia is a Haitian American living in Miami whose ordinary afternoon is upended after a trip to the mall turns horrific when a shooter opens fire. Magnolia manages to escape, but cannot escape the trauma of what she witnessed. She is incapable of telling her estranged partner or friends what she went through and tries to deal with the anxiety, grief, and fear on her own. The book is a moving piece about our place in the world, family, and mortality, and what we are willing to die and live for.

‘The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford’

afissa Thompson-Spires’s The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford is a darkly funny mystery that asks: who killed Rich? The better question may be: who didn’t want to see him dead? Rich is a bootlegger, a wealthy recluse, and a tyrant who controls his one wife, three “spare” women, and a gaggle of children under his roof. Set in an all-Black Oklahoma town in the 1920s, the novel unfolds through the perspectives of the women and the

• Voice of theVillage •

nder Story by Chloe Benjamin is a gorgeous book that asks the big questions about life, afterlife and love. Laurel is a biologist working in Antarctica. She discovers a mysterious arc that glows over the ice. It’s part time-travel, part meditation on alternate lives and possibilities that we sometimes cannot touch. This sweeping story – I don’t want to say too much – will remain in your heart long after the last page is turned.

Leslie Zemeckis is an awardwinning documentarian, bestselling author, and actor. The creator of “Stories Matter,” co-sponsored by SBIFF, and the co-founder of the Santa Barbara Literary Festival.

Montecito JOURNAL

Coast Village Week by Beth Sullivan

Coast Village Week Returns for Its Fourth Year

Coast Village Week is making a splash September 10-17.

reativity, celebration and hospitality will be front and center as locals and visitors explore Coast Village Road, where you’ll find good vibes and great engagement while you mingle, shop and dine. Our merchants are going the extra mile to make their spaces inviting and fun with special events, promotions and new collections. Throughout Coast Village Week, participating businesses will offer special menus, trunk shows, shopping incentives, tastings, gifts with purchase and other experiences designed especially for the celebration. From art fanatics to foodies and dog lovers to vintage car enthusiasts, this is more than just a shopping week. It is a full sensory experience, and there is something for everyone.

Mark Your Calendar: Three Days That Anchor the Week Beyond the Canvas Art Walk Thursday, September 10, 4-7 pm Kicking off the week, we bring the community together for an evening devoted to creativity and connection. Visual art, photography, and culinary and fine art will all be on display from Olive Mill Road to Middle Road.

Top Dog Day Photo Contest Saturday, September 12, 12-3 pm Families and four-legged friends are all invited to visit Coast Village for goodies and treats. Be sure to snap a photo of your posh pet to win the “Top Dog” competition and be featured in the Montecito Journal. Prizes to be announced.

Exotic and Vintage Car Day Sunday, September 13, 10 am-2 pm Distinctive automobiles add another layer of style and nostalgia to Coast Village Road.

About Coast Village: More Than a Main Street Coast Village Road is more than a shopping or dining destination. It is a true neighborhood and gathering place. Independent boutiques sit alongside celebrated fashion names and jewelers, restaurants and cafés offer everything from a quick morning coffee to a memorable evening out, and salons, wellness providers and health services help the community look and feel its best. Discover the boutiques, shops, flavors, creativity, and people that make our beloved village one of a kind. Reconnect with the local businesses that give the village its unmistakable character. We look forward to seeing you there. For more information about events and our businesses, Visit CoastVillageRoad.com and follow along on Instagram @Coast.Village.Road and Facebook @CoastVillageRoad

34 Montecito JOURNAL

“Nothing is built on stone; all is built on sand, but we must build as if the sand were stone.” – Jorge Luis Borges

3 – 10 September 2026

Beyond the Canvas Art Walk: Nineteen Storefronts, One Evening of Art

Thursday, September 10, 4-7 pm, from Olive Mill Road to Middle Road Belrose Estate Jewelers: Meet local artist Rafael Gaete and view his work in the boutique over wine and champagne.

Portico Fine Art Gallery Artists will demonstrate plein air painting on the lawn in front of the gallery.

Caldwell Snyder: A reception and artist talk for internationally renowned, Vancouver-based artist Bobbie Burgers. Meet the artist and enjoy a glass of wine from Folded Hills Winery.

Salon Montecito: The Art of Fall Styling, featuring Salon Montecito by Elana Cantrelle, where fall fashion meets effortless beauty. Learn how to style yourself from top to tail this fall while enjoying sips and sweets.

Clark’s Oyster Bar: Experience the art of shucking oysters. Stop by the private Casita Patio to watch Chef Jacob demonstrate oyster shucking and learn what makes East Coast and West Coast oysters so unique and delicious. Daniel Gibbings: Meet Nicole Coleman and view her artwork, which features scenes designed to calm the mind. Faherty: Artist Blythe Rhoads, featuring her “Just Short and Sweet” jewelry and home decor line. A gift with every purchase. Heritage Goods & Supply: A live demonstration of Living Art Scapes by Terra Basche of Lush Elements. Homer: Visit the courtyard and meet award-winning designer, illustrator, and artist Peter Horjus, painting and displaying a curated selection of his pieces. Johnny Was: The art of styling from head to toe. Discover the new fall collection with expert stylists on hand, while Elana Cantrelle demonstrates fresh styling techniques and works her magic on guests’ hair. Sips and sweets served. Lily, Peregrine and 27 Miles Montecito Courtyard: Meet Colette Cosentino and view a selection of her art rooted in the sublime. Litt Concept House: European Antiques & Art Pop-Up. Join us for cocktails and art alongside the antiques. Mischief: Artist Kim Snyder painting on the porch.

3 – 10 September 2026

Silverhorn: View jewelry works in progress at the Silverhorn Design Studio and meet the team of artistic designers. Collaborate on one-of-a-kind pieces made to your specification, browse sketches, and review Silverhorn’s extensive selection of designs. The award-winning designer’s jewelry appears in museums around the world, on Hollywood’s red carpet, and every day on local residents. Sunstone Wine Lounge: Art Walk guests are invited to visit Sunstone Montecito for a complimentary welcome splash of Sunstone wine. Wines are also available by the glass, tasting flight or bottle, along with the “Taste & Take” Coast Village Week promotion. True Love Always: Featuring vintage travel posters and a framed vintage scarf collection by designers from Chanel and Louis Vuitton to Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. 10% off travel posters and 15% off framed vintage scarves. Veronica Beard: Preview the pre-fall collection while sipping champagne or rosé and listening to live music. Viva O Sol: Discover Lisa Smith Jewels, designed locally in Santa Barbara and available at Viva O Sol. Lisa creates distinctive jewelry inspired by individuality, beauty and effortless layering. Enjoy 10% off Lisa Smith Jewels during the event. Waterhouse Gallery: A book signing with Craig Nelson, signing his new book “90 Minute Live Paintings,” plus conversation with artists Ralph Waterhouse, John Comer, Wyllis Heaton and Ray Hunter.

• Voice of theVillage •

Montecito JOURNAL

Coast Village Week cont...

Coast Village Week Spotlight • Beauty and Wellness: Treat Yourself While You’re Here Montecito Med Spa: 15% off all treatments and 20% off all services. Appointments must occur during Coast Village Week. Salon Montecito: Book a color service during Coast Village Week and receive a complimentary haircut, or receive a complimentary spa-mist hair-repair treatment with a haircut.

• Shop the Village: Specials, Discounts and Gifts with Purchase 27 Miles Montecito: 10% off one item with the purchase of two or more items, plus a gift with purchase. Belrose Estate Jewelers: $500 off purchases of $3,000 or more. Excludes watches, handbags and signed jewelry. Daniel Gibbings: 5% off any purchase. Faherty: 20% off all Coast Village Road T-shirts, plus a complimentary gift with purchase while supplies last. Heritage Goods and Supply: 20% off women’s clothing and accessories. Kathryne Designs: 10% off all books. Litt Concept House: European Antiques & Art Pop-Up featuring one-of-a-kind art and collectibles. Open daily, 11 am-5 pm, through September 11. True Love Always: 10% off travel posters and 15% off framed vintage scarves. Veronica Beard: Top Dog Day, Saturday, September 12, noon-3 pm, with 10% of all purchases donated to Atlas Animal Rescue. Sunday Sip & Shop all day September 13, with champagne, rosé and tequila tastings while exploring the newest collection. Viva O Sol Boutique: 10% off all products throughout Coast Village Week.

• Dine and Sip: Happy Hours, Nightly Specials and a Glass of Something Good Clark’s Oyster Bar: Coast Village Negroni and Montecito Mule specialty cocktails. Daily happy hour includes half-off martinis and burgers, $5 Trumer Pilsners, $10 featured wines, $5 oyster shooters and $2 off oysters. Daily, 3-5 pm. Lilac Montecito: $10 off a dine-in dinner purchase of $50 or more. September 10-17, 5-9 pm. Lion’s Tale Bar: Coast Village Week nightly special, “Fried Chicken and Champagne,” every night while supplies last. Sunstone Wine Lounge: Coast Village Week “Taste & Take” promotion. Guests who purchase a bottle of Sunstone wine will have their Estate Tasting fee waived, one fee per bottle purchased. Plus a Coast Village Week celebration with live music and Sunstone wines on Friday, September 11, 4-7 pm.

• Trunk Shows and Pop-Ups: Meet the Designers Belrose Estate Jewelers: Alex Šepkus Designer Trunk Show. Wednesday, September 9, 11 am-5 pm. Heritage Goods and Supply: Fur Monster Goodies Pop-Up for Top Dog Day. Saturday, September 12, 12-3 pm. Johnny Was: Fall Trunk Show. Discover the new fall collection and enjoy personalized styling, drinks and sweet treats. Receive 15% off a purchase of $250 or more in regularly priced merchandise. Friday, September 11, 12-4 pm. Veronica Beard: Fall Preview. Top Dog Day, Saturday, September 12, 12-3 pm, with 10% of all purchases donated to Atlas Animal Rescue; Sip & Shop, Sunday, September 13, all day, with champagne, rosé and tequila tastings while you try on the newest collection.

36 Montecito JOURNAL

“The mighty are fallen, and the weapons of war perished!” – Samuel, 2 Samuel 1:27

3 – 10 September 2026

A Little More About the Coast Village Road Improvement Association by Joanne A Calitri, MPA

or those with burning questions, suggestions, and other comments about what is happening to historic Coast Village Road, under the jurisdiction of the City of Santa Barbara, one can easily contact the Coast Village Improvement Association’s executive director, attend Board Meetings, and/or visit the website. Board meetings are open to the public, in person, at the Montecito Inn or by Zoom. In June the board discussed a variety of issues, including the increase in homeless individuals on CVR, along with other issues that are causing public safety concerns. It was cited that the increase is due to the Highway 101 construction and clearing of the homeless encampments. There was no meeting in July, and the August 27 meeting minutes should be online this week. The CVIA is made up of local business owners and property owners on CVR who meet regularly to discuss and implement improvements, and funding for improvements, such as the median updates, landscaping, parking, traffic, trash, signage, sidewalks and branding. They support the community and stakeholders with oversight of the district and implement events, and the annual traditions such as Ghost Village Road, the CVR Art Walk, and the Menorah and Christmas tree lightings on CVR. The priority of the CVIA is a newly approved pilot project to landscape a median as a sample. This pilot project has been shepherded through the city this year and approved last week. The formation of CVIA and its funding began in 2021-2022, with an estimated 2022 budget of $296,749.

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The 2026 Coast Village Improvement Association board officers are Trey Pinner, president; Robert Miller, vice president; Jason Copus, secretary; and Mike Chenoweth, treasurer. The board of directors are Trish Davis, Francois DeJohn, Kevin Frank, Jeff Harding, Rob Kooyman, Michael MacElhenny, Thorn Robertson and Suzi Schomer. Beth Sullivan is executive director. The CVIA Board Meetings for the Rest remainder of 2026 September 17, October 15, and the annual board meeting on November 19, all at the Montecito Inn and on Zoom. 411: https://www.coastvillageroad.com

DESIGNER TRUNK SHOW September 9th 11am-5pm 1268 Coast Village Road Montecito, CA 93108

3 – 10 September 2026

• Voice of theVillage •

Montecito JOURNAL

Food File (Continued from 16 16))

“My dad started with regular tomatoes, and heirlooms weren’t popular because they look weird, lumpy and bumpy,” Olive said. “But he’d give every customer a free sample, saying, ‘Just try it.’ And people started coming back for them.” Today the family even saves its own seed from its best Chocolate Stripes tomatoes for quality. BY

JONATHAN TOLINS

DIRECTED BY

JAMIE TORCELLINI

STARRING

BRIAN McDONALD

OCTOBER 7-25

C E L L A R JEFF LORCH PHOTOGRAPHY

“McDonald ... is MAGNETIC, CHARISMATIC and UPROARIOUSLY FUNNY.”

Pinsa with blistered cherry tomatoes, built on the softer red cherry tomatoes Tutti Frutti Farms grows for the restaurant (photo by Laura Casadonte)

They collected objects from Europe and carried them home in their luggage, for nearly two years, including a vintage rope mirror from a street market in Nice. “He wants things to feel like it’s been there for a long time,” Jacob said. Longtime Montecito resident and Fashion Executive Terry Pillow, of Ralph Lauren and Tommy Bahama fame, knew the room well in its Via Vai days and returned during Ancora’s opening. “I thought it was very well done,” Terry said. “They kept a lot of the nice things about the space and changed some things for the better.” “I used to drive up to S.Y. Kitchen just to enjoy his cooking. Now we can enjoy it right here in our little town. It’s fantastic.” His sliced rare steak over arugula? “Fabulous and prepared perfectly.” Somewhere between Verona and Montecito, Ancora found its language. Julia once said, “Dining with one’s friends and beloved family is certainly one of life’s primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal.” Perhaps Ancora began long before, in Aunt Virginia’s kitchen in Stallavena, where Luca first learned that food and comfort belonged together. Today, Tutti Frutti grows the tomatoes, Blair and Jacob shape the room, and Luca cooks, all so guests can come in, sit down and feel at home.

Mushroom pappardelle with mascarpone, Parmigiano and thyme, rolled and cut by hand in the Ancora kitchen

More than twenty years ago, Luca stepped off a plane with a piece of paper and an instinct to take the opportunity in front of him. “You work hard and you make opportunities,” he said. “And then you take them.” Luca did. And now there’s a table at Ancora, waiting for you.

ss Never Mi An Issue!

JOURNAL

Handmade pasta with short rib ragù and ricotta salata, prepared by Jared Figueroa (photo by Laura Casadonte)

“I’ll be sitting there with music playing, hunched over, cutting them open and squeezing out seeds into buckets,” Olive laughed. That same no-shortcuts integrity carries from the farm into the interior design. Blair Moritz and Jacob Gerhardt work from a 100-year-old barn studio across from S.Y. Kitchen. Luca began wandering over years ago to see what they were working on. “He would always come over and hang out,” Blair said. “‘What are you working on? This is cool,’ he’d say.” When he asked them to work on Ancora, she said, “It was a no-brainer. Easy.” “I think that’s sort of what Montecito is to me,” Blair said. “Having it be relaxed but interesting. You want beautiful art to look at. You want to see details, things that are crafted of quality. And we want people to feel at ease too.” Their design ethic matched Luca’s cooking. “Our design integrity is similar,” Blair said. “There are no shortcuts with anything.” Jacob made the solid black walnut tables by hand. They chose Verde Guatemala marble, custom Venetian plaster walls, vintage Murano glass pendants from the ’60s, and hand-painted signs from local artist Tosh Clements.

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38 Montecito JOURNAL

“Golden lads and girls all must, as chimney-sweepers, come to dust.” – William Shakespeare

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3 – 10 September 2026

Foraging Thyme Raspberries by Melissa Petitto

huy Berry Farms has the most delectable raspberries at the farmers market right now. A member of the rose family, raspberries come in red, black, yellow, and purple varieties and are easily recognized by their vibrant color and hollow center. Sweet, tart, and full of flavor, these berries are nutritional powerhouses packed with fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and potent antioxidants. Potassium is an essential mineral and electrolyte that supports heart health by helping regulate blood pressure, while also promoting healthy fluid balance and helping prevent muscle cramps. Raspberries are also rich in antioxidant compounds, including vitamin C, quercetin, ellagic acid, anthocyanins, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Together, these compounds help reduce oxidative stress and may support DNA repair and healthy cellular function. They also offer benefits for healthy aging, with vitamin C playing an important role in collagen production, skin health, and protection from UV-related damage. Let’s take these beautiful berries into the kitchen and make something delicious.

Raspberry and Pecan Waffles Yield: 6 Servings

The always delectable raspberry (photo by Ivar Leidus via Wikimedia)

3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour 2 tablespoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ¼ cup brown coconut sugar ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon sea salt 2 cups almond milk 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted 1 cup pecans, chopped 1 cup raspberries, washed and dried

2. In a measuring cup, add almond milk and apple cider vinegar and allow to sit for 5 minutes. 3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Create a well in the center. 4. Add the coconut oil and vanilla to the almond milk mixture. Stir to mix. 5. Add to the well of the dry ingredients and stir together with a rubber spatula until the batter is smooth. 6. Fold in the raspberries and pecans. 7. Allow the batter to sit for 2 minutes. The batter will rise and thicken Melissa Petitto, R.D., is an slightly. executive chef and co-founder 8. Spoon about ½ cup of batter into at Thymeless My Chef SB, your preheated waffle maker. Cook was a celebrity personal chef according to your waffle maker. for 16 years, just finished 9. Repeat with remaining batter, her 10th cookbook, keeping waffles covered and warm until and is an expert you’ve used up all the batter. on nutrition and 10. Serve hot topped with extra raspwellness. berries and maple syrup.

Topping: Lots more fresh raspberries Maple syrup Directions: 1. Preheat waffle maker on medium high setting.

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3 – 10 September 2026

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• Voice of theVillage •

Montecito JOURNAL

Our Town (Continued from 12 12)) locations will include the east side of the community and the northwest portion of East Mountain Drive during red flag danger days. The district will continue to look for every opportunity to enhance the safety and preparedness of our community. JAC: There is a recent surge in concern regarding a NOAA-predicted super El Niño, with more than typical rainfall, high ocean tides, and flooding issues for the area. What can you tell us about that at this time, and how does the MFD view its role in this issue? Chief Fallon: The Montecito Fire Department is considered an all-risk fire department. This means we prepare for and respond to a wide range of emergencies that may occur in our community. Our firefighters are trained in many specialty programs, including Urban Search and Rescue. These capabilities are especially valuable in mitigating the impacts of severe storm events and other natural disasters. Our agency works closely with the Carpinteria-Summerland and Santa Barbara City Fire Departments, both of whom provide mutual-aid resources when needed, including water rescue capabilities. Since the inception of the Regional Fire Communications Center, our agencies have been able to assist one another more quickly and efficiently, helping ensure that the appropriate resources arrive at an emergency as soon as possible. We are actively coordinating with Santa Barbara County Flood Control and First District Supervisor Roy Lee to verify that debris basins are cleared and prepared ahead of potential storms. On September 14 at Montecito Union School, Montecito Fire, Santa Barbara County Flood Control, and Supervisor Lee’s Office will hold a special community meeting at 4:30 pm. The meeting will address preparations for the upcoming wet-weather months and provide an opportunity for community members to ask questions and share any concerns they may have. We encourage community members to attend and take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about how we are preparing for the upcoming storm season and how you can prepare your home and family. JAC: What safety needs have you noted for Montecito since coming aboard in April? Chief Fallon: The most obvious threat is the danger of wildfire, as we have experienced in the past. Montecito is unique in that our firefighters may be called upon to respond to wildfire in the local foothills while also being prepared for water rescues along the coast. It is a dynamic community that requires firefighters to be highly trained, prepared, and ready to respond to a wide range of emergencies. It has been a continued focus of our Fire Department to train extensively in these disciplines, ensuring our firefighters have the skills and experience necessary to respond effectively when called upon. At the same time, recognizing the potential for heavy water flow and flooding within our community requires close coordination with Santa Barbara County Flood Control, and our mutual aid partners. Working together before an emergency occurs allows us to identify potential hazards, establish appropriate safety measures, and ensure our community is as prepared as possible for severe weather events. Our goal is simple: to ensure that when the call comes, our firefighters are trained, equipped, and ready to protect the community. JAC: Updates on the Hot Springs Trail Project since 2025? Chief Fallon: Montecito Fire Department remains attentive to the needs and safety of our local trails and the residents who use them. We continue to work closely with the new District Ranger assigned to the forest, who has responsibility for the Santa Barbara region within Los Padres National Forest. These rangers are law enforcement officers, and maintaining a strong working relationship with them is an important part of our ongoing efforts. Our personnel hike the trails weekly, monitoring illegal campfires, unauthorized camping, and other activities that could create safety concerns or draw unwarranted attention to the area. We are grateful for the many fantastic residents who regularly use the trails and help keep an eye out for anything unusual or concerning. To date, we have had only one significant issue involving camping, which was successfully mitigated several months ago. We are working with the County regarding the no-parking restrictions along Hot Springs Road. MFD is very sensitive to the dangers and challenges that exist on the trails, and we remain committed to ensuring that hikers, residents, and visitors can enjoy these areas safely and responsibly. Our goal is to remain proactive, work collaboratively with our local partners and community, and help preserve the trails as safe and enjoyable places for everyone. JAC: What community partners does Montecito Fire currently work with? Chief Fallon: Montecito Fire works very closely with our local school districts, the Montecito Association, homeowners’ associations, the Montecito Water

40 Montecito JOURNAL

District, and local business owners. We maintain mutual-aid agreements with all local fire agencies, allowing us to work together and provide additional resources when emergencies require them. We value our relationships with local law enforcement, including the California Highway Patrol and Santa Barbara County Sheriff ’s Office, to provide public safety. With ongoing construction on Highway 101 and the frequency of traffic collisions in the area, we have prioritized routine communication with law enforcement, Caltrans, County Public Works, Granite Construction, and the Highway 101 Project team to stay ahead of potential problems and implement solutions. Given the geography of our community and its proximity to the Los Padres National Forest, we work closely with the U.S. Forest Service. We often collaborate with Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue to respond to injured hikers on our local trails. In addition, we coordinate with Southern California Edison (SCE) and other local utility providers to ensure we remain closely aligned and prepared to work together during emergency situations. In preparation for the upcoming El Niño weather conditions, we have placed particular emphasis on our partnership with Santa Barbara County Flood Control. This collaboration is critical to ensure our community is prepared for the potential impacts of significant rain and storm events. We are fortunate to have exceptional support from our community and from First District Supervisor Roy Lee’s office. These strong partnerships allow us to better prepare for emergencies, respond effectively when they occur, and continue working together to protect the Montecito community. JAC: What can Montecito residents and businesses do to support the MFD? Chief Fallon: Montecito Fire Department already appreciates the tremendous support we receive from our community. If local residents or business owners have not had a defensible space survey of their property, I encourage them to take advantage of this complimentary service. Our Wildland Fire Specialists can provide valuable feedback to ensure that proper defensible space and vegetation clearance are maintained, along with making home hardening recommendations. This simple step can make a significant difference in helping firefighters safely respond to and mitigate an emergency in our community. The survey includes a report documenting our assessment and recommendations. Residents have told us those reports have made a meaningful difference to their insurance providers and helped them to maintain coverage. Residents may also request assistance with hazard abatement at their properties or businesses. Our Prevention Bureau is proactive and eager to help community members identify, clear, and chip excess vegetation and other combustible materials that could contribute to the spread of wildfire. Community members are strongly encouraged to sign up for our local emergency alert system, ReadySBC, and create a preset on their car radio to Montecito Fire’s AM 1610 information station. Knowing at least two evacuation routes and being prepared to leave quickly will help firefighters reach your home more efficiently and better ensure your safety when an emergency occurs. We are always open to feedback and welcome the opportunity to hear from our community about how we can better serve and protect you. JAC: Anything else you wish to add/report to the community? Chief Fallon: I am incredibly honored to serve as the Fire Chief of this beautiful community. The community has been incredibly welcoming to my wife and me, making us feel as though we have been here for years. I sincerely appreciate the continued support, encouragement, and trust you have shown us. I want the community to know that you have some of the most professional and dedicated firefighters serving you. They are highly trained, well prepared, and committed to providing the highest level of service every time they answer a call. The depth of specialized training and experience they possess ensures they are prepared to respond to a wide range of emergencies and effectively mitigate whatever challenges they encounter. You can count on the Montecito Fire Joanne A Calitri Department to provide premier care, is a professional professionalism, and attention to detail international every time you call. We are proud to photographer and serve this community and will continue journalist. Contact working every day to earn your trust her at: artraks@ and keep Montecito safe. yahoo.com

411: https://www.montecitofire.com/

“Our fear of death is like our fear that summer will be short.” – William James

3 – 10 September 2026

J O I N U S F O R A N I N AU G U R A L

I N V I TAT I O N A L CONCOURS HONORING EXCEPTIONAL AUTOMOBILES C E L E B R AT I N G T I M E L E S S D E S I G N NOVEMBER 7-8, 2026 S A N TA B A R B A R A P O L O & R A C Q U E T C L U B T I C K E T S & S P O N S O R S H I P S N O W AVA I L A B L E L R @ S B I N V I TAT I O N A L . O R G | S B I N V I TAT I O N A L . O R G

NOTICE TO BIDDERS Bids open at 2:00 PM on Thursday, September 24, 2026 for: CLARK AVE PARKING AND HARDSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE 4TH SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT COUNTY PROJECT No. 862435 General project work description: Parking and Hardscape Improvements The Plans, Specifications, and Bid Book are available at https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43874. The Contractor must have either a Class A license or any combination of the following Class C licenses which constitutes a majority of the work: A, C-8, C-12, C-31, C-50 Submit sealed bids to the web address below. Bids will be opened and available at the web address below immediately following the submittal deadline. PlanetBids https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43874 Complete the project work within 70 Workings Days. The estimated cost of the project is $ 2,020,000 This project is subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). A contractor or subcontractor shall not be qualified to bid on, be listed in a bid proposal, subject to the requirements of PCC Section 4104, or engage in the performance of any contract for public work, as defined in this chapter, unless currently registered and qualified to perform public work pursuant to Labor Code (LAB) Section 1725.5. It is not a violation of this section for an unregistered contractor to submit a bid that is authorized by Business and Professions Code (BPC) Section 7029.1 or by PCC Section 10164 or 20103.5 provided the contractor is registered to perform public work pursuant to LAB Section 1725.5 at the time the contract is awarded. Prevailing wages are required on this Contract. The Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations determines the general prevailing wage rates. Obtain the wage rates at the DIR website https://www.dir.ca.gov/. Inquiries or questions based on alleged patent ambiguity of the plans, specifications, or estimate must be submitted as a bidder inquiry by 2:00 PM on 09/18/2026. Submittals after this date will not be addressed. Questions pertaining to this Project prior to Award of the Contract must be submitted via PlanetBids Q&A tab. Bidders (Plan Holders of Record) will be notified by electronic mail if addendums are issued. The addendums, if issued, will only be available on the County’s PlanetBids website, https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43874

Christopher Sneddon Director of Public Works

3 – 10 September 2026

Published September 3, 2026 // Montecito Journal

• Voice of theVillage •

Montecito JOURNAL

Body Wise

Curator’s Choice

Social Grace by Ann Brode

ecently, a small group of friends gathered for an early dinner on our back deck. Everyone brought something to contribute – a bouquet of flowers, baked chicken, corn on the cob, green salad, peach pie, and various libations. Sitting around the festive table, we settled in to enjoy the food, tell stories, and share tidbits of philosophical wisdom. Before long we were laughing and sighing and relaxing – basking in the pleasure of convivial company. At the end of the evening, everyone acknowledged how good it felt to be together – as well as how rare such gatherings seem to be these days. It turns out, our experience isn’t unique. Many people are feeling less social and more socially awkward. A recent NIH study reported that social gatherings haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. While large events are back, everyday face-to-face socializing remains down. Instead, we’re spending social time at home tuned in to media and in-person socializing seems like more effort than pleasure. As a result of this social inertia, we’re feeling more disconnected, isolated, depressed, and anxious. In sum, not being social in real time is affecting our wellbeing. Maybe it’s time to plan a dinner with friends to rekindle some social grace and remember the joy of being together. These longer days and mild nights of summer give us the perfect opportunity to share some good food, good conversation, and good feeling. It doesn’t have to

Jolie Pfahler MD Just You and Your Doctor Not...you versus some insurance

be complicated. Simply invite a congenial group to come on over for dinner. Keep it small. Keep it simple. Your guests don’t want you to be exhausted so why not ask them to help out? When they pitch in, the party automatically becomes less formal. As I learned from my great Auntie Perle Mesta (“Hostess with the Mostess” in the 1940s), making sure your guests feel welcome and comfortable is the key to a successful gathering. Social grace goes beyond table settings and basic manners. It’s about the easy ambience you facilitate when you feel comfortable in your own body and help others feel comfortable in theirs. Keeping this in mind, here are some guidelines for your socially gracious dinner party. For Hosts – Set the intention. This will be reflected in the guest list as well as visuals such as table setting and décor. The prep can be shared without being a random potluck. Just decide on a menu and ask friends to contribute. Take a moment before guests arrive to center your body-mind. Relaxing your body and clearing your mind opens the door to your innate social grace. Imagine the convivial evening ahead. Then, when your guests arrive, make introductions in a way that highlights common interests. As host, you set the tone for evening. For Hosts and Guests – Show up and be present. Getting ready is more than showering and dressing. It’s also shifting from work mode to play mode. To do this, tune in to your body – softening your shoulders-jaw-eyes and feeling support from the ground up. Swinging and swaying to shake off the intensities of the day. Open your chest to take a few deep breaths, letting problems float away with each exhale. Open your heart, open your mind, open your expectations for the evening ahead. For All – Remember your social graces. Staying tuned to your body will help you listen to others, make eye contact, and share space. Feel the delight JAMIE KNEE PETITE WINE TRAVELER

Award-winning global wine presenter and Certified Specialist of Wine. Named Top 50 Most Influential Women in Wine. Wine Travel Awards Top Wine Influencer 2026. Montecito Journal Wine Travel Writer.

Private Talks Wine travel storytelling for clubs and organizations.

Club Evenings Curated tastings that educate and connect.

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805.380.3313

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42 Montecito JOURNAL

Intimate dinners for private homes and occasions.

JamieKnee@petitewinetraveler.com petitewinetraveler.com

Eighteenth-century Butterflies

his hand-colored etching of butterflies was produced in the late 18th century by Carl Gustav Jablonsky, an artist/naturalist who was also the private secretary to the queen of Prussia. This page was part of the book Natural System of All Known Domestic and Foreign Insects (1783–1806), an 11-volume set that formed one of the most attractive natural history works of the period. Jablonsky wrote the first two volumes, and after he died at just 31 years of age, German entomologist Johann W. Herbst wrote the remaining nine. These butterflies are now on display in The Collectors: A Life in Lepidoptera at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, an exhibition of works that depict how the science of entomology has been furthered by the passion of collectors and the skill of artists. The Collectors is included with Museum admission and runs through September 7 in the John and Peggy Maximus Gallery.

Carl Gustav Jablonsky, hand-colored etching from Natural System of All Known Domestic and Foreign Insects

of learning new things, seeing new perspectives, hearing a story well-told. Notice how a burst of spontaneous laughter forges a sense of belonging. And, as the evening unfolds, feel the collective sense of goodwill settle in. Because gratitude is one of the important social graces, find some poetic words at the end of the evening to say “thank you” for it all. Afterwards, don’t be surprised if you feel the glow of your dinner with friends lingering for days. An uptick in our sense of wellbeing is a natural, predictable outcome of friendly social gatherings. When we sit around the table sharing tidbits of personal experience and community news, we’re drawn into a tangible experience of wellbeing. We feel good about ourselves and each other. This is because being socially gracious changes our physiology in positive ways. Eating together, laughing together, being together induces feelings of pleasure – as well as a good dose of endorphins. We loosen up.

“From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them, and that is eternity.” – Edvard Munch

We discover affinities. Our creative juices start flowing. We feel connected. And, as we relax in good company, we’re flooded with a bit of the peptide oxytocin which enhances bonding, empathy, and trust. As it turns out, coming together and being together, enjoying the food and company, not only feels good, it’s good for us. So, why not take the initiative, shake off the funk of social inertia, and invite some friends over for dinner?

Ann Brode has been a bodyoriented therapist for over for over 50 years. She’s the author of A Guide to Body Wisdom as well as numerous articles about living fully in body, mind, and spirit. Visit www.annbrode.com

3 – 10 September 2026

In Passing (Continued from 18 18))

Faces (Continued from 14 14))

Harlan Theodore “Ted” Thoreson, MD: January 25, 1931 – August 8, 2026

r. Harlan Theodore “Ted” Thoreson, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, died peacefully of natural causes August 8, 2026, at Casa Dorinda in Montecito, CA, with his daughter SJ by his side. Ted was born January 25, 1931, to Evelyn and Harlan V. Thoreson in Doland, South Dakota, where he lived with his grandmother Patience Wilkins through high school. His love of sports and music started as a youth, running track, making basketball and football teams, and playing the cornet and baritone horn in band. He was determined from a young age to become a doctor and received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Oregon in 1957. Ted enlisted in the United States Army to specialize in ophthalmology, earning his certification as a licensed ophthalmologist in 1965. After eight years of military service, including three years overseas during the Korean War, Ted was granted an honorable discharge in 1966 as a Major and awarded the National Defense Service Medal. Ted then began a successful medical practice in Boise, Idaho, with his longtime college friend Dr. Roy Ellsworth. Ted was on staff at St. Alphonsus and St. Luke’s regional medical centers and served as chief of staff of St. Alphonsus prior to serving on the Board of Trustees. He was highly regarded among his colleagues, patients, and throughout the Pacific Northwest, with his surgical skills sought out by patients as far away as London. Ted contributed to the advancement of medicine and reshaping the community’s health care delivery system by serving on hospital and medical boards, acting as a consultant to the VA Hospital and Elks Rehabilitation Hospital, making major contributions to the Idaho Lions Eye Bank, and being a founding member of the Idaho Society of Ophthalmology. His civic philanthropy included lecturing in schools, coordinating the United Way’s professional division, serving on the board of the Boise Philharmonic, and contributing to the life of Saint Michael’s Cathedral. Ted married Shauna Johnson in 1956 in Portland, OR, with whom he had five children, Joe, Katrina, Angel, Tom, and SJ. Ted shared his love of the outdoors with his family, snow skiing (of which he took many family films), sailing, hunting and fishing, teaching his children to water ski, and spending time in the mountains. There were evenings watching the family movies he made, playing hearts, and Sunday dinners with his parents and sister. Ted demonstrated creativity through photographs he developed in his darkroom, his dancing pizzazz, his vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and beautiful rose gardens. In 1979, Ted married Cynthia Bates in Boise, ID, and lovingly welcomed her son Jeffery B. Watson into the family. Ted and Cynthia moved to Montecito, CA, after his retirement, where he enjoyed years of adventures on his sailboat, playing golf and tennis, spending time with friends, tending his garden, and traveling the world with Cynthia. Ted maintained his medical license through 2023 and continued his philanthropy serving on a variety of boards and making contributions in the Santa Barbara community. Ted was deeply saddened by the death of his son Tom (2015) and stepson Jeffrey (1989). He is survived by his wife Cynthia Thoreson, his sister Patience Thoreson, children Joe Thoreson, Katrina Collins, Angel Schade (Curt), SJ Sheppard (Marc), 11 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, a number of cousins, and countless friends. Ted will be remembered for his love of family, his dedication to medicine, his adventurous spirit, and the many ways he enriched the lives of those around him. He will be profoundly missed. A memorial service will be held September 30, 2026, at 1 pm at All Saints-by-theSea Episcopal Church, 83 Eucalyptus Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. A reception will immediately follow in the church courtyard. Live streaming of the memorial service will be available; please contact office@asbts.org for details. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages you to reach out to an old friend or establish a new one through an act of kindness, and continue Ted’s legacy of making the world a better place.

3 – 10 September 2026

A younger Tim Sanchez with Jess Martinez, Bob Sanchez (sitting) and his father, Matt Sanchez, the gang-intervention advocate who ran the Montecito Country Mart shop until his death in 2012

community service projects combined with leadership, employment, and life skills. Matt began his advocacy journey in 1992, one year after he joined Jess Martinez and his father, Bob, at Montecito Barbers. In describing his own experience, Tim remembers that in high school his buddies proclaimed that he was going to be a barber like the rest of his family. “Told ‘em that wasn’t going to happen, not ever – absolutely no way! – while I was cutting hair in the bathroom with Walmart clippers,” he laughed. Apparently he continued his non-barbering gig at SBCC, eventually giving in to the non-valid proclamation by finding his way to barber school in San Diego at 20 years old. Tim’s entry into the family business had a rough start, however. On July 2, 2010, the barbershop burned down and the crew had to move to adjacent quarters, now the kitchen of the Merci eatery. “Eleven days later I got my shiny new barber’s license and started my first day in a cramped area behind the burned-out shop with my dad, grandpa, Jess and my brother Josh!” After 13 months they returned to the remodeled shop, where years of memories and stories are chronicled inside his head, some of which he shared with me. “The atmosphere was always casual and customers became friends, often like family,” Tim recalled. “My grandpa and dad always told the same jokes over and over… grandpa getting away with forgetting the punch lines and dad finishing them off... roaring with laughter at his own jokes – had the entire place in hysterics!” Grandfather Bob was a large presence in Tim’s life. “When I was little, grandpa used to warn that telling lies would give me kidney problems – that, along with stories of the past and other homegrown bits of wisdom,” he chuckled. “Being

• Voice of theVillage •

with people I’d known all my life, the shop became family for me too.” Sadly, on August 8, 2012, Sanchez’s father died, leaving a huge vacuum in the family and the entire Santa Barbara community. By the end of Matt Sanchez’s life, he’d spent 20 years helping young people avoid the path he’d taken. As testament to his influence, the Granada Theatre was packed for his memorial service. Sitting next to a friend, a city councilperson at the time, and Salud Carbajal, I saw only a snapshot of the dignitaries who filled the theater that day. After Matt’s passing, his son inherited his father’s chair. As Master Barber, Sanchez has his stamp on all aspects of the barbershop, collecting community awards along the way. “We’re all buddies here in the shop and have tons of fun every day,” he exclaimed. “For me, ‘work’ means a really good time!” Might that have something to do with the fact that the three barbers in neighboring chairs are his best friends from elementary to high school, Steven Hoggarth and Devon Hildebrand, plus longtime buddy James Fay? Might be that barbering is highly infectious, or that his friends became their own high school predictions in keeping with the Sanchez family. “Our main purpose, of course, is to cut hair, but making friends along the way with our customers creates a community network and a welcoming place to be,” concluded Sanchez. “If it’s just to chat, for referrals, or help when needed, in the Sanchez family tradition, this place has an open door.”

Sigrid Toye is an Educational and Behavior Therapist with a PhD in Clinical Psychology, a freelance writer, and a storyteller. She loves all things creative, including her two (adult) artist children.

Montecito JOURNAL

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Calendar of Events

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

by Steven Libowitz ENDING THIS WEEK Butterflies’ final flutter – Labor Day (Monday, September 7) is the last day to visit the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, the summer home of a dazzling variety of more than two dozen tropical butterfly species from Costa Rica. The immersive experience welcomes guests to walk through a beautiful garden while about 1,000 live butterflies flutter freely around them, or even land on their clothing. Plus, the emergence chamber in Santa Barbara Gallery might still have some butterflies at an earlier stage of life, when they emerge from their chrysalides. Inside, “The Collectors: A Life in Lepidoptera” features antique engravings of butterflies and moths from a time when naturalists first began to identify and classify insects as a serious object of study. That exhibit also comes to a close this holiday weekend. WHEN: 10 am-5 pm daily, through September 7 WHERE: SB Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol Rd. COST: “Collectors” free with museum admission; Butterfly Pavilion $3 extra INFO: (805) 682-4711 or www.sbnature.org THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 1st Thursday – It’s the summer’s last iteration of the monthly cultural self-guided tour of lower State Street galleries and beyond. Most of the venues are not taking SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

Glaser is ‘Stunning’ – Comedian and actress Nikki Glaser, who began performing stand-up at 18 and appeared on Leno and Conan early on before branching out into the broader media landscape, is out on the road with the comedy show “The Stunning Tour.” Glaser delivered a breakout performance on “The Roast of Tom Brady” and saw her HBO stand-up special, “Someday You’ll Die,” receive nominations for a Golden Globe, Grammy, and Primetime Emmy Award, and win a Writers Guild of America Award, resulting in her being named “Comedian of the Year” by The New York Times. Last year, Glaser made history as the first woman to host the Golden Globe Awards solo. Last year also was the first of two successive appearances on the “TIME100: The Most Influential People” list, while her Netflix and HBO specials, comedy albums and podcast have all been hits. Tonight, “The Stunning Tour” heads to the Chumash Casino Resort for one of the Samala Showroom’s pricier gigs, where Glaser’s sharp, fearless wit will no doubt connect with the fans for whom vices are often a virtue. WHEN: 8 pm WHERE: Chumash Casino, 3400 E. Hwy. 246, Santa Ynez COST: $120-$300 INFO: (800) CHUMASH (248-6274) or www.chumashcasino.com

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Strings across the sea – SBAcoustic launches its 2026-27 season with the annual visit from the Transatlantic Guitar Trio, whose members come from very different backgrounds and play with disparate approaches. Richard Smith is an International Fingerstyle Guitar champion from London who has mastered styles from country to Gypsy jazz and beyond; Joscho Stephan combines Latin, classic and pop influences into his modern Gypsy swing; and Rory Hoffman is a longtime vet of the Grand Ole Opry as a soloist and sideman to Ricky Skaggs, Kathy Mattea and Kacey Musgraves, among others. The three continue to push each other to new heights and in new directions, in which the sum is greater than the parts. WHEN: 7:30 pm WHERE: SOhO - 1221 State St., upstairs in Victoria Court COST: $35 ($95 includes dinner & VIP seating) INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com note of the last days of the season, although Santa Barbara’s spectacular surroundings are certainly in the spotlight. Santa Barbara Art Works (28 E. Victoria St.) presents Pandas on the Beach, a reception for artist Reiko Karl, who has been developing her art process over the years at Artworks. Her oeuvre combines her love for painting both animals and beaches, producing a fun series of whimsical paintings, whose viewing will be accompanied by music from DJ Charles Jefferson and snacks by Mo’s to Go…. Whimsy is also welcome at domecíl (1223 State St.), which marks its fifth anniversary with work by Laurie Pincus, whose art explores the spaces where imagination and reality, childhood and adulthood, and dreams and waking life meet. That’s because her cast of over 400 imaginary characters inhabits playful narratives that blur the boundaries between fictional and real-world landscapes…. In a similar vein, Santa Barbara artist Sylvan Butera Rich explores the California coast through memory, intuition, and color in her exhibit at Art & Soul (1323 State St.), where Rich’s works blend the natural world with her internal landscape, transforming familiar vistas into expressive meditations on place, abundance, and the rhythms that shape our connection to nature…. At the newish REH Contemporary Studio & Gallery (12 W. Anapamu St.), the ambience turns inward and intimate in owner Ruth Ellen Hoag’s paintings that consider the human form, meditations and reflections. This month also initiates a new gallery wall dedicated to students at REH Studio who have completed a body of work, with Ken Waxman as September’s featured artist…. More new stuff happens at Seimandi & Leprieur Gallery (33 W. Anapamu St.), fresh off its own one-year celebration, via “Another Room,” its first exhibition dedicated entirely to photography. LA’s German-born photographer Michael EB Detto transforms familiar urban environments into spaces of ambiguity and narrative possibility, exploring architecture as a vessel for abstraction and psychological experience. Talk about it over live music and complimentary refreshments…. Channel your inner artist at Gallery Josephine (133 E. Anapamu St.), where Josephine Tournier Ingram’s contemporary paintings will be accompanied by a film revealing her creative process, and the opportunity to leave your mark on a collaborative canvas by adding words,

“The grave itself is but a covered bridge, leading from light to light, through a brief darkness.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

3 – 10 September 2026

from listening to the foursome’s sound?... Finally, the Center for Psychotherapy & Integrative Health (615 State St., Suite B) makes its 1st Thursday debut tonight with – who else? – Sigmund Freud. Talk with Freud, take a personality test, and much more, and also take a gander at local artist Joanna Bea of Bea Furnishings’ upholstered chairs collection titled “The most comfortable part of therapy is the chair.” How would Freud feel about that?

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

Tribute to Miles – Did you think the double-decker UCSB A&L tribute to jazz giants Miles Davis and John Coltrane in the spring would be IT for saluting the centennial sensations? Not with the new Grand on State in the game. The upscale jazz joint hosts Grammy-winning trumpeter Terell Stafford, who has led his own quintet and played with a number of luminaries over the decades. He will perform as a duo with internationally acclaimed pianist Tamir Hendelman in an evening tribute to Davis, whom Stafford cites as one of his foundational influences. “I hope that people can hear [in his music] this passionate person who is just trying to share his heart,” the trumpeter said. WHEN: 7-9:30 pm WHERE: Grand, 1218 State St. COST: $49-$119 INFO: (805) 708-7670 or www.thegrandonstate.com stories and texture to a piece that will become the foundation for a future original artwork…. Two of downtown’s long-established venues, located across the street from each other, have vastly different shows for September. Sullivan Goss (11 E. Anapamu St.) celebrates the opening of Patricia Chidlaw’s latest solo exhibition, “The Blue Room,” a show that demonstrates why the artist is one of California’s most popular realist painters. Faulkner Gallery (40 E. Anapamu St., in the public library) hosts an exhibition featuring Hispanic and Latino artists, highlighting diverse approaches to themes of identity, cultural memory and experiences, as part of Raíces y Sueños, its annual programming series celebrating Hispanic Heritage. The reception will include a musical performance by guitarist Tony Ybarra. WHEN: 5-8 pm WHERE: Lower State Street and environs COST: free INFO: (805) 962-2098 or www.downtownsb.org/events/1st-thursday 1st Thursday Entertainment – Grace Vega, aka The Soul Grace, will be sharing live poetry readings and offering original artwork for sale at Game Seeker (920 State St.), exploring healing, self-love, and how the soul shapes us…. Santa Barbara Museum of Art (1130 State St.) goes ultra-modern with Robot Karaoke, with visitors invited to take the mic to belt out brand-new lyrics generated from bizarre Internet datasets to familiar melodies. Emote the content of spam emails to the tune of “Sweet Caroline” or carol OkCupid profiles in the style of “Pink Pony Club” as comedian-writer Jamie Brew creates parodies for people to perform using software from the frontier of karaoke research…. Santa Barbara Historical Museum (136 E. De la Guerra St.) hosts a Flor y Canto performance of early California music and dance in its courtyard, where guests can also enjoy wine…. You’ll have to bear with SBIFF’s Santa Barbara Filmmaker Series (916 State St.) this month, as the theater is showing Olivia Hille’s documentary short film The Bear Beneath, examining the potential comeback of the California grizzly, which currently survives only on the state flag…. The 800 block of State is dedicated to September’s musical guest Kickin’ It, which, we’re imagining, might also describe the feeling evoked

Everybody get together – Fiesta is in the rearview mirror but fiery flamenco events just keep on coming together in town. Next up is Convivencias at Tablao Museo, with Artistic Director María Bermúdez, set beneath the stars in the historic courtyard of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. The event brings together an exceptional group of musicians, singers and dancers for an intimate evening celebrating the artistry, traditions and community spirit of flamenco. Named after the spirit of convivencia – the Spanish concept of coexistence and community – the production explores flamenco as a living art form built upon connection in many forms: between singer and guitarist, musician and dancer, artist and audience, and one generation and the next. The artists share deep roots in Jerez de la Frontera, one of flamenco’s most important cultural centers, including flutist Juan Parrilla, violinist Bernardo Parrilla and guitarist Manu Hernandez, joined by guitarist Andres Vadin, percussionist Diego Alvarez and singers Carmen Grilo and Ismael Fernández. Featured dancers include Nino de los Reyes, Timo Nuñez, Sabrina Ybarra, Talia Vestal and Ysabella Yturralde, as well as Bermúdez. WHEN: 6:30-9 pm WHERE: Santa Barbara Historical Museum, 136 E. De la Guerra St. COST: $30 and up INFO: (805) 966-1601, www.sbhistorical.org or www.eventbrite. com/e/maria-bermudez-presents-convivencias-at-tablao-museotickets-1993780621510 www.m

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NOTE TO READERS This entertainment calendar is a subjective sampling of arts and entertainment events taking place in the Santa Barbara area for the next seven days or so. It is by no means comprehensive. Please also see my feature stories elsewhere in this issue for more events. In order to be considered for inclusion in this calendar, please submit information – including hi-res photos – by 12 noon Wednesday eight days prior to publication date. Email: slibowitz@yahoo.com. 3 – 10 September 2026

• Voice of theVillage •

Montecito JOURNAL

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46 Montecito JOURNAL

PHYSICAL TRAINING & THERAPY

Stillwell Fitness of Santa Barbara In Home Personal Training Sessions for 65+ Help with: Strength, Flexibility, Balance Motivation, and Consistency John Stillwell, CPT, Specialist in Senior Fitness 805-705-2014 StillwellFitness.com

GOT OSTEOPOROSIS? WE CAN HELP At OsteoStrong our proven non-drug protocol takes just ten minutes once a week to improve your bone density and aid in more energy, strength, balance and agility. Please call for a complimentary session! Call Now (805) 453-6086

COASTAL HOME & PET CARE

CARS FOR SALE

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1981 Excalibur series IV Phaeton 17,848 miles, mint condition. $42,000

Trusted, mature and highly responsible home & pet care serving Montecito and Santa Barbara.

1997 Dodge Viper GTS 28,440 miles, mint condition, blue white stripes. $91,500

Whether you’re traveling, need an extra hand at home, or simply want someone dependable to care for the details, your home and beloved pets are treated with exceptional attention and respect.

Call Craig 661-747 8333 ART LESSONS

Home & Pet Care • House Sitting • Home Organization • Property Oversight Highly organized • Reliable • Discreet • Trustworthy Exceptional local references available

Mentorship in painting and drawing, practice and theory. Small group, individual guidance. All levels accepted. 805-886-6513 www.valorifussell.com

Coastal Home & Pet Care CoastalHomeandPetCare.com Monika 805.689.8078

REVERSE MORTGAGE SERVICES Reverse Mortgage Questions? Talk to an Expert! All Inquiries Strictly Confidential

AUTOMOBILES WANTED We Buy Classic Cars Running or Not. Foreign/Domestic Chevy/Ford/Porsche/Mercedes/Etc. We come to you. Call Steven - 805-699-0684 Website - Avantiauto.group TILE SETTING Local tile setter of 35 years is now doing small jobs only. Services include grout cleaning and repair, caulking, sealing, replacing damaged tiles and basic plumbing needs. Call Doug Watts at 805-729-3211 for a free estimate. LANDSCAPE WATERLILIES and LOTUS since 1992 WATERGARDEN CARE SBWGC 805 682 5750 PET/ HOUSE SITTING Do you need to get away for a weekend, week or more? I will house sit and take care of your pets, plants & mail. I have refs if needed. Call me or text me. Christine (805) 452-2385

GAYLE NAGY – NMLS 251258 805.448.9224 gnagy@gemcorp.com Licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the CA Residential Mortgage Lending Act. 3625 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite 258 Westlake Village, CA 91362 NMLS 2427

PERSONAL ASST., HOUSE MGMT., & MORE… Personal Assistant / House Management / Housekeeping / Companion. Trilingual – English, Spanish, French. Live In / Live Out References & Resume Available

EXPERT ADU GUIDANCE Expedite ADU Process FREE CONSULTATION SB & Montecito Michael Humphrey (805) 570-3333

Nathalie Ruiz Ruinat18@gmail.com (310) 770-6666 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

LOCAL CONTRACTOR

K-9 PALS need volunteers to be foster parents for our dogs while they are waiting for their forever homes. For more information info@k-9pals.org or 805-570-0415.

Local Montecito building Contractor accepting jobs big or small Low rates & free estimates Jim: (209) 471-7577

CASA HAULING Storage, sheds, garages & attic clean outs Licensed and insured Call (805) 963-6909

WE BUY BOOKS Historical Paintings Vintage Posters Original Prints

HANDYMAN Handyman serv. Goleta to Montecito Reasonable rates No material markup Call to discuss your needed repairs Many years serving the area 805-680-8025

805-962-4606

info@losthorizonbooks.com

LOST HORIZON BOOKSTORE now in Montecito, 539 San Ysidro Road

“Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” – Book of Common Prayer

BUSINESS DIRECTORY CONT...

ESTATE/SENIOR SERVICES

3 – 10 September 2026

Last Week’s Solution:

By Pete Muller & Frank Longo For each of the first five mini crosswords, one of the entries also serves as part of a five-word meta clue. The answer to the meta is a word or phrase (six letters or longer) hidden within the sixth mini crossword. The hidden meta answer starts in one of the squares and snakes through the grid vertically and horizontally from there (no diagonals!) without revisiting any squares.

R A W M U S H V O L T A A V E R T N E R O

S W A N W H I C H H A Z E L O V E R M E N

T S A M O R E L U H A U L S I P S T O S S

I M P H A R T N O R A H O P I N E T E A K

C A G E A H M A D R A I N S K I N G N O S

C R A C K H E S H E A C K E R WO M A N N E T S

MOVE

WHICH

TRAPS

THE

KING

CHECKMATE

PUZZLE #1

PUZZLE #2

PUZZLE #3

1 5

Across 1 "I" way, say: Abbr. 4 What a user might go in and out of repeatedly 6 Curt kindergarten comeback 7 He "pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate," in a poem 8 CMU-to-PSU dir.

Down 1 Showed an "encore presentation" of 2 "Times Like ___" (2025 Addison Rae song) 3 What there was "in [7-Across]'s manner as he stepped into his place" 4 CBS has an "Amazing" one 5 Result of labor about half the time?

Across 1 "___ I Was" (2025 rap hit for NF and mgk) 4 Lead-in to fire or five 6 Rapp singing? 7 Levi's Stadium, for the 2026 Super Bowl 8 Is straight fire, as a song

Across 1 One might bat a ball 4 Click to submit a return 6 Hot topic in insurance? 7 Astronomical streaker 8 Gps. discussed in the 2007 documentary "Sicko"

Down 1 ___ Beach (California's onetime "Clam Capital of the World") 2 Medicinal, fleshy-leaved flora 3 Didn't stick around 4 Apiece 5 Word after hail or hear

META PUZZLE

6 7

Down 1 Modern computers almost always have multiple ones 2 1893-97 vice president Stevenson 3 Tries to avoid hitting an animal, perhaps 4 Lentil sides? 5 Short time of the 7-Across?

Across 1 Give in, informally 5 With 7-Across, 2027, for a car released in late 2026, e.g. 6 Birthplace of fashion designer Christian Lacroix 7 See 5-Across 8 Unlikely nickname for an only child

Down 1 Tired auto part? 2 Half of a pair in shorts? 3 Tied at a point apiece 5 Bee ___ 6 They're often parked at natl. parks

PUZZLE #5

PUZZLE #4 1

Across 1 Mulberry or hackberry, but not blackberry 5 Jay's successor (and predecessor) 7 "See what's next," for Netflix 8 A -lein can be added to it 9 Groups of reps

Down 1 Cable channel that features a Star of the Month 2 Tornadoes might blow them off 3 With 6-Down, privately 4 Irk incessantly 6 See 3-Down

Across 1 Nietzsche's "Thus ___ Zarathustra" 6 What the gullible might mistake for gulls? 7 Earn oneself a timeout, perhaps 8 People in the service, but not leading it 9 Lower strike zone boundary

Down 1 Get ready to take down, as prey 2 One of Texas's state symbols 3 Jazz clarinetist Shaw 4 Legendary football coach Rockne 5 Some annual awards for plays

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Professional telephone & gate opener service

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Santa Barbara Estate Management

Joe Boudre (805) 319-5364

www.santabarbaraestate.management City of Santa Barbara Business License # 984709

Medicare

Health OR Insurance Options “We make sure it works out for you”

Jordan Futch

urs of th Ho e

24 7

y da

7 Da

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24 Hr. Service

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Mini Meta

t of th e w

Andrea Dominic RPh Sherry Saffarnia, PharmD Thomas Johnsonbough RPh. 1498 East Valley Road Montecito, CA 93108

Phone: 805-969-2284 Fax: 805-565-3174

Compounding Pharmacy & Boutique

MACC CONSTRUCTION Building Dreams

License # 0773817

WE SPECIALIZE IN ADU CONSTRUCTION, KITCHEN & BATHROOM REMODELING, DECKS

Bilingual Staff

(805) 895-2852

(805) 683-3636 3412 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93105

CONSTRUCT1.MAC@GMAIL.COM | LIC 949275

ANDSCAPE

Nuh Kimbwala

REATORS

Certified Travel Associate-CTA

Montecito, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez

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HARDSCAPE INSTALLS

PLANTING INSTALLS

LIGHTING INSTALLS

LICENSED LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR: #1129976

3 – 10 September 2026

LAWN CARE SERVICE

Santa Barbara Branch 3712 State ST, Santa Barbara, CA 93105 805-898-2808 Direct kimbwala.nuh@ace.aaa.com www.nuhluxurytravel.com @nuhluxurytravel

• Voice of theVillage •

Montecito JOURNAL

LUCKY’S brunch menu

• Morning Starters & First Courses • Bowl of Chopped Fresh Fruit with lime & mint 14 Giant Shrimp Cocktail ...................... 36 Grilled Artichoke with choice of sauce...... 18

• Sandwiches •

choice of hash browns, fries, mixed greens, Caesar, fruit salad

Lucky Burger, 8 oz., .................... 32 choice of cheese

Vegetarian Burger, 5 oz. ............... 22 choice of cheese (burger patty is vegan)

Burrata, seasonal marmalade, prosciutto .......... 25 French Onion Soup, Gratinée ............. 20 Matzo Ball Soup............................. 18

Fried Chicken Breast Sandwich....... 28 coleslaw, Carolina BBQ sauce, pickles

NY Cheesesteak Sandwich ...........................38 caramelized onions, mushrooms

Lucky Chili with cornbread, cheddar & onions ......26 Fried Calamari with two sauces .............................24

Pastrami Reuben ......................... 32 sauerkraut and gruyere on rye

• A La Carte •

• Salads and Other Specialties •

Brioche French Toast ......................................19

Iceberg Lettuce Wedge with Bacon .. 18 roquefort or thousand island dressing

with fresh berries, maple syrup

Waffle with fresh berries, whipped cream, maple syrup ...17 Cambridge House Smoked Salmon ............29 toasted bialy or bagel, cream cheese, olives, tomato & cucumber

• Eggs and Other Breakfast Dishes •

Arugula, Radicchio & Endive Salad ............18 reggiano parmesan, balsamic vinaigrette

Caesar Salad ............................. 18 with grilled chicken breast ....... 31 Seafood Louie ............................ 56 two shrimp, 2 oz. crab, avocado, egg, romaine, tomato, cucumber

choice of hash browns, fries, sliced tomatoes, fruit salad

Classic Eggs Benedict ..................... 26 with julienne ham and hollandaise

Charred Rare Tuna Nicoise Salad ... 55

Chopped Salad ............................ 26

Home Made Spanish Chorizo Omelet ...... 22

Cobb Salad tossed w/ Roquefort dressing 29

Wild Mushroom and Gruyere Omelet ... 22

romaine, shrimp, bacon, green beans, peppers, avocado, roquefort

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict ........... 28

Lucky’s Salad ............................. 28

California Eggs Benedict ................. 26 with spinach, tomato, avocado

with avocado

arugula, radicchio, shrimp, prosciutto, cannellini beans, onions

Prime Filet 6 oz. Steak, & two eggs any style 64

arugula, radicchio, endive and sauteéd onion

Huevos Rancheros, two eggs any style 24

Sliced Steak Salad, 6 oz., ............. 42

Corned Beef Hash & two poached eggs 26

Old School Chinese Chicken Salad .. 32

Prime Filet Steak Frites, 6 oz. ................ 64

Dos Pueblos Abalone (4pcs) ........... 58

Mixed Vegetable Frittata w/ Gruyere ... 22

Jimmy the Greek Salad with Feta ..... 20

tortillas, melted cheese, avocado and warm salsa

join us for brunch saturday and sunday 9AM-2:30PM and for lunch fridays 11AM-2:30PM reservations via OpenTable or by phone 805-565-7540 1279 Coast Village Road, Montecito