Feathered dancers, inflatable madness, a daylong confetti blizzard, and colorful crowds a’gyrating like dervishes – Yep. Solstice is almost here and these Montecitans gathered to support the cause, page 5
Sing it Out
Confidence-building, creative expression, liberated kids warbling like songbirds as you stare tearily from your seat – AHA!’s “Feel Good” event is more than a spectacular show, page 24
Merlin’s Chickens – Art is Life – and occasional gagging into a chicken-joint sink. Are you what they think you are?, P.6
The Diltz Dream – A wistful Paul & Linda McCartney… The Doors gazing out of the Morrison Hotel… the man behind our most iconic rock photos, P.16
Gabbin’ at Godmothers – The slew of authors coming to the Summerland bookstore will set your mind on fire, P.27
college Advising Fellows – a match made in Matriculate, page 18
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
AHA! Sing it Out – The Lobero show from these talented highschoolers lived up to its reputation as “the feel-good event of the year”
Elizabeth’s Appraisals – It’s glazing and trail-blazing when a reader asks about their Rookwood Pottery
Thoughts – From amusement park rides to losing the throne, these are the myriad ways to fall
Matters – A plethora of happenings at Godmothers, SB Yoga Center is looking for support, and more to tickle your spirit
Barbara by the Glass – Get ready for the Rhône Rodeo with Eli Parker and other early pioneers promoting the Southern French varietals in our
of Events – Dance at UCSB, Gimme Shelter at AFSB, Artivist Nikkolas Smith at Chaucer’s, and more
Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads, in which sellers offer everything from summer rentals to estate sales
Business Directory – Smart business owners place business cards here so readers know where to look when they need what those businesses offer
News Bytes Summer Solstice Art Soirée Lights Up Montecito
by MJ Staff
This past weekend, a private Montecito estate hosted the first Summer Solstice Art Soirée, a vibrant fundraiser supporting Santa Barbara’s iconic Solstice Parade and Festival. Set in a picturesque garden, the event featured a live art auction of local works, a silent auction, and direct artist sponsorship opportunities—including mask and prop creators. Highlights included performances by La Boheme dancers, a song from Solstice artist Adriana Reyna, and a presentation by Pali X Mano, creator of the festival’s inflatable art floats. Notable attendees included Rick Oshay, Teresa Kuskey, Adam McKaig , Alan and Cindy Macy, Fishbon President Ron Glover, and past Solstice Executive Director Robin Elander. Board President Justin Gunn and Executive Director Penny Little energized the crowd as auction hosts. More than a celebration, the evening was a call to action to preserve the cultural legacy of the parade. Donations to the 501(c)(3) nonprofit are still welcome. 411: solsticeparade.com
Byte Page 104
Board President Justin Gunn and Executive Director Penny Little (courtesy photo)
John Palminteri with the La Boheme dancers (courtesy photo)
Just a touch of the evening’s revelry (courtesy photo)
Beings and Doings
Merlin’s Chickens: Life for Art’s Sake
by Jeff Wing
When we yet had the luxury to do so, my friends and I chose art, with the result that one evening in the bar-spangled early 1980s I found myself in the restroom of a chicken sandwich joint, dressed in a New Wave rock n’ roll getup and helplessly retching over the single sink. Ah, I remember it well, as Maurice Chevalier might say.
The young men and women with whom I’d academically consorted just a couple short years before had by then circulated out into the Larger World. They were now carrying valises, consulting carefully chosen wristwatches, and clicking with heel-to-toe determination down long, tiled hallways buffed to a maddening sheen. These former compatriots had long since begun stuffing their rolltop desks with the byzantine documentation of the successful. Yeah, they’d made it. What had I made? I’d barely made it to the sink.
On the other hand, I was {unbeknownst to me} at the threshold of a madly cornucopious life.
Dank Doozy
This was my band’s first gig and it was a comparative doozy. My helpless gagging was not the result of a chicken sandwich U-turn, but of garden-variety terror. In less than half an hour my band would take the legendary Merlin’s stage a few doors away. The destination, the grail, the happening hot spot – Merlin’s was a room so unspeakably and indefinably stamped with New Cool that even the slack-faced, nihilist, gloom-wave bands in their raccoon mascara betrayed themselves with moving eyebrows at the thought of gigging there.
The year was 1983, and the city doesn’t matter (Phoenix). My band of misfits –after years of rehearsing and writing and writing and rehearsing in a succession of repurposed rented living rooms and egg-carton-deadened garages for just this moment – were about to take the stage and become the willing center of the noted club’s bug-eyed nocturnal attentions. The very idea had me fastened to a public sink in a chicken sandwich establishment, dry heaving with hunched, peristaltic fervor. Just another meditative hipster strolling Frost’s alternate route.
Mascara. Clove. Mousse. Art.
Crouched and prone in the nether shadows of a large parking lot a few blocks from the Arizona State University campus. Merlin’s was your standard pitch-dark noise box with a long, ragged bar and vestigial little tables placed around at random and bolted down like the furniture in The Poseidon Adventure.
The guest attire ran to blacks and grays, and the dance space featured people twitching spasmodically à la Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, or swaying like undersea flora, faces expressionless in the feeble glow of aromatic ciggies. Haircuts varied but had in common shaved bits and colored bits and perpendicular, heavily moussed bits. These dank New Wave and Punk temples were mercifully murky during mid-day setup and sound check.
You would wander in from the sun-blasted out of doors and into a cool but malodorous inkwell opacity, one arm cradling a crate full of cords and the other arm outstretched; a boneyard zombie looking for an electrical outlet. Your eyes would finally adjust to the gloom
Beings & Doings Page 324
sbnature.org/seacenter
Feel the tickle of a sea anemone’s tentacles and the smooth shell of a cowrie snail. Marvel at baby sharks still nestled in their translucent egg cases, and explore interactive exhibits that reveal the Santa Barbara Channel. Discover how we study the ocean! 211 Stearns Wharf Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Leslee, Jeff and Eddie: three musketeers headed for… glory. (courtesy photo)
Montecito Miscellany
Hearts, Hope, and Rona
by Richard Mineards
Legendary TV gossipeuse Rona Barrett was the first award recipient at the Alzheimer’s Association’s inaugural Hearts & Hope Garden Soirée at the impeccably manicured 40-acre Hope Ranch estate of Jerry and Geri Bidwell with 90 sunsoaked wine-swilling guests.
The boffo bash – co-chaired by Brenda Blalock, Cathy Cash, and Tony Morris – bestowed upon Rona the handsome crystal trophy for her decades of work with low-income senior citizens. Her good friend actress Bo Derek presented the award.
Four members of the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony entertained, with guests including Central Coast Alzheimer’s Board President Jill Rushing Fonte, ED Jill Shaffer, Development Director Krista Papageorge Fields, Derek’s husband John Corbett, Anne Towbes, Dana Hansen , Brendon Twigden , Grace Yoon, Hiroko Benko, Mara Abboud, Dana Newquist, Andrew and Amza
Bossom, Maria McCall, Peter Martin, Houghton Hyatt, Dolores Johnson, Easter Moorman, and Gail Kvistad
A delightfully memorable afternoon...
Gershwin a Win
After the success of the show Rachmaninoff and the Tsar, actor Hershey Felder was back in our Eden by the
Beach with his entertaining work George Gershwin Alone directed by Joel Zwick at the Ensemble Theatre Company’s New Vic.
The show, which had sold-out runs from London to Broadway to Los Angeles, was retired by Felder ten years ago, but had five performances here on the life and legend of the legendary composer with works like “Porgy and Bess” and “Rhapsody in Blue” with more than 20 of his time honored tunes, including “I Got Rhythm,” “Summertime,” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
It was a unique blend of storytelling, live performance and theatrical magic.
Having a Lark on Stage
The Music Academy of the West’s Hahn Hall was totally energized when UCSB Arts & Lectures hosted captivating violinist Tessa Lark in her Santa Barbara debut with pianist Amy Yang, director of chamber music and piano studies at the Curtis Institute of Music.
Bo Derek with the lady of the hour, Rona Barrett (photo by Priscilla)
Hershey Felder excels as Gershwin (courtesy photo)
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is a Comprehensive Stroke Center offering the highest level of specialized stroke care.
• Advanced neurosurgical services
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Learn more at: cottagehealth.org/stroke
CRIME IN THE ‘CITO
Sheriff’s Blotter 93108 . . . .
Theft / San Ysidro Road
Monday, May 12, at 10:54 hours
A white adult female entered the business & shoplifted sunglasses. In addition, the Reporting Party (RP) wanted the female formally charged for trespassing on the property. Deputies checked the area and will continue to try to locate the suspect.
Burglary / 800 block Lilac Drive
Monday, May 12, at 12:17 hours
Victim returned home after a trip & opening the garage door to park his vehicle saw the garage had been ransacked. Deputies conducted a search of the property/home and found two sets of gloves. The burglars appeared to have entered through the second-floor patio by breaking the glass door and exiting through the same entry point. SBSO CSI team responded and processed the scene with photographs and evidence gathering. The victim walked through after CSI was finished but was unable to determine what items were taken.
Vehicle with Meth/False Plates / 1200 Channel Drive
Wednesday, May 14, at 02:19 hours
Deputies found an unoccupied GMC Yukon parked. Two individuals approached the vehicle and claimed to be associated with the vehicle, but not to be the driver or owner. The vehicle had expired registration (as of 2019) with false tabs (from 2024). A meth pipe and an open Budweiser can were found in the vehicle. No ownership of the pipe or open container could be determined. The Registered Owner of the vehicle could not be contacted. The vehicle was parked in a ‘no parking zone’ so it was towed by deputies.
Suspected Burglary / 900 block Buena Vista Drive
Thursday, May 15, at 07:19 hours
Deputies were dispatched to a late-reported burglary. Homeowners had been out of town & learned on their return home that a back door glass window had been broken. Although someone had clearly gone through their things, nothing appeared to have been taken.
Mail Theft / 1470 East Valley Road
Friday, May 16, at 15:36 hours
Another mail theft has been reported, the washed/altered check having been placed in an outgoing box at the Montecito Post Office.
Disturbance / 1700 block Jelinda Drive
Saturday, May 26, at 23:29 hours
Deputies responded to a family disturbance.
Hands Across Montecito Community Awareness Event
The Montecito Association invites residents, community stakeholders, and local organizations to attend Hands Across Montecito: Meet the Team & Learn How You Can Help on Thursday, June 5, from 5-7 pm at The Friendship Center (89 Eucalyptus Lane).
Celebrating five years of compassion in action with Hands Across Montecito (HAM), this special event aims to raise awareness about the community’s innovative homeless outreach program. Come meet our outreach team, hear real stories, and find out how you can help support unhoused individuals right here in Montecito.
The evening will feature an intro to the HA team with a program overview from Sharon Byrne, a panel discussion with ground updates and success stories, audience Q&A, volunteer opportunities, light refreshments, and raffle prizes.
“Hands Across Montecito is a grassroots effort that started five years ago, with proven results, helping some of the most vulnerable members of our community find a path to stability,” said Houghton Hyatt. “This event is a chance for residents to see firsthand the impact of their support – and to learn simple, meaningful ways to make a difference.”
The event is free and open to the community. Seating is limited and advance RSVP is encouraged. 411: http://tinyurl.com/HAMCommMeet
Montecito Library Events
Visit the Montecito Library (1469 E. Valley Rd. | 805-969-5063) for
Montecito Tide Guide
books, events, and more! All library branches will be closed on June 19, in honor of Juneteenth. Upcoming events and programs include:
Stay & Play: Tuesdays, 9-10:30 am –Drop by to learn and play, sing and share stories with other young children. Enjoy the company of other caregivers. Best for children under 5.
Knit ’n’ Needle: Thursdays, 2-3:30 pm – Whether you knit, crochet, embroider, or enjoy any other fiber arts, you’re welcome to come and share your creativity.
Montecito Book Club: Meets 4th Tuesdays. Join the Montecito Book Club! May Book Selection: Gulp by Mary Roach
Man Charged with Attempted Murder After Brutal Montecito Home Invasion
A Nevada man was charged with attempted murder following a violent News Byte Page 304
Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Scott, Jessica Sutherland, Joe DeMello
Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick
Proofreading | Helen Buckley Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz
Contributors | Scott Craig, Ashleigh Brilliant, Chuck Graham, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Robert Bernstein, Christina Atchison, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye, Elizabeth Stewart, Beatrice Tolan, Leana Orsua, Jeffrey Harding, Tiana Molony, Houghton Hyatt, Jeff Wing
Gossip | Richard Mineards
History | Hattie Beresford
Humor | Ernie Witham
Our Town/Society | Joanne A Calitri
Health/Wellness | Ann Brode, Deann Zampelli
Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook
Food & Wine | Melissa Petitto, Gabe Saglie, Jamie Knee
Published by:
Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC
Montecito Journal is compiled, compounded, calibrated, cogitated over, and coughed up every Wednesday by an exacting agglomeration of excitable (and often exemplary) expert edifiers at 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108.
How to reach us: (805) 565-1860; FAX: (805) 969-6654; Montecito Journal, 1206 Coast
Your Westmont
Local Artists Earn Praise for ‘On the Edge’
by Scott Craig, photos by Brad Elliott
Dozens of people packed into the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum on May 15 to see Adam Belt’s selections for On the Edge and hear the winners of the Tri-County artist exhibition.
“This a very vibrant arts community – you can see all the support that you share for each other,” Belt said. “It was a privilege being a part of this, and I really enjoyed looking at all the work.”
Amy Armstrong’s shine, slide – an oil on canvas – took Best in Show at the opening.
“All three of the portraits she submitted were intimate, honest and refreshing,” Belt said.
Sol Hill won Third Honorable Mention for The Center Cannot Hold; Linda Ekstrom won Second Honorable Mention for untitled (miracle); Nina
Warner won Honorable Mention for bombed house, Kherson, Ukraine
Montecito’s longest running juried exhibition for Tri-County artists runs through June 14 in the museum. Belt, a San Diego-based artist, selected 41 works by 39 local artists for the show, all of which are for sale with 30 percent benefiting the museum.
‘Wind
in the Willows’ Wins Indy
Yulya Dukhovny, Westmont artist in residence, won a Santa Barbara Indy Award for Stage Artistry for her work on The Wind in the Willows on May 20 at Soho Restaurant & Club.
Dukhovny first joined Westmont in 2018 when she performed her unique style of visual theater, featuring paper animation in a vertical 2D scenic space for her play, Into the Rice Fields
Westmont Page 314
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Sol Hill won Third Honorable Mention for The Center Cannot Hold
Best in Show: Amy Armstrong’s shine, slide
Mitchell Thomas, Yulya Dukhovny, and John Blondell at the Indy Awards
Society Invites Linden Square Opens
by Joanne A Calitri
TLYNCH CONSTRUCTION, INC. P.O. BOX 20183 SANTA BARBARA, CA 93120
hursday, May 22 saw the grand opening of Linden Square in Carpinteria, drawing in a wave of celebratory visitors from Montecito to Malibu! Linden Square owners-project managers-developers Terry Huggins and Matt LaBrie’s full block complex will soon become the iconic blueprint for revitalizing small towns and districts of larger cities. Using their prior project experience – the Funk Zone SB and the SB Bowl, they have found their sweet spot formula, and permitting from the City of Carpinteria was instrumental to ensuring the project, although modern, kept the local warmth of the city. From its deliberate “butterfly” exterior design by Kevin Moore Architect, and interior design by AB Design Studio, to outdoor seating, homey furnishings, and art selection by Jodi G. Designs – featuring artist Ben Anderson’s exterior wall mural, Forest Moon Art works, and Piper Crabtree’s sculpture – the square is everyone’s new home to chill, do business, eat, mingle, and shop. The project team received the city’s thumbs up for live music, which has its own carved out space.
Society Page 144
Linden Square ribbon cutting (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
Kris Parker talks about having his Third Window Brewing in Linden Square (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
Mural Artist Ben Anderson signs his work (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
THE LOLITA ARMOUR & JOHN J. MITCHELL ESTATE AUCTION
June 6th, 7th & 8th, Friday, Saturday, Sunday at 11:00 AM
Kaminski Gallery 117 Elliott St., Beverly, MA 01915
We are honored to present the extraordinary estate of Lolita Armour and her husband, John J. Mitchell. Lolita, heiress to the Armour meat-packing fortune, married Jack Mitchell in 1921, uniting two of America’s most prominent families. Jack Mitchell was a pioneering founder of United Airlines and a scion of the distinguished Chicago banking family behind Continental Illinois Bank & Trust Co. Together, Lolita and Jack formed one of the wealthiest couples of their time, with an estimated combined fortune exceeding $120 million. This sale features the remarkable contents of El Mirador, their storied 70-acre estate in Montecito, CA. Highlights include original Salem, Massachusetts furniture, family portraits, ephemera, wine, and rare furnishings—offering a rare glimpse into generations of Mitchell and Armour family history linked to the East Coast.
Preview: Monday-Sunday, June 2nd-8th, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM.
Society (Continued from 12)
Your Society Invites gal was invited and attended the VIP opening from 10-11 am, with briefs from Huggins and LaBrie, each of the square’s eight business owners, and ribbon cutting. The public grand opening started at 11 am and continued through the early evening with live music. DART coffee dispensed the caffeine and French pastries; Tina’s served pizza and wine, and Third Window Brewing served up the beer, smoked beef, and chicken.
The opening proved to be a Who’s Who of investors, luxury realtors, hospitality industry influencers, contractors, vendors, news wire reps, and of course local politicians. Noted at the event were First District Supervisor Roy Lee , SBC Sheriff’s Dept. Lt. Rich Brittingham , Carpinteria Mayor Natalia Alarcon, Carp District 4 Rep Wade Nomura with wife Debbie, Taylor Toner from the Montecito Luxury Group, Easter Team Realtors SB; Angela of Enjoy the Bite 805; Hana-Lee Sedgwick of Wander and Wine; Eater LA Restaurant Reviews, Carpinteria Radio’s Dennis Mitchell and Bryan Mootz; Curtis Lee Lopez from Carpinteria Chamber of Commerce and Carpinteria Lion’s Club; C-side Ink Studios; SB Life & Style Magazine; KEYT’s John Palminteri, Siteline’s Erik Torkells; Gary Dobbins owner of Coastal View News with his team; Edhat, SB Indy, and Noozhawk.
Huggins and LaBrie are the first new owners of the 700 Linden Avenue property in 128 years, taking ownership from the Hickey Banks Family Trust. Huggins predicts the project will add $600,000/year plus to the City of Carp in sales tax revenues.
At the opening program, LaBrie said, “It was an honor to work with the Hickey Family, and create an adaptive reuse project, to take a structure that needed to be reborn and give it new life. Thank you to the City of Carpinteria and elected officials and staff for your support. Developers can’t always say that. It was important for us to be additive to the community, we did not want to compete with what was here. You know a rising tide lifts all boats. This project gives locals a reason to come back downtown, try something new and visit your old favorites. When we were searching for tenants, we looked for regional locals that weren’t already here that brought something unique and quality to add to the downtown.”
Speaking on behalf of her family and prior owners, Terry Hickey Banks, President of Hickey Bros Land Co. Carpinteria, arrived with a framed painting of the Austin Home Center, late 1800s, by artist John Wullbrandt, who did the painting 50 years ago from a photograph. She waxed nostalgic about the architecture of the original building and its memories for her but concluded with praise for the new business center.
City Manager Michael Ramirez introduced the new business owners to say a few words:
Corazón Cocina Sur, owner, executive chef and a 2024 California Michelin Bib Gourmand winner, Ramon Velazquez gave birth to this third location nine months after opening Alma Fonda Fina in Montecito. Velazquez, “When I first came to this country, I moved to Carp. I was 16. The other tenants here are friends. There’s a lot of great restaurants that have been here for a long time and we want to bring more energy and more people here so this town can be a great little beach town. Our focus at this restaurant is seafood and vegetables.”
Channel Islands Surfboards owners Britt Merrick and Kate Merrick scored the right front corner location at Linden Ave and Seventh Street. Merrick shared, “It’s such a joy for us to be here; I was born on Seventh Street 53 years ago. My parents started Channel Island Surfboards in 1969 from Seventh Street. Our manufacturing is here in the industrial area. Thank you for the project and support of our business.” Pro-surfers who use Channel Island boards include Lakey Peterson, who grew up in Montecito.
DART Coffee owners David Dart and Erika Carter will have their own kitchen with goodies on site. They have the left facing corner and are still under construction. MĀCHER owners Lex and Josh Gruetzmacher’s shop is opening in July.
Olada Life from owner Casey Glassman is opening mid-to-late June. She said, “We are honored to bring a community wellness space to this project. We will have heated and unheated Vinyasa yoga and Reformer Pilates. Membership and drop-ins welcome.”
Society Page 334
David Dart with Sami and Carter Hallman at the Linden Square opening (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
On Entertainment
California Dreamin’ with Diltz
by Steven Libowitz
Hale Milgrim is arguably better equipped than the average fan to wax quixotic about music back in the day when LPs were actually referred to as “wax.”
The former President and CEO of Capitol Records – who got his start as a clerk in an Isla Vista record store – created Quips & Clips to share archival film and still footage from his personal library, and to broker the audience’s connection to the artists and music they love. These treasured evenings have entertained thousands at the Lobero over the years.
But Quips & Clips in a condensed version will merely be the opening act for Milgrim’s colleague from decades past. Photographer Henry Diltz will offer a special edition of Behind the Lens – California Dreamin’ on Saturday, May 31. The touring visual feast – a music fan’s dream melange of music photography + stories – bursts with anecdotes from the legendary lensman. The now legendary Diltz was touring as the banjo player with his Warner Brothers-signed ‘60s band Modern Folk Quartet when he picked up his first camera.
“I’m kind of glad that we never got a hit, because then I’d be one of those Where are They Now? guys,” Diltz said last weekend.
Good thing for us, too, or the world wouldn’t have the debut album cover shot of Crosby, Stills and Nash (not necessarily in that order) on a couch fronting an old house in a rural valley north of L.A., or the piercing blue eyes of James Taylor for the cover of Sweet Baby James, or the Doors hanging out in the lobby of the eponymous inn for Morrison Hotel – to name just a few of Diltz’ famous photos.
Still snapping away at 86, Diltz, who has served as videographer for every one of the intimate Tales for the Tavern concerts in Santa Ynez over the last two decades, can dish the details with the best of them. Which is why this interview has been drastically edited. (Milgrim and Diltz will conduct a joint Q&A from the Lobero stage following their presentations.)
Q. You were actually on tour yourself when you got your first camera. You’re like an accidental photographer.
A. Yeah, we had gone to a secondhand store and one of the guys in the group walked in ahead of me and grabbed a camera off a table. I was right behind him and without even stopping I reached out and picked one up too without even thinking about it. I still don’t know why. I hadn’t ever thought about being a photographer. I didn’t even realize we were using slide film (transparencies). But when we got home and got them developed, we had a slideshow with all of our stoned hippie friends. When I saw these pictures eight feet wide glowing in the dark on the wall, I was amazed. That’s when I became a photographer. I just started taking pictures of all my friends up in Laurel Canyon so we could have more slideshows. But I only
Entertainment Page 204
Rock photographer extraordinaire Henry Diltz recounts stories and anecdotes at Behind the Lens –California Dreamin’
The Giving List
Matriculate
by Steven Libowitz
“Undermatching” might sound like a snafu on a dating app, but what the concept actually refers to is the unnecessary tragedy of high-achieving high school students from low-income backgrounds not even trying to attend a top college or university appropriate to their level of learning and ability.
The problem exists because a large number of graduating high school students who have the skills and desire to pursue higher education at a highly-rated institution simply lack the resources, information, or even encouragement to make that happen.
Studies show that nearly half of high-achieving, low-income students don’t apply to a single college or university that might be considered an academic match. Sometimes, the students don’t even know where to begin to follow that dream.
Among the factors that cause the problem is that the large number of students who would be the first in their family to
attend college lack the family support for the process. That issue is exacerbated when they reside in a low-income community or in a culture that has traditionally discounted opportunities for which students might be qualified.
That’s where the national nonprofit Matriculate comes in. The organization has been working for a decade to solve the undermatching phenomenon by connecting thousands of high-achieving high school juniors and seniors to highly-trained undergraduate advisors they call Advising Fellows (AFs).
These college students are themselves currently studying on campuses across the country that have high graduation rates – just the sort of institution the high school students qualify to attend.
The AFs are able to provide highly personalized support to small cohorts of only three and four high school students per academic year, advising on college selection, application and enrollment processes, applying for financial aid, and on the social nuances of campus life –offering the kind of attention that may not be available from the students’ high school counselors.
“These near-peer advisors have recently gone through this application process themselves,” explained Bryan Contreras , Matriculate’s Managing Director of Program Partnerships & Growth, who was a college counselor for decades. “They can speak to their own application experience and college experience itself, which even some of us who have been counselors and advisors are a little bit farther removed from.”
In order to serve as Advising Fellows, the college students – nearly all of whom are volunteers – undergo rigorous training that includes broad-based knowledge of the college ecosystem, key procedural knowledge on financial aid and FAFSA,
and helping aspiring students with the minutiae of the applications processes.
“We show the Matriculate fellows how to help with everything from explaining why it’s important for the high school students to balance their college list, to how to get through all the aspects and elements of an application, including writing essays, getting recommendation letters and doing everything in a timely way,” Contreras said.
The AFs are then able to walk the high school juniors and seniors through the 18-month journey until they matriculate to a college. The program is
List Page 314
Murphy King Realtors
Matriculate brings together high-achieving, low-income high school students with college-aged Advising Fellows (courtesy photo)
knew musicians, so my friends were Stephen Stills and Mama Cass Elliot and Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, the guys in The Turtles.
Then I started doing album covers, but I still wasn’t a real photographer. I didn’t have a studio where they posed for me. We’d go out and spend the night in the desert and eat peyote buttons and shoot pictures all day the next day, or ride horseback to an Indian reservation or go up to Big Sur… It was always about getting the band out of town, away from their girlfriends and managers and telephones. Then we’d just shoot. I think that’s the reason I got to photograph so many groups because I wasn’t a pushy photographer. I was more of a fly on the wall, just taking pictures of the things I could see.
Beyond the famous album covers, you’ve taken some of the most iconic photos in rock music history. Why do you think they’ve been so enduring?
I’m very interested in people and life, and I wanted to see what it was really like to just be with them and see what they were actually doing… I didn’t walk in and start snapping away. I’d go hang out for a while, and then they wouldn’t even notice I was taking pictures.
I know you’re going to tell the stories behind the photos at your show. But can you share the one with David Crosby smoking a joint while holding a fake gun decorated as an American flag to his head?
I’m looking at it right now on my bulletin board. It looks like something we might have posed, but what happened is I was on the road with CSNY on their first tour, and Crosby was just sitting on his bed in his hotel room. He was smoking a joint while on the phone talking to Bob Dylan, and suddenly the door opens and Graham Nash throws the toy pistol on the bed that some fan had made for Crosby.
He picked it up and held it to his forehead. And I went, click, click, click. That’s the same story with most of them.
Locals Only Night at Blues Society
Santa Barbara blues from native sons covering both electric and acoustic approaches are on the menu from the Santa Barbara Blues Society, the nonprofit still-thriving nearly half a century since its founding. Headlining is a band fronted by Mitch Kashmar, the singer and harmonica player who co-founded the legendary Pontiax back in the early 1980s when he was in his early 20s.
The Pontiax enjoyed a terrific run playing at least two or three gigs every week in the local bars, as well as often serving as the house band for visiting aging blues masters such as Lowell Fulson, Big Joe Turner, Albert Collins, Pinetop Perkins, and Jimmy Witherspoon. Eventually they toured the U.S. and across Europe. But when the local scene waned, Kashmar decamped to Los Angeles for a spell before moving up to Portland, Oregon, back in 2011.
Affordability of housing was the main factor, but the city – known as a breeding ground for alt folk-rock bands and singer-songwriters – proved to be a bit of a bastion for the blues as well, he said.
“It’s a comparatively nice music scene up here with friendly musicians,” he said. “They just took me as a native as soon as I got here.”
Gigs are available nearly every night of the week, and even more importantly, audiences appreciate the live music.
“Unlike most of the places I’ve been, people fill the tip jar every night,” Kashmar said. “I don’t know why, but it’s always been that way. You put the jar out there and they fill it up. It makes things a lot more sustainable.”
What also keeps Kashmar thriving is his role as the harpist and backup singer for War – the blues rock band that dates to the late ‘60s – where he handles Lee Oskar’s solo harmonica role on such hits as “The World Is a Ghetto,” “The Cisco Kid,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” and “Low Rider.” The harpist is in his second stint with the touring band, rejoining in 2020 after a five-year stretch from 2006-2011.
“I was always a fan, and I remember early on when I started playing with them, I’d be on stage listening to how good they sounded that I’d space out and forget that I was part of the show. It was disorienting but really, really cool.”
Kashmar will have his feet firmly on the ground when he plays the Santa Barbara Blues Society show at the Carrillo Recreation Center on Saturday, May 31, his first time performing for the SBBS since their 42nd birthday show in 2019. Kashmar hasn’t even been back to town since then.
Entertainment Page 224
Don’t miss this special evening from Hale Milgrim of Quips & Clips
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Sullivan
“There’s a whole mix of emotions coming back again,” he said. “Last time I was overwhelmed by how many familiar faces I saw. It was almost hard to concentrate. It’s important to connect with old friends as we get older.”
There will be more of those on stage behind him as Kashmar will be playing with a blend of former Pontiax members and colleagues from Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including Tom Walsh (drums), Jimmy Calire (keys & sax), Stuart Ziff (guitar), and Steve Nelson (bass). The opening act are also good buddies and blues compatriots: the internationally famous acoustic duo of Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan , who have been playing together since before Kashmar hit the scene.
“I hope they hang around and sit in with us and make it a real party, like it used to be when we followed them on some Sunday night at Cold Spring Tavern,” he said.
Fans on Saturday night can expect a mix of originals and covers of blues classics over the years, which was always the Pontiax style.
“I’ve been a pack rat with my song lists – I have every one from every band I’ve been in since I was 19,” Kashmar said. “Back in the Pontiax days, we could play seven nights a week and never repeat anything. So the issue with this show is paring it down for the gig.”
Loop Shuttle Launches
State Street is in the loop again!
On May 29 the Loop Shuttle begins cruising the city’s (pre-pandemic) main drag now known as the State Street Promenade. The shuttle is one of 11 official short-term action items identified in the new State Street Master Plan, which was designed to test solutions that “support a more walkable, accessible and vibrant downtown experience.” The Loop Shuttle is not to be confused with MTD’s Downtown-Waterfront Shuttle, which runs along Cabrillo between the zoo and the harbor, as well as from the base of Stearns Wharf to Sola Street via Chapala and Anacapa streets.
The similarly electric Loop Shuttle is much smaller, comprising two five-seater electric golf carts and one ADA-compliant cart, which will run in a continuous loop on State from Cabrillo to Sola Street. Stops are easy to spot, and the ride is even cheaper than the nominal fare for MTD’s vehicle, as it’s free. The State Street Loop will run every Thursday through Sunday from 12 noon to 7 pm until late November. As part of the “Pilot with a Purpose,” onboard iPads will be available for quick rider feedback throughout the test period, giving community members a direct role in the process of refining and expanding downtown mobility.
The bad news? Now, you might have something else to dodge besides teenagers speeding on e-bikes.
Dancing in the Street
One of the places you might want to visit via the new shuttle: The 500 block of State, where every Wednesday in June from 6-8 pm brings West Coast Swing to the street in the heart of downtown. Summer’s here and the time is right… All we need is music, sweet music… There’ll be swinging, swaying… and records playing. Yep, Martha Reeves had it right 60 years ago: There’s nothing like dancing in the street.
Westie Wednesdays begin each week at 6 pm with free lessons in swinging terpsichore provided by Bryan Gin of Serenity Swing, who also teaches at the Dance Hub on E. Victoria. Social dancing continues from 7-8 pm. Following a dinner break, during which swingers can refuel at sponsors Hibachi or The Cruisery, re-energized swingers can file into Casa Agria (418 State) for two more hours of open West Coast Swing from 9-11 pm.
Remember: It doesn’t matter what you wear / Just as long as you are there.
Singer and harmonica player Mitch Kashmar is going to put on an unforgettable night of blues with friends (courtesy photo)
Suzanne Baker Neal Perkins A Heartfelt Goodbye to a Legend IN PASSING
With full hearts and deep gratitude, we say goodbye to our dear friend and mentor, Suzanne Baker Neal Perkins – a woman whose life was nothing short of extraordinary. A true force of nature, Suzanne has lived a life of adventure, elegance, and unwavering excellence.
From flying the skies with Pan Am to the rolling hills of Montecito, Suzanne built a legacy as one of California’s most respected luxury real estate icons – representing over $2 billion in sales and earning the trust of clients around the world. She was also a devoted public servant, a passionate horsewoman, and a mentor to so many of us lucky enough to work alongside her.
Suzanne wasn’t just one of Montecito’s most accomplished real estate professionals – she was the gold standard. A visionary, a trailblazer, and a beloved member of our community, Suzanne’s impact on Montecito, Santa Barbara, and beyond cannot be overstated.
She redefined what it meant to be a top agent – rising to #1 worldwide for Sotheby’s International Realty and topping national charts as the #1 REALTOR® in the United States. She brokered historic deals, including California’s largest non-commercial transaction of the landmark sale of El Cojo and Jalama ranches in 2007, and was consistently ranked among the Top 50 agents nationwide by The Wall Street Journal
But Suzanne’s brilliance wasn’t limited to real estate. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, she brought her elegance and courage to the skies with Pan Am during the golden age of jet travel. She even courageously volunteered for special assignment with the Department of Defense to serve on selected crews to fly monthly R&R and evacuation flights in and out of Saigon, Da Nang, and Cam Ranh Bay during the Vietnam War. That same grace under pressure became her hallmark in every negotiation, every deal, and every relationship.
She found her forever home in Santa Barbara, where she not only sold its most beautiful estates but also helped protect and preserve its trails, parks, and open spaces for decades. She served as Commissioner and later Chair of the County Parks Commission, was appointed by two governors to the 19th Agricultural District Board of Directors, and was a past president of the Montecito Trails Foundation with vision and passion. A third-generation horsewoman, she also judged and bred national champion show horses, offering her clients unmatched insight into equestrian properties.
Suzanne was not only a titan of industry but also a woman of profound wisdom, cheeky humor, elegance, and heart. She mentored generously, listened intently, and led with quiet strength. Whether across a boardroom table or a riding trail, she inspired confidence and profound loyalty.
Her legacy lives on in every family she helped find a home, every hillside she helped protect, and every one of us who carries her love and life lessons forward.
Thank you, Suzanne, for your high standards, brave choices, and for showing us
what’s possible with poise, passion, and purpose.
“It is what it is.” – Suzanne
In her memory, donations may be made to Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Center @heartstherapeuticequestrian, www.heartsriding.org
Please email your questions or any Suzanne memories you’d like to share to perkinsinSB@gmail.com as we’re compiling all of her heartfelt tributes
Suzanne Baker Neal Perkins
Suzanne riding along the trails in Banff
Suzanne was a devoted public servant, a passionate horsewoman, and a mentor to many
AHA! Sing it Out
The Annual “Feel Good” Event is Great
by Sigrid Toye
The subject of this column and my delight and admiration for the organization are both the same: AHA! Exactly the kind of nonprofit organization needed in our community to foster the creative arts in young people in an era of lightning speed technology! AHA! is designed to promote self-awareness and creative expression through a variety of programs, with the added benefit of learning to embrace collaboration and connection as the backbone of creativity. Creative outlets such as theater, writing, visual art and music are offered with the intention of overcoming inhibitions, developing social-emotional skills and finding a voice of one’s own.
This year I was fortunate enough to occupy a seat in the Lobero Theatre for ‘Sing It Out’ one of AHA!’s most exciting and visible programs. From my second-row seat (almost) front and center, my hands were red from clapping in appreciation for an awesome evening of solo vocal performances by 11 teens for the culmination of their 12 week program. The Sing It Out program is a unique journey of self-actualization, resiliency, relationship building, and artistic expression. With facilitators and music mentors, teens navigate an individual and shared journey of claiming their voices and identities. This once-ayear performance is their time to actually Sing It Out in mastery of one solo cover song – and group performances –backed by a live rock band on the historic Lobero Theatre stage. This spectacular
event, which has been called “the feelgood event of the year,” gives the young performers a once-in-a-lifetime rock-star moment in front of a packed and loving house of cheering fans.
The space here is too limited to pile heaps of praise on each of the teen stars, their selections, and the weeks of collaboration and sharing that went into the songs they selected. I do know that each song was of personal significance and communicated important parts of who they were to the audience… the very point of singing it out! Every single performance brought those of us in the audience closer to the young person who
performed, and each received nothing less than an appreciative standing ovation! The second to the last singer, a young woman named Sabrina radiating moxie in her stunning white dress, had the audience up after the first notes with her rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” Before we could sit down, the final soloist, a young man named Hector, banished any thought of ever returning to our seats! His rousing rendition of ‘La Bamba” blew the roof off the Lobero as he paraded across the stage, mike in hand, sharing his energy and joy. So… what else could we do but sing along? Hector concluded his number by leaping over the footlights to deliver a present to his girlfriend (sitting right next to me in the second row no less!) and sprang back to the boards bringing down the house. To tell you the truth this show was an Experience... and wadda night!
A week later I attended Sing It Out’s graduation ceremony honoring the
high school seniors and performers in the Sing It Out program: Victoria Corrales, Mariangelica Duque, Julian Hayes Hannah Hosea, Allison Linares, Abigail Lopez , Saraphina Oster , Hector Sanchez, Sabrina Toye, Kristian Vazquez, Rocio Vejar minus a few who were unable to attend. The emcee, and Director of Programs, Brandon Battle, welcomed the crowd and introduced Roxana Petty, AHA!’s executive director. “I am honored to stand before you tonight. Even more personally, I am a proud mom to one of our incredible graduates, Sienna. Each of you, our AHA! seniors, have spent your time here learning, growing, and shaping the future we so desperately need.” Petty lauded the teen performers’ ability to embrace leadership, kindness and equity to build a community where people show up for one another, lift each other
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Hector Sanchez bringing down the house (courtesy photo)
The Sing It Out crew celebrating a tremendous show (courtesy photo)
Elizabeth’s Appraisals
Rookwood Pottery
by Elizabeth Stewart
EShas an 8.5” tall matte blue vase accented with a purple peony design that bears the “flame” mark for Rookwood Pottery, and the date stamp 1926. ES, your little vase was part of a worldwide rise of a new style of ceramics. Art Pottery began in the late 19th century, continued to evolve till the mid-20th century, and was the first international art movement. Female artists and creatives were instrumental in the craze for ceramics of this era, and there’s no better example than the founder of Rookwood Pottery in Cincinnati, Maria Longworth Nicols (1849-1932), who began as an amateur painter upon unfired white porcelain (a genteel hobby in her day for wealthy females at home). For a half of a century she led her pottery company to international success. Rookwood won the International Gold Medal at the World’s Fair, and the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889. The firm closed its doors in 1967. David Rago’s book American Art Pottery: The Golden Age 1880-1920 states “No single company achieved so much for so long as Rookwood, which put artwork above commercial considerations.”
Art Pottery is the best concrete example of the philosophy of the Arts and Crafts Movement which, in the second quarter of the 19th century, had roots in England through both the writings of the polymath John Ruskin, and in the Pre-Raphaelite artists. The movement espoused a return to handmade crafts and simple Gothic traditions in architecture and design, taking a position opposed to industrialization and machine-made objects. The philosophy emphasized the dignity of labor and purity of art. Art Pottery was claimed to be made by hand or decorated by hand, and although Rookwood was also a factory, the human element was stressed in every pot created.
From the late 19th century to the 1920s, tableware’s diversity of functions led to unique forms in ceramics (such as a centerpiece bowl with a flower frog), even as the technological advancements of the era led to unique glazes, innovative colors,
and female-inspired designs. Interior decoration became not only the realm of the female, but females became the leading consumers of fine ceramics.
ES’s vase bears the monogram for Rookwood artist Margaret Helen McDonald (1913-1948); over half of Rookwood’s craftspeople were women, as were most of founder Nichols’ management team.
A truly international movement, Art Pottery from all over the world was on the stages of the hundreds of world’s fairs held throughout the globe. At the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, and Middle Eastern pots were shown alongside American pots. Rookwood, for example, hired Japanese potter Kataro Shirayamadani who moved to Cincinnati to work with the company.
Art Pottery borrowed design elements from many cultural traditions, as well as from objects created in the Arts and Crafts style, and borrowings from Art Nouveau and Art Deco. ES’s vase has an Art Deco feel, placing it a later phase of Art Pottery. Notice the purple peonies underneath the matte glaze, yet on top of the blue of the vase. The potter starts with an unfired vessel called greenware, which is painted with an underglaze slip (clay) and a colorant. Then the mixture of slip and color is dried and
ground, and reconstituted in water, and used as a paint color in lighter and darker hues to create a background. Each color the potter intends to use as part of the design is mixed, dried, and reconstituted. The design is layered on, then the unglazed vase (called biscuit or bisque at this stage) has its first kiln firing, then is glazed and fired again. The final firing fuses the overglaze to the surface of the clay.
Rookwood is known for innovating glazes and colors – particularly for their most popular “Standard” style of glazing and designs. You may have seen the brown and tan glazed vases by Rookwood with portraits of late 19th century Native Americans, or florals and insects – the earth toned background combined with a warm colored painted decoration under a brilliant glaze. This style was most popular from 1883-1909.
The bottom of ES’s vase bears not only the signature Rookwood flame-incised mark, but XXVI (the date, ‘26) and the model shape number, as well as an “E” which indicates SIZE; A is the largest size in that shape, F is the smallest.
Rookwood’s founder Maria Longworth Nicols had interest in all the arts. She was the first female founder of an arts festival, The Cincinnati May Festival. Her second marriage was to a diplomat in Europe, and she passed away in Paris, with her progeny being British and French nobility.
Elizabeth Stewart, PhD is a veteran appraiser of fine art, furniture, glass, and other collectibles, and a cert. member of the AAA and an accr. member of the ASA. Please send any objects to be appraised to Elizabethappraisals@ gmail.com
Notice the purple peonies underneath the mat glaze, yet on top of the blue of the vase
Brilliant Thoughts Free Fall
by Ashleigh Brilliant
Why is Love the only emotion we fall into? We don’t fall into Hate, or even into Apathy. For better or worse, there are various diseases which can cause us to fall. One of the best known is epilepsy. One of its supposed sufferers was Julius Caesar. In Shakespeare’s play, one of the people who witnessed this reports how it happened in public, in a crowded place. Caesar was said to have the “Falling Sickness,” and this, apparently, did not disqualify him from a position of leadership.
But that was before his real fall from power, when he was assassinated by a group of conspirators, of whom his supposed friend, Brutus, was the most eminent. In the play, the scene of the killing is actually enacted, but the truly dramatic climax occurs in a subsequent scene, when another friend, Mark Antony (who was not involved in the plot) is permitted to speak at Caesar’s funeral.
This is the famous speech which begins “Friends, Romans, Countrymen – lend me your ears.” It is a masterpiece of oratory, in which Antony sways the crowd from pity over the loss of their great leader, to fury against those who committed this terrible act.
And the “Fall” is treated both literally and figuratively. Caesar, says Antony, fell at the very base of the statue of his great predecessor, Pompey. And then comes the punch-line: “O, what a fall was there, my countrymen! Then I, and you, and all of us fell down, Whilst bloody treason flourished over us.”
How can we account for Shakespeare’s genius? The more we read of him, the more staggering it is to think that one man – apparently not even very highly educated –could produce such an impressive body of work.
Of course, there are those who believe that the real author must have been someone else – and various candidates have been advanced – but never with any convincing proof.
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But to get back to falling, it is remarkable to me that – whereas through all of human history, this was something to be afraid of and to avoid – it has recently to some extent come under control, and has even become a form of sport, entertainment, and pleasure.
Leonardo da Vinci, that Renaissance polymath, in 1485 contemplated the earliest known parachute to have even been drawn. So far as we know, it was never even experimented with at that time. More closely to our own time, one brave man tried using Leonardo’s design from an airplane in flight. But he also wore a modern parachute and used it in the final part of the descent, casting off the experimental da Vinci prototype, which was so heavy that he was afraid it would crush him.
But consider in how many ways people have learned to enjoy the sensation of falling. First, we have downhill skiing. Then, there is Bungee Jumping, which involves using a long elastic cord. The jumper launches from some high point, such as a bridge over a deep ravine, and the cord allows them to fall as nearly as possible to the ground before pulling them up, after which climactic moment several more thrilling downs and ups exhaust all the latent energy in the cord.
More suitable for children are the trampolines on which they can jump in safety, surrounded by protective netting. There are also the “rides” now common at fairgrounds and amusement parks, which provide a feeling of falling straight down.
But much more impressive than any of these are the people who jump out of airplanes at high altitudes, actually fall for hundreds or thousands of feet, and try to avoid using their parachutes until the last possible moment before descending safely to the ground. While in the air, usually as part of a group, they perform various kinds of aerobatics.
If you lived in northern Italy in the sixteenth century and wanted to experiment with the descent of falling bodies, one problem would have been to find a convenient place to drop things. That is why the Leaning Tower of Pisa has played such a large part in these stories.
By Galileo’s time, that tower had already been there for several centuries. The accounts we have say that, by dropping objects of different weights at the same time from the top the tower, and having it observed that they landed simultaneously, Galileo proved that the rate of falling does not depend on weight.
On which one might comment: Next stop, Einstein and Hiroshima.
Ashleigh Brilliant born England 1933, came to California in 1955, to Santa Barbara in 1973, to the Montecito Journal in 2016.
Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots,” now a series of 10,000. email: ashleigh@west. net. web: www.ash leighbrilliant.com.
Spirituality Matters
The Gifts of Gab and Godmothers
by Steven Libowitz
Godmothers’ lineup of fascinating authors in conversation exceeds even what might have been expected before the September 2024 opening of the high-profile Montecitoadjacent bookstore. Recent guests have included Oprah Winfrey , Meghan Markle, Amanda Knox, and Maria Shriver, to name just a few.
Those events almost invariably sell out well in advance. But Godmothers – in its mission to disseminate these cultural pearls – has made many of the talks available to watch online for free without having to sign up for the paid membership. These available sessions include Knox, famous chef Alice Waters, and Grief Is for People author Sloane Crosley. These works and authors are not necessarily to be found in the spiritual or self-help section of the bookshop, but when interviewed by Godmothers’ founders and others, these authors often dive deeper that might be expected on a regular book tour appearance. Visit https:// godmothers.substack.com to stream.
Up soon in person: Kevin Kwan, author of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, who will talk about the paperback release of his latest novel, Lies & Weddings, with Goodreads Co-Founder and former Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Khuri Chandler (June 4). Philanthropy Leader Hali Lee takes the Godmothers stage on June 7 to discuss her book The Big We: How Giving Circles Unlock Generosity, Strengthen Community & Make Change, where she’ll be joined in conversation by Gwyn Lurie, CEO and editor-in-chief of the Montecito Journal and The Giving List. They’ll talk about challenging our traditional understanding of giving in a discussion about everyday people taking philanthropy back from the billionaires; that is, making the world a better place even without much sought-after major financial donations. It seems there is great power in a group of people who come together to do good in their community.
June 9 brings Elizabeth Greenwood, author of Everyday Intuition, which explores the world of human intuition to explore how it can be harnessed to help know – and trust – ourselves more deeply. She’ll talk with author Swan Huntley, whose books include 2024’s You’re Grounded: An Anti-Self-Help Book to Calm You the F*ck Down
Already sold out is the June 13 conversation with Pinterest Co-Founder Evan Sharp and Twitter and Medium Co-Founder Biz Stone, who are currently teaming up on another tech-based project but will share with Godmothers Co-Founder Jennifer Rudolph Walsh
about their personal journeys and their present-day efforts to live with purpose and make space for the sacred. A waitlist is available.
Visit https://godmothers.com/events
SBYC Seeks Support
Santa Barbara Yoga Center, which was established in 1992 and is the city’s longest-running yoga studio, has put out a call for financial support as challenges have persisted since the pandemic. The fundraising initiative, which is seeking a total of $35,000, will help ensure that the center, located in a historic building downtown that offers an expansive atmosphere with twenty-foot ceilings and huge skylights providing natural light, can continue to offer a diverse range of classes and events and make yoga accessible to everyone.
The mission is to continue to cultivate a nurturing and mindful community-based business for wellness and growth, and any donations are gratefully accepted. Those who can give $500 or more will receive an escalating series of benefits that includes class packages, workshops or sound baths, private sessions with a preferred teacher, and personal yoga retreats.
Upcoming events at SBYC include “Ecstatic Coherence: Sonic Activation of Body, Voice & Spirit” with David Kennet on June 8, when the sound healer will lead a powerful 2.5-hour immersion designed to awaken your full energetic system through mind, body and spirit. Beyond a sound bath, the event is a dynamic experience where primal vitality meets higher consciousness, and the voice becomes a bridge between the two.
The workshop begins with guided vocal and breath practices to activate the chakra system from root to crown, followed by a transformative sound journey that is designed to be deeply activating by the creation of a powerful intentional sonic field to stimulate cellular alignment and emotional release. Each participant will also receive a brief personalized one-on-one sound healing, tuned to your unique energetic blueprint.
Visit www.sbyc.com
Pacifica Experience, Online
The world-renowned Pacifica Graduate Institute is located on two beautiful campuses in Montecito and Carpinteria, but the next “Pacifica Experience” introduction event on Friday, June 6, takes place online. Those who are feeling called to a path of depth, meaning, and transformation can take a Zoom visit to explore how a Pacifica education can help you bring
unique gifts into the world.
During this immersive online event, visitors will meet Pacifica’s faculty members and learn about its distinctive master’s and doctoral programs as well as hear firsthand from alumni about their Pacifica journeys. Participants will also find out more about how the institute’s soul-centered approach prepares graduates for careers that serve both personal growth and the greater good, whether in fields of psychology, mythology, counseling or the creative and healing arts. The normal application fee of $75 will be waived for those who attend the event. Visit www.pacifica.edu/ admissions for details or registration. Head to www.pacifica.edu/pacifica-events for information about extension programs, one-off events and more, including the social-business mixer on June 6.
NVC for All
Certified Center for Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Trainer and Assessor Rodger Sorrow will be presenting the Essence of Compassionate Communication class online using Zoom starting in June through Santa Barbara City College’s School of Extended Learning (SEL). The class, offered for free, is open to anyone who wants to improve the quality of connection in relationships and to deepen understanding while living the NVC. Nonviolent Communication was developed by the late Marshall Rosenberg, PhD, who actually led weekend workshops through SBCC’s SEL back when it was known as Adult Ed. Among the skills covered are developing presence, connecting with the heart before speaking, expressing honesty with compassion versus criticism or blaming, embracing and appreciating our inner critic, responding to difficult messages, navigating conflict, and the spiritual basis of NVC. Role playing and practicing the skills happens frequently in breakout rooms.
Visit www.chooseconnection.com/ compassionate-communication for more details and registration links for the class that takes place Tuesday evenings, June 10-July 8.
Santa Barbara by the Glass
Rhône Revelry: Special Tasting Part of Epiphany’s 25th Anniversary Celebration
by Gabe Saglie
Eli Parker tips his cowboy hat to other Rhône pioneers in Santa Barbara County – men like Bob Lindquist and Andrew Murray, who were early champions of grapes like syrah and grenache. But there’s no denying that Parker was on the leading edge of the area’s Rhône movement, too – recognizing in these grapes their unbridled potential in an area once far better regarded for varieties like pinot noir and chardonnay. A quarter century after he launched
his Epiphany wine brand with a laser focus on Rhône wines, the proof is in the bottle.
“I was a great believer in the potential of all Rhône grapes back then,” he recalls. Syrah plantings had started in the 1990s, “but the great soils and the amazing climate in our area had a lot of us realizing all of a sudden that we could also grow all kinds of other Rhône varieties. That’s what made launching the Epiphany program so interesting to me.”
When the calendar hit 2000, Mr. Parker was already in the trenches of Santa Barbara’s burgeoning wine move-
ment. His dad, Fess Parker, the iconic actor-turned-developer-turned-wine grower, had launched the family wine brand in 1989, with a 714-acre home ranch in Los Olivos. Syrah, the crowning jewel of the Rhône wines, also happened to be the elder Parker’s favorite wine to drink.
“You had Qupé and Zaca Mesa and a few others who were believers, but making a bet on syrah as your big red wine at that time was a bit of a gamble, I suppose,” adds Parker. “Generally, Santa Barbara had not fully developed a recognition for Rhône wines.”
Launching Epiphany as an extension of the Parker family brand was an investment in the budding potential of varietals that were still newcomers in Santa Barbara County then – grapes with peculiar names like mourvèdre, counoise, and viognier. Awareness (or was it an epiphany?) dawned on the younger Parker and a small band of fellow entrepreneurial cohorts; the malleability of Rhône grapes – their range and their resilience – suggested a bright future in an area with myriad microclimates and a mosaic of soil types.
“That’s what makes Rhône grapes, especially syrah, fascinating,” Parker continues. “You grow it in a warm area like Foxen Canyon, you get one flavor profile. But what we grow in a very cool area of Sta. Rita Hills is a much different wine – the color, the density,
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The sleek and breezy Epiphany Cellars tasting room in downtown Los Olivos will be hosting an exclusive tasting of Rhône wines – a Rhône Rodeo – on June 7 (courtesy photo)
Epiphany’s signature blend is Revelation, a coupling of syrah and grenache in percentages that vary with each vintage (courtesy photo)
Eli Parker, son of actor-vintner Fess Parker, launched the Epiphany Cellars brand in 2000 (courtesy photo)
the peppery character. You can push syrah in a number of different directions stylistically, and they can all be equally stunning!
“Syrah, in that sense – it’s really a winemaker’s grape.”
At the 25 th anniversary milestone, the Epiphany Cellars team’s focus is to continue to perfect a portfolio that’s already become an industry standard. The wines, under the direction of Blair Fox , who’s been head winemaker for 20 years, are often critics’ best-of picks, with plenty of 90-plus scores.
Consumers like the single-varietal wines, says Parker, because “bottles of something like carignan are unique,” says Parker. The Grenache Blanc ($30) and the Grenache Rosé ($30), two of Parker’s preferred at-home sippers, move quickly in summer. And the blends –the Revelation Red ($54) in particular, a syrah-grenache combo that’s fleshy, textured and sumptuous – are always best sellers. “That’s what the Rhône varietals are all about – they’re all great in their own right, but blend them together and you really see them shine.”
To showcase just how brightly Santa Barbara Rhône wines can shine, and as part of year-long 25th anniversary events, the Epiphany tasting room in downtown Los Olivos is hosting a Rhône Rodeo. At the unique tasting event, set for Saturday, June 7, from 10:30 am to 1 pm, Parker will be joining trailblazers Blair Fox, Andrew Murray and Bob Lindquist in reflection and conversation. Guests will be treated to a wide range of Rhônes wines – a snapshot of the region’s diversity and depth – that are both current releases and library selections. Tickets are $75 ($60 for club members) and only 100 tickets are being made available.
“It feels like an honor to be on the panel with guys who are uber-talented and who’ve been devoted to the Rhône set for a long, long time,” says Parker.
Happy birthday to Epiphany Cellars! Find out more about them at fesparker.com Go to fesparkerwineshop.com/tickets/ Rhône-Rodeo-Tasting for tickets
up, and create lasting bonds of friendship and support. As each senior was invited to the podium to be acknowledged for their individual contribution, she concluded. “Today, we honor the challenges you have overcome, the hard work you have poured into every moment, and the unwavering spirit that has carried you forward. Congratulations, AHA! seniors. You inspire us all, and we celebrate you today and always.”
AHA! offers eight programs to serve middle school, junior high, and high school students, parents/guardians/ adults, educators, and the broader community. Participants in the pro -
grams forge rewarding and supportive relationships while developing social-emotional knowledge and skills in keeping with AHA!’s mission. High school students earn community service hours toward graduation or monetary stipends, reflecting the value of social-emotional skill building in preparing them for college and work. Most out-of-school programming is funded by donations and the generosity of the community. In-school programs are funded largely through grants, donations, and fundraising events. For more information visit www.ahasb.org.
Sing It Out’s graduation ceremony (courtesy photo)
AHA! Director of Programs Brandon Battle having a hoot with the students (courtesy photo)
Among the unique single-varietal Rhône wines on the Epiphany roster is Counoise, which is bottled with a screwcap closure (courtesy photo)
Gabe Saglie has been covering the Santa Barbara wine scene for more than 15 years through columns, TV, and radio. He’s a senior editor with Travelzoo and is a leading expert on travel deals, tips, and trends.
home invasion at a Montecito estate last Wednesday. The subject, allegedly broke into the mansion, attacking a female within the home, rendering her comatose. Authorities say the subject, who had a history of domestic violence and prior incarceration, barricaded himself in an upstairs bathroom before leaping from a second-story window, at which time sheriff’s K-9 units apprehended him.
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed multiple charges, including first-degree attempted murder, kidnapping, burglary, and aggravated assault. Officials noted the subject’s prior offenses and failure to comply with probation, citing him as a continued threat to public safety. The subject pleaded not guilty at his Friday arraignment. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 2.
Hot Springs Trail Rescue
At 3:42 pm, Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue responded alongside Montecito Fire Department and AMR to assist an injured hiker on the Hot Springs Trail. The subject was located approximately a quarter mile below the hotel ruins on the Edison Catway Loopand reached using off-highway vehicles (OHVs).
The hiker sustained an ankle injury, was treated on scene, and transported down the trail in a rescue vehicle. Patient care was transferred to AMR for further evaluation and transport to Cottage Hospital.
“This was another perfectly coordinated multi-agency rescue for the books,” says Jason Copus, SB Search & Rescue PIO.
Montecito Fire Fighters’ Sons Graduate Fire Academy
MFD Chief Neels celebrated Captain Jeff Villarreal and Engineer Eric
Klemowicz for their sons, Jacob and Ethan respectively, having graduated Allan Hancock College’s Fire Academy Battalion 155. Part of the celebration was the photo op in front of Montecito Fire Dept’s retired Engine 192, which MFD donated to Allan Hancock College’s Public Safety Training Center in 2024. Neels, “When our engines reach the end of their service life, we are proud to donate them to help provide firefighter students with realistic training experience. With many of our Montecito firefighters being Hancock graduates too, we are honored to give back to a program that plays an essential role in preparing first responders across Santa Barbara County.”
SBMA Women’s Board Art of the Table Event
The SB Museum of Art Women’s Board signature fundraiser event, the “Art of the Table,” to be held on June 7, will feature local Montecito businesses designing “tablescapes” based on the SBMA’s permanent collection. Participating Montecito businesses are Coast2Coast Collection – Holly Murphy, Marc Normand Gelinas Interior Design, Hogue & Co. – Jerry Peddicord, Emily Joubert Home & Garden – Jennifer Williams, and MAISON K – Kimberly Hayes. Joining them are design businesses from Summerland, Santa Barbara, SLO and Los Angeles, including Cabana Home – Caroline Thompson and Steve Thompson; DIANI Living – Natalie Olivares; Habitat Home – Kaitlyn Tapp; Harrison Design – Jamie Hallows; House of Honey – Tamara Kaye-Honey; and Porch – Diana Dolan 411: https://sbmawb.org/art-of-the-table-tickets
SBMNH Announces Kids Nature Camps
SB Museum of Natural History Nature Adventures Manager Clay Sipiora, M.S. invites your kids to join this summer’s nature camps, from June 16 till August 15. There are camps for ages 4 through 12 on deep sea discoveries, oceans, the solar system, stars, butterflies, rocks, minerals and more! Sipiora, “We are building a community around science and nature that grows with each year as we develop more youth as scientists, artists, and future nature-loving adults. Youth who have positive and sustained engagements in nature learn a deep appreciation that can last a lifetime.”
411: www.sbnature.org
Canapés and Cocktails at Art & Soul Gallery
Art and Soul Gallery SB’s monthly event for May will support Explore Ecology with a portion of its proceeds benefiting their environmental education programs. The event is titled Nature In Bloom: Canapés and Cocktails, and will be on Saturday, May 31, from 3 to 5pm. There will be garden-infused cocktails, seasonal bites and artist works for sale.
411: https://artandsoulsb.com/pages/events
The proposed 2025-2026 budget for the Montecito Union School District will be available for public inspection at the Montecito Union School District Business Office, on June 6, 2025 during regular working hours. The public hearing on said budget will be held on June 10, 2025 at 9:40 a.m. at the Montecito Union School District, Board Room The budget adoption meeting will be held on June 17, 2025 at 4:40 p.m. at Montecito Union School District, Board Room.
Published May 29 & June 5, 2025 Montecito
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Better View Windows and Power Washing, 2833 State St, 5, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. Antonio Martinez, 2833 State St, 5, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on May 19, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20250001236. Published May 15, 22, 29, June 5, 2025
NAME STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT: The following person(s) has (have) abandoned the use of the Fictitious Business Name(s): Santa Barbara Auto-Truck4x4 Accessory Store; Santa Barbara Camper Shells; Tru-Fit Sheepskins; Santa Barbara Auto Accessories, 5737 Hollister Avenue, Goleta, CA 93117. Steven W Fox, 270 Ribera Dr, Santa Barbara, CA 93111. This statement was originally filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 5, 2021. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL), filed May 7, 2025. Original FBN No. 2021-0000020. FBN 2025-0001155. Published May 22, 29, June 5, 12, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: Empresa Belica, 2338 Juleston Drive, Santa Maria, CA 93458. Carlos D Perez Mendoza, 2338 Juleston Drive, Santa Maria, CA 93458. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on April 21, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20250001033. Published May 15, 22, 29, June 5, 2025
Congratulations to the new graduates! (courtesy photo)
Journal
particularly effective because the AFs recently went through the process themselves, often share a similar background, and offer proof of how to succeed at a top institution.
Even though everything happens virtually – via video chat, document sharing, texting, phone calls and email –the personal connection of one-on-one support can be much more inspiring than simply reading through generic resources, Contreras said.
Matriculate does maintain a portal for the high school fellows to access 24 hours a day to find static information such as deadlines and details, all cross-checked to ensure accuracy. But the organization’s key model is to employ technology and virtual tools to transcend geographic limitations while preserving authentic relationships, leveraging data to enhance human judgment. Matriculate is developing its technology ecosystem to employ AI as a resource and a tool for advising both fellows and high school fellows, as well as to aid in the consistency and quality of information that is delivered to the 3,500 high school juniors and seniors served every year.
“Automating some of the workflows allows our advising fellows to spend time with their high school fellows in a more individualized manner, with more meaningful conversation customized to what that student needs,” Contreras explained. “They can answer more complicated questions, or pose ones the high school student might not even have thought about, including steering students toward a college or university that serves who they are as a person socially, not just academically – what we call the ‘college fit.’”
Beyond helping the future college matriculants get what they need to attend a top-notch school, the AFs
also get benefits of their own, particularly among those who return for a second or third year of serving as mentors, even beyond the initial training, Contreras said.
“They are able to develop some competencies and skills that include communication, collaboration, data literacy and analysis, and the use of technology in a professional role, experiences that can prove very valuable when they enter the job market,” he said. “They learn how to prioritize their time to focus on the HSF’s most complicated needs, a skill that’s very important all through life.”
Matriculate’s key college partners include Stanford, Princeton, Notre Dame and Johns Hopkins as well as all of the UC system schools. Its team has also launched a streamlined strategy with refreshed partnership tiers and criteria to target colleges where high-achieving students thrive. And while the nonprofit does not provide financial help of its own, its Pathways Partners program, launched late last year, connects with institutions willing to commit to meeting the full financial need for at least two admitted Matriculate HSFs every year. Bucknell and Susquehanna University are among the inaugural six.
Since its founding a decade ago, Matriculate has supported over 20,000 high-achieving, low-income students including nearly 80 percent first-generation college students. The great news is that students who complete the program are 30 percent more likely to enroll in a selective college that is a true match, which in turn vastly increases the likelihood of graduation. “Undermatching” has met its match.
That’s a lot more important than a great first date.
Visit https://matriculate.org for more info.
She started her career as a classic pianist and studied at Mussorgsky State Academy in Yekaterinburg, Russia. In 1990, she moved to Tel Aviv, Israel, where she completed her Master of Arts in music, composing original scores for theater and animation. In 1999, she earned Best Theater Composer of the Year at the 20th Fringe Theatre Festival in Israel.
Hodson Takes a Bow
Music professor Steve Hodson has retired after teaching at Westmont for nearly 30 years. He appreciates the variety of roles he has filled: directing choral activities, conducting the Westmont College Choir, founding and leading the ensemble New Sounds, teaching a music survey class as well as basic and advanced conducting, and directing piano studies. “I especially value the extraordinary students who come to Westmont,” he says. “I’ve been privileged to work with a wide variety of fabulously wonderful individuals.”
Hodson enjoyed conducting ensembles for years and more recently focused on teaching piano students one-on-one. “It’s such a joy to see individuals commit to the art and grow,” he says. “I’ve had some truly outstanding students who have brought me such joy.”
A master teacher, he has expertise in piano performance, arm-weight techniques and Bach’s and Chopin’s keyboard music. He also taught efficient and healthy physical movement at the keyboard and beauty of tone. “I sought to inspire, challenge and encourage piano students to pursue excellent technique, broad repertoire and deep understanding,” he says.
A fan of the piano music of Philip Glass and John Adams, Hodson enjoyed guiding students through a wide variety of piano repertoire from early Baroque to contemporary music.
Involvement in the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) enriched his teaching by connecting Hodson with fellow professionals. Elected twice as pres-
ident of the western region, he planned major events, including large conferences in Santa Barbara and Honolulu. He also serves as director emeritus of the Santa Barbara Master Chorale.
Hodson has performed in the community as a pianist and organist, spending more than 15 years playing the organ at First United Methodist Church. His memorized repertoire includes several Beethoven sonatas, a Bach toccata, a Chopin ballade and all 24 Chopin preludes. He appeared as a Bach concerto soloist with the Westmont Orchestra and performed Bach’s “Concerto for Two Harpsichords and Strings.”
After graduating from Lewis and Clark College in Oregon with an emphasis in piano performance, he earned a master’s degree at the University of Oregon. He completed a Doctor of Musical Arts in the literature and performance of choral music at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he accompanied the top graduate choir. An enthusiastic and seasoned accompanist/collaborator, Hodson wrote part of his doctoral thesis on the art of accompanying.
Hodson speaks proudly about his two children. Nathaniel majored in philosophy at UC Berkeley and completed a Master of Philosophy in theology at Oxford University. A Wheaton graduate, Katie spent six months with Filipino women who had escaped prostitution. She oversees a scholarship program at Point Loma Nazarene University for previously trafficked women. Westmont (Continued from 11)
Having recently gone through the college application process themselves, the Advising Fellows provide important insight and support (courtesy photo)
Steve Hodson hangs up his baton
Scott Craig is manager of media relations at Westmont College
and at that moment your guitarist would kick open the club’s front door and lurch in with his amp and gear. Like a burst of phosphor, the stunning blast of sunlight would fleetingly reveal a battered chamber of scarred and bile-splashed interior malign that belied the swinging vibe the full club would later boast at the evening’s loud, joyous zenith.
Just summoning the club names of this, my Band Period, brings the sense memory back like a sonofagun; Merlin’s, The Mason Jar, The Profile Room, The Purple Turtle; these “clubs” – a word that accurately suggests membership – dominated my waking and sleeping hours. I loved the unearthly smell of these places, the pitiable band portraiture that decorated the walls with the long, heraldic tale of all the hipster hopefuls who’d poured through the place with their haircuts and their decal-mummified guitars and their Chuck Taylors.
I loved the smart-ass, defiantly unfashionable bartenders, loved the fast-talking proprietors who would shamelessly, if good-naturedly, try to get away with whatever they could at the band’s expense. I would spend my days working at the Arizona Republic (the stentorian daily newspaper) thinking only about getting home, changing clothes, and tearing up the evening at a gig downtown.
Chicks and Ducks and Geese Better Scurry
Eddie and I had met and clicked in much the same way Mick and Keith had; in the orchestra pit of a high school production of Oklahoma. We weren’t in the cast, we were tech crew – the rope-yanking Morlocks that even high school Theater Geeks regard with dismissive pity. During breaks in rehearsal Eddie could be found down in the orchestra pit masterfully playing the piano and wowing me, for one.
We hesitantly began to commune around songs we both dug, and before long I was bringing my crooked poetry to his melodies. We stitched together a songwriting partnership that survives to this day. College brought Leslee (ASU, acting class, Grady Gammage Auditorium) with her late ‘70s baby-bangs, inertial energy, and dulcet singing voice. By 1979 we three had been gathering around a piano singing our songs for a year or so, and Eddie and I had been writing songs for longer. I was a journalism major working at the newspaper downtown, Eddie was a Psych major (holy cow), Leslee a bookish English Major-type. Or English Major, I guess they call them now.
Leap.
And here I’ll switch to the present tense and compress the action. Eddie and I continue writing in earnest and through a succession of bands the core of Eddie, Leslee, Cary, me, and our omnipresent, laconic, and unflappable sound man Danny Seibert (now a beloved Montecito
landscape artist) hone our performing, our writing, our stage presence; our art. Our final incarnation, Spin Cycle, will conquer the Phoenix club scene and the ASU Greeks, will blow out our gigantic Gauss speakers at U of A’s All Greek Festival in a cavernous venue on that campus, and otherwise taste the Valley’s club and party scene to our satisfaction. We pay a couple visits to high school friends now attending Westmont. We are awed. “…uh, do people actually live here…?!”
Next thing you know we load up the truck and we move to Santa Barbara. Swimming Pools, Movie Stars, and thou. My future wife, the adorable and heartfelt Juudje, arrives from Holland with two of her friends for a year-long working sojourn, walks into Rocky Galenti’s where we’re gigging on a beautiful summer Sunday afternoon in 1986, and these 39 years later we are parents to two grown, lovely, smart-ass kids (results may vary). I have a home away from home in the Netherlands, a second family I dearly love, and a second language – some of whose words can sound like mild gagging. Yes, a full circle (see sink-clutching opener).
The Point
Don’t ignore the inner weather. Take it from me, Eddie, Leslee, Cary, Alan, Danny, Frank, Dave, Tony, and Bob – we get exactly one of these soap operas. ONE. It’s been estimated that 6,390 earthlings leave this planet every hour. That is, thousands of grand pianists, painters, sculptors, dancers and writers – unexamined creatives – are likely exiting every hour without having discovered what they actually Are. As dated and naive sounding as these “let’s put on a show!” declarations sound, it is worth noting that we are anyway all putting on a show in this life… The only question is, who’s directing yours?
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
Items from The Montecito Ledger, May 28, 1958
A Montecitan laments passing of the erudite Teddy Roosevelt epoch
…Poetry and poets, too, were of intense interest to him. People in those days did read and recite poetry. But the old order changeth, and today the President must be photographed with film stars and persons of that ilk in order to curry favor with the masses. The decline in poetic ardor does not explain the poverty of the average person’s mind these days. No amount of sarcasm will conceal the fact that we have penetrated far into the vestibule of a new type of bankruptcy – poverty of the mind! Let us remember Roosevelt’s faith in the ultimate good of the world, which every true artist must believe in.
Want Ads
IRONING DONE in my home. Curtains, men’s shirts, etc. $1.25 per hour. Phone 3282
BABY-SITTING – 50 cents an hour. After 5pm and weekends. Call Mrs. Swift 5-2691 between 8 and 5
FOR SALE – ’49 Mercury, club coupe, radio, heater, overdrive. A good work car because of its good gas mileage. $125. Call 9-7953
FOR SALE – Western-Holly double oven gas range. Good cond. $35. Phone 9-7953
FOR SALE – ’57, 2-bedroom 40 ft. trailer. Like new. $3300. See at Space 12, Deluxe Trailer Park. 1130 Punta Gorda St.
“The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
Freshly-minted artistes prepare to lose weight: Ed, Les, Jeff, Cary, Tony (courtesy photo)
Spin Cycle downstairs at Ahzz on Canon Perdido: about 30’ below future Nordie’s cosmetic counter (courtesy photo)
The Shopkeepers retail store owners Patti Pagliei and John Simpson plan to open within a week, carrying men and women’s wear, Waxing Poetic jewelry and DreamWeaver brands and art.
Third Window Brewing owners Kristopher “Kris” and Michellene Parker have the front right spot with open patio seating, an outdoor smoker with oak sustainably sourced from his Santa Ynez property for cooking wagyu brisket and chicken, and 37 taps at the bar. Kris is the grandson of Santa Barbara County wine legend Fess Parker. Kris adds, “Wow, I’ve been coming to Carp to see my best friend and play music with him for decades. His son is on our team now. My son goes to school here. I’m really humbled and honored to be working with the people who’ve done this project, and the people for the hospitality in the courtyard. I’m excited to get started.”
Tina’s Pizzeria’s owners are Rachel Greenspan and Brendan Smith of Bettina Pizzeria Montecito. Tina’s is the little sister of Bettina’s, with a different menu and is take-out based. Rachel, “We’re very excited to be opening after two-anda-half years and have another space to get our food and gather and have fun.” Tina’s also has a provision shop where one can find homemade condiments and sauces, salads and sandwiches, Italian specialty items, wines, spices, herbs, pasta and more.
To say there is an excitement in the air is an understatement. Totally packed every day since opening, Linden Square has just leveled up the game.
411: www.linden-square.com
Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara 21st Anniversary Grantee Celebration
The Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara (WFSB) held its 21st year anniversary event, “Celebration of Grants” at the Lobero Theatre on Tuesday, May 20. There were over 500 in attendance including members and their guests.
This year, the WFSB provided $1.25 million in grants to eleven local nonprofits, the funding provided by its 1,426 women members.
The WFSB provides grants for the local organizations that support women, children and the homeless. The WFSB board declares its mission to research, vet, and provide grants with follow through on grant funding use to nonprofit organizations, many of whom return for follow-up grants to continue to serve the community. The WFSB all women all volunteer led organization states that funds raised are used at 94 cents per dollar, so less than a 10% admin fee goes to part-time contractor services for financial and IT management.
New Board Chair Carolyn Jabs welcomed attendees to the annual event. She talked about the organization, how grantees are selected and invited guests to join. Jabs, “We are the largest giving circle in the U.S., and we believe the power of collective giving expands to collective doing.” Thanks went to their sponsors and longtime members Carole MacElhenny and Fran Adams who
support the WFSB education programs and operations.
Next was a slide presentation for each of the grantees, and a brief statement from their executives about where the grants are being used. The phrase of the evening was, “how transformational the funding is to their project.”
The eleven fortunate grantees this year are:
- $100,000 to Carpinteria Children’s Project for scholarships, accepted by Executive Director Teresa Alvarez
- $75,000 to Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of SBC for upgrading the data management system and hiring a full time data management specialist, accepted by Executive Director Kim Colby Davis
- $100,000 to Channel Islands YMCA for establishment of SBC’s first fully licensed transitional housing program for youth exiting foster care, accepted by Chief Operations Officer Jennifer Heinen-Stiffler
- $200,000 to Children’s Resource and Referral SBC to expand child-care licensing program for 60 women, accepted by CEO Michelle Lee Graham
- $100,000 to Domestic Violence Solutions to upgrade security measures at their emergency shelter and long-term housing for clients and staff, Director of Development Tina Ballue.
- $150,000 to Good Samaritan Shelter to purchase a fully equipped food truck, the Good Sandwich, to provide culinary training with paid employment while serving meals to those in need, Executive Director Sylvia Barnard.
- $80,000 to Mothers’ Helpers to hire a bilingual part time support center coordinator for two years, Executive Director Michelle Erickson
- $150,000 to New Beginnings Counseling Center over two years to increase mental health care staffing, Clinical Director Shana Burns
- $110,000 to PATH SB to purchase and install privacy partitions in the women’s dorm, Regional Director Liz Adams.
- $110,000 to SEE International to expand the SEE Vision Care Program, Vice President of Programs Arianna Castellanos
- $75,000 to Showers of Blessing SB to purchase a news gas powered truck base for their mobile shower services providing hygiene to the homeless, Executive Director John Tamiazzo
The event concluded with thanks and an invitation from Board Vice Chair Lauren Trujillo; “We are not standing still, we are committed to doing this. Please join us.”
411: www.womensfundsb.org
Channel Islands Surf Boards owner Britt Merrick with shaper Aaron Smith (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
Excited Women’s Fund grantees (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
Pre-event with WFSB Kerry Parker and new Board Chair Carolyn Jabs in the Green Room (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
Béla Bartók’s “Romanian Folk Dances” kicked off the concert also featuring Eugène Ysaÿe’s “Sonata No. 4 in E Minor” and two eponymous works by Lark, including “Jig and Pop.”
Two Fritz Kreisler pieces ended the entertaining performance, including “Chanson Louis XIII et Pavane,” and John Corigliano’s “Sonata for Violin and Piano.”
A delightful show...
Poppin’ Plenty of Perrier-Jouët
Everything was coming up roses at the idyllic 500-acre San Ysidro Ranch when Beanie Baby billionaire owner Ty Warner hosted a PJs and roses bash for 60 guests to promote the top French label Champagne Perrier-Jouët, known for its floral decorated bottles.
The brand’s Belle Epoque Brut 2015 and Belle Epoque Rose 2012 was available for imbibers as well as the Blanc de Blancs, while the tony hostelry’s food and beverage manager Andrew Caine poured an impressive eight tier fountain of the bubbly.
Who’s ready for some
All guests got to take home sample split bottles of the brand’s Grand Brut (photo by Priscilla)
Beluga caviar canapés completed the delightful setting while guests left with sample split bottles of the brand’s Grand Brut.
Powering the Dream
Petal power was palpable at the 14th annual Dream Foundation Flower Empower lunch at the Rosewood Miramar which welcomed 250 guests and was expected to raise more than $250,000.
Ubiquitous emcee and auctioneer Andrew Firestone warmed the crowd, while Christine Emmons was recipient speaker, who also brought her husband Robert on to the chandelier ballroom stage.
Alison Brainard Sydney and Margaret Prothero were honored as 2024 Volunteers of the Year, Carpinteria’s Maximum Flowers as 2024 Grower of
the Year, and Boys Team Charity as Youth Volunteers of the Year.
Auction items included a Los Olivos escape to the Inn at Mattei’s Tavern snapped up for $3,500, a Rosewood Miramar dining experience which sold for $2,750, a St. Barts vacation for $3,250, and a first class Four Seasons trip to Maui sold for $7,500.
A blooming good time was had by all.
Among the supporters were Penny Bianchi , Holly Murphy , Ella Brittingham, Kate Coppola, Hilary Doubleday , Roger and Robin Himowitz, Layla Khashoggi, Diana MacFarlane , Frank Tabar , and Roxanna Solakian
Good Job Garrick
After a delay due to a medical treatment, American pianist Garrick Ohlsson performed an all-Chopin concert at the Lobero at part of CAMA’s Masterseries.
It was the first time returning to CAMA since his virtuosic all-Brahms in March 2019.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Violinist Tessa Lark and pianist Amy Yang (photo by David Bazemore)
The Flower Empower committee (photo by Renee Kim Photography)
Alison Brainard Sydney and Margaret Prothero were honored as 2024 Volunteers of the Year (photo by Renee Kim Photography)
Garrick Ohlsson shines (photo by Dario Acosta)
Jennifer Darling, Colleen BarnettTaylor, Michelle Steinberger (photo by Renee Kim Photography)
PerrierJouët? (photo by Priscilla)
Some of the fanciful fun being had at San Ysidro Ranch (photo by Priscilla)
With works including “Nocturne in F Major,” “Fantasy in F Minor,” “Impromptu in F-sharp Major,” and “Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor,” Ohlsson was well worth the wait.
He ended the show with Chopin’s “Waltz in C-sharp Minor” composed in 1847.
Absolutely enchanting....
Women of Achievement
One hundred and fifty guests crowded into the Cabrillo Pavilion for the 17th Women of Achievement Awards lunch organized by the Association for Women in Communications Santa Barbara.
The fun fest, co-chaired by Brooke Holland and Judith Smith-Meyer , featured Dr. Nancy O’Reilly, founder of Women Connect4Good, and honored five visionary women – JoAnne Wasserman, veteran conductor of the Santa Barbara Choral Society; Melinda Palacio , tenth Santa Barbara Poet Laureate; Frances Moore, co-founder and artistic director of the Ring Shout Project; entrepreneur and graphic artist Adriana Arriaga; and Teresa Kuskey, founder and CEO of the La Boheme dance company who gave a short, but impressive feather-filled performance.
Caroline Feraday, a host on KCLUFM radio and regular contributor on outlets in the U.K., Australia and Turkey,
The Polls Are In
Prince William is the most popular living member of the Royal Family in the U.S., according to a new YouGov poll in the London Times.
The Prince of Wales garnered a 63 percent rating while 56 percent of Americans said they had a favorable view of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, a resident of Riven Rock.
Among all royals, the late Princess Diana, who died in 1997, received a 76 percent rating, and Queen Elizabeth, who died in 2022, garnered 67 percent.
Wardrobe Issues
microphone became too heavy for her tiny bra strap.
Seemingly popping open at the back, the former Dos Pueblos High student summoned an assistant who quickly sorted out the wardrobe problem.
Scholarships Awarded
The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara has awarded college scholarships totaling more than $7.7 million to 2,125 Santa Barbara County students for the 2025-26 academic year.
Of the $7,714,655 awarded this year, $3,722,847 will help support students in North County communities, and $3,892,647 will help support students in the South County.
“Our generous community supporters have given this organization an unequivocal vote of confidence in the form of increased donations this year, enabling the foundation to award almost $600,000 more in scholarships than in 2024,” says foundation President and CEO Melinda Cabrera
Since its founding in 1962 the foundation, the nation’s largest community-based provider of college scholarships, has awarded in excess of $167 million to some 64,000 county students.
Sightings
Anthony
Pip! Pip!
From musings on the Royals to celebrity real estate deals, Richard Mineards is our man on the society scene and has been for more than 18 years
Supporters and members of the Association for Women in Communications (photo by Priscilla)
Hopkins dining at Lure... Kevin Costner checking out Tres Lune... Former TV anchor Maria Shriver at Pierre Lafond.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Calendar of Events
by Steven Libowitz
ENDING THIS WEEK
Angst, Art and Ambition – Dance Nation is Clare Barron’s play about pre-teen competitive dancers as they prepare for the Nationals, with the coveted solo yet to be assigned. As the pressure of the looming competition builds, the dancers navigate shifting ground on several levels, including their changing bodies and bursting ambitions. Obie Award-winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist Barron’s play explores the euphoric highs and devastating lows of dawning adolescence with a timely theme – the way shared devotion to art can bring a group together and support the sense of self.
WHEN: 7:30 pm May 29-30, 2 pm May 31
WHERE: UCSB’s Performing Arts Theater COST: $15 general, $11 students/seniors in advance, $2 additional day-of INFO: (805) 893-2064 or www.theaterdance.ucsb.edu
Dance Dimensions – Actual dance performances are also on stage as the UCSB department closes out the season at the seaside campus with a flurry of shows. The Unbound dance showcase features choreography by a dozen senior BA Dance Majors in pieces that integrate dance, video projection, live music and sets. Each of the works are both created and solo danced by the choreographer… Kinetic Lab 2025 showcases new works by Junior BFA Dance majors in a process-focused concert that finds choreographers working with small groups under a foreshortened time frame. The object? Development of their artistic voices for the large Hatlen Theater stage with an eye toward finishing the works as seniors. Direction by faculty member Brooke Smiley
WHEN: Unbound: 7:30 pm May 29-30; Kinetic: 7:30 pm June 4-6
WHERE: Unbound: UCSB’s Studio Theater; Kinetic: Hatlen Theater COST: Unbound: free; Kinetic: $15 general, $11 students/seniors in advance, $2 additional day-of
INFO: (805) 893-2064 or www.theaterdance.ucsb.edu
SATURDAY, MAY 31
It’s Just a Shot Away – The Rolling Stones employed phrases about natural disasters – “the fire is sweepin’,” “a flood is threatening” – as metaphor for the Vietnam War and other violence in their 1969 protest song “Gimme Shelter.” But in a new exhibition of paintings and prints carrying the same title, Santa Barbara artist Marcia Rickard focuses on the fragility of home in a world fraught with both increased violence, and a huge uptick in the climatalogical fury of a besieged nature. Employing art as a way to confront what scares and scars us, Rickard has created a body of work that addresses the human tragedy caused by the physical destruction of home, be it Aleppo, Ukraine, Gaza, or Los Angeles right in our own backyard. Gimme Shelter features drypoint prints, monotypes, paintings and fabric pieces with images of current events often added as collage elements and photo transfers. Despite the perverse allure of such images that have been referred to as “disaster porn,” Rickard asks the viewer to remember the human lives impacted by such events, and how in today’s world, the loss of shelter – a place of personal safety, a refuge, a home –can happen at any moment.
WHEN: Opening reception 2-4 pm today, exhibit open Saturday afternoons through August 9
WHERE: Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara, 229 E. Victoria St. COST: free
INFO: (805) 965-6307 or https://afsb.org
SUNDAY, JUNE 1
The Splendors of Singing – The Santa Barbara Choral Society closes out its concert season with a tapestry of favorite songs and challenging new pieces curated by Artistic Director/Conductor JoAnne Wasserman, who was honored for her creativity and contributions at the 2025 Women of Achievement Awards luncheon last week. The concert covers a range and complexity of musical selections – from Mozart’s “Solemn Vespers” to works by Maurice Duruflé, Morten Lauridsen, and John Tavener, as well as Kenyan and Tanzanian folk music and “O Lasko, Lasko,” which the choral group first sang on tour in Hungary and the Czech Republic in 2005. The acoustics of Trinity Lutheran Church are well-suited to the concert’s piano-only format, as the singers will be accompanied by Kevin Su Fukagawa, who holds a Bachelor’s from Eastman School of Music and a Master’s from CalARTS. Audience members are invited to join the chorus, staff, and board for a closing celebration in the Fellowship Hall immediately following the concert.
WHEN: 3 pm
WHERE: Trinity Lutheran Church, 909 N. La Cumbre Rd.
COST: $10-$30
INFO: www.sbchoral.org
FRIDAY, MAY 30
‘Stayin’ Alive’ – Seventy-eight-year-old Barry Gibb is the last surviving brother of the sibling band that burst explosively into a profoundly powerful level of success in the ‘70s. Diving (at the behest of their manager) into what would become the disco era, the Bee Gees – fueled by Barry Gibb’s writing – would produce almost 20 Top 10 hits, sell millions of records and win multiple Grammys. Bee Gees Fever keeps the night fever going with a tribute show that serves as a spectacle to send audiences back more than four decades to the polyester-clad club scene, complete with falsetto singing and brilliant costumes. The high-energy Vegas-style show plumbs the Gibb catalog for such hits as “Stayin Alive,” “More Than a Woman,” “Tragedy,” “Too Much Heaven,” “Night Fever,” “If I Can’t Have You,” and the gorgeous pre-disco Bee Gees classic “To Love Somebody” – as well as hit songs by other artists that Gibb composed, including “Islands in the Stream,” “Grease,” and “Emotion.” How deep is your love?
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
COST: $58.50
INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.org
SATURDAY, MAY 31
Scholarship Showcase Concerts – The Santa Barbara Music Club has for decades sponsored scholarships to provide support to deserving instrumental and vocal music students from local schools and teaching studios across Santa Barbara County. These are intended to encourage and enable the students to continue their studies, with the added hope that some of them will become professional orchestral musicians, opera singers, and other music professionals, as well as future SBMC soloists. This year drew 49 applicants among vocalists, wind players, string players and pianists, with enough awards to again require two concerts to encompass performances by most of the winners. Held over two successive Saturdays, the concerts close out the club’s season.
WHEN: 3 pm today & June 7
WHERE: First United Methodist Church, 305 East Anapamu (at Garden)
COST: free
INFO: www.sbmusicclub.org
Spring Runway Show at AD&A – Diving into its middle name, the Art, Design & Architecture Museum at UCSB hosts for the second time the Fashion Club’s annual Spring Runway Show. Titled Bloom, the show features 10 student-designed collections, seven student stylists, 70 student models, and work from dozens of
SUNDAY, JUNE 1
‘We’ Are Family – The History of We is the new picture book from artist and author Nikkolas Smith, whose The Artivist was not only a bestseller but also coined the term for Smith’s self-description. The illustrator of the No. 1 New York Times picture book The 1619 Project: Born on the Water has turned his eye to the origin and advancement of humans in a celebration of shared African ancestry and creative heritage. Through stunning paintings and prose, Smith lauds ancestors’ ingenuity and achievement, and imagines what these first people would have looked like and felt. How was it to be the first person to paint, to make music, to dance, to discover medicine, to travel to unknown lands? The book constructs a tale about our shared beginnings, firmly centering Black people in humankind’s origin story. L.A.-based Smith, who packed Chaucer’s with his visit for The Artivist, reads from We and signs copies at the family-friendly event.
WHEN: 3 pm
WHERE: Chaucer’s, 3321 State St. in Loreto Plaza Shopping Center
COST: free
INFO: (805) 682-6787 or www.chaucersbooks.com
photographers and creatives in a testament to the campus community, artistry, and ambition. The event also represents the official launch of the Fashion Club’s debut issue of Mwah Magazine. It all happens at the museum located adjacent to the seaside lagoon and Storke Tower on the UCBS campus.
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: UCSB campus, 552 University Rd. COST: $10
INFO: (805) 893-2951 or www.museum.ucsb.edu
SUNDAY, JUNE 1
A Quartet for the ‘Sounds of Home’ – Four Southern California-based musicians explore the genres and stories developed and inspired by our country in a free concert in Goleta this afternoon. Los Angeles-based pianist Susanna Seoyon MacDonald and mezzo-soprano Shannon Delijani join Santa Barbara-based soprano Sabina Balsamo and cellist Chas Barnard to perform beloved standards and contemporary pieces in a genre-crossing concert of American classical music, musical theater, and jazz. MacDonald, who holds advanced degrees in collaborative piano from both USC and Juilliard, heads north with USC alum Delijani to share the stage with Barnard, manager of fellow and alumni engagement at the Music Academy of the West, and Balsamo, operations manager at Camerata Pacifica. WHEN: 2:30 pm
Back in the Building – Don’t get caught calling Matt Stone an “Elvis impersonator.” He calls himself an actor portraying the King of Rock and Roll, offering a theatrical experience whose close recreation of Presley in his prime rings with authenticity. Stone has spent years in research and analysis of the small details to bring the King to life, resulting in his being praised by Presley’s stepbrother as “touching his heart” with a voice that’s “scary close” to Elvis. Backed by a full band in his return to the Lobero, Stone endeavors to capture the King with accuracy in the sound, style and spirit of Elvis at the peak of his prowess, bringing the audience to blue-suede bliss. Suspicious minds can rest easy.
WHEN: 8 pm
WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
COST: $46 general admission, $86 VIP includes premier seating and a pre-show meet-and-greet
INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.org
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