SHIRLEY KIMBERLIN Everything I list turns to SOLD! 805-886-0228 skimberlin@aol.com
This week’s listings on the back page
Locals launch Carpinteria Sea Glass Festival
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Such is indisputably the case for sea glass, a treasure from the ocean that has thousands of devoted seekers and admirers around the world. This year, the folks who love the sea-smoothed surfaces and dazzling colors of sea glass Jewelry by Krista have an event just for Hammonds of Santa Cruz them in downtown Sea Glass. Carpinteria. The Sea Glass Festival, taking place over the weekend of Aug. 29 and 30, will include 28 vendors of jewelry and art that showcase spectacular finds from beaches around the world. “People are drawn to sea glass for its beauty and uniqueness,” said Kiona Gross, Sea Glass Festival Chair. “Sea glass collectors are modern day treasure hunters. We are delighted to bring some of the world’s finest collections to Carpinteria, along with a diverse array of handmade products that showcase these treasures.”
See FESTIVAL continued on page 22
In a pickle
BILL SWING
In an adult co-ed softball game on Aug. 18, Neosha Bartholic of Cielo was chased down and tagged out by Drew Pappas of the Honey Badgers. The two teams represent opposite ends of the Pacific Division. Cielo (7-0-2) is undefeated in first place, and the Honey Badgers (0-7-2) are winless in last place. They tied 17-17, marking the second tie between the well-matched squads this season. Pacific Division enters playoffs at Viola Field next Tuesday, Aug. 25, while the Mountain Division championship between LDS and Belles & Ballers is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 20, at 6 p.m. at Viola Fields.
Fisher family welcomes Gracie home BY LEA BOYD
It’s been eight months since the Fisher family’s world turned upside down. On the evening of Dec. 21, 2014, Gracie Fisher, a senior at Santa Barbara High School with a bright future in music, started experiencing back pain and tingling in her fingers. Over the next six hours, the 17-year-old lost the ability to move her body or breathe on her own. A groundswell of community support and extensive media coverage of the young girl’s plight ensued, and now, after spending the last seven months at a specialty hospital in Colorado, Gracie is finally back home with her family. Acute flaccid myelitis is the diagnosis that doctors arrived at a few days after Gracie’s shocking shift from healthy to paralyzed. The pediatric disease is believed to be viral, but little is known about its cause and no treatment has been established. Only 100 other cases of acute flaccid myelitis have been diagnosed. Gracie’s father, Bill Fisher, owns Via Real Physical Therapy in Carpinteria. He has spent most of 2015 beside Gracie’s hospital bed at Craig Hospital, along with his wife, Debbie, who is also a physical therapist. Gracie returns home exhibiting some improvements to her condition. She can move her head now and
breathe some on her own. She also has some involuntary movements in her lower body. Still, her prognosis remains uncertain. Fortunately for her, she lives with a pair of professionals in facilitating physical recovery. Bill and Debbie have added to their years of training and experience by researching and working with the specialists in Colorado. “My wife and I are the experts in this now,” said Bill. “I don’t think we’d find anyone to work on this case with the background that we have now.” Before the disease robbed her of movement, Gracie was an upbeat teen who ambitiously strived toward a career in music. She was accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she would have focused on guitar. Bill reported that Gracie has a “remarkably good” attitude despite the obstacles she faces. She plays piano using a mouth stick and stays connected to friends through her phone. When Gracie’s class graduated last June, she recorded an uplifting, moving speech that was broadcast at the event, and a few weeks earlier she was nominated as a prom princess.
See FISHERS continued on page 22
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Bill Fisher, who operates Via Real Physical Therapy in Carpinteria, embraces daughter Gracie during her many-month stay at a hospital in Colorado.