Whale Weekend – Cetacean friends and defenders came together to celebrate one year of the SB Channel being a Whale Heritage Area, P.16
Hattie’s Holidays – MJ ’s history writer Hattie Beresford tells the history of her own holiday traditions en haar jeugd in Nederland, P.20
With scenic views of the Andrée Clark Bird Refuge, new aesthetics, but the same iconic fountain, The Post is set to launch with the first shops opening and a Holiday Fair to kick off the space on December 14th. See what is coming to the complex (Story starts on page 5)
Holiday Happenings – Car parades, tree lightings, Santa sightings… with so many holiday events coming up… how do you keep track? Oh – here, P.36
It was sun, fun, and smiles at the Friendship Center when its community came together for some turkey and talk, page 12
Just in time for some holiday gorging and gifting – Marley Confections opens in the Upper Village – get in line… there’s space for four guests, page 17
Citrus Cured Arctic Char
Tokyo Turnips, Purple Ninja Radish, Persian Cucumber, Borage Blossoms, Yuzu Shiro Dashi Vinaigrette
Seared Maine Diver Scallop White Sturgeon Caviar, Buttered Leeks, Lobster Nage
Six Minute Blue Hill Farms Egg Croquette
Belgium White Asparagus, Iberico Ham, Cave Aged Manchego, Spanish Sherry Vinaigrette
Jerusalem Artichoke Bisque Toasted Hazelnut Brown Butter Vinaigrette,
Grilled Fig and Frog Hollow Pear Salad
Candied Walnuts, Caveman Blue Cheese, Crispy Beets, Petite Greens, Maple Vinaigrette
Crispy Skin California Striped Bass Sticky Rice, Radish, Edible Confetti Flowers, Watercress Dashi
New Zealand Ora King Salmon En Croute Bloomsdale Spinach, Scallop Mousse, Wild Mushroom Duxelle, Dill and Trout Roe Emulsion
Guajillo Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast Crispy Heirloom Polenta, Toasted Hazelnuts, Pickled Grapes, Petite Salad, Mole Negro
SRF Wagyu Ribeye Filet Flambeed Tableside Point Reyes Blue Cheese Crouquette, Crispy Parsnips, Morel Mushroom Cognac Sauce
Slow Braised Colorado Lamb Shank Cippolini Onion and Saffron Risotto, Preserved Meyer Lemon, Crispy Garlic, Red Wine Lamb Jus
Valrhona Chocolate and Citrus Crêpe Moelleux au Chocolate, Blood Orange, Grand Marnier Reduction, Tahitian Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Crème Fraîche Cheese Cake Raspberry Gelée, Caramelized Figs, Oat Crumble
Gingerbread Yule Log
Toasted Meringue, Candied Cranberries, Whipped White Chocolate Ganache, Raspberry Gelée, Cinnamon Gelato
•G
•D
•A
412 E. Haley St. #3, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805.965.9555 | frontdesk@beckercon.com| www.beckerstudiosinc.com @beckerstudios
5
On Business – David Fishbein and Joseph Miller relay their buying of the Los Aves complex and the experience they are bringing to the new space –The Post Montecito
Beings and Doings – The “holidays” have returned, along with a seasonal appreciation of the multitude of masked inner lives. Well, mostly masked. Meet Nick.
Montecito Miscellany – MBT’s Community Dividends lunch, Adam’s Angels brings the turkey, dining at the Harbor Restaurant, and more miscellany
Community Voices – Jeff Giordano has some recommendations for the incoming Roy Lee Tide Guide
News Bytes – San Ysidro Ranch’s turkey dinner for firefighters, MJ ’s Jamie Knee gets top honors, and the upcoming Black Leaders Meeting Crime in the ‘Cito
Our Town – The turkey, fun, and camaraderie are fired up at the Friendship Center this Thanksgiving
Society Invites – It’s fashion and fun at St. Vincent’s annual event, plus upcoming holiday festivities and art events
BY
16 Whale Weekend – Champions of the cetaceans joined at the Bacara to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the SB Channel Whale Heritage Area
17 Food Files – What’s colorful, sweet, and fits about four people? Marley Confections that just opened in the Upper Village of course.
18 On Entertainment – The Million Dollar Quartet , A Cowboy Lullaby , a Little Shop of Horrors , and plenty of other winter showcases
20
Celebrating History – Hattie reflects on her childhood with Sinterklaas and the suspicious bearded man who replaced him upon coming to the U.S.
22 Elizabeth’s Appraisals – A Murano glass vase reveals the layers of techniques that go into making this type of vessel
24
Brilliant Thoughts – Ashleigh is not kidding when he goes on about goats and their etymological impact
26 The Giving List – Hillside’s annual event brings light to the community and the organization’s lasting impact on its residents
27 Robert’s Big Questions – How do Adverse Childhood Experiences effect members of society and how can the community support them?
29 Your Westmont – Engineering students race their creations, Christmas Festival tickets selling fast, holiday art sale, and alum signs with Blue Jays
30
Home for the Holidays – Peruse the Upper Village and Summerland for some festive gifts, plus CVA and MA holiday happenings
39 In Passing – Remembering the life of Eunice Haugan Fly, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend
44 Calendar of Events – Holiday markets galore, local authors flock the new library plaza, The Island of Misfit Gays, and more
46
Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads, in which sellers offer everything from summer rentals to estate sales
47 Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles
Local Business Directory – Smart business owners place business cards here so readers know where to look when they need what those businesses offer
by Tiana Molony
While attending a men’s fashion fair in Florence, Italy, David Fishbein and Joseph Miller, co-founders of Los Angeles-based real estate collective The Runyon Group, received a call. A property in Montecito was quietly hitting the market, “and no one really knows what to do with it,” said the man on the other end. “It’s kind of an off-location, but I think you guys would really be into it.”
The pair received a brochure showing the Las Aves complex across from the Andrée Clark Bird Refuge. And recognizing the space’s potential, they knew they had to have it. “It was like love at first sight,” Miller recalls. So, they left Italy to see it, and over $19 million later, the property at Los Patos Way and E. Cabrillo Boulevard was theirs.
Now, almost three years later, on December 14th, they’re opening The Post Montecito, a boutique retail center featuring a variety of tenants, including curated retail, a coffee shop, a restaurant, and a hair salon. To celebrate the grand opening, The Post is hosting its first Holiday Fair from December 14th to 15th, 10 am to 4 pm. The fair will feature food pop-ups and activities for kids like ornament decorating.
Upon opening The Post, Fishbein and Miller carefully selected storefronts that they felt reflected the Montecito and Santa Barbara communities. “Our focus here at the property was really to create a neighborhood spot that was really focused on things that you would want to do during your week living up here,” says Fishbein.
For some tenants, The Post is just one of a few physical locations. For renowned accessories label Janessa Leoné, this will be their second location, the first being at Fishbein and Miller’s Culver City
On Business Page 414
by Jeff Wing
The “Holidays” show up every year. If Life seems cyclical that could be – in part – because we live on a spinning ball, if you can imagine. So it’s December. Again. The year-end hullabaloo (to generalize) always gets me thinking about the throngs of people, the millions of hidden lives, the unsurfaced stories that make up the fabric of mortal existence.
This morning our Santa Barbara MTD bus driver, Nick, is holding forth in a stream-of-blather at the top of his lungs, even as he guided his mighty ship across our seaside town. The oblong concavity of the windshield amplifies the shouting and sends it rolling in a crisp mid-range wave down the aisle of the bus. Like drivers everywhere, but most familiarly those on TV and in the movies, he’s looking straight ahead and yelling at the windshield. He seems very happy. One might say Nick is ecstatic, though that suggests religious exaltation. On the other hand, why not? It’s as if he’s talking excitedly to the air, or to His Time, and maybe that’s
also an intended or unintended effect of the yammering driver/philosopher. We’re variously charmed or alarmed by these public expressions in the wider world. On the whole, we seem determined not to be swayed or moved by these public utterances, these very partial glimpses into another soul’s proffered inner world.
But Nick is a moving speaker. I can feel that his happy narrative hollering is the core of the man. The simple fact of a guy happily shouting detailed, harmless, personal information into the air in a confined space? It’s upsetting to most people, the everyday people, let’s say (not the Sly Stone kind). Again, the degree of discomfort varies. As Nick shouts out his story, the bus passengers clear their throats and avert their eyes, or in plain vanilla fear zero in on their little iThings and glare intently at them. There are surely few things as unnerving to the Digital Native as a stranger divulging out loud in a confined space. Eww! As Nick’s happy shouting continues I look around to visually poll my
fellow passengers on the bus. One or two of them meet my eyes with Mona Lisa grins, concurring with what they believe is my opinion – that our bus driver is a funny embarrassment and an anomaly, a pitiable entertainment. I smile back, thinking That is not my opinion, you bore.
Nick is loudly alive and he knows it. He may be sermonizing. If so, this is his theme; ‘Hey, frightened fools! You can shout if you want, no one gets hurt. You can sing in public, feign a seizure, skip a rock on a pond, do a jig in the funeral parlor, talk loudly to birds. This is all a lucid dream, or may as well be. How many times you gotta have that shown to you?’ Every minute or so he shoots a glance at the long mirror installed by the manufacturers, a rear-view mirror whose only contained ‘rear view’ subject is Us. Per the nature of the aimed mirror, when he can see us, we can see him. He flashes his dark, laughing, beetle-browed eyes at us through the mirror. He’s checking his captives and shouts through what occasionally sounds like an approaching fit of laughter. Behind me a woman is talking into her cell phone.
“Pierre Cardin,” she says. Then more plaintively, “Pierre Cardin!”
“I went to El Monte High School, in L.A.!” Nick shouts, really seeming almost to laugh. At what? It occurs to
me this liberated human may simply be bursting with the joy of unfiltered living – as Rod McKuen as that sounds.
“I remember our young handsome substitute teacher, on June 6 in 1966! He told us — ” and here I think Nick is going to say something about all those sixes, lay some numerology on us. But Nick says “ — he told us we’d need to wait 11 years for this to happen again!” He laughs like a bad actor in a movie. Though the laugh is unforced and
by Richard Mineards
It was a spectacular start to Yuletide when Montecito Bank & Trust held its 22nd annual Community Dividends lunch at the Hilton for 300 guests.
More than 195 local charities received checks of varying amounts, with two organizations – Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families, and the Youth and Family Services YMCA’s Noah’s Anchorage, which runs an eight-bedroom youth homelessness prevention center for youngsters 12 to 17 years old – each receiving $50,000 from Anne Towbes, widow
Dean Noble, David Selberg, Cyndi Silverman, and Roger Durling
The Veterans’ Memorial Building, just a tiara’s toss from Stearns Wharf, was socially gridlocked when 600 needy guests descended on the oceanside locale for the fifth annual Thanksgiving lunch
organized by Adam’s Angels, founded by Douglas Elliman realtor Adam McKaig
More than 350 pounds of turkey breast bought at Shalhoob’s found its way to the PATH homeless shelter, which donated its kitchen to cook the handsome fare, along with nearly 100 pumpkin and apple pies given by community members and 120 volunteers waiting on tables. Chairman and CEO Janet Garufis with Anne Towbes (courtesy photo)
of the bank’s founder Michael Towbes.
More than $22 million has been handed out by the bank since the founding of community dividends.
Among the horde turning out in the hostelry’s grand ballroom, when the venue was changed from the usual rotunda because of the rainy weather, were Janet Garufis, George Leis, former mayor Helene Schneider , David Bolton, Scott DeVine, Michael Baker, ubiquitous KEYT-TV reporter John Palminteri, Maria McCall, Cecily MacDougall , Rolf Geyling , Leila Drake, Kathryn Martin, Bill MacFadyen, Peter and Gerd Jordano,
Miscellany Page 424
by Jeff Giordano
At noon on January 6, Roy Lee begins his term as Supervisor and while a variety of controversial District 1 issues were recently decided, we still face many challenges. Hoping for something fresh – a real change – is exciting. I, for one, am eager to see how Roy attacks his new role because, as the saying goes: “You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose.”
With 25 Departments, 4,763 employees and a $1.63B budget, our County is complex. We have a looming structural budget deficit, $568M in Deferred Maintenance, 3,000 homeless, not nearly enough mental health beds (read the shocking 2023 Grand Jury Report) and a $6M Cannabis Program that costs us $10M to administer. So, if I can offer Roy a bit of friendly advice it would be to study hard, work harder, and to surround himself with supportive expertise.
Last year I argued for increased Supervisor pay because understanding the intricacies of our County and managing its power dynamics is a full-time job. So too is the restaurant business, which is why one of the keys to Roy’s success is to bring that same work ethic to his role as Supervisor.
Roy’s victory was about style. Our District had become an insider’s game where patronage and fear created a genuine Tammany Hall. Roy’s promise of change energized respected and recognizable supporters to take significant risks in their endorsement of his candidacy. They poked our D1 Robespierre in the eye, helped Lee win, and now absolutely deserve a seat at Roy’s table.
There are senior staff in our County who do not respect our Supervisors! These folks can single-handedly create front-page chaos and fuel an adversarial County culture that is antithetic to the “niceness” that defines Roy. So, if Roy wants to effect change, AND I HOPE HE DOES, it is imperative that he engages faithful supporters who have shown the strength to challenge the status quo.
Our County has 70 Boards, Committees and Commissions that are open to Supervisor appointments. Currently, there are 31 people serving that were recently appointed by Supervisor Williams or who are nearing the end of their term. I urge Roy to HONESTLY ENGAGE his champions and long-time D1 residents to fill these roles and to provide advice . Of course, not every seat needs a new face (and volunteers are difficult to find) but a change-election requires, well, change – or else the outsider risks morphing into the status quo insider.
Roy has a genuine desire to do good. The gap between desire and success, however, requires thoughtful collaboration; collaboration that I hope Roy embraces. Roy, our entire District is pulling for you—GOOD LUCK!
Jeff
Giordano
, SB County Resident
genuine, it has a certain performative edge, Nick’s ongoing testimony. I’m alive and I’m a hothouse orchid! Same as you! “You know? July 7, 1977! My school was just a few blocks from the Ambassador hotel –” here I look up from my laptop. The Ambassador —
“That’s where Bobby Kennedy was shot,” a withered and mostly toothless guy in the seat behind me says through his gums, and I’ve turned to nod agreement. The withered guy looks at me with a slow aiming of his head. The fanning creases at each of his mouth corners are an Egyptian delta clogged and crusted with what look like the stains of crystallized tobacco juice. His eyes widen briefly at my acknowledgement, I suppose, his eyebrows arching above the frames of his bent aviator shades. He briefly radiates something definite and magnetic, and I realize it’s gratitude.
“Sirhan Sirhan shot him!” Nick shouts, voice fraying. “That busboy helped Bobby! Remember? That busboy bent down and helped Bobby! Remember the picture?” I think of the iconic Boris Yaro photo of busboy Juan Romero in his busboy-whites – kneeling, tending to the calmly staring Robert Kennedy, the crazy mannequin sprawl of Kennedy’s body beatified in the corona of light on the wet floor.
We’re all here and gone, a swarm of meaningful dots streaming through this blinding beam of light, this life, with our secret stories, our buried thoughts, our loves. Romero later told reporters that Kennedy’s lips were moving, and when Romero bent down to hear, Kennedy said “…is everybody OK?” “Yes, everybody’s OK,” Romero told him. Some five years earlier, John Kennedy’s assassination had obliquely intersected with Nick’s childhood. He starts telling us about it, shouts it at the windshield.
“They got John in November, 1963!” he yells vibrantly. “They let us out of school
early that day! I had to walk 18 blocks to get home! I shoulda taken a cab!”
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
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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
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by MJ Staff
This past Thanksgiving, SYR’s talented culinary team donated a turkey dinner to Montecito Fire to show its appreciation for their ongoing and incredible support of the community.
“In the spirit of giving thanks, we wanted to show our gratitude to the local heroes of Montecito Fire by preparing a full Thanksgiving spread. Our talented chefs put together a feast that included a whole turkey, our signature Joel Robuchon mashed potatoes, classic stuffing, and all the accouterments to ensure they had a meal as special as the service they provide to our community,” said Andrew Caine, SYR’s Director of Food & Beverage.
Founder of Petite Wine Traveler, Montecito Wine Society, and MJ contributor, Jamie Knee was named one of the Top 50 Most Influential Women in the Alcohol Beverage Industry by the Women in Wine & Spirits Awards (WINWSA).
Jamie blends her love for travel and storytelling by hosting wine tastings at luxury resorts, restaurants, and private events, both locally and afar. With WINWSA recipients representing 26
MSYR chefs Matthew Johnson and Cory Hannon passing off the turkey dinner to Montecito Fire (courtesy photo)
countries, the range of awardees reflects the diversity and global influence of the industry’s top innovators.
“I am deeply honored to be included among such remarkable women from around the globe,” Jamie said. “This recognition inspires me to continue sharing the beauty and culture of wine through education and storytelling, connecting people across borders one glass at a time.”
Santa Barbara County Black Leaders Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 11 from 12 pm – 1 pm. This new time slot will better align with community members’ schedules and availability. Email juneteenthsbc@gmail.com to add items to the agenda.
Visit https://juneteenthsb.org
Sheriff’s Blotter 93108 . . . .
Stolen Vehicle Recovery / Eucalyptus Lane – Miramar
Sunday, Nov 24, 2024, at 19:30 hrs
Records check conducted on a gray GMC Envoy revealed it was a stolen vehicle, reported to Ventura Police Department. It was unoccupied when discovered and no suspects identified. Vehicle removed from SVS [Stolen Vehicle System].
Felony, Vandalism and Battery / 600 Block San Ysidro Road
Thursday, Nov 28, 2024, at 15:00 hrs
Deputies responded to a report of a subject throwing rocks at a vehicle. Once on scene, deputies contacted the victim who advised them that the suspect threw rocks at his Porsche as he drove by. After having the rocks thrown at his vehicle, he and his passenger confronted suspect. When confronted, suspect physically and verbally assaulted the victim. At the conclusion of the investigation, suspect – who was also HBD [had been drinking] – was arrested for felony vandalism and battery. It is estimated suspect caused about $75,000 in damages to the victim’s vehicle.
“Santa Barbara Design and Build was fabulous. Don and his crew were the BEST from day one. He was honest, timely, flexible, artistic, patient and skilled. They understood my vision and built my dream home”.
-Santa Barbara Resident
by Joanne A Calitri
The Friendship Center in Montecito held its annual Thanksgiving lunch for its members and their families and friends, on Wednesday, November 27, outside on the patio. The membership has grown 30% in the last year and the event was packed.
Noted members at the lunch were Luis Cabello with his daughters Patty and Graciela; and 101 ¾ years young Phyllis Hansen with her family – Janna, Mavis, Scott Claypool and Gerry Gonzales
Executive Director Kathryn Westland MPH, and her team of Joe and Pat Wheatley, Operations Coordinator Jean Hall, and Bilingual Program Manager Nerely Delgado were in the kitchen cooking up turkey and ham with all the fixings. Staff and volunteers helped to serve the members and their guests. Also attending were Friendship Center’s Family Enrollment Director Kim Larsen, Clinical Ed. Coordinator Hope Saxon RN, Digital Operation and Grants Manager Gabriella Forrester, DEIA and Wellness Coordinator Deysi Herrera, and Marketing & Events Coordinator Justine Casady
Following the meal, there were activities till 4 pm that included the live music performance by Trudy, BINGO, word games, and an instructor from SB City College’s Vitality Program to lead members in art, dance and interactive games.
411: www.friendshipcentersb.org
Joanne A Calitri is a professional international photographer and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@ yahoo.com
–
and Janna, Mavis, and Scott Claypool (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
by Joanne A Calitri
St. Vincent’s Santa Barbara held its 14th Annual Fashion Show Luncheon fundraiser on Saturday, November 30 – and for the 3rd year it was held at the Rosewood Miramar Beach. This annual event is always sold out and is traditionally held on the Saturday following Thanksgiving.
The event is sponsored by Claudia Lash and Pat Lupo, who founded the event in 2010.
Lash and Lupo craft approximately 100 holiday themed gift baskets for the silent auction. All proceeds fund St. Vincent’s Family Strengthening Program, which was established in 1996 and provides a comprehensive suite of services designed to support at-risk, low-income mothers and children.
In charge of the event is St. Vincent’s CEO and President Rosa Paredes. Her event team was Development Manager and Archivist Sergey Salushchev, Vice President of Early Childhood Education and Student Enrichment Services Dr. Maryam DavodiFar, St. Vincents SB staff, students from Bishop Diego High School, volunteers from the SB Newcomers Club, and event organizer Dalina Michaels.
VIPs seen at the event were the Daughters of Charity – Sister Arthur Gordon, Sr. Maria Hoa Nguyen, Sr. Paule Freeburg, Sr. Barbara Dugan, Sr. Sharon M. Ninteman, and Sr. Oanh Tran – Fr. Larry Gosselin, Fr. John Hardin, Fr. Dan Lackie, Adalee Paredes, Jessica Paredes-Ulloa, Judy Borgatello and Louise Borgatello of MarBorg Industries, Emily Lash, Michelle Lash, Carol Lupo, past Presidente Director for Old Spanish Days Stephanie Petlow, former OSD Fiesta La Presidente Denise Sanford, former OSD Junior Spirit and St. Barbara Jeanine Robles-Wright, Community Engagement Manager of Hospice SB and board member for Villa Caridad at St. Vincent’s Jeanne West, Casa Dorinda Board Member and former VNA Health ED Katina Zaninovich, and Communications Committee Women’s Fund SB Kerry Parker
The Masters of Ceremonies were Emmy, Edward R. Murrow and Golden Mike award-winning News Channel 3-12 reporter and weekend anchor, Tracy Lehr, in a brilliant sequined silver tea dress and matching shoes, along with Drew “Mr. Santa Barbara” Wakefield. They thanked the co-chairs Lupo and Lash, and event sponsors – the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation, American Riviera Bank, Citizens Bank, Emma Rose Floral, Wildflower Women, and LOU Los Olivos.
St. Vincent’s VP of Mission & Archives Sister Arthur Gordon gave the blessing and said, “Thank you on behalf of the Daughters of Charity who founded St. Vincent’s in 1858. You being here and supporting us tells us that your belief in what we are doing is right.”
Following the luncheon, Paredes welcomed and thanked the guests, the sponsors, and her team. She acknowledged the Daughters of Charity who founded the organization and set up programs to care for children, low-income families, and seniors in the Santa Barbara area since 1858. “You are part of the legacy of St. Vincent’s SB and all our programs,” Paredes said. “Today the fundraiser is for our Family Strengthening Program which empowers vulnerable mothers with young children to thrive. The program creates a nurturing environment for these families by providing transitional housing on St. Vincent’s campus, licensed counseling and community support to improve their parenting skills, help with their education, child development, career direction – and turning their lives around.”
Society Page 174
by Sigrid Toye
All Santa Barbara County residents can access programs funded by the Cancer Foundation at Ridley-Tree Cancer Center regardless of your physician or treatment location.
Services include: Genetic Counseling, Wellness, Nutrition, Social Services, Patient Navigation and more.
These programs and services— made possible by your donations and our funding— impact lives everyday.
cfsb.org
Whale of a Weekend celebrating the first anniversary of the Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area (SBCWHA), a nonprofit organization, was launched the evening of Friday, November 22 nd, at the luxurious Ritz Carlton Bacara. The jubilee was a joyous event in honor of the magnificent whales that grace our local waters and to celebrate the designation of the Santa Barbara Channel as a Whale Heritage Site. The weekend festivities began at the Bacara where over 200 whale enthusiasts and supporters were treated to the “Whales, Ales, and Cocktails” Film Festival featuring the film Whale Wisdom by Rick Rosenthal , as well as a new short film, Battle of the Blues, by local filmmaker Adam Ernster . The following day guests joined local experts and scientists onboard the Condor Express on an informative voyage of whale watching and fun.
Serving as Hostess with the Mostest on behalf of the SBCWHA’s support team was Hiroko Benko , the organization’s Co-Director and owner of the Condor Express . At Friday’s opening reception she greeted each guest personally as cocktails and a selection of tasty hors d’oeuvres made their way around the room. Also present with information and brochures was a sampling of the organization’s valued partners: the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, the Museum of Natural History, Ocean Futures Society, WCA, Island Packers, the Condor Express , among others.
The formal program began in the Bacara’s theater with a group of speakers including SBCWHA Co-Director,
marine biologist and educator, Holly Lohuis . Chumash Elder Julie Tumamait-Stenslie , representing the indigenous people, spoke, along with California Assembly Member Gregg Hart , filmmaker Adam Ernster and Sean Hastings representing the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Ernster’s informative short film followed. After the intermission, Blue Whale expert and researcher John Calambokidis spoke, followed by the feature film, Rosenthal’s beautifully imaged Whale Wisdom . And what a heartwarming film to conclude this entertaining evening!
On the Condor Express on Saturday, guests heard more about Cetaceans – the family name of whales, dolphins and porpoises – taken from the Greek word meaning ‘Big Fish.’ These animals are sleek, highly intelligent and socially complex mammals with streamlined body shapes. The Blue Whales, with a maximum confirmed length of 98 feet and a weight of 190 short tons, are the largest animals known. They propel themselves through the water with powerful up-and-down tail movements that end in a paddle-like fluke, and reside in all the oceans of the world. In danger globally, preserving and caring for them is an important mission.
Enter the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) and its flagship global program World Heritage Sites. WCA’s mission is simple: To protect cetaceans and their habitats through global collaboration. The Whale Heritage Sites (WHS) program is an initiative created by the WCA, in partnership with World Animal Protection, to formally recognize and accredit destinations around the world that support and demonstrate the importance of cetaceans and their ocean habitats.
Whale Weekend Page 394
by Tiana Molony
Growing up in a household where sweets were off-limits, Margaret (Marley) Van Sicklen, owner of Marley Confections in Montecito, developed somewhat of a sweet tooth. “All my allowance went to candy,” she recalled. Chocolate was her favorite. One bite of Swiss chocolate was all it took for 10-year-old Van Sicklen to fall in love with the sweet, velvety substance. “It was just so delicious that I could not believe it,” she mused. This moment ignited a lifelong fascination with and love of chocolate – but not just any chocolate, good high-quality chocolate.
Throughout her life, she researched the art of pastry and chocolate making, often challenging herself to some of the recipes. It was just a hobby for a while, until six years ago when she decided to study the craft formally. She attended the Ecole Chocolat Professional School of Chocolate Arts, and participated in various training courses at Melissa Coppel Chocolate School in Las Vegas.
Three years ago, Van Sicklen launched
Marley Van Sicklen honed her confectionary craft before selling online and locally (courtesy photo)
Marley Confections, a specialty chocolate shop. With the invaluable assistance of her partner, Sven Nebelung, they began selling their delectable treats online and to local establishments such as Pierre Lafond and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Last year, she said the cafe and gift shop Field + Fort sold over 1,000 boxes of chocolate. “It really took us to that next level,” Van Sicklen reflected.
Food Files Page 284
She introduced a graduate of the program, Maria, who presented her story about how the program helped her gain guardianship of her son, get a driver’s license, attend paralegal school and go on to law school. Guests were invited to participate in the Adopt a Family Appeal instead of an Ask.
Next, the fashion show was full on with celebrity event designer-producer and fashionista, Leanna Drammer, the founder and owner of LOU Los Olivos. She produced DTLA Fashion Week in 2009, launched the emerging designer competition, worked on the Beverly Hills Fashion Festival, and served on the board for Fashion Group International of L.A. Her models at the event were owner of Leonardo’s Restaurant Solvang Leonardo Curti, Amy Curti, Beka Malloy , Cassandra Plavoukos , Zoi Plavoukos , Greg Simon , Hilda Simon, and Sasha Carter Designer brands shown included John Varvatos, Rag & Bone, custom Louis Verdad, Veronica Beard Duane and Kato Pen. Drammer also donated a Carmen Sol tote with resort wear by Sonia swimsuit and flipflops worth over $700, won in the raffle by Denise Sanford Society Page 404
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all your heart needs.
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by Steven Libowitz
IMillion Dollar Quartet packs a musical wallop that is also surprisingly affordable given the title (courtesy photo)
t’s way too much of a cliché to say that a rock concert blew the roof off the venue, but there’s no doubt that there will be a “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” at the New Vic Theatre when Ensemble Theatre Company performs Million Dollar Quartet from December 4-22. The Jerry Lee Lewis classic is part of the cavalcade of 1950s hits made famous by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Lewis, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Fever,” “Walk the Line,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Who Do You Love?,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Hound Dog” and many more.
The Tony Award-nominated jukebox musical is set on a single date, December 4, 1956, when a twist of fate, and some marketing muscle from Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, brought Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Lewis together at the Memphis studio.
“The whole thing was orchestrated by Phillips, and he even brought in a photographer, who was the one who dubbed the session the Million Dollar Quartet,” explained director Brian McDonald, who also runs ETC’s education program. “It was a moment for Phillips, whose passion was to bring the raw sound of the south to the masses. That meant a lot of influence from Black artists, which was a very difficult sell at the time. So he had signed all these white artists who were deeply influenced by the Southern Black sound and packaged them for the people.”
While it all takes place on that fateful December date, the story is fleshed out by Phillips serving as narrator, sharing each of the artists’ history and his relationship with them.
“It touches upon where they are in their lives and the changes that they’re all about to go through with their careers and their situation,” McDonald said. “Sun was the home where they had established their identities, and Sam is trying to hold the family together and save his company, and we feel that current of tension underneath as it builds through the show. The structure is really strong – and we’re treating the show like a play with music, with the songs played within the context of the studio setting.”
But the music of course is what gives the show its mass appeal, and having a cast and musician-actors that have all previously performed their roles adds a professional polish to the musical. The play’s coda is the climactic scene.
“The curtain call is really a big concert,” McDonald said. “The set goes away and everything changes, and the audience is treated to the fantasy concert with these four legends that never actually happened.”
In a quirky coincidence, Rubicon Theatre is also opening a musical mashup this week, one that also takes place in a single setting. A Cowboy Lullaby, the latest original piece by the Ventura company veterans James O’Neil and Dan Wheetman, grew out of a jam session on closing night of a show based on the Kingston Trio.
“The whole cast was there, the guitars came out, and as we sat around singing and playing at one point it got into cowboy music,” Wheetman recalled. “Everybody knew at least a couple of them, and after a while, the idea came up of doing a show.”
Cowboy Lullaby is set at a present-day campfire, where the performers reflect on ideas of freedom, adventure and community. The characters trace the music back through time as far as California’s vaquero culture – which predates the famed late 1860s cattle drives by 200 years – up through modern times, Wheetman said.
On Entertainment Page 384
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by Hattie Beresford
WALK, STROLL, RUN | KID’S FUN RUN | BOOTHS BENEFITTING SANTA BARBARA RESCUE MISSION’S -BETHEL HOUSE -
ARISE Womens Conferences supports women from domestic violence shelters and drug rehabilitation homes and helps them arise from their past to a new life.
SAT 12.7.24 || 9am-12pm || Chase Palm Park field
MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF 22 WOMEN IN RECOVERY.....ONE STEP AT A TIME WALK - RUN - DONATE - VOLUNTEER Join us for a heartwarming holiday concert for all ages with a rich program of songs from multiple holiday traditions––from classical to popular. Featuring The Choral Society & Orchestra conducted by
with Meredith Baxter, Music Academy of the West SING! Children’s Chorus, and Santa Claus! sbchoral.org
Until I was five years old, I had never heard of Santa Claus. Instead, being born in Holland, each year I anticipated the December 5th arrival of Sinterklaas and his stalwart assistant Zwarte Piet. Supposedly, they arrived from Spain on a steamship complete with the blessed bishop’s white horse, which huppelt het dek op en neer (“hops up and down the deck”). Hundreds of little children greeted them enthusiastically at the harbor, but my parents never rode their bicycles to Hoek van Holland to see him. (Like most Hollanders in the early 1950s, we didn’t own a car.)
On December 4 th, we would put our shoes out before the cast iron coal-burning fireplace (our only source of heat in our coldwater flat). In those shoes we’d put hay for Sinterklaas’s white horse. Sinterklaas, we hoped, would exchange the hay for presents. It was Zwarte Piet, however, who told him who had been stout (naughty) or lief (nice). One didn’t want to mess with Zwarte Piet or instead of presents in our shoes, we’d get coal!
I remember that last December 5 th in Den Haag. There was a knocking on the door. My father opened it a crack. A black arm reached out and rained candy on us squealing kids and pandemonium ensued. I was four and a half, but even then a bit of a cynic. I had noticed my mother was not in the room and that black arm had looked suspiciously like a glove. I was disappointed that it hadn’t really been Piet’s, but I kept mum and stuffed candy in my pockets.
On Christmas Eve we decorated a tree lit by tiny candles (OMG!) I still
have one little broken toadstool candle holder from those dangerous days. There were no presents, just dinner with family. Not much for a fouryear-old to get excited about, so I kept getting out of the chair to find something of greater interest than cooked carrots. Eventually my father put an end to that nonsense by taking off his belt and strapping me to the chair. (That probably seems appalling, but then, today, we are required to wear seat belts. Nevertheless, I still hate cooked carrots.)
In 1954, we immigrated to the United States as part of the Great Brain Drain from Europe. My father was an aeronautical engineer and had been recruited by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation which, by the way, started in Santa Barbara. Sinterklaas’s steamship, it seemed, couldn’t land in America, so December 5th came and went unremarked. There was, however, this other white-bearded guy who came later in the month. His name was Santa Claus and his helpers were elves!
We learned it was customary to let Santa Claus know what presents you wanted for Christmas, which was the eve he would land his sleigh pulled by eight-tiny reindeer, defy all laws of physics, and swoop down the chimney to lay presents under the Christmas tree. That year, we went to a local shopping center where Santa sat on the porch of a faux log cabin. We waited in line and were instructed to tell him what we wanted for Christmas. It was a bit of a challenge because we didn’t speak English very well yet. I wasn’t too sure about this man in the fake beard. He sure didn’t look like Sinterklaas, and
History Page 294
by Elizabeth Stewart
has a nice midcentury example of a technically challenging type of glass; Sommerso, or “submerged” – a technique requiring skill and dexterity which developed in Murano, Italy in the 1930s. His vase is in three colors of glass (colored amethyst to cobalt to crystal clear) and stands at 8” tall. It weighs quite a bit, as many layers of glass create a thickness of a one-inch wall which grows to two to three inches as the vase tapers to the base.
The base is completely flat, which means that the base was polished to eradicate all traces of a lumpy pontil mark. A pontil mark is a scar that is left behind when the glassblower breaks the pontil rod (the tube that carried his breath) off the finished glasswork. Some glass pieces may have an indented saucer shaped polish mark on the base, and some pieces, likely the lighter glass goblets, have no polished pontil, and will show the rougher break at the bottom of the cup. Most high value Murano vases have glass bases that are polished flat on the foot, especially those sommerso pieces that are heavier. Not to polish a pontil flat would compromise the literal balance of the work of art.
Sommerso involves submerging a blown piece of glass into molten glass of another color. A maestro like Carlo Scarpa would have initially blown an inner core vessel. This is dipped into a pot of molten glass of another color, and this process can be repeated on another three or four layers. Any time during the process, the existing base glass (or glass pieces as the work develops) may shatter as it is placed inside the molten glass being blown around
it. An artist’s good mind for weights and balance is required because, as you can image, multiple thick layers of glass can make the vessel heavy. Further artistry is created by adding gold leaf to the clear layer of glass on the outside, or sections of bubbles in the glass in the deepest section, or striped rods of multicolored glass blown in to the center or base to add depth and intensity. The illusion is to create gravity-defying submerged and immersed colors that lay upon each other without the slightest hint of mixing at the borders.
Sommerso involves submerging a blown piece of glass into molten glass of another color.
Another Maestro of this technique, and the one that made sommerso famous, was Flavio Poli, Artistic Director of Seguso Vetri d’Arte; his midcentury creations fetch thousands of dollars. Not all sommerso glass is by Poli, however – other furnaces in Murano that made this type of glass were Mandruzzato, Formia, and Paolo Venini, all working in the 1950s. Present day masters include Oball/ Oggetti, the Onesto Family, Cenedese, Venini, and Barovier & Toso.
All Murano artists’ predecessors came to the Island of Murano in the 13 th century. At that time, the Glass Blowers Guild was removed from the island of Venice, because the structures/buildings of that watery city could not withstand the prolonged high temperatures of the glass furnaces. The City Fathers moved the Venetian Guild, which operated under strict rules and secret formulas and undisclosed techniques, to Murano. Venice glass blowers had been active since the 8 th century when, under Roman occupation, Byzantine artists brought the formula of glass making to Venice.
Perhaps the most challenging technique of all colored glass used in sommerso glass is a color between lime green and yellow, which, when seen under ultraviolet/UV illumina -
tion, glows. Stunning photos of the greenish glowing glass can be seen when shot with 365nm illumination. You can identify the presence of uranium by exposing it to black light as well. Uranium glass (in its transparent form sometimes called Vaseline glass in England and the U.S. in the early 20 th century) used uranium to color glass from the 1910s till the period after the mid 1950s, when Murano began to experiment with the color. In the U.S., because of WWII and the Cold War, the U.S. Government did not allow production of uranium glass since uranium oxides and salts were banned from commercial use.
Early pre-1950s uranium glass could reach an order of 25% by weight of the vessel, and after 1950, 2%. An interesting museum tracks household objects, toys, and such things as uranium glass dinner plates, estimating the radiation exposure we all had from our early 20 th century commercial products. This institution is the Oak Ridge Associated University’s Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity.
Not only is FF’s sommerso glass beautiful, but thankfully it contains no yellow/green glass! The value is $500.
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
han ds an d hea rts we appr ec iate you!
by Ashleigh Brilliant
One of the songs I learned at some campfire gathering seemed to me to have profound significance – but I’m still not sure what it was. It’s about “Bill Grogan’s Goat” who, when “feeling fine, ate three red shirts, right off the line.” Bill Grogan was so outraged at this that he not only gave the goat a whack, but “tied him to a railroad track.”
What did the goat do in this desperate situation of fear and pain? – He “coughed up the shirts – and flagged the train.”
Even in those presumably early days of the Railroad Era, a red flag was recognized as a signal to stop. (Red is the color most clearly seen from a distance.)
But goats have, since long before that, been featured in song and story. Even in the early part of the Old Testament, we have the tale of two goats, one of whom was sacrificed, and the other let loose to wander the desert. This second goat was allowed to escape, with the idea that he carried with him all the people’s sins and would thereby be punished in their stead. You may or may not know that this “escape goat” was the origin of our word and concept of a “scapegoat” – meaning a person or group unwillingly blamed for something bad which is not really, or at least not entirely, their fault. Adolf Hitler was one of the more recent exploiters of this practice, his own favorite target being the Jews, whom he blamed (among other national grievances) for Germany’s defeat in World War I, and acceptance of the shameful surrender terms as embodied in the Versailles Treaty of 1919.
I’m sorry to say that, after all these centuries, not only are goats (among many other animals) still being ritually sacrificed, but I myself, purely as a tourist, have been a witness to one of these ceremonies. It was in southern Nepal, some distance out of Kathmandu. And my lingering impression was of crowds of Hindu worshippers gathered on a mountain top, and little goats being brought, one at a time, to have their throats slit.
Happily, in other countries, such as ours, goats are raised like cows, to provide various products including goat milk and goat cheese. These are claimed to have
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nutritional benefits, particularly for people who are “lactose intolerant.” And, of course, for non-vegetarians, there is the actual meat – against which there seem to be no cultural or religious taboos.
We must also give the Goat credit for serving in various ways as a fashion statement, especially for men. Traditionally, the term “goatee” has referred only to a tuft of hair on the chin, as on the chin of a goat. In that connection, we would think immediately of “Uncle Sam” as he’s usually portrayed. More recently, however, the word has become an “umbrella term,” used to refer to any facial hair style incorporating hair on the chin but not the cheeks.
It was only in the 18th century that people began calling female goats Nanny, and only about 100 years later that the name Billy was bestowed on males. But the term Kid was applied to young goats long before it was used for young people. And their soft smooth skin, utilized as leather, has long been known as “kid,” as in “kid gloves.” And those more expensive kinds of gloves are associated with wealth and refinement – but also with special care – so that “to handle with kid gloves” now broadly means to treat with special care.
“Kid” can also be a term of endearment – and in the early 20th Century, the term “Oh You Kid!” which appeared in several popular songs, became a widespread catchphrase, with a slightly suggestive meaning, as in “I Love My Wife – But Oh You Kid!”
But there were other usages, sometimes implying notoriety, as with that widely feared outlaw, Billy the Kid – who is said to have killed 21 men in what was still the “Wild West” of New Mexico and Arizona, before he himself was killed in 1881 at the age of 21. On a lighter note, Danny Kaye starred in a 1946 musical comedy about boxing called The Kid from Brooklyn
Ashleigh Brilliant born England 1933, came to California in 1955, to Santa Barbara in 1973, to the Montecito Journal in 2016.
And we must not leave the subject of goats without mentioning the almost incredible ability some members of that species have –the Alpine Ibex, for example – to climb almost vertical cliffs. No wonder anyone faced with some challenging but annoying situation might exclaim that “It Gets My Goat!”
Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots,” now a series of 10,000. email: ashleigh@west. net. web: www.ash leighbrilliant.com.
by Steven Libowitz
Next year marks the 80th anniversary for Hillside, the residential home for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who receive not only quality care, but also whatever degree of independence they can handle, as well as integration within our community.
Those last two parts weren’t always true.
Hillside first opened its doors in the 1940s with a small place on Ontare St. in Santa Barbara, serving as a residential facility for children with cerebral palsy. Only a dozen years later, Hillside moved to its current location in Hidden Valley, the place name serving as a reminder that the idea was to keep such disadvantaged children out of the general public’s sight.
Over the years, Hillside not only transitioned to housing and serving adults with cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities, most of whom are non-ambulatory, but as laws and values changed – and our hearts softened – the nonprofit has begun to recognize the importance of treating a resident not only with excellent medical care, but also utmost respect and opportunity for living as full a life as possible; one with purpose and passion.
“What we focus on at Hillside is max-
imizing the residents’ abilities, creating opportunities for what they can do, not focusing on what they can’t do,” said Cheryl Sweeney, the nonprofit’s Chief Development Officer. “We want to foster their abilities and do our best to advance the potential of each resident.”
Recent years have also seen a concerted effort to integrate Hillside’s residents into the community, both in Hidden Valley and greater Santa Barbara.
“We strive to create inclusion for our residents and have the community realize that they are merely different, not less than,” Sweeney said. “There are so many amazing things that they can do.”
Eight years ago, somebody at Hillside – which is located directly across the street from Veronica Place, the cul-desac known for its extravagant Christmas lights and massive decorations – came up with the bright idea of having the facility create connection to the community by joining in the area’s vaunted holiday lights decorations and displays.
Thus was born Shining Light on Abilities, Hillside’s annual festive display of lights and interactive holiday decorations – these arranged on its beautiful property that handily features a circular driveway ringing a grassy expanse. That first year, the facility simply sprung for a large Christmas tree decorated with lights, but the display has grown by
leaps and bounds with every iteration. Nowadays, installations include a walkin visit to Santa’s sleigh, a candy cane lane, ravishingly decorated reindeer, fake snowmen, elves, dozens of decorations festooned with fabulous LED lights, and much more. Last year, Hillside added fake snow falling from above and this year’s new entries at Shining Light on Abilities include a Gingerbread House and a several foot tall Grinch, among others.
Where the Santa Barbara Trolley of Lights tour used to simply turn in the other direction to visit Veronica Place, now Hillside’s Shining Light on Abilities has become a popular Christmas holiday extravaganza and trolley destination in its own right.
The exhibit opens on December 7 with a semi-private kickoff just after sunset where the residents and their visiting families all gather outside in anticipation of carolers who are members of the Assistance League (the veteran nonprofit next door), walking across the lawn led by a human portraying Santa Claus. Cocoa and cookies are served and then a lucky resident gets to be the one who pushes the button to turn on all the lights.
“Everyone cheers when that happens,” Sweeney said. “The event is just so much fun for our residents, staff, and families.”
After that, Shining Light is open nightly through December 31 for visitors to either drive through on the circular driveway, or park and take their time wandering through the displays. Visitors can also spend time outside on the side of the main building that faces the display to watch a digital slideshow that runs on a loop.
“It shows pictures of our residents showcasing their abilities, which is a wonderful opportunity for people to see what our different residents like to do, and what they’re capable of,” Sweeney said. “It’s very informative and heartwarming.”
If people come early enough, they won’t have to rely on the digital display, however, as many of the residents love to spend time in the Shining Light on Abilities exhibition, where they’re happy to interact with visitors.
“A lot of them love to be there right after sunset, and love when people wave
or come up and say hello,” Sweeney said. “Any engagement a person can do with them is just so appreciated. They truly love people.”
What’s also exciting is how the community gets involved in Shining Lights even before the lights get turned on. In additional to financial donations, the Assistance League provides an assortment of items and other help, Boy Scout Troop 37 annually spend a full day putting up displays, erecting installations and draping the lights, and Cox Cable even sends over some of the equipment and workers.
“We used to just climb the trees to put up the lights, but now they come with those bucket trucks they use to string cable, and it’s been a tremendous help,” Sweeney said.
When the lights are turned off for the last time on December 31, the calendar will turn over to 2025, and Hillside will commence its big anniversary. The milestone is a moment to reflect on both the past and the present, Sweeney said.
“As Hillside marks a milestone with its 80th anniversary, we are reminded of how we began as a facility for children with cerebral palsy tucked away in Hidden Valley – and how we have become the warm, welcoming home for adults living with disabilities that we are today. Hillside residents deserve to be embraced and welcomed by all of us in the larger community as well, where we are an integral part of Santa Barbara’s history.”
by Robert Bernstein
Irecently participated in an all-day conference on prisons and recovery, co-sponsored by the Humanist Society of Santa Barbara. One recurring theme? The ACE score: Adverse Childhood Experiences.
Here is a simplified list of ten such adverse childhood experiences:
Physical abuse
Emotional abuse
Physical neglect
Emotional neglect
Sexual abuse
Violence toward mother
Substance abuse in household
Household mental illness
Household member incarcerated
Parental separation or divorce
You can find a self-test of your ACE score online. My score was 1. Judy and Dave Flattery of the Humanist Society have done a deep dive into the prison system, including how people end up there and how they get out. They spend many hours in prison, meeting and working with inmates. Many inmates they meet have the worst possible ACE score of 10.
Judy and Dave score zero. The inmates cannot imagine that is even possible. Childhood trauma was “normal” for everyone they grew up with. Ninetyeight percent of people in prison have at least one ACE and 78% have at least four. In the general population only 16% have four.
Not everyone with a high ACE score ends up in prison. Many of them turn their trauma inward. They suffer mental and physical health problems. Even suicide. People with six or more ACEs are over 24 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to those with no ACEs.
And some people have a helper or mentor who keeps them safe and sane. Even one helper makes a huge difference.
Another factor in crime is brain injury. Around half of male prisoners have suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI) compared with less than 15% of the general population.
No one voluntarily asks for adverse childhood experiences or traumatic brain injuries. The question is whether we can reduce ACE and TBI rates and whether we can help these people. The idea is to help them and keep society safe.
One recurring theme at the conference: former prisoners who said they were not aware of another way of living. Everyone they know is living a life of crime and a life of criminal thinking.
They found a way out through opportunities in prison for education and for productive work. Education and work provide a way to live life without crime when the incarcerated are released. It also provides a way to associate with people who are living outside the criminal system.
My previous article was about Salman Khan and his radical idea of education: That almost everyone can be educated to the point of mastery. Society classifies people as criminals vs. law abiding. As dumb or smart.
Khan’s point is that with a little extra effort, we can bring everyone into the circle of society. Father Gregory Boyle runs Homeboy Industries, a place for former prisoners to find productive work. He is known for this relevant quote.
“We imagine […] this circle of compassion. Then we imagine no one standing outside of that circle […] We stand with the demonized so that the demonizing will stop. We situate ourselves right next to the disposable so that the day will come when we stop throwing people away.”
Most modern industrialized countries understand this. But the U.S. has been held back by a fundamentalist version of Christianity that is all about good and evil and heaven and hell.
One speaker at the recent conference was Abigail Lewis of Golden Rule Reentry. She noted that newly released prisoners are not especially dangerous, but they are especially vulnerable.
Another speaker and former prisoner was Dr. Ronald Day of The Fortune Society. There is much talk of “recidivism.” He noted that much “recidivism” is a technical violation of parole rather than an actual new crime. One participant talked of her son who was forced to wait three hours for a parole meeting. He opted to leave to get to a class he was taking, putting him in violation.
Dr. Day said “desistance” from criminal behavior and thought – the process of stopping a behavior that was previously engaged in on a sustained basis – is a better measure of success. Society can help. Starting with a recognition and treatment of ACEs and TBIs. And providing a place in society for everyone.
County of Santa Barbara Montecito Planning Commission
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Highway 101 Widening – Segments 4D Amendment Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Planning Commission Hearing Room 123 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Hearing begins at 9:00 A.M.
Proposed Project: Changes to the approved Highway 101 Widening Segment 4D project (21DVP‐OOOOO‐00022) that includes installing bridge abutments and keeping the existing creek channel in place instead of installing temporary bulkheads, increasing the freeway elevation by a maximum of 2.8 feet, constructing a new guardrail and Type 85 barrier instead of a solid wall along 1,650 linear feet, and modification of the planting plan to adjust species quantity and type near the new Type 85 barrier and guardrail.
The Montecito Planning Commission hearing begins at 9:00 A.M. The order of items listed on the agenda is subject to change by the Montecito Planning Commission. The staff analysis of the proposal may be viewed at the Planning and Development Department website, located at https://www.countyofsb.org/1647/Montecito‐Planning‐Commission prior to the hearing. For further information about the project, please contact the planner, Chris Schmuckal, at (805) 568‐3510 or via email at cschmuckal@countyofsb.org
The following methods of participation are available to the public.
1. You may observe the live stream of the Montecito Planning Commission meetings on (1) Local Cable Channel 20, (2) online at: https://www.countyofsb.org/1333/CSBTV‐Livestream; or (3) YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/CSBTV20
2. If you wish to provide public comment, the following methods are available:
Distribution to the Montecito Planning Commission ‐ Submit your comment via email prior to 12:00 p.m. on the Friday prior to the Commission hearing. Please submit your comment to the Recording Secretary at dvillalo@countyofsb.org. Your comment will be placed into the record and distributed appropriately.
Attend the Meeting In‐Person: Individuals are allowed to attend and provide comments at the Montecito Planning Commission meeting in‐person.
Attend the Meeting by Zoom Webinar ‐ Individuals wishing to provide public comment during the Montecito Planning Commission meeting can do so via Zoom webinar by clicking the below link to register in advance. Register in advance for this meeting: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing important information about joining the webinar.
When: December 18, 2024 at 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Topic: Montecito Planning Commission 12/18/2024
Register in advance for this webinar: https://santabarbaracounty.zoomgov.com/j/1608869035
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
OR PARTICIPATE VIA TELEPHONE:
Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
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The Montecito Planning Commission’s rules on hearings and public comment, unless otherwise directed by the Chair, remain applicable to each of the participation methods listed above.
Attendance and participation by the public is invited and encouraged. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Hearing Support Staff (805) 568‐2000. Notification at least 48
If
“We needed to open our retail store to even grow
This week, Van Sicklen and Nebelung soft-opened the shop in Montecito’s Upper Village at 1482 E. Valley Rd., Suite 52. The space is just 215 square feet and 48 inches wide. “It was a hallway,” she told me as we maneuvered through the narrow space. Van Sicklen said she had her eye on it for a while and had been on the waiting list for a space in the Upper Village for two and a half years. Finally, she got it. “I almost fell off my chair when they called me,” she recalled. While it is tight – you can stretch your arms and touch both walls – the closet-like space was what Van Sicklen envisioned. A chocolate shop she frequently visited while living in New York inspired the idea of a small shop. That NY destination could hold just two people at a time, while hers can hold about four. “If they all stand in a line,” she laughed.
Before becoming a chocolatier, Van Sicken was a creative director in advertising. “No matter what she’s done, she’s always been a very creative and entrepreneurial person,” said Nebelung, singing her praises. Her creative side truly shined when, in 2000, Van Sicklen created the bestselling Origami PageA-Day Calendar. “I’ve always come up with wacky ideas,” she shared. “And I always think, well, sure; I’ll figure out a way and make it work.”
As with many creatives, learning how to perfect her craft was no easy feat – to sum it up, she burnt lots of caramel. “I just wouldn’t give up,” she recalled. “I knew I could learn it.” She often enlisted the advice of a Swedish chocolate maker from Stockholm who told her that a large part of learning the craft was making mistakes – it was just a part of the process. Small things out of her control, such as room temperature or humidity, could mess up the chocolate. “So I just kept practicing.”
It’s that same mindset that pushed her to create Marley Confections. When Van Sicklen looked into starting a business, she worked with Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV), a business management consultancy in Santa Barbara. “They’ve been really great and very supportive,” she said. “And what a wonderful resource for anybody that wants to start a business.”
Using European specialty equipment, Van Sicklen creates confections in her professional at-home chocolate kitchen. While expensive, this equipment, like the nut grinder, ensures the highest quality result. “You do need the equipment if you want to start producing in certain qualities and quantities,” shared Nebelung.
The chocolates are bite-sized, and each box has a legend explaining the flavors. I was most excited about the pistachio – you can’t go wrong with pistachio. Biting into the green circular chocolate, you get a finely ground filling with whole pistachio in the middle. It’s slightly sweet without being overpowering. Only when you taste high-quality chocolate like this do you realize how bad the other stuff is.
A considerable part of what makes their chocolates so tasty is their inclusion of local ingredients, like Santa Barbara pistachios, oranges from the farmers market, and whiskey from Cutler’s Artisan Whiskey in Santa Barbara. “Anything local, we use… we got such great stuff here, it would be silly not to,” shared Van Sicklen.
Before opening the shop, she hosted chocolate tastings at Field + Fort. It’s not often that she gets to see people enjoy her creations, so it’s at these tastings that she can see her hard work pay off. She looks forward to doing this in her new shop. “I just love seeing people eat them,” she says. “It’s just so rewarding.”
After our disappointment that
weren’t really on ranches, our parents brought the Wild West to us with non-PC cap guns, cowboy/girl outfits and hobby horses so we could spend our days rambling along. Happy Trails to you this holiday season!
“Zachetjes gaan de Paardevoetjes” is a song of Sinterklaas’s horse which could softly and miraculously negotiate snowy rooftops.
my cynical five-and-a-half-year-old-self decided that I needed to let him know the gig was up; I didn’t believe in him. Nevertheless, we posed for the obligatory photo, and I kept my mouth shut around my little brother.
We had left our entire family behind in Holland, so we made a family of friends from among the other Dutch engineers who had been recruited by Lockheed. Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter brought us together as each family took a turn hosting. Today, the character of Zwarte Piet (translated in English as “Black Pete”), in Holland and elsewhere, is rightly considered a racist stereotype. To a four-year-old who knew no better, however, he was an important and beloved member of a legendary dynamic duo who were celebrated in song and art and our childish hearts.
Wishing you HAPPY HOLIDAYS with your treasured traditions!
Hattie Beresford has been writing a local history column for the Montecito Journal for more than a decade and is the author of several books on Santa Barbara’s historic past
by Scott Craig,
Wby Brad Elliott
estmont’s junior engineering students will take part in the fourth annual remote-control car competition on Thursday, Dec. 5, at 1:30 pm in front of Kerrwood Hall. The public is welcome to cheer on the students, who’ve spent the last 10 weeks working in teams to assemble hundreds of parts to create their race cars. This final race counts for 5% of their overall grade in the Machine Design course.
Dan Jensen, who was installed as the new James R. and Eleanor S. Allder professor of science and technology last month, is adding a jump to the competition, which he says should create some laughs.
President Gayle D. Beebe will be on hand to award the winners with trophies. Westmont’s burgeoning engineering major is in its sixth year and gaining traction. The engineering department dedicated its own building, the Fletcher Jones Foundation Center for Engineering, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in October 2023.
Tickets have been selling briskly for the 20th annual Westmont Christmas Festival which will be held Saturday,
Dec. 14, at 7 pm and Sunday, Dec. 15, at 3 pm at the Granada Theatre. Tickets, which cost $22 each, may be purchased at westmont.edu/christmas-festival.
This wonderful evening of music features the Westmont Orchestra, College Choir, and Chamber Singers as they lead us into the Christmas season.
The Westmont Art Department’s annual Holiday Art Sale features handmade work by students, faculty and alumni on Friday, Dec. 6 from 11 am - 4 pm along the second floor of Adams Center for the Visual Arts and in the design and craft studios. A portion of sales support art student scholarship fund.
Page 434
by Jeff Wing
ost towns with an “Upper” and “Lower” Village release the buildup of civic tension by staging occasional rumbles – West Side Story style. We all remember with great fondness the finger-snapping Pierre Lafond crew pirouetting in tight formation as they surrounded international master jeweler Daniel Gibbings – and the high-kicking Grande Battement with which Gibbings broke the Lafond snare,
crying “Not today, daddios!” *sigh* What a town!
But come “the Holidays,” our upper and lower villages make that yearly rapprochement that has become tradition. Emissaries from the two precincts meet in neutral territory, the olive branch is extended, and the delegations ceremonially set aside their differences: the lower village doing those uncomfortably lengthy hugs with the eyes squeezed shut, the upper village satisfied with a murmured pleasantry and robust pat on the back. It is always more awkward than emotionally stirring but does signal the season of peace.
Having documented the Lower Village’s seasonal offerings in the MJ’s previous issue, we now turn to the flagstone-and-greenery-bedecked Upper Village, and beyond. You know, to maintain equilibrium.
Yes, as store names go, Imagine Artful Things should possibly be followed by an exclamation point. So insistent! But the vaguely instructive nature of the store’s name suits it. “I don’t know what I’m looking for but I’m sure it’s in here somewhere.” While this sentence is often uttered in a spirit of mild hopelessness, upper village destination Imagine Artful Things sees the comment as an incantation and welcomes the stymied shopper. Imagine’s unclassifiable gift-shopping experience does indeed look like a figment of imagination made real. As their own web site summarizes, Imagine carries … “exquisitely crafted, carefully curated unique clothing, gifts and jewelry...” Yeah, that almost describes the place. Your dear gift recipient “who has everything” could
use some of Imagine’s … imagination. A Nehru Coat? A pristine scale model ‘30s sports car hand-built by legendary Hughes Aircraft machinist/ model builder BB Korn? Gorgeous and mesmerizing glass marbles from your favorite fever dream? A Primal Table Lamp ? Look, nobody has everything – not even your dear pal with that tastefully objet-stuffed smörgåsbord of a house. For those laboring under the illusion that they do, there is Imagine Artful Things, since 1983. Time to surprise the ___ out of your favorite completist.
Arrediamo , in Summerland, sells world-class rugs. If ever a “retail” destination obliged a fuller description, Arrediamo is that place. Loaded with history and heart, Arrediamo’s back story is a winding trail of many turns that connects this shop on a Summerland hillside to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. Yes, that Istanbul; today’s so-called Queen of Cities grandly descended from ancient Constantinople. In 1986, Rem Yildirim began working with his father and uncle in carpet restoring at the Grand Bazaar. When Rem felt the deep, inexorable pull of the hand-made carpet, he set up shop in Florence, traveling around that country and restoring Renaissance-era carpets, furniture, oriental rugs and tapestries, soaking up the old-world knowhow and deepening his love for the craft. Then back to Turkey in ‘90, his own carpet marketplace there in ‘96, and ultimately his traveling to the U.S. in 2001. Rem landed in El Paso, Texas, of course, traveling the Lone Star state and stunning his lucky customers – until he laid eyes on Santa Fe, NM, where the culture of genuine artisanal appreciation and creative fervor provided the perfect marketplace for his rugs. Now a Summerland staple, Arrediamo deals in contemporary rugs, Southwest U.S. rugs, traditional rugs (jute
rugs, Afghan Kilim rugs, Moroccan handmade Beni Ourain rugs, Tribal Oriental Persian rugs, Bohemian rugs, hemp rugs, hand-knotted Portuguese Cotton rugs), and genuinely old antique rugs that wear their worldly years and stories with a loveliness that grows deeper with time. “We buy our rugs from the producers, usually small family-run businesses that design and produce,” Rem says. “We buy only a few pieces from each one, to keep our inventory alive.” Arrediamo also cleans
and appraises rugs. Rem Yildirim brings the ancient tradecraft into the current moment.
Marc Gelinas Interior Design in the upper village is what we may call “the gift you inhabit” – literally. Gelinas has been lending his professional expertise and unerring intuitions to clamoring interior design clients since 1987, his assignments leading him by the hand through a selection of style-inclined burgs with names like Aspen, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades, his home state of Rhode Island, naturally; and a former frontier outpost called Santa Barbara. Gelinas’ trademark is his reportedly instinctive, much-lauded feel for interweaving a client’s very personal and inimitable sense of style with the surrounding domicile. Approaching a project in calibrated phases, Gelinas’ thoughtfully expressed design aesthetic finds its fuel in the client’s personality, drawing on an innate expertise in color, scale, and balance. For all that, his work is effectively that of a tailor – forming a deeply nuanced look and feel that is authentically of the client; representative of the inner and outer person.
Gelinas’ portfolio is as fluid as one would expect of a working artist/designer bringing his aesthetic craft to multitudes. From subtle decorative amplification to something as sweeping as
glass box – a showroom in plainer language – displaying a curated selection of 18th-century antique furniture and accessories. Gelinas is also Southern California’s sanctioned purveyor of the storied Saladino furniture collection; a functional menagerie born of designer John Saladino’s association with Parsons School of Design, New York School of
Interior Design, Save Venice, and the Sir John Soane Museum Foundation in London. If you seek the Saladino touch, Marc Gelinas Interior Design is a necessary stop. Unless you happen to be near Saladino’s other showroom in Stamford, Connecticut. Gelinas’s work has been tastefully hollered about in the Wall Street Journal, House Beautiful, and
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cozy this December with Andersen’s hand-baked and hand-decorated options.
Butterring Apple Strudel & Kringles Hand-decorated Holiday Cookies
If you walked along Coast Village Road this week you may have noticed that there have been some holiday elves (okay, let’s just call them what they are – very hard workers) adding festive color and décor – including the monolithic 25+ foot tree that stands in front of Renaud’s – along the Lower Village’s main boulevard. Once again, the Coast Village Association (CVA), in partnership with Rosewood Miramar, will host an evening of Santa, sweet treats, and songs that inspire the holiday spirit – a gathering that culminates in the annual tree lighting. Make sure to be there on Saturday, December 7, from 4-6 pm to revel in candy canes, hot chocolate, caroling, and of course – Santa lighting up the tree. The evening will include performances from Santa Barbara Youth Symphony and The Adderley School, and you can even bring a letter for Santa or give your own gift to the Toys for Tots drive. 411: https://www.coastvillageroad.com/events/holiday-tree-lighting
Keep the tree lights going by visiting All Saints-by-the-Sea the following day –Sunday, December 8th, from 4-6 pm, for their own Christmas Festival and Tree Lighting. This family-friendly Christmas celebration will have something for all ages with craft-making stations, classic caroling, and even a petting zoo. Enjoy a delicious treat and enjoy some seasonal entertainment at All Saints while keeping an eye out for a special visit from good ole St. Nicholas.
The Elverhøj Museum of History and Art in Solvang invites the community to join in their annual Christmas party on Sunday, December 8, from 5:30-8 pm. This
museum members and friends event is open to the public. It will feature local Danish appetizers, festive beverages, Christmas music, Santa Claus, and dancing around the Christmas Tree. Visit https://elverhoj.org
Santa Claus will be sitting in at the Montecito Country Mart on Saturdays before Christmas – December 7, 14 and 21, from 1-4 pm. It’s that time of year again to get your “sweater weather” and holiday brooches on and dress the kiddos in matching prints for their photo with Santa. Don’t forget your gift-wish lists to give Santa as well! Or buy Santa and yourself a goodie from Oat Bakery, Café Luxxe, or Merci! Have all your holidaze shopping done? Or want to give that little bit more to someone who may have a need this year? Truck on over to the Montecito Country Mart’s annual Giving Tree. It will be filled with tags that have information on a gift for the person in need. Stop by, select a tag, buy the gift and drop it off at Poppy Marché.
According to the MCM’s press release, “The annual Giving Tree returns on December 1st in support of Unity Shoppe – a local nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free essential services to residents impacted by temporary conditions of poverty, natural disaster, or health crisis.”
And… don’t forget the Grand Opening of Sunspel on December 7! 411: Instagram @montecitocountrymart
It’s that magical time of year again when the cars get lit and parade down the streets
Come to the Upper Village from 3-5 pm on Saturday, December 14th, for some sips, some shops, and some holiday cheer from the local businesses before the main event gets going around 4:30 pm – that’s when the Holiday Magic Car Parade will stroll through Montecito. Decorate your vehicle or simply enjoy the sights as the parade passes gaudily by. Think you have what it takes to roll with the festivity’s best? Register your car and be part of the magic that lights up our streets!
Visit https://montecitoassociation.org/events/winter-holidays to register but do it soon –there’s only 30 entries and they fill up quick!
Need a palate cleanser from all of the hot chocolate and candy canes? Then how about some savory latkes and delicious donuts, along with live music, arts, and crafts. The whole community is invited to the Upper Village’s Corner Green for a Menorah Lighting Ceremony on Thursday, December 26th – the second night of Hannukah –at 4 pm. This celebration, filled with warmth and community, is a reminder of the light we bring to the world, together.
“The culture is about having an independent soul, the way the American persona is perceived around the world,” he said. “Cowboys are held up as an icon or hero everywhere.”
The song list ranges from campfire tunes to cowboy anthems and country ballads, covering such standards as “Home on the Range” and “Tumblin’ Tumbleweeds,” songs by Gene Autry, Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins, and Riders of the Purple Sage, right up to Ian Tyson and Gordon Lightfoot compositions and even “Rocky Raccoon” by The Beatles.
To provide a narrative thread, O’Neil wrote a long piece of cowboy poetry that weaves between the musical offerings, tracing the evolution of an aging cowboy.
“He moves from the committed loner to realizing that his life has to change, and recognizing the value of connection and community,” O’Neil said.
Lonesome Traveler, an earlier O’Neil-Wheetman collaboration that premiered at RTC and explored the roots of American folk music, received critical acclaim and won Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations off-Broadway. Time will tell whether Cowboy Lullaby – which plays December 4-22 – enjoys a similarly long life or rides off into the sunset like the Marlboro Man.
The teen theatre company Lights Up! launches its seventh season with an unusual offering during the holiday season: the sci-fi horror romantic comedy/rock musical Little Shop of Horrors. An off-beat work from Howard Ashman and Alan Menken – better known for their Disney musicals The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin –Shop is the hilariously campy story of a timid down-on-his-luck floral assistant, Seymour, who is afflicted with a serious crush on his beautiful co-worker. Soon Seymour has to cope as well with a mysterious new plant that is incessantly hungry – for human flesh. The catchy show tunes underscore the delicate balance between spoof and sincerity, and Lights Up! is even employing professionally created puppets to portray the petulant plant, perfect for the cozy confines of the Center Stage Theater. Plays December 5-8.
Visit https://centerstagetheater.org
Back in the category of regular December doings, the Alcazar Ensemble once again holds forth for the holidays in presenting the beloved holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street remounted for a fourth year. The timeless tale follows the journey of an elderly gentleman, Kris Kringle, who claims to be the real Santa Claus, and the little girl who believes in him. The story begins when Kringle replaces an intoxicated department store Santa during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, and quickly becomes a favorite at the company’s flagship store in midtown Manhattan. But his claim causes some consternation, leading to a court case to determine his mental health. More than 30 Santa Barbara and Ventura County residents, ages 6 to 70, star in the Alcazar’s adaptation, fashioned from Valentine Davies’s story by Asa Olsson, who also directs the heartwarming Yuletide tale for the December 6-15 run.
marks the 10-year milestone since then-high school senior Fisher contracted a rare virus that suddenly spread to her spine, leaving her paralyzed from the neck down. Confined to her wheelchair, Fisher quickly resumed her interest in art and music via specially-adapted devices, and less than three years later formed the eponymous foundation to use the arts, therapeutic movement, and creativity to help bring joy to those with physical and cognitive challenges.
This year’s latest installment of the inspirational showcase, slated for December 7 at the Granada Theatre, once again features performances by local luminaries Jackson Gillies and Will Breman, as well as the Music Academy of the West’s SING! children’s chorus and the Elite Dance Company. The centerpiece is Circle of Grace, a new short tribute film created by dozens of filmmakers and friends and featuring artwork by Fisher and her original composition that will be performed live by the Santa Barbara Chamber Players. Also appearing are participants of programs at the Fisher Foundation’s Inclusive Arts Clubhouse, the beneficiary of the event. Visit www.granadasb.org or www.gracefisherfoundation.org
The Lobero Theatre has two holiday concerts in the lineup for this week, including Johnnyswim, the American folk-pop duo of married singer-songwriters Amanda Sudano and Abner Ramirez, presenting their Johnnyswim Christmas show on December 10. Two days later, it’s the return of “Christmas with The Petersens,” the concert full of Christmas classics delivered the way only an all-American family can, full of laughter, close harmonies, and the spirit of the season.
Details and tickets at www.lobero.org
Meanwhile, the Granada hosts a very different sort of December event as “A Drag Queen Christmas,” part of the longest-running drag tour in America, reaches its 10th anniversary. Hosted by Nina West, the performance features Winners, Fan Favorites, Legends and Miss Congeniality, plus queens from Season 16 and All Stars 9 all performing live on stage at the December 5 show.
Visit www.DragFans.com or www.granadasb.org
Heading outside, the overwhelming headliner this week – at least in the continuing post-pandemic absence of the Santa Barbara Downtown Holiday Parade – is the 38th annual Parade of Lights on December 8 at the waterfront. The celebration gets underway at 3:30 pm with a Winter Wonderland on the City Pier in the Santa Barbara Harbor complete with holiday elves, 10 tons of snow, goodie bags and a visit by Santa and Mrs. Claus. The water-bound activities start with the “Human-Powered” category, boasting dozens of stand-up paddlers and kayakers dressed in festive attire, who will loop the Harbor and Stearns Wharf just before the tree lighting ceremony – complete with holiday tunes sung by the Dos Pueblos Jazz Choir – lights up the wharf by the Sea Center. At 5:30 pm, the roughly 30 highly illuminated watercraft, spanning power, sail, and commercial fishing boats, will light up the night as they make their way from Leadbetter Beach down the coast to the Cabrillo Pavilion, then back along the coast to the East side of Stearns Wharf. The celebration caps off with a brief but intense fireworks show launched from West Beach. The fun continues at the no-host awards ceremony at the Anchor Rose restaurant, located upstairs in the Waterfront Center Building in the harbor.
Visit www.thealcazar.org/theatre
Grace Fisher Foundation’s seventh annual Winter Music Showcase also
Visit https://santabarbaraca.gov/things-do/waterfront/waterfront-news-and-events/ parade-lights
Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage
In lieu of the street parade, Downtown Santa Barbara’s annual tree lighting ceremony, complete with wreath building, a visit from Santa Claus, music by DJ Darla Bea and presentations by local performance groups takes place 5-7 pm on December 6 on State Street in front of Arlington Theatre…. And while Santa Barbara’s street parade is still on (permanent?) pause, Goleta gets going December 7 with their holiday effort, featuring school bands, dignitaries, classic cars, festive floats, and others marching (or driving) through Old Town (Hollister Avenue from Orange to Kinman), where businesses have been busy decorating their storefront windows. Details at https:// goletaholidayparade.org… Back in Santa Barbara, the newly refurbished Plaza del Mar bandshell in Pershing Park hosts a free community singalong featuring the Santa Barbara Strummers. Songbooks with lyrics will be provided so everyone can join the concert of popular holiday songs and carols from the comfort of their blankets and chairs for the 2-4 pm December 8 show.
Stepping into the frame in Santa Barbara was Hiroko Benko whose passion has always been to preserve and protect the marine environment, most specifically the whales. “I’ve always been passionate about sea life and especially whales who are faced each day with one life threatening danger or another, especially in our out-of-control shipping lanes.” The dangers facing these mammals are close to shore as well as in the shipping lanes of the Santa Barbara Channel. With the increase of cargo and cruise ship traffic during the last several decades, shipping lanes are greatest threat to their lives. The waters off the West coast are especially deadly as the major ports of Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles are the busiest in the nation.
Aware of the danger, Benko gathered a support team that included Jean-Michel Cousteau founder of the Ocean Futures Society, Holly Lohuis, marine biologist
and educator, and Greg Gorga, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum Director. This enthusiastic group of four created the nonprofit SBCWHA with the help of sponsors, environmentalists, biologists and the generosity of the community. Application to the World Cetacean Alliance for the Santa Barbara Channel to be acknowledged as an official Whale Heritage Site was submitted, a status granted only to areas where communities work collaboratively to make and enforce decisions that will benefit cetaceans and their ocean habitats worldwide.
As a result of this herculean effort the Santa Barbara Channel is now the 9th of 11 Whale Heritage Areas worldwide. In partnership with marine sanctuary areas, benefits to whales traversing the Santa Barbara Channel are being felt: cargo ships on their way from ports up and down the West Coast have reduced their speed to 10 knots and within 12 months whale strikes have been reduced up to 50%. Quite an accomplishment!
The SBCWHA is within the waters of Channel Islands National Park and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and, most recently, the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. In collaborative stewardship the SBCWHA is off to great start in preserving an important living laboratory along with initiatives for whale protection. With community engagement and valued partners such as tour operators, biologists, environmentalists, fishers, educators, artists and NGO’s, the SBCWHA’s mission to heighten awareness of the abundance of whales in the channel – and their protection – is off to a magnificent start.
For more information: https://www.sbwhaleheritage.org
July 5,
Eunice Haugan Fly, 87, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend, died peacefully in Santa Barbara on November 24, 2024. Eunice was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, the daughter of Rolf and Alfhild Dalhaug Haugan, immigrants from Norway. She and her brother, Rolf, grew up in Port Chester, New York. She attended Colby Junior College for Women (now ColbySawyer College) in New Hampshire, graduating with high honors. In 1958, she married Ted Clause and together they headed West, first to California, and in the early 1960s, to Honolulu, Hawaii, where they raised their two children, Carlyn and Eric. After her first marriage ended, Eunice met the true love of her life, Tom Fly, who was then a bank executive in Honolulu. After their marriage in 1980, Eunice and Tom moved to Santa Barbara, where Tom became President of the Bank of Montecito (now Montecito Bank and Trust), and Eunice and Tom began their long life in Santa Barbara.
Eunice and Tom were a great team and they were very active in and committed to the Santa Barbara community. Eunice served on various boards and led fundraising for community organizations including the Braille Institute of Santa Barbara and the Music Academy of the West.
Eunice was exceptionally intelligent and curious and she was interested in many things. Her passions included reading and the arts, particularly music. When she was growing up she loved to attend Broadway musicals, and saw many of the original Broadway casts of the late ‘40s and ‘50s. She fell deeply in love with classical music, and she had a particular, lifelong passion for opera. While living in Hawaii she volunteered for Hawaii Opera Theatre, the Honolulu Symphony, and Honolulu Art Academy. When she moved to Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West soon became an important part of her life. She loved to attend the Music Academy’s vocal and other master classes and performances. Eunice also loved to travel and she and Tom traveled all over the world together.
Eunice was a kind, loving, gentle, caring person, with a great sense of humor. She was always thinking of others and how she could help to make their lives better. Three of the most important things to her were her family, her many friendships, and being of service to her community. Her extended family included her daughter and son, her son’s two daughters and her stepchildren, John and
Carolyn, and their families: four children/stepchildren, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren in all.
Eunice is survived by her loving husband, J. Thomas Fly, Sr., of Santa Barbara; her daughter, Carlyn Clause (Alexander “Lex” Brainerd), of San Francisco and Calistoga, California; her son, Eric Gamble Clause, of London, England; her stepson, John Fly of Carpinteria, California; her stepdaughter, Carolyn Gifreda (Jim Gifreda), of Cincinnati, Ohio; grandchildren, India and Bella Clause, Thomas and Ryan Fly, Lauren Nitz, David Gifreda and Jenny Laffin; and great-grandchildren Mira, Levi, Jackson and Wyatt. She is predeceased by her brother, Rolf Haugan. A Celebration of Life for this lovely lady will be held in early 2025. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made in Eunice’s honor to the Music Academy of the West.
For the children’s fashion, Amber Lease, owner of Wildflower Women Boutique, showed kids clothing for both boys and girls from her Sandbox Kids collection. Following the fashion show was the exciting raffle drawing and special gift recognitions.
411: www.stvincents-sb.org
Society Invites says it is time to bring your holiday cheer to our neighboring towns and fire departments. Jot down these dates in your holiday outings schedule, which follow with Montecito’s holiday events – you can easily move from one party to the next on the same day! Let the hot cocoa and champagne begin!
The ever-faithful firefighters of the Carpinteria-Summerland stations are inviting the local communities to their annual holiday toy drive and Santa Run Parade. They are working with Summerland Beautiful to collect unwrapped toys from December 1-7. Lillie Avenue businesses will have drop off boxes for your donations. You can also donate the toys during their Annual Santa Run Parade, slated this year for Saturday, December 7, from 5-7 pm.
The Santa Run has both a toy donation and money collection fire booth. The parade features circa 1926 fire engines to new fire engines, and one fire truck with Santa Claus riding on top. The parade starts in Carpinteria, so sip and shop while you wait for it to hit Summerland. The firefighters’ Santa Run is sponsored by the Santa Barbara South Coast Firefighter Foundation and the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Department.
The Summerland Beautiful organization is partnering with the local businesses for their Annual Holiday Party Friday, December 6, from 5 to 7 pm. Here peeps can join in the caroling by the San Marcos High School Vocal Choir, bid on art by local artists Whitney Castro and Tom Henderson, and stop in for a holiday drink and appetizers at Farm to Paper, 2325 Lillie Avenue, with Leslie Person Ryan and her team.
On Saturday, December 7, 11 am to 4 pm, is the Summerland Holiday shop and sip to support local businesses and get your place for the Santa Run parade.
The Montecito Fire Department will participate in the Montecito Association’s Annual Holiday Car Parade on Saturday, December 14, 5 pm, starting at the upper village and going through Montecito. They are also having a toy drive with drop off boxes at both Montecito fire stations. Read next week’s MJ issue on my news coverage of the Montecito Fire Dept.’s traditional decorating of the 18-foot Blue Aptos Redwood tree, aka the Hathaway Tree, at Manning Park, which took place on Wednesday, December 4.
Local and international fashion designer Catherine Gee will be hosting Hado Being Aura Photography at her eponymous store in La Arcada on Saturday, December 7th. Hado Being describes aura photography as showing “the current state of your energy being and can provide you with an abundance of information about yourself.”
Schedule a unique aura photo at https://tinyurl.com/catgeeaura
Art & Soul has a new secondary location with an exhibit to (artistically) boot! The gallery has opened a new spot at 1323 State Street next to the Arlington
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Mindrite; Mindrite Counseling & Wellness; Mindrite Counseling; Mindrite Mental Health; Mindrite Mental Wellness; Mindrite Counseling Center; Mindrite CW, 1187 Coast Village Rd, STE 1-360, Santa Barbara, CA, 93108. Mindrite, A Mental Wellness and Counseling Corporation, 1187 Coast Village Rd, STE 1-360, Santa Barbara, CA, 93108. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on November 13, 2024. 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. 2024-0002656. Published December 5, 12, 19, 26, 2024
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Materiales De Construccion, 784 Chelham Way, Santa Barbara, CA, 93108. George E Davidson, 784 Chelham Way, Santa Barbara, CA, 93108. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on November 14, 2024. 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. 2024-0002679. Published December 5, 12, 19, 26, 2024
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOODLAND SIGNS; GOODLAND ADA SIGNS, 375 Pine Ave., Suite 20, Goleta, CA,
93117. Paul A Strickland, 375 Pine Ave., Suite 20, Goleta, CA, 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on November 13, 2024. 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. 2024-0002657. Published November 28, December 5, 12, 19, 2024
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Palma Catering, 432 E. Haley Suite A, Suite A, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101. Palma Vegan Group, LLC, PO Box 22615, Santa Barbara, CA, 93121. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on November
Theatre in the ARTS District. It will kick off its Grand Opening with the exhibit, The Art of Place, featuring artists – Brad Betts, John Baran, Pedro De La Cruz, and Sylvan Butera Rich – on Thursday, December 12, from 5-8 pm. While most of those names are familiar with locals, esteemed maritime artist Brad Betts might be more unfamiliar to art aficionados in the area. Owner of Down East Gallery on an old dairy farm in Boothbay, Maine, Betts has been painting along the east coast and beyond for 25 years but only started to capture the marine scenes of Santa Barbara in 2020. Now a regular visitor to the area, this represents his first time exhibiting in Santa Barbara.
Also this month, The Voice Gallery will be hosting a group exhibition, Lucious Moments , at its La Cumbre Plaza location until December 28th with a First Thursday reception on December 5 th from 5-8 pm. Goleta photographer, Frank DiMarco, will have two images on display including Strike Up the Band that depicts a marching band holding up traffic on a busy San Francisco street.
At the beginning of November, the Friendship Center held its 12th Annual Wine Down at the Arlington Theater with a special twist – this year’s event included a ghoulish costume theme given its proximity to Halloween. This soldout event brought food, dancing, and much more to a crowd of 130 guests, raising nearly $60,000 in order to enrich the adult day program activities offered for older adults with dementia at Friendship Center. Friendship Center Executive Director, Kathryn Westland , noted: “At Friendship Center, we’re all about having fun, so seeing our guests all dressed up while dancing in a conga line (a favorite activity of ours at the Center) was amazing! It was a joy to celebrate with both long-standing friends and new supporters who share our passion for providing dignified care, love, and connection to the beloved older adults in our community. We had fun and funded a new program for our members, what more can we ask for?!”
14, 2024. 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. 2024-0002671. Published November 21, 28, December 5, 12, 2024
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Santa Barbara Bowls, 2669 Montrose Pl, Santa Barbara, CA, 93105. Merrillee G Ford, PO Box 5336, Santa Barbara, CA, 93150-5336. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on November 6, 2024. 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. 2024-0002610. Published November 14, 21, 28, December 5, 2024
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Honor Nutrition, 4028 Invierno Drive, B, Santa Barbara, CA, 93110. Kathryn M Parker, 4028 Invierno Drive, B, Santa Barbara, CA, 93110. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on October 22, 2024. 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. 2024-0002460. Published November 14, 21, 28, December 5, 2024
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 24CV05813. To all interested parties: Petitioner Corrina Louise
Bonham filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Corrina Louise Gilbert. The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without
property, Platform. The same goes for Teller, a women’s clothing store owned by Fishbein’s wife Jamie Fishbein. The Post will officially open with a select few stores, and additional stores will open gradually over the following weeks.
Fishbein and Miller embrace a trial-and-error approach, constantly refining their ideas – this applies to details both big and small. At the time of my visit, Fishbein, who was in town from Los Angeles, surveyed potential black and white striped umbrellas, tables, and chairs for the wrap-around deck. If something doesn’t work, they’ll scrap it and move on to the next, he says.
This section of the deck will be the sitting area outside Little King Coffee, a coffee shop owned by restaurateurs Ryan Dobosh and Grace Gates. It will be the shop’s second location, the first in Buellton. While slated for opening in March, a small coffee cart will be available on the patio in December.
They envision the deck as a magnetic draw, captivating passersby and inviting them to discover the property. “When we first came down to the site two and a half years ago, we were like, ‘How amazing would it be to come and have your coffee every single morning with the view?” Fishbein recalls as he stares out at the bird refuge.
Fishbein and Miller opened their flagship property in Culver City, Los Angeles, nine years ago. They turned an old car dealership into Platform, a shopping center with various restaurants and stores. A few years ago, they began brainstorming their next venture. Their shared love for Santa Barbara made it the obvious next step. Initially, they planned to develop a site in the Funk Zone at Garden and Yanonali, but they fell in love with the Las Aves Complex.
They also have plans for the buildings next door, including the Montecito Athletic Club and the former French restaurant Stella Mare’s, which they recently purchased. In 2025, Stella Mare’s will be home to a new restaurant headed by Mexico City-based Grupo Palmares. Fishbein and Miller, fans of the restaurant group’s Mexican restaurant Loreto in Los Angeles, approached the owners about opening a restaurant in Montecito. After a site visit to Stella Mare’s, they agreed.
For their new restaurant, Fishbein and Miller wanted to create a space that reflected the Santa Barbara community while paying homage to Santa Barbara’s deep cultural ties to Mexico. The result is Bogavante, which translates to “lobster” in Spanish; however, they say the more meaningful translation is “the feast of the ocean’s heart.”
At Bogavante, you can expect dishes that honor the Vaquero culture while sourcing fresh local seafood and “cowboy raised meats.”
Before Fishbein and Miller acquired it, The Post was a family-owned business. Built by the late husband of the former owner, the complex previously housed various medical practices. However, Fishbein and Miller learned from the owner that her husband always dreamed of making it a retail center.
“And so when we met [the previous owner] for the first time, I think she connected with us as potential owners,” says Fishbein. “Because we were going to take this beautiful asset that had been in her family for so many years and then shine it, bring in this vitality, and maintain the character.”
Fishbein and Miller aimed to create a timeless space by preserving elements of the original building, such as the old lighting fixtures. By and large, the most prominent item they kept was the original water fountain at the courtyard’s center. Eccentric tiles are haphazardly placed around the fountain, laced with expressive faces formed by those tiles. It’s the kind of piece that you might find in one’s home.
Fishbein shares that while the fountain stands out from the surrounding space, community members wanted it to stay, and stay it did. “The most important thing for us is that we feel like good neighbors and that the community feels like this is their space,” he says as he twirls the wisteria overhanging from the building’s second story. Like the fountain’s nod at the former owners, he wants the original green vines to grow freely.
In the past, while driving along Cabrillo and then Los Patos Way, the Las Aves Complex may have passed in the peripheral without much thought. Maybe you didn’t know it was there or had no reason to stop by. Now, however, the space is sure to pull you in.
Driving past you may spot the wrap-around deck and people sitting outside enjoying a coffee on the patio. You might be curious enough to check it out. Maybe you peruse lifestyle brand Save Khaki United (S.K.U.) or stop by the home store Shoppe Amber Interiors. Maybe you’ll sit down for a meal at the Italian restaurant OSPI, owned by Jackson and Melissa Kalb. Or, perhaps you prefer to relax in the courtyard with a latte from Little King Coffee.
Either way, you’re enjoying yourself, which is exactly what Fishbein and Miller hoped for when taking on this project. “We have our own way of doing things,” admits Miller. “But we kind of see things where others might not…and when we saw this, we knew exactly that it was a very special spot.”
Musical entertainment was provided by former American Idol contestant Jackson Gillies, longtime entertainment director Maitland Ward, Brian Mann , Randy Tico , Ray Pannell , Craig Thatcher, Toby Lampson, Craig Sharmat , Michael Andrews , Jason Libs, Miriam Dance, Leslie Lembo, Michael Henszey, Freda Ramey, and Sophie Holt
Santa Barbara Humane volunteered to sit with four legged guests while their owners dined inside.
Singer Katy Perry’s father Keith Hudson gave the blessing.
Other supporters included Peter and Kathryn Martin , fun loving Franciscan friar Larry Gosselin , Dana Hansen , Jamie Knee , Rick Oshay and Teresa Kuskey , Tyler Geck , Alma Rose Middleton , and Carmen Munoz
All of them earning their wings...
Montecito actor Josh Brolin has revealed mega director James Cameron’s reaction to him rejecting a role in the Avatar sequel, The Way of Water. The Men in Black III star, 56, detailed he declined to appear as a new character in the 2022 box office smash 13 years after Cameron’s original film became the highest grossing movie in history.
Brolin, who has been busy promoting his new autobiography From Under the Truck, was interviewed by Graham Bensinger on his In Depth podcast and said Oscar-winner Cameron, 70, was “angry” over his refusal to join the cast.
“I hear he was angry and I understand it, because when you have something in your mind you have status and power. You’re used to people feeling grateful that you are offering it to them... It was bigger than the project. It wasn’t based on him.”
Brolin declined to comment on the exact reason he turned down the lucrative part...
America’s most expensive zip codes all have one thing in common – water.
In a ranking of the most expensive zip codes across the nation, RealtyHop declared Atherton, California, Number One with a median list price of $7.75 million in the 94027 zip code.
New York has two zip codes in the Top Ten, both in the Hamptons on Long Island.
The most expensive New York zip code is 11962 for the charming community of Sagaponack, where I used to stay at a friend’s beach house, located between the home of the late Jaws actor Roy Scheider and magazine magnate Peter Brant and his former supermodel wife Stephanie Seymour
The Rockwellian community has a median list price of $5.995 million.
Two more California zip codes make the Top Ten with Newport in the
92657 ranking in seventh place with $4.95 million and our rarefied enclave – 93108 – in eighth with a median price of $4.85 million, both picturesque coastal communities.
Our Eden by the Beach first gained a spot in the Top Ten in 2021 when it ranked seventh with a median sale price of $4.1 million.
To the new 449-seat capacity Harbor Restaurant, atop Stearns Wharf, with my trusty shutterbug Priscilla, which opened in September with panoramic views over the Pacific through giant crystal-clear windows.
The seafood eatery first opened in 1941 and has undergone an impressive renovation under its new owners, Santa Barbara realtor John Thyne III and wife Olesya, and Gene Sanchez and wife Carolina Jimenez
It was originally the Santa Barbara Yacht Club and was once owned by Hollywood actor Ronald Colman – who also owned the San Ysidro Ranch, and now reposes in Santa Barbara Cemetery – and the Castagnola family.
In 1973 the eatery was destroyed by fire and eventually rebuilt by John Scott, who also owned the iconic Harry’s Plaza Cafe, a tiara’s toss from Chaucer’s bookstore.
Under new Chilean Executive Chef Gonzalo Del Pino , who formerly worked for TV chef Gordon Ramsay at his London outpost, Petrus, we dined on lobster roll, ahi tuna, salmon and softboiled eggs, avocado toast, and lobster arroz meloso.
For those looking for a more casual locale, the Longboard’s Grill, which is undergoing renovation, is open upstairs.
For Thanksgiving the restaurant was sold-out, a clear indication of its immediate popularity. And no wonder...
Prince Harry and actress wife
Meghan Markle are set to attend events on opposite sides of the country this week as they continue to seemingly experiment with their new brand image strategy.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, visits Manhattan to attend the New York Times’s DealBook conference and the same evening his wife, 43, attends the Paley Honors Fall Gala in Los Angeles, where she is expected to present producer-director Tyler Perry with the Paley Center for Media’s most coveted honor.
King Charles’s youngest son and the duchess were on the hosting committee; however Meghan will be the only one in attendance.
Perry famously allowed the dynamic duo to stay at his $18 million Beverly Hills estate when they first gave up being “working royals” and moved to their $14 million Riven Rock home in our rarefied enclave in 2020.
Perry is also godfather to the couple’s daughter Princess Lilibet
In Sandy Rustin’s farce murder mystery Clue at the Granada, mysterious guests assemble for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu.
Host/Manager David Moorman, proprietors John and Olesya Thyne, bartender Tommy Holguin, and General Manager Rich Hollowell (photo by Priscilla)
Based on the 1985 Paramount Pictures movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, diners turn up dead and they all become suspects.
As the body count stacks after the host turns up dead in a remote Mansion, the butler Wadsworth, Miss Scarlett, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock and Col. Mustard race to find the killer.
The hugely entertaining Theater League production is one that, appropriately enough, leaves you dying with laughter until the final surprising twists.
A side-splitting script that has nothing to do with the fare consumed!
Dame Judi Dench was left suitably bemused after receiving a decidedly skimpy red thong for Yuletide in a hilarious charity campaign video for the Santa Barbara charity ShelterBox.
The legendary actress, 89, is unwrapping presents in the funfilled clip, which included a pair of roller skates and a bright pink dustpan and brush, and is seen urging people to send “something worthwhile” for Christmas.
Dench, staring at the skimpy undergarment, is unable to hide her surprise, before declaring: “Red’s not my color!”
“That’s what I love about ShelterBox. And items like tents, thermal blankets, and water filters are tangible.”
“They really make a difference!”
A most meaningful message for a particularly great cause...
Former TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres’s new life on the scenic English countryside has gone dra-
matically wrong after her home with wife actress Portia de Rossi in the Cotswolds was swamped by heavy flooding just days after they moved into the six-bedroom, four-bathroom, 43-acre property.
Neighbors in the ‘hood include King Charles at his longtime country estate Highgrove and former soccer ace David Beckham and his fashion designer wife Victoria
But rather than experiencing a pastoral retreat Ellen, 66, and Portia, 51, were left at the mercy of a raging flood which engulfed their multi-million mansion after the River Thames, which flows by their home, burst its banks following the destructive impact of Storm Bert and five inches of rain.
The tony twosome were left virtually marooned after moving to their new home, complete with swimming pool, helipad and one bedroom guest cottage.
Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry and British actor fiancé Orlando Bloom celebrating Thanksgiving with the family on Miramar Beach... Oscar winner Kevin Costner noshing at Tre Lune... Actor Chris Pratt at Pierre Lafond.
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 15 years
This festival sale offers one-of-a-kind gifts, including handmade ceramics, bags, jewelry, accessories, Christmas ornaments, drawings, paintings, prints and stickers.
While on campus, don’t miss the exhibition of landscapes in “The Oak Group Presents the Grace of the World” in the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. All of the works in the exhibition are for sale with 10% of the proceeds supporting the museum and another 10% funding the publication of the Oak Group’s 40th anniversary catalogue.
Westmont alumnus Michael Stefanic (‘18), who has played in the Los Angeles Angels’ organization since he signed in July 2018, has inked a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He made his Major League debut in 2022 and has played in 90 games with the Angels over the last three seasons.
The 28-year-old second and third baseman is embracing the fresh start and hopes to make a big impression at the Blue Jays big league Spring Training camp in 2025.
Stefanic, who holds the Warriors’ record for most career hits (275), was undeterred after he didn’t get drafted. He compiled a videotape of himself playing and sent it to members of all 30 MLB teams. Weeks later, he received a
call from Mike Gallego, then director of baseball development for the Angels.
An article in The Athletic quotes Gallego as saying, “To be honest with you, we were basically looking for some bodies at the time. And we were honest with him. When he got into town, we basically told him, ‘We don’t know long this is going to last.’”
That year in Rookie Ball, he hit .351, then .333 the next year in LowA. After COVID-19 canceled the minor league season in 2020, he hit .345 in 2021 in Double-A ball then .341 for the Salt Lake City Bees, the Angels Triple-A affiliate.
“Mike embodies everything gritty in the game of baseball,” says Robert Ruiz, Westmont director of athletics. “He is tough out at the plate and an intuitive defender — and he is the same guy every day.”
visit our site at: www.williamdalziel.work idareproductions.com
by Steven Libowitz
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6
Molly’s Game – Molly Tuttle’s rise happened comparatively quickly following the warmly-received release of her first two albums, as the Northern California-raised bluegrass-based singer-songwriter-guitarist struck gold with her third record in 2022. Crooked Tree not only won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album, Tuttle herself earned a Best New Artist nomination, a rare accomplishment coming from the genre. A true triple threat, Tuttle was also the first woman ever named Guitar Player of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association. Last year’s follow-up, City of Gold, also claimed the Grammy in bluegrass, thanks to Tuttle’s spinning even more spellbinding stories spanning time and place – ranging from wildly colorful fables populated by gold miners and fortune tellers to true-to-life tales of love and loss in a fast-changing world,
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5
Doing up December at 1st Thursday – It’s the final 1st Thursday of 2024, but it’s the first for Friends of State Street, which celebrates the grand opening of a new office at the CEC Community Hub (1219 State), where all are invited to enjoy a glass of wine and small bites from Opal Restaurant & Bar, listen to live music, and take a gander at an exhibition featuring drawings commissioned for the State Street Master Plan Project along with art by Peter Horjus… Also debuting at December’s 1st Thursday is PathPoint (902 Laguna), a bit off the beaten, ahem, path, but also an offbeat destination where you can find unique gifts crafted by their talented artists in the gallery, enjoy live music, and bid on stunning art pieces at our live auction while sipping hot chocolate, and learn about the mission to create inclusive communities… Jake & Jones, The Eddy, Bibiji and Revolver are coming together to host a holiday block party at the corner of E. De La Guerra St. and Santa Barbara St. where you can swing by for an evening of wine, art, bites and chain stitching. That’s just across the street from Santa Barbara Historical Museum (136 E. De La Guerra), where the museum store boasts a curated selection of items celebrating our city’s rich heritage, including vintage books, art prints, jewelry by local artists, children’s gifts, puzzles, décor, exhibition publications and one-of-a-kind gifts… More gift-giving ideas can be found at Santa Barbara Art Works’ Holiday Market and artists opening reception (28 E. Victoria) featuring live music and snacks to enjoy while shopping for handmade gifts… And don’t forget The Yes Store, the once-itinerant Yuletide-adjacent artists & craftspeople collective that now operates year-round at 1015 State Street. The 57th Holiday Celebration offers music, beverages and treats to check out new work and locally handmade gifts… Also back for another year is Sullivan Goss’ (11 E. Anapamu) 16th annual 100 GRAND exhibition, the popular December show that boasts more than 100 works of art for $1,000 or less, serving as an incubator of emerging talent, an entryway for beginning collectors, and a holiday celebration in the art community… Across the street, Ralph Waterhouse just got done celebrating Waterhouse Gallery’s 40th anniversary, but he wasn’t too busy to serve as jurist for The Santa Barbara Art Association’s diverse show of original artwork, on display at the Faulkner Gallery (40 E. Anapamu)… On the entertainment front, UCSB Arts & Lectures hosts a snowy wonderland with light installations, hot cider, and festive performances from Santa Barbara Revels and the UCSB Jazz Ensemble at the Arlington Theatre (Arlington Theatre, 1317 State) in advance of performance of the Nutcracker Suite by Dorrance Dance; Revels will also preview its The Ghosts of Haddon Hall Christmas show on the 800 Block of State Street, taking the late slot at the location after The Santa Barbara Trombone Society… It’s BOGO for tonight’s preview performance of Million Dollar Quartet at Ensemble Theatre Company (33 W. Victoria).
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6
Funk Zone Live – The bimonthly arts, wine, dine and shop event, featuring more than 20 local businesses and artist studios, finds the venues keeping their doors open late for locals and visitors alike. Among the many attractions in this special December edition is the second coming of Brad Nack’s Reindeer Art Show, this time hosted at SBMidMod (223 Anacapa Street, Suite C), where the artist will display fresh, newly-painted antlered critters in their various whimsical poses, heavily layered mini-portraits that are fully framed and ready to go.
WHEN: 5-8 pm
WHERE: The Funk Zone, bordered by Cabrillo, Yanonali, Garden and State streets
COST: free
INFO: https://santabarbaraca.com/events/sb-funk-zone-live
and even a reimagining of Alice in Wonderland set in the backwoods of Kentucky. Together with her band Golden Highway, Tuttle continues to weave bluegrass, modern folk and Americana into highly melodic and often high-energy songs that feel like instant classics and rise above genre to great general appeal. Which is why her appearance in town at SOhO two years ago has now evolved into a long sold-out show at Campbell Hall, but one worth begging, borrowing, or pleading to get to hear.
WHEN: 8 pm
WHERE: Campbell Hall, UCSB campus
COST: $37.50-$77.50
INFO: (805) 893-3535 or https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7
Arts & Crafts Fair – Whether you’re searching for the perfect unique holiday gift or simply for something to add to your collection and brighten up your home, SBCC’s annual School of Extended Learning Arts & Crafts Fair might be the solution. More than 50 student-artists will display their handcrafted pieces, all of which were created in SBCC SEL (aka Adult Ed) classes, including paintings, cards, ceramics, jewelry, glass art, sewing and woven items. The artists will be on hand to answer questions and share about their process, and you can even fill up your belly with a similarly carefully crafted way in a catered lunch available for purchase by Chef Rene’s Cuisine.
WHEN: 10 am-2 pm
WHERE: Wake Campus, 300 N. Turnpike Rd.
COST: free admission
INFO: https://sbcc.edu/extendedlearning
MONDAY, DECEMBER 9
‘The Island of Misfit Gays’ – That’s the clever title of the Santa Barbara Gay Men’s Chorus first-ever concert at the Lobero Theatre, where the Timothy Accurso -led singers will feature songs about being outcast and misunderstood, yet finding and loving themselves in this world. The concert is a mix of pop songs, musical theatre, Disney songs and a few holiday favorites, with musical selections ranging from Radiohead, Katy Perry , Robyn , Tarzan , Mulan and more.
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
COST: $30-$85
INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.org
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10
A Flagg-ship event – Fannie Flagg’s story – from adding “successful writer” to her accomplishments as an actress, to attending the Santa Barbara Writers Conference – is a well-known local tale. But it’s likely been a stretch of time since Flagg, a longtime Montecito resident, has held forth in town about Fried
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8
Book ‘em Downtown – Santa Barbara Public Library‘s annual Local Author Festival has a new location, the gleaming new Michael Towbes Library Plaza outside the main branch. Part of the library’s ongoing program with the aspiration of building a community of writers, supporting authors cultivating the art of their craft and helping them navigate the publishing world, the festival this year carries a theme of “Books Make Great Gifts, Shop Local!” A full 40 local authors will not only be selling and signing books at their individual tables, but also available for networking and answering questions. The authors will also have the opportunity to read excerpts from their work in a “book karaoke” format. The featured authors, which include Santa Barbara poet laureates, college professors, first-time authors and several Montecitans including the Journal’s Diane Raab, cover such genres as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young adult and children’s books.
WHEN: 2-4 pm
WHERE: Library Plaza, 40 E. Anapamu St.
COST: free
INFO: https://library.santabarbaraca.gov/news/santa-barbara-publiclibrary-local-author-festival
Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, the book that launched her literary career and landed her on the top of the bestseller lists. Flagg also co-wrote the script for the movie – starring Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, and several others in a funny, food-filled tale of friendship and sisterhood. Fried Green Tomatoes will be screened after the conversation with the author to close out the Granada’s centennial film series, dubbed Santa Barbara Home Movies.
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street COST: $5
INFO: (805) 899-2222 or www.granadasb.org
Surrender to Jonathan – In an era of smartphones, social media and pervasive AI, singer-songwriter Jonathan Richman seems even more anachronistic than ever – in a very good way. Credited as “The Godfather of Punk” for his early days leading the Modern Lovers, Richman has long since scaled down to simply a nylon-stringed acoustic guitar to deliver his earnest, heartfelt and uplifting songs unfettered by cynicism or anger. Accompanied by his decades-long collaborator Tommy Larkins on a small drum kit, an evening with Richman is like a melodic trip down the Yellow Brick Road, or snuggling up with Downy-soft towels. Just what we need right now. Or at least I do. WHEN: 8 pm
WHERE: Alcazar Theatre, 4916 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria COST: $45 general
INFO: (805) 684-6380 or www.thealcazar.org/calendar
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11
Brolin Back Again – If you somehow missed seeing Josh Brolin discuss his new memoir at either Godmothers’ in Summerland (where Brolin dished dirt with fellow Montecito brat-bro Rob Lowe, recorded for Lowe’s podcast), or at SBIFF’s Riviera Theatre following a screening of his Oscar-nominated turn in No Country for Old Men, there’s still another chance to catch the first-time author in a more traditional local literary locale. In a special ticketed event at Chaucer’s Books that includes a copy of From Under the Truck, Brolin will talk about his memoir, which touches on being raised on a ranch in Paso Robles though his career in movies from his breakout role in The Goonies through No Country and beyond. The book has been called a unique and decidedly un-celebrity memoir, by turns affecting, funny, uncanny and unforgettable. WHEN: 6 pm
WHERE: Chaucer’s, 3321 State St. in Loreto Plaza Shopping Center COST: $30
INFO: (805) 682-6787 or www.chaucersbooks.com
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In need of a Caregiver or Childcare Provider? Sage is the best that SB/Montecito has to offer!! A Santa Barbara native with over 30 years of experience with the elderly as well as children of all ages. Sage will assist with everyday activities, transportation to appointments, grocery needs, afterschool activities, etc. She can administer medication, is extremely knowledgeable in nutrition needs and has a heart of gold. She will provide all caregiver duties but just as important be a living companion to you in the comfort of your home. Please inquire for more details and impeccable references provided upon request. 805-886-3130 – Sage
Local tile setter of 35 years is now doing small jobs only. Services include grout cleaning and repair, caulking, sealing, replacing damaged tiles and basic plumbing needs. Call Doug Watts at 805-729-3211 for a free estimate.
Lease a second home this December or January on Malibu Beach! A nearby and peaceful getaway for you and plenty of room for the kids and grandkids for sleepovers! Call: Steve Drust, Realtor
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Bridge Loan of $40,000 sought for business purposes. 120 –
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Carpet Cleaning Since 1978 (805) 963-5304 Rafael Mendez Cell: 689-8397 or 963-3117
Ocean view plot off of Bluff Ave. Island Edition-C #83 $30,000 For info (805) 455-0731
EDC Mobile Sharpening is locally owned and operated in Santa Barbara. We specialize in (No-Entry) House Calls, Businesses, and Special Events. Call (805) 696-0525 to schedule an appointment.
Looking for Part-time. Accountant/bookkeeper, personal assistant; excellent references, detail oriented, very efficient agn3@icloud.com
Elegant Classic 19” strand Akoya off white pearls in excellent condition. $2500 OBO BGLUSHYN@AOL.COM
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6 TribecaonceseenonTBS
7 See1-Across 8 With3-Down,didn tgiveup afterfailing 9 Overnights,e.g.
1 Theycomebacktohaunt somepeople 2 ___nous(inconfidence) 3 See8-Across 4 Likesomereferencesand warheroes
5 Doesn'tbrushoff,say
Across 1 Giantwhoseeyesaresaid tohavebeentransferredto thepeacock'stail
6 Firstnameinshortbread cookies
7 There snothingbetterthan this 8 Slipsthroughthecracks 9 CrustyMexicansandwich Down
1 Starsthatshinethemost?
2 Eventwherelotsofchaps maybeseen
3 "Shakespeare'sWife" authorGermaine
4 Notinclined
5 Foodthathasgreenand redvarieties
WENDY JONES
