The Ice Cream Makers

HERO OR VILLAIN? PRIVATE CONTRACTOR AND COMPUTER WHIZ EDWARD SNOWDEN REVEALED TO THE WORLD THAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IS SPYING ON ITS CITIZENS. JEFF HARDING SAYS THAT’S A PROBLEM, P. 20

VIVA LA FIESTA! (WHAT? ALREADY?) IT REALLY IS AROUND THE CORNER; GOLETA’S SIXTH ANNUAL FIESTA RANCHERA, FEATURING FOOD, WINE AND THE MUSIC OF AREA 51, IS JUST A HARBINGER OF THE SEASON, P. 30

SANTA BARBARA

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THE ICE CREAM MAKERS

THE MCCONNELL’S ICE CREAM CREW HAs BEEN BUSY MAKING THE FINEST ICE CREAM IN THE UNIVERSE. . . OKAY, ON THIS PLANET ANYWAY. . . since 1949 (You’ll find all the salacious details beginning on page 14) 8 DAYS A WEEK PAGE 10

PRESIDIOSPORTS PAGE 26

HANDSFULLSB.com PAGE 28

LOVEMIKANA.com PAGE 29

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Grand Opening

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Situated in DiviniTree, Kotuku offers essence-rich foods, herbal elixirs & The Juice Club’s organic cold pressed juice.

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4 OF JULY SALE TH

Content

COVER

Mazza’s Missive – Editor-in-Chief Matt Mazza reminisces about his own personal hell – his children’s swimming lessons – and the blatant bribery that got him through it. He also gets an inside look into the bribe he successfully employed, Santa Barbara stalwart McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams, which is under new (and talented) ownership and will soon be opening a new State Street store. (Matt will buy you an ice cream if you read the paper this week. Oh, and his column begins on page 14.)

© Photo courtesy of Prana

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P.5

Sharon’s Take – Community activist-cum-Sentinel contributor Sharon Byrne does some talking about her generation, GenX, and the problems and opportunities facing it… thanks to those damned Boomers.

P.6

It’s Crime Time – Cokeheads scale walls, Beavis and Butthead beat each other mercilessly, out-of-towner urinates in hotel lobby; and local woman uses various orifices to conceal drugs, amongst other things. What a Solstice weekend it was.

P.7

Letters to the Editor – Are City sanctioned fights between rival gang members a good idea?

Should homeless folks be asked to pull (more of) their weight? Why does Michelle Miller want to tempt EIC Matt with her beefy delight? Why is John Seymour so cranky? Answers to all these questions and more in this week’s Letters section.

P.8

T he Food File – New food writer Christina Enoch is back again this week with a nice little piece on Arlington Tavern called “Chef Ron Blew My Mind.” (You are a food writer, right, Christina? We are a family paper, after all… well, mostly anyway.)

P.10

8plus Days A Week – We probably should have titled Jeremy Harbin’s comedy calendar gizmo “14 Days a Week” this time around since that’s how far it looks out due to the fact that we are taking next week off. But we thought that might confuse people and so we went with “8+ Days a Week.” (Wait, isn’t that more confusing? What the hell is going on here?)

P.12

Santa Barbara View – More Sharon Byrne this week – we just can’t get enough of you Sharon! – and here she tackles the California State budget. We know, all you Boomers out there are asking, “Hey, do those good for nothing, lazy, apathetic GenXers actually know stuff about State-level politics?” This one does. (Nice piece, Sharon, thanks.)

P.20

The Weekly Capitalist – Jeff Harding doesn’t like what he sees in domestic spying programs and government secrecy. Do you? (Wait, don’t answer that… the place is bugged and the secret police are listening to every word we say. Respond in Morse Code, nobody knows what those dots and dashes mean anymore.)

P.21

Man About Town – Mr. Léisuré likes the great outdoors, at least when there is a stage filled with musicians and food and drink, preferably containing alcohol, nearby. The Santa Barbara Bowl and Concerts in the Park fit that description nicely. Polo and theatre in Solvang and at Circle Bar B don’t, but he likes them anyway. Better read up so you know what to do in the short term.

P.22

Pump It – Jenny Schatzle provides another full body workout you can do at home or anywhere else, and just wants you to commit and do it every day. Make the time or Jenny herself might come find you. And if she finds you eating Bon-Bons on the couch, well, that would be bad.

Trust us. Get moving Santa Barbara!

P.24

T he Beer Guy – Zach Rosen finally gives up the Holy Grail of quality beer drinking: How do you spot the expired stuff that’s gone bad before you buy it and pop one open at the house?

Make a good decision in the beer aisle with The Beer Guy’s help. And check out his latest “beer and atmosphere” pairing, this one called “A Midsummer Night’s Drink,” coming soon up at the Botanical Gardens. Looks like a lot of fun… and perhaps the best Beer Garden concept we’ve ever heard of. (Right on, Zach, love the creativity and stewardship. Congrats.)

P.26

Presidio Sports – Semana Nautica comes to town (for the 76th time!) June 29 – July 14. Get the 411 on everything going down right here, as well as at least some 411 on other sporting events happening through July 14. And more 411 is available on the fact that Goleta Valley South Little League Board Member, former coach and dedicated “baseball field guru” Jerry Johnson is Presidio’s Santa Barbara Sports Figure of the Month. (Congrats, Jerry, helluva job out there.)

P.28 P.29

You Have Your Hands Full – Mara Peters is a youth sports fanatic and convinced that her 10-year-old is getting a full ride to an Ivy League school and going pro. In Lacrosse. Maybe.

LOVEmikana – The Holy Trinity (we’ve already said Holy Grail so we thought we’d just go for it) of socially and environmentally thinking: First, LoaTree and the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market Association bring the Farm Friendly Dining Certification Program for local restaurants that buy at least 25% locally (cool); second, Meet Your Makers is a new sustainable design and artisan market going down every Saturday all summer long near downtown Farmers Market (cool); and third, rather than destroy the environment by travelling extensively this summer, Staycation in SB with these great tips (and cool again!). We can literally feel our carbon footprint shrinking as we write.

P.30

G irl About Town – Julie Bifano heads to the Goodland, wishing she had worn cowboy boots instead of flip-flops, for the sixth annual Fiesta Ranchera at Rancho La Patera & Stow House, officially kicking off Fiesta’s summer season.

by Sharon Byrne

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take

Sharon Byrne is a lead writer for www.sbview.com, an outlet for informed opinion writing and thoughtful analysis about the stories, events and people that shape Santa Barbara. Sharon’s education in engineering and psychology gives her a distinctive mix of skills for writing about and working on quality-of-life, public safety and public policy issues. Her hyper-local Milpas on the Move column can be found each week on page 12.

Talking ‘Bout My Generation…X

G

eneration X was born between 1965 and 1980. I find the Gen X mindset in some born as early as 1958 to as late as 1984, so maybe it’s a bigger group than the census types would have us believe.

Rather than the ‘unknown’ generation, or X, I feel we were, and still are, the screwed generation.

Listening to Baby Boomers during my education and early career, life just looked like one big never-ending goodie bag. There are so many of them that they exploded every stage of life they passed through. We had to build more schools to educate them.

They got the Summer of Love, Woodstock, and the Haight. When they wanted to buy houses, a huge housing boom unfolded in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Their numbers swelled the workforce on a scale never seen before in America as companies raced to keep up with the demand for products generated by their enormous numbers.

In contrast, being an Xer has kind of, well, sucked. The Boomers got the goodies. We got the fallout. The Free Love movement of the ‘60s threw off the shackles of marriage for open sexuality. But that soured by the ‘80s as Gen X navigated a minefield of AIDS, STDs Hook Up culture, and teen pregnancy. Boomers experimented with drugs to play at enlightenment. Xers grew up with the Drug War, crack whores, and the meth epidemic.

The Pentagon Papers and Watergate shattered national confidence in government in the ‘70s. A government you can’t trust was the norm for us, just as the post 9/11 world is the only one our children know. Our childhoods were overshadowed by imminent nuclear holocaust if either Reagan or Khrushchev got mad, or hit the skids of senility and mistook the Big Red Button for a paperweight. Reagan was the defining president of our generation, and he told us government was the problem, with Clinton following

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suit. That resonated with us. Gen X never quite trusts the Establishment, even when we’re part of it.

We had PCs on our desks, replacing mammoth computers that took up entire city blocks. We started the Internet companies. Most of us entered the workplace at the time the big corporations of the day – IBM, AT&T, Xerox, GM, and Eastern – were laying off employees by the thousands, or going bankrupt. We learned that continually sharpening our skills and becoming entrepreneurs was necessary for survival. The days of lifetime employment and financial security were over before we got to experience them.

The Boomers gave us Second Wave Feminism. But like other Boomer breakthroughs, shifting roles between the sexes had unplanned fallout. The divorce rate skyrocketed to 50%.

Boomers were the laissez-faire kids. Gen Xers were the latchkey kids.

Boomers are paying off their houses and starting to collect Social Security. After the biggest generation the country has ever seen goes on Social Security, Gen X & Millennials can forget it ever existed. Boomers will deplete it long before we ever get there.

Economic Squeeze Play Gen X mortgages went underwater in the Great Recession, and our 401(k)s tanked.

According to Forbes, Gen X saw a decline of 59% of their net household wealth between 2005 and 2010. Corporate pensions were wiped out in the late ‘90s, so retirement looks bleak for us.

Gen X women striving to “have it all” know that anything is possible when one puts in 18-hour days. Just ask Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO and Gen X author of Lean In. You too can work ridiculous hours and schedule quality minutes with your kids between emails and phone calls late into the night. Just outsource childcare, cleaning and cooking. Women still don’t make as much as men in comparable positions, and don’t hold as many leadership positions. One wonders if ‘work harder’ is all that’s ever going to be on offer as a strategy. Gen Xers are concerned with the work/life balance.

The economic squeeze play of the Great Recession means working on the laptop or smart phone with the kids nearby is now counted as ‘family time’. Some of us start our own single-person or small companies to create that work/life balance for ourselves. ...continued p.13

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It'sCrimetime...

...with the SBPD

A variety of crimes are committed every day in Santa Barbara; most of these crimes are petty but they do offer a window into if not the soul of the perpetrator, at least his or her thought process. Our following (and totally unsolicited) thoughts, observations, and comments are put forth for your consideration.

Energetic Cokehead Sans Brain Scales Wall But Is Denied Entry To Local Nightclub

A

fter being refused admittance to a popular State Street nightclub, a 27-year-old Oxnard man scaled a wall in an effort to sneak into the back patio area one night last week. He was caught by security, of course, and SBPD was called. When they arrived, officers arrested the man for public intoxication and, during a search incident to arrest, found a big bag of cocaine in his pocket. Pile on the charges!

This isn’t all that interesting, frankly, but the whole thing just begs the question: Why do people with big bags of coke in their pockets do stuff like this?

Oh, wait… it’s because they have big bags of coke in their pocket. Forget it.

Beavis Beats Butthead With Beavis And Butthead Skateboard After Beavis Refuses To Share His Marijuana With Butthead (Yeah, You Read That Right) A 28-year-old man living in a local shelter – let’s call him Beavis, for convenience – was arrested last week for beating another man – Butthead, for consistency – with his Beavis and Butthead-themed skateboard. When SBPD questioned Beavis about why he’d beaten Butthead, Beavis explained (quickly) that, “ah yeah, haha, yeah, ah,” Butthead had become agitated when Beavis refused to share Beavis’s marijuana with Butthead, who, in turn, charged Beavis like some sort of deranged bull (mad cow?), resulting in a self-defensive beating of Butthead by Beavis with his Beavis and Butthead skateboard.

Disoriented Homeless Man Happy To See Police Officers Gets Arrested An inebriated 52-year-old homeless man “walked through the middle of the roadway

Publisher • Tim Buckley | Editor-in-Chief • Matt Mazza Design/Production • Trent Watanabe Contributing Partners Opinion • sbview.com Sports • Presidiosports.com Santa Barbara Skinny • LoveMikana.com

Columnists

Goleta Girl • Jana Mackin | She Has Her Hands Full • Mara Peters Plan B • Briana Westmacott | The Dish • Wendy Jenson Journal Jim • James Buckley | Real Estate • Michael Calcagno Commercial Corner • Austin Herlihy | The Weekly Capitalist • Jeff Harding Man About Town • Mark Leisure | In The Garden • Randy Arnowitz The Beer Guy • Zach Rosen | The Mindful Word • Diana M. Raab Girl About Town • Julie Bifano | Dust & Cover • Jeremy Harbin Mad Science • Rachelle Oldmixon | Keepin’ It Reel • Jim Luksic Pump It • Jenny Schatzle | Faces Of Santa Barbara • Patricia Clarke

toward a group of police vehicles” with a “750ml bottle of vodka in plain view sticking out of his pocket.” (Can one actually “walk through the middle of the roadway?” Does a 750ml bottle of vodka fit into a front pocket? Forget it.) According to officers on the scene, the man “seemed disoriented” as he approached (to say the least), and one reported off the record that he wasn’t personally sure whether the man had a large bottle of vodka in his pocket or was just happy to see the officers. Either way, he was arrested for severe public intoxication.

Intoxicated Arizona Man Unapologetically Urinates In Hotel Lobby; Questions About Guest Experience Abound A tremendously intoxicated 24-year-old man visiting from the great State of Arizona urinated on the carpet in the lobby of a local hotel before “stumbling out” and sitting on a nearby bench one afternoon last week. That was right where SBPD found and arrested him for, well, urinating on the carpet in the lobby of a local beachside hotel while tremendously intoxicated.

“We have an unparalleled guest experience here,” an anonymous hotel official reported, “and we basically let our wealthy clientele do whatever they want. Cocaine-fueled late night parties, hookers, loud music… that’s all par for the course. But urinating on the carpet in the lobby in the middle of the day? That’s just one step too far. And the guy wasn’t up from Hollywood or anything, he’s apparently from… Arizona. Once we determined that, we called the police immediately.”

Ill-Fated Los Angeles Man Actually Arrested During Parking Citation Stop… In A Taxi A fun loving (read: blitzed) 22-year-old man from Los Angeles responsibly decided to take a taxi home after a night of revelry in downtown Santa Barbara. Unfortunately, he selected a cab that had been parked illegally, and it was stopped soon after he hopped in the backseat. When officers approached to issue the citation to the cabdriver, the young man “wouldn’t let [them] speak,” and then “refused to exit the vehicle” and then again to be handcuffed. He was eventually arrested for resisting and public intoxication. Now that’s bad luck, man, seriously. You did everything right. Well, almost anyway.

SB Woman Endangers Child With Drug Paraphernalia And Then Uses Bodily Cavities To Hide Narcotics A 50-year-old Santa Barbara woman was sitting shotgun in a vehicle that was stopped at a DUI checkpoint, and SBPD saw her hand a black bag to a minor child in the backseat.

After officers removed all individuals from the car, the kid turned over the bag, which contained two glass meth pipes. (Nice; really appropriate behavior for an adult.) When the woman was strip searched at County jail, a bag full of meth was found in her, ah, bum-bum. (Imagine being the strip search deputy.) Another was spotted but the woman quickly jammed it up her, um, yoo-hoo. (Again, imagine being the strip search deputy.)

She was then transported to Cottage, where she consented to removal by a physician.

Wow. There’s actually nothing funny about that. At least nothing we can print here.

Avid Reader Completely Loses Ability To Speak And Stand Up SBPD was called to the central library last week on a report of a woman sleeping in the stacks. When they arrived, officers found a 52-year-old local woman clutching a coffee cup filled with vodka. She could neither form words nor stand up on her own, and so she was arrested for public intoxication.

“Oh the humanity,” wailed an exasperated academic-literary type in the nearby philosophy section, speaking only on condition of anonymity, “the stark naked humanity of witnessing such an avid reader unable to form words of her own. Oh, wait, maybe it’s irony I meant to say, not humanity… which one makes me sound more intellectual in the quote?”

That’s it, we’re done. Have a great holiday folks.

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Letters

Although you might not believe it, we actually want to hear from you. So if you have something you think we should know about or you see something we've said that you think is cretinous (or perspicacious, to be fair), then let us know. There's no limit on words or subject matter, so go ahead and let it rip to: Santa Barbara Sentinel, Letters to the Editor, 133 East De La Guerra Street, No. 182, Santa Barbara, California 93101. You can also leap into the 21st century and email us at letters@santabarbarasentinel.com.

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Over $1 Billion in Sales!

Let Them Eat Cake

D

ear Matt, I write in regard to Sharon Byrne’s article last week about gang graffiti caused by east and west side gang members. I like her ideas, but I think we need to get to the real problem that has been going on for many years: gangs.

I have a couple of ideas that may help reduce this ongoing gang problem.

First, the town needs to create a vocational school where Freshmen or Sophomore kids could switch from a college track curriculum to a vocational track education. They would learn a trade and be proud of their education after graduating. It would give them self esteem, and they would earn more money than at a fast food restaurant. My hometown had one and it works. They would spend 3-4 years learning how to be a plumber, carpenter, dental hygienist or one of many other professions and would come out qualified for a job at 18 years old. And even if they could not find a job in this town, they could go anywhere to try and find one. (This was tried about 6 years ago but failed.)

The second idea comes from my childhood when I was growing up in the ‘60s (12-years-old in a small town).

I was part of the Utility Street “gang.” A new kid moved into the neighborhood and we always gave him a hard time. His mother confronted us and said, “Pick one kid my son’s size and you can fight it out in my back yard.” That kid was me, and our gang (8 kids) said, “Wow, what’s this woman doing?” Well we had the fight and after the fight she served everybody cake and ice cream! That was the end of that (all good).

So here is the second option: Lets’ have the east and west side gang members have weekly fights at La Playa stadium with no weapons just fists. Maybe have some referees to keep it clean, and we don’t want anyone killed. Charge for admission and maybe go national with a reality show on TV. This could make some real money seeing how people like to watch violence. We could even pay the gang members (real job?). I kind of like the Friday Night Fights option.

Maybe serve beer and brats while they are licking their wounds and everyone would be happy as I was with cake and ice cream.

Dave Greim Santa Barbara (Editor’s Note: Thanks for writing, Dave, enjoyed the letter. Both are interesting ideas, although I sincerely doubt we’ll be seeing City-sanctioned Friday Night Fights between rival gang members anytime soon for a fairly wide variety of reasons. (The

beer and brats are a nice addition but I don’t think they will get you over the finish line.) Vocational training for youths has more legs, if you ask me, and could really have a place in high school education if done right. Keep picking us up and letting us know what you think, we appreciate it.

– MSM)

Helping the Homeless Matt, I recently read the Casa Esperanza Homeless Center “is seeking support at the front desk and in the community kitchen. Volunteers help greet guests, answer phones and assist staff with administrative projects at the front desk. Kitchen support includes prepping food, sorting donations and serving meals for lunch and dinner.”

The causes of, and problems associated with, homelessness are varied, and there are widely differing opinions on how to best deal with individual causes and problems.

But I would hope that EVERYONE would agree that one of the goals of programs aimed at helping the homeless would be to assist those capable of regaining selfsufficiency and housing to do so. Self sufficiency generally involves earning one’s needs. As a first step, it seems Casa Esperanza should require that those of its “guests” who are capable of doing so work the front desk, sort donations and/or work at preparing and serving the food for a number of hours each week. This could instill a sense of self-confidence and could lead some to graduate to a regular job.

Having volunteers do these tasks just reinforces the sense of entitlement that too many homeless individuals seem to have. Good intentions do not always produce good results.

Donald E. Polk Santa Barbara (Editor’s Note: Thanks Donald, I generally agree. Volunteers have a place in the support system, for sure, but I don’t think that asking the folks who utilize available services to pull some weight is too much. In fact, you may be right that it’s just the type of positive opportunity that some people on the street – those who actually want to improve their circumstances and are willing to work to do so – need to get going in the right direction again. – MSM)

John’s Cranky Dear Matt, for some reason or another, I didn’t see my most recent letter regarding AB5 and the boozy articles you run in your last edition, so I’ve come up with ...continued p.23

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by Christina Enoch

There’s that Filet Mignon Carpaccio… it was a terrific surprise and thoughtful dish.

Chef Ron Blew My Mind After years of working full time for an ad agency, Christina found her passion in cooking and food.

Now armed with her newfound title, “Culinary School Graduate Food Blogger,” she writes and shares her passion for food, cooking, restaurants, photography and food styling in her popular blog, black dog :: food blog. Christina’s a proud mommy of not one but two shelter dogs and lives here in Santa Barbara with her husband. She’s also an avid Polynesian dancer, beach lover, traveler, swimmer, snowboarder and most of all, a lover of anything edible and yummy. Check out her ramblings here and at www.blackdogfoodblog.com.

The Arlington Tavern Dream Team (left to right): Matt Ready, Chef Ron True, Zach Glover and Adam Measurall.

(Nice work, guys!)

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he kitchen at Arlington Tavern holds a special place in my heart.

It was the first professional kitchen in which I ever worked – my very first culinary internship. Back then it was Epiphany with Executive Chef Erik Thurman (who taught me so much). The familiar wall on the Victoria Street side door where I used to go in with my knife kit, all flushed out of nervousness, the open kitchen, the bar where we used to drink beer after hours.

It was quite a (good) time, and I remember it fondly.

And as much as I was nostalgic from all the memories, I was super excited to head in again. I hadn’t eaten at Arlington Tavern but had heard a lot of good things about the new ownership and new chef and his apparently delightful food. I couldn’t wait to try the place out.

I walked in with my friend Susan Do – through the front door rather than that old cook’s entrance on the side – and the bar was already jamming with smiling people chatting and having fun… on a Monday.

(It’s a school night, people, pull it together!)

Very good sign right off the bat.

Past the bar, we stepped up into the dining area and were greeted warmly by Co-Owner Diego Barbieri, with his most charming smile. He must be Brazilian.

(He is.) I saw a few familiar faces as we walked by the open kitchen: Chef/CoOwner Ron True and my former culinary class mate Adam Measurall (I always

thought Adam was the best in the class).

More good signs.

I’m a bit of a chef groupie and knew immediately that there are at least two really qualified guys behind the line at AT. Chef Ron flashed a big welcoming smile and Diego walked us back to our table, chatting lightly. (What’s with this place?

Why’s everybody so happy?)

The dining room, by the way, is upscale but not pretentious. It’s also well separated from the bar so you can enjoy a meal away from your annoying drunk friends in a quieter, more intimate section if that’s your thing. (It’s mine.)

I like Arlington Tavern already; so does Susan.

And we haven’t even tried the food yet.

AT’s Food is Sexy (And They Know It) When I have an absolutely amazing dinner, I often dream of it and am usually still basking in the glow the next morning. (I call the experience a “food orgasm” due to all the grasping and moaning during the meal and the mellow contentedness thereafter. I digress.) The whole thing really transcends the simply “sitting down and eating” monotony and leaves a lasting impression.

I’m still enjoying the meal Susan and I shared at AT. It was that good.

This might be a little boring but I have to mention the Caesar Salad right off the bat. Roots Farm little gem romaine lettuce perfectly dressed in anchovy garlic Parmesan happiness. I could eat two bowls of this, every day, for the rest of my

Filet Mignon with AT potato gratin and a red wine veal reduction. Really well done.

life. Hands down, the single best Caesar I’ve had. (Not an exaggeration, it was so good that Caesar Cardini would likely shed a tear.)

Filet Mignon Carpaccio is delicate and delicious, served with wild arugula sherry shallot truffled vinaigrette. (Just have a look at the picture.) Diego paired it with Witness Tree “Chainsaw” Pinot Noir from Oregon. Wow. Nice app, nice wine.

(Nice job, Diego.)

On to AT’s famous Mac & Cheese. It’s actually one of the menu items inherited from Epiphany, my old haunt. I remember making it years ago, but I quickly recognized that they’ve tweaked the recipe for an even better result. Chef Ron uses Fusilli Lunghi for more bites and texture, Gruyere cheese for lasting flavor and – wait for it – shaved truffle. Rich and delicious is an understatement, to say the least. (Susan and I actually had an argument over the last couple bites. No shame.)

Black Cod is served with roasted trumpet mushrooms and Brussels Sprout leaves with mustard butter. It literally melts in your mouth. We see Beef Stroganoff (yeah, that’s right) flying out from the kitchen window – it was a onenight special but will soon be on the menu full-time due to wild demand and rave reviews – as we enjoy AT’s Fried Chicken (from Jidori Farms), another popular dish. Delicious, with amazing buttermilk

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SHAKE IT UP THIS SUMMER!

Chef Ron, doing his thang.

Lemon cake with blueberry compote and fresh thyme. Another delectable dessert.

Fried egg and asparagus – every spear has a story, says Chef Ron – with red wine tarragon vinaigrette.

Looks so good I could eat it. (I did.)

mashed potatoes.

Hang on a sec, I have to stop and catch my breath.

This is exhausting.

Chef Ron Pays Attention to Detail Ok, I’m better now.

Susan and I nibbled and snacked on other dishes too, and all were fantastic.

Ron – who grew up in town and has worked at terrific restaurants in NY, SF and France – shops at the Farmers’ Market twice a week and is committed to finding the very best local and sustainable ingredients. “We bring quality ingredients

into the restaurant to be sure that quality food comes out of the kitchen and onto our guests’ plates,” he told me, beaming.

“We know the story behind every piece of asparagus and every beet.” (The beet appetizer was unbelievable and deserves more than this mention. Definitely worth a try.) The kitchen at AT also makes as much as possible from scratch, including their own ketchup and mustards.

That attention to detail really shows in each and every dish. It permeates the entire experience – service was attentive but not overbearing, wine and (extensive) beer lists were thoughtfully curated with Ron’s food in mind and so on. It all fits together really well, and AT is worth checking out if you haven’t.

Sweet Tooth, Anyone?

Where was I? Oh, yes, it’s time for something sweet.

We’d had such a lovely meal up to this point that both Susan and I were betting that they’d mess up a dessert or two (these types of things happen in restaurants, it’s tough to put out a perfect meal each and every time from soup to nuts).

W were wrong.

AT’s desserts are off the chart; as good as or even better than many I’ve had at more well-known places. Don’t believe me? Try the Strawberry Upside Down Cake or the Warm Chocolate Espresso Cake. Let me know what you think.

I think I already know.

Food File Fun Facts

D

on’t want to sit down and have a formal dinner? No problem. Arlington Tavern has a ridiculously comforting bar menu. Kobe Beef Hotdog in house made bun and Crispy Pork Belly are just a couple of many favorites of happy hour goers (daily, 4 – 7pm) and late night crowd types (10pm – 12am). Happy hour has $3 beers and $5 glasses of wine, and it’s nice to sit outside on the cozy patio on a summer night. Have you ever heard of watermelon beer? (Watermelon what?) You’d better get down there now.

Arlington Tavern is at 21 West Victoria (805.

770.2626). Check out menus and happenings at www.arlingtontavern.com, or just sign up for Rob Diwa works nearby and hits AT at least twice a week for happy hour on the their newsletter for upcoming fun events. See patio. I like it, Rob, really well thought out. you AT soon!

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8•Days• a•Week We Ain’t Got Nothin’ But Love, Babe…

by Jeremy Harbin

Want to be a part of Eight Days A Week?

Space is limited, but if you have an event, exhibit, performance, book signing, sale, opening, trunk show or anything else interesting or creative that readers can attend, let us know at 805-845-1673 or email us at tim@santabarbarasentinel.com. We’ll consider all suggestions, but we will give extra consideration to unusual events and/or items, especially those accompanied by a good visual, particularly one that has yet to be published.

• Friday

me, you’ll be pleased to know that the Eyeglass Factory (1 South Milpas Street) is now not only open on Saturdays, but also open on Sundays as well. What’s more, they have a huge selection, the best prices around and a friendly, helpful staff. Tell them the Sentinel sent you.

June 28

– Terminally Chill Here’s a brief explanation of the genre descriptor “chill-wave:” When ironic detachment turned itself inside out in the early aughts, young musicians began to confess sincere admiration for yachtrockers like Christopher Cross and Hall & Oates, excavating ‘80s pop tropes and mixing them with an indie-rock sensibility. Some blogger came along, dubbing the result chill-wave, and a scene was born – and then hyped to no end, until it did end. Bands multiplied at an unsustainable rate, the bubble burst and we’re now seeing the ripple effects. Wildcat! Wildcat! is a second-wave chillwave band – more earnest, yearning and reflective, like a Justin Vernon fronting a Toro y Moi (which pretty much already exists in Gayngs) – that can still get you there; remember music from back in the good ol’ days? You know – 2011? Wildcat! Wildcat! will get SOhO (1221 State Street) dancing or gently swaying back and forth – your call – tonight at 9pm. Doors open at 7pm. $10.

• Monday

• Saturday

– Showtime

June 29

– Architecture Walk If you’d like to increase your appreciation of our beautiful downtown area, you might try today’s Architectural Walking Tour of Historic Santa Barbara. Led by docents from the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara, the tour departs from the steps of City Hall in De La Guerra Plaza (735 Anacapa Street) at 10am. So if it’s not raining and you can be on your feet for a leisurely walk that lasts about two hours, go along to learn enough about El Paseo, Meridian Studios and several other buildings to really impress your friends or family next time you’re shopping downtown. There’s also a different Sunday tour that leaves from the Public Library (40 East Anapamu Street) at 10am.

These tours run all year long.

• Sunday – See What Sunday’s Been Missing When I was looking for new glasses earlier this year, I had to do so on Saturdays and Sundays. I found out that half of the eyeglass shops in town are closed on Saturdays, and everybody’s closed on Sundays. (Quick side note to local mom-n-pop retailers of all kinds that are closed on the weekends: Why? Is business that good? You’re closed during the only two days I can patronize your stores without having to use a vacation day.) So if you prefer to do your shopping on the weekends like

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– Classically Trained

Two free, no-ticket-required events today at the Music Academy of the West (1070 Fairway Road) provide classical music lovers with an opportunity to get deeper into the music-making process. The Flute Masterclass begins at 1pm in Weinman Hall, the Brass Ensemble Masterclass at 3:15pm in Hahn. The public is welcome to sit in and watch the advanced musicians practice in a performance setting. See more information at www.musicacademy.org.

• Tuesday July 2

You should rest up for the holiday weekend ahead, so how about taking it easy tonight and catching a movie? You can pick up the Sentinel at any of our local Metropolitan Theatres. I like walking down the steps into State Street’s Fiesta 5, where I just saw This is the End. More adventurous moviegoers prone to enjoy the work of the Seth Rogen crowd will appreciate this self-aware disaster comedy.

Others simply won’t go for its often crass, dude-centric sensibility. This publication’s film critic Jim Luksic panned the movie last week, but I would argue that it should at least be admired for its singularity and weirdness – and for Michael Cera’s hilarious, show-stealing performance as a drug-crazed version of himself. I’d catch it soon if you’re interested, because it won’t be around long; I think more folks agree with Jim on this one.

• Wednesday

June 30

Saturday, June 29th 9pm - 1am

July 1

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Comedy with Carol Metcalf monday, July 1St 9pm - 10pm

July 3

– More Movies

Today marks the beginning of UCSB Arts & Lectures’ presentation of Alfred Hitchcock Nights: Eight Classic Films of Obsession, Mystery, and Suspense. The first film of the series is Vertigo, Hitchcock’s 1958 thriller about a retired detective hired to trail a friend’s wife. It starts tonight at 7:30pm in Campbell Hall on the UCSB campus, and has an encore showing tomorrow night at 8:30pm outside of the County Courthouse (1100 Anacapa Street).

The rest of the series includes classics like Rear Window, Psycho and The Birds. See the full schedule at www. artsandlectures.sa.ucsb.edu.

• Thursday July 4

– Happy Independence Day

With what might be the perfect theme for a Fourth of July Parade in Santa Barbara – America the Beautiful – the Spirit of ‘76 Association will begin its 51st annual march at 1pm today. The parade goes down State Street, starting at Micheltorena Street and ending at Cota. After the parade, head over to the County Courthouse (1100 Anacapa Street) for the Independence Day Concert. This patriotic musical event will be directed by pianist Bryan Tari, and will feature musicians from the Music Academy of the West. If you’re looking for even more America-themed celebration to start

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your day, head downtown early to see Washington on the Plaza at 11:30am in the De La Guerra Plaza (735 Anacapa Street). This is a musical drama about the Declaration of Independence fit for the whole family. George Washington himself will be there with his horse and carriage. These events are all free and open to the public. See www.spiritof76sb.org and www.santabarbarapops.org for information.

• Friday July 5

– Saxy Pics Saxon Holt, photographer and author of The American Meadow Garden, will lecture today at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s Blaksley Library (1212 Mission Canyon Road). Mr. Holt talks not only about how to take better pictures, but also how to design a garden that will photograph well. This event brings to mind that age-old question: Does a garden really exist if pictures of it aren’t posted on the internet? The answer, of course, is no, it does not. In that light, $30 for members and $45 for non-members is a small price to pay for this public service. A book signing will follow. See www.sbbg.org for more information on tonight’s lecture and on tomorrow’s pricier, longer, more participatory event with Mr. Holt.

• Saturday July 6

– All Kinds of Music What kind of music do you like? “Everything but rap and country,” you say? Everything?! Perfect, because that leaves the only other three types of music – blues, rock and pop – and that’s what we’ll be hearing tonight. At the Carrillo Recreation Center (100 East Carrillo Street), the Santa Barbara Blues Society presents Grammy-winning guitarist Albert Lee. Doors are at 7pm and the music starts shortly thereafter. Tickets begin at $30 and include free BBQ and free childcare. That’s good; the flyer boasts a “large spring-loaded dance floor” – obviously no place for children. See www.sbblues.org for more information.

To cover our other musical genres, there’s Freakin’ on Speakers, The Raven and the Writing Desk, and Little Indian at Muddy Waters (508 East Haley Street). Bluesy bar rockers Freakin’ on Speakers are from right here in Santa Barbara, Little Indian used to be, and The Raven and the Writing Desk brings its wistful cabaret-rock all the way from Denver, Colorado. So, support your local scene. $8 at 8pm.

– Meet Your Makers

Meet Your Makers is an artisan market that takes things to the next level for those interested in knowing where their food comes from: You won’t simply know your goods were produced locally, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with the folks responsible for their production. So head downtown to Plaza de Vera Cruz Park on East Cota Street between Anacapa and Santa Barbara streets to meet not only makers of artisanal health food, but also makers of art, craft, apparel and more. This event reoccurs every Saturday between today and September 21 from 9am to 2pm. Free. See www.meetyourmakers.org for more information.

• Sunday July 7

– Solo Show On display at the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum starting today and going through September 8 is Dasha Shishkin: erry icket. Shishkin is a New York City-based artist who draws on large mylar surfaces with mixed media. She’s a graduate of Columbia University and the New School

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for Social Research, and has recently been showing her work at art venues across the country. The gallery is open from 11am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5pm on Sunday. Find it at 653 Paseo Nuevo. Free.

• Monday July 8

– Wine Time Is it just me or does this week seem longer than usual? I suggest we take this Monday off and wind down with a nice glass of wine. In order to do that, we should probably stop by the Winehound at 3849 State Street in La Cumbre Plaza. They’ve got a huge selection in every price range and an experienced, researched staff ready to pair you up with the perfect bottle. And a motto like “plenty of space for wine, but no room for snobbery” is one I can get behind. Cheers.

• Tuesday July 9

– Farmers and Fleas There’s a couple of markets open today to you, the consumer. Of the flea variety we have the Early Bird Flea Market today at 7am to 6pm at the Earl Warren Showgrounds (3400 Calle Real). Over 70 vendors will be there pedaling their wares of all kinds. Parking and admission are free. This event reoccurs every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

And in the farmers camp we have the Santa Barbara Farmers Market today on the 500 to 600 blocks of State Street. This social market will be full of fresh produce and maybe even some entertainment.

4pm to 7:30pm. Free and reoccurring weekly.

• Wednesday July 10

– Bob Seger’s Favorite Run Nite Moves is a swimming, running and biathlon event that takes place every Wednesday night at 6pm at Leadbetter Beach. Athletes will appreciate the scenic course. Significant others of athletes (that’s me) will appreciate the beer, bands and buffet offered after the course has been run. Fitness, community, natural beauty, libations: I think it’s safe to say this is a uniquely Santa Barbaran good time. Check out www.runsantabarbara.com for more information and to register as a participant.

• Thursday July 11

– I Heart Oldies Surely inspired by everyone’s favorite band at Woodstock Sha Na Na, Captain Cardiac and the Coronaries started up their oldies revival act in 1972. Their party-rock standards have taken them all over the world, and even to the Super Bowl. They’ll play those ‘50s and ‘60s hits at Chase Palm Park (236 East Cabrillo Boulevard) at 6:30pm tonight. Captain Cardiac has played the city’s Concerts in the Park series before, entertaining a crowd of almost 5,000 people. Bring food and the kids to this free event.

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Opinion, stories, events, and people that shape Santa Barbara

A California Budget With A Poor Outcome: Limiting Transparency and Disclosure

by Sharon Byrne

T

here’s been a lot of good press coming out of Sacramento about Governor Brown’s balancing of the California budget, and even coming out with a surplus. It reads like we’ve finally turned a corner in this state, and are back on the road to being the leader and economic power we were always meant to be.

This year’s budget bill, much lauded as good fiscal management with quite a bit of ‘trust me’ positioning, also came with an unexpected trailer that has some serious consequences. It was going to gut the Public Record Act. It was one of those state-kicking-it-downto-the-local-community maneuvers that Sacto has become very fond of in our recent spate of tight years. Governments get very clever with accounting when things get super tight. They also like seizing back funds from the local community for the state.

Witness what happened with RDA. Reporters, watchdog groups and others use the Public Record Act to gain access

to information, such as what officials are paid, crime rates in geographic areas, and so on. The state mandates this, so the state pays for it by reimbursing localities for the information provided.

The budget bill trailer would have made local compliance with public information requests an optional “best practice.” The state is no longer funding that access, so jurisdictions that don’t intend to comply with the best practice idea should just simply announce that at their next public hearing, and be done with it.

No more public information on demand, so no transparency in government in California any longer.

Had it passed, you would never have known that the Bell city administrator had given himself a 47% raise to $442,000, or that their police chief was in line to get a $510,000 annual pension, making him the second highest pensioner in California.

The city of Bell could have just refused to release those records to any prying

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members of the public or news media.

That would have been a major blow for transparency and disclosure as a matter of conducting the public’s business.

Both our representatives voted for it.

Well-Paid Public “Servants” Luckily, the state press started making a huge stink about it, and Assembly Speaker Perez was backpedaling furiously a mere day later, with Governor Brown completely backing away from it before the week was out. Now he’s on the swift path to political recovery in proposing a constitutional amendment to that behemoth tome to protect the Public Record Act forever and require local governments to foot the bill for compliance with it.

Mission accomplished. Public Records Act is preserved forever by the state. Costs punted to the localities.

It’s a mighty twisty road to victory in Sacramento at times.

Also in front of the Legislature is California Constitutional Amendment 8, co-authored by Assembly Rep Das Williams. This one drops the current requirement of two-thirds of the voters to issue a general obligation bond down to 55%. General obligation bonds are issued by localities and paid for by property owners. Dropping the twothirds requirement makes it easier to pass a bond, obviously, giving those who don’t own property greater ability to tax those who do. Given the dire fiscal state of some of our cities, and the bankruptcies of Stockton and San Bernardino, maybe giving them increased ability to incur more debt isn’t the most ideal course.

Sharon Byrne

Sharon Byrne is executive director for the Milpas Community Association, and currently serves on the Advisory Boards for the Salvation Army Hospitality House and Santa Barbara County Alcohol and Drug Problems.

sbview.com Given that California’s tax rate makes it ever harder to live and do business here, maybe greasing the skids for localities to raise taxes even higher is not the smartest move the legislature could make in terms of helping revive our state’s economy.

Then again, when has the legislature concerned itself with our economy? If they did concern themselves, they’d cease and desist strangling it immediately. That would presume they know that when the economy is thumping, the coffers are filling, and they can get back to spending.

So crank up that economy, right?

Clearly I’ve presumed too much.

I am all for California saving money and eliminating wasteful spending. So there’s this other little factoid sticking in my craw.

As a reward for things like attempting to gut the Public Record Act, legislators will now make more money than about 85% of full-time workers in the state they govern, according to the Sacramento Bee. The median pay for full-time California workers was roughly $47,000 in 2011.

Legislators will soon make $95,291 a year, after they get a recently approved $5,000 pay increase, billed as ‘restorations’ of pay cuts previously taken.

News flash: Those of us working for a living, and a bunch that want to, still haven’t seen ‘restoration’ of our pre-2008 wages. Until this state is thrumming with economic prosperity, legislators don’t automatically deserve goodies before the rest of us see them.

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...continued from p.5 It’s little surprising, then, that as a whole, we’re more cynical, less trusting of Big Government and Corporate America, and view sweeping solutions with healthy skepticism. We tend to run conservative, though not the Religious Right Pro-Life brand. Spare us the idealism and ‘save the world’ rhetoric. Fix the problems, here and now. Gen X’s marching orders could be summed up as: Just Deal With It. Gen X is starting to move on the national stage, in the form of Rubio, Ryan, and others. We hold 87 Congressional seats. Boomers hold 277. Most of the newly elected Congressional Xers came from successful business careers. They haven’t yet found their stride, but they are stepping up to try to solve problems. Watch for this. It will be our hallmark. Watch for crossing lines too. Gen X strategy typically favors ‘move the ball forward’ over ‘hold the line.’ Also note the swell of Indy voters, indicating a strong disdain for the current two-party stalemate.

Boomers believed they could change the world, and the world did indeed change for them. When you’re the massive majority, you sweep everyone else along with you every time.

Gen X is saddled with being the clean-up crew left to deal with the fallout from the Big Boomer party. Maybe this read into our collective consciousness sounds a little bleak. But our experiences with surviving repeat fallout make us a bunch of tough, determined, pragmatic realists. Considering the state of our nation, and of our state, things aren’t looking too good for the home team here…pragmatic fix-it types are likely just what the doctor ordered.

So, to our idealistic Boomer elders, make some room on the stage now, will you, because there are certainly plenty of problems for the Gen X clean-up crew to deal with.

We also need to help our Millennial brothers and sisters, and our children, find their way to a bright future full of opportunity and promise.

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MAZZA’S MISSIVE

so cute, so wonderful, I remember it like it was yesterday. “McConnell’s, right after swimming.”

And she swam away, focused, no doubt, on a sinfully delicious single scoop of mint chip in a cone.

So it was. McConnell’s after swimming became our family ritual, one we continued, unabashedly, unremorsefully, with Kate when she came along and initially despised swimming as much as her sister. (Either that or she was playing us for ice cream. Whatever.)

Yeah sure, go ahead, judge me. Judge me for bribing my kids.

I’ll bet you they’re better swimmers than yours.

by Matt Mazza

I Scream, You Scream…

McConnell’s Pastry Chef Jordan Thomas, working hard to perfect that blueberry-lemon compote. (Almost there, Jordan!)

Home grown and widely known, McConnell’s is coming to State Street. Get ready.

M

y daughter Lily hated swimming lessons at first. Passionately. And she let the entire world know

about it.

I’d jump in the pool, happy daddy, all smiles and Mr. Fun. But the moment I’d reach for my kid, she’d wail and squirm and scream and fight like some tiny little death wraith from hell on the pool deck.

Wendi would sooth and calm, gently, and I’d keep up the wide-eyed toothy grin of the lunatic, begging her to come into the water voluntarily like some sort of (topless) deranged circus barker on a watery midway.

People would watch. They’d whisper.

Smirk.

Judge.

We saw them. We remember.

It was my own personal version of hell, right there in the echo-chamber that is the Vista del Monte indoor swimming area, twice a week.

And so it went, lesson after lesson, week after week. Even after we’d get her in the water, Lily would find something new to despise about swimming and scream and cry, arms flailing, legs kicking (“that’s good, honey, almost like you’re swimming”), back arched unnaturally in an effort to escape my slippery grasp.

And then, one day, everything changed.

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All at once. Just like that.

No, my beautiful first-born didn’t suddenly take to the water like some tiny, cherub-esque baby dolphin. She didn’t have some spontaneous change of heart.

I bribed her. And it worked.

“Baby, pleeeease, if you just stop screaming, we’ll go get ice cream after class. Pleeeeeease.”

She stopped screaming and stared, quizzically.

“Ice cream, daddy?” (She was two.)

“Yeah, baby, whatever you want.

McConnell’s ice cream. Just kick your legs like I showed you.”

She did it. And she shot through the damned water like a little Missy Franklin.

It was amazing.

Then her little head popped up; she had a big smile on her face, and her eyes were red from obscenely high levels of chlorination and ten minutes of serious crying. And she looked back at me, peacefully, lovingly: “Connell’s, daddy?”

“Yeah baby,” I was near tears with pride and relief and exhaustion and she looked

Home Grown McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams is a Santa Barbara icon. Gordon “Mac” McConnell started it here nearly 70 years ago after falling in love with quality ice creams in Europe after WWII. Mac basically single-handedly revolutionized ice cream in Santa Barbara, designing and building (in his own garage, no less) a special machine – called a Hybrid French Pot – to make wonderfully creamy and delightful concoctions. He focused solely on quality ingredients, sourced locally, and sought to control each and every aspect of ice cream manufacturing to ensure that only the finest components and processes were used, thereby yielding the finest ice creams known to mankind.

Many would argue that old Mac succeeded.

He died, too soon, in the early ‘sixties, leaving behind a wife, Ernesteen (who still lives in town to this day), and family, and McConnell’s was sold to locals Jim and Jeney McCoy, who continued the tradition for nearly fifty years. In fact, it was the McCoys who moved production ...continued p.18

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...continued from p.14 to the old dairy at the corner of Milpas and De La Guerra, where McConnell’s is still made today.

But it’s not the McCoys who are making it anymore.

Local food and wine dynamic duo Michael Palmer and Eva Ein – of Stella Mare’s and Café Stella fame – purchased McConnell’s from the McCoys in early 2012, and have spent the past 18 months working hard to recreate the perfect ice cream in the Mac McConnell tradition.

“We’re like a seventy-year-old startup,” Michael told me as we snacked on a luxurious and homemade almond-toffee crunch in McConnell’s test kitchen. “I grew up coming to McConnells as a kid, and we are really driven to craft the finest product from the finest locally sourced ingredients, just as Mac did when he started the business.”

Michael’s not lying. His enthusiasm (obsession?) with ice cream – everything from constituent ingredients to machinery and process and everything else that happens from farm to finished product – is infectious. And as he took me through the dairy production facility, I was, frankly, amazed at how much thought and effort goes into the delicious product I bribed my kids with all those years ago.

“We’re one of the oldest ice cream manufacturers around,” Michael continued, “and we’re the oldest artisan ice cream company in America. We’re all about local, sustainable, organic ingredients of the highest possible quality – we even pasteurize our own milk from cows grazing on grass up in Gaviota – and really always have been. Mac started something over nearly seven decades ago that the rest of the market is just catching up to now. It’s amazing, when you think about it.”

Indeed. The entire operation is very cool, folks, and it’s all going down right here on Milpas and De La Guerra.

“McConnell’s really sets itself apart from other ice cream manufacturers,” Michael’s into it now, exuding pride with his product, “by both our ingredients and our unparalleled process. But our real advantage is the people behind the ice cream. That’s the secret sauce, and it cannot be duplicated. Period.”

Right again. I won’t bore you with details about process here but believe me when I say that it’s painstaking and singularly unique, involving specially designed machinery and a wild blast freezer that blew my mind. Everything – everything – is done by hand. My gut is that the whole thing is likely inefficient from a business and economics perspective, but the (creamy, delightful) results speak for themselves.

And the people actually doing it by hand are, as Michael said, a pretty special group.

There are lots of examples – Charley Price, a recent addition and twentyyear dairy and ice cream specialist (“We needed a dairy insider,” Michael explained with a straight face), de facto creative

director Tom Stanley, Michael and Eva themselves with a long history in quality food and winemaking – but perhaps the best are the guys on the ground floor, the guys actually making the ice cream that we all get to enjoy. Master Ice Cream Maker and Plant Manager Mike Vierra (he’s one of only a handful of Masters in the world) has been with McConnell’s for over 34 years and he’s still going strong, and Senior Ice Cream Maker Alberto Campusano has been making ice cream at McConnell’s for 25 years.

That’s a lot of experience in every cup or cone.

And you can taste it in every bite.

A New Era In Local Ice Cream There’s more good news. McConnell’s is soon opening a flagship store right in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, at 728 State Street. “We’re a local business, always have been, and we really wanted to celebrate that fact in every way possible.

I’ve walked State Street from Stearns Wharf up through the 1200 block – Mac’s first shop in 1950 was at State and Mission – and knew that there was really one place we wanted to be for a variety of reasons. That was 728 State, and when it became available, we jumped on it.”

It’s a perfect spot, really. Across from local fave Pascucci, the location already had a kitchen and good bones for an ice cream store (parlor?) – it was Jitters and other coffee houses for years – and Michael and the team are in the midst of a full redesign-remodel, working primarily with local artisans and craftsmen. I won’t spoil the surprise, but my feeling is that McConnell’s is building something special inside 728 State, something that we can all enjoy and take pride in right there in the commercial center of town.

“We all love that we are bringing a longtime local business to State Street,” said Michael. “There are others, of course, but we are thrilled to add to that community and really hope to be a place where people from all around can come and enjoy a piece of Santa Barbara.”

A delicious piece of Santa Barbara, Michael. I can personally say that with certainty after sampling… oh, I don’t know, the Turkish Coffee flavor (made with three distinct beans curated by Michael himself ), for example, that turned from simple tasting to quasireligious experience at the first bite. The Dark Chocolate Paso Brittle (Eva blind tasted 26 chocolates for use in various McConnell’s recipes, and this one is done in partnership with Paso Almonds out of, you guessed it, Paso Robles) and Churros con Leche (homemade churros folded into a rich cinnamon ice cream) are also amazing.

By the time we got to the kitchen area in the new shop, I was definitely ready for more.

“You guys want to try some of my latest

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world.”

Nothing like setting the bar high, Michael, right on. I dig your enthusiasm and your energy, man, and am confident that you will continue to serve well the brand and culture that Mac McConnell started right here in town all those years ago.

In fact, the proof of your successful stewardship is already in the pudding… er, ah, the ice cream. Lily just had her first swim meet up in Ojai and I promised her McConnell’s in the new store if she tried her hardest.

So she did. And I’ll be damned, she won each and every stroke in her age group.

Thanks McConnell’s, I guess I’ll be seeing you soon.

J U N E 2 8 – J U LY 1 2 | 2 0 1 3 |

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STUFF I LIKE I genuinely enjoyed my time with Michael Palmer and his crew at McConnell’s Fine Ice That’s Senior Ice Cream Maker Alberto Campusano at “the spigot,” Creams. These people have a which is currently disseminating the quite creamy and wonderful shared dream, a big one, and Turkish Coffee. Wow. it’s intoxicating. I encourage chocolate sauce?” asked a smiling Jordan everybody out there to check out Thomas, who’d been spending the day McConnell’s website (www.mcconnells. com) – it’s been redone and is pretty cool – preparing for Solstice. and then get into the new store at 728 State No brainer.

Jordan, a friend of Michael and Eva’s Street as soon as it opens (looks like middaughter Bella (who also works at July). Try that Turkish Coffee, it’s amazing, McConnell’s, which continues to be a as are all the other flavors I tasted.

I also like the Fourth of July and true family business in all senses), was on her way to study as a pastry chef at there is much happening around town, culinary school in San Francisco when she including an appearance by George Washington (a look-a-like, I assume) was lured to the kitchen at McConnell’s.

She can make one hell of a chocolate at De La Guerra Plaza in a free familyfriendly musical drama that starts around sauce.

Her blueberry-lemon compote is 11:30am. Sounds fun (and, perhaps, terrific as well (especially with some of educational). Check out 8+ Days a Week the coconut she was toasting). And that for more good stuff, and get out there and celebrate our collective heritage. almond-toffee crunch I tried was divine.

Finally, I like taking an occasional “Everything is made from scratch at McConnell’s,” she and Michael explained, break. We only do it twice a year, I swear, “from the ice cream to the chocolate sauce and next week is one of them. So have a and all the other inclusions and sauces great holiday and early July, we’ll be back and accompaniments. This goes way on July 12 with all sorts of fun stuff.

While we’re gone, please don’t forget to beyond sprinkles.”

That type of thinking and passion stop in and see Michael, the Willy Wonka really permeates everything I saw during of the ice cream world (I couldn’t help my time with Michael and his band of myself), when McConnell’s opens its new merry ice cream makers. (Anecdotally, shop. Should be a hoot, with great treats to I was going to do a whole Willy Wonka boot… so go celebrate and spend some loot.

Peace, everybody, see you soon. analogy – it fits in many ways – but I eventually decided that Michael is not actually insane, as it appears Mr. Wonka may be, so I left it alone and went with the swimming lesson experience instead.

Hope you like it. And Michael, if you install a glass elevator with lots of buttons somewhere underneath the giant cow Write Common App and UC Essays that graces your dairy, I’m doing another Week-long Sessions, June-August column.)

Small groups with And it fits well with the shared goal, experienced counselors, editors which is unapologetically repeated like a www.collegeconsult.org mantra, crystal clear: 805 453-2240 “To make the very best ice cream in the

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The Weekly Capitalist

by Jeff Harding

Jeff Harding publishes The Daily Capitalist, a blog on economics and finance. He is the president of Montecito Analytics, LLC, and is a real estate investor who lives in Montecito.

Security Leaks and the Slippery Slope

L

et’s say that it’s 2033. We can now look back 20 years since it was revealed that the government began spying on its own people. Would you guess that (1) we would be safer or (2) things would be about the same as today or (3) the government has more, sweeping powers to control our speech and actions in the name of national security yet without actually providing more security?

Before we jump into that speculation let me make a bold pronouncement: Our

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government lies to us. Can we believe what they tell us about their intelligence activities? No. There are too many examples of this, but a recent and telling one is this exchange in March 2013 between Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and James Clapper, head of the National Security Agency (NSA). Wyden, a member of the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence was trying to get Clapper to answer his question on domestic spying: WYDEN: “Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?”

CLAPPER: “No, sir.”

WYDEN (appearing surprised): “It does not?”

CLAPPER: “Not wittingly. There are cases where they could inadvertently, perhaps, collect, but not wittingly.”

Enter whistleblower Edward Snowden who revealed that Mr. Clapper lied under oath to protect a vast secret domestic spying program.

Before you pick up a rotten tomato to throw at me, let me say that I believe that secrecy is needed for foreign intelligence operations. If there is one legitimate function of government it is to protect us from foreign forces that would wish to harm us given the chance.

But, and this is a biggie, the operative word here is “foreign.” The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

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The Fourth Amendment has been tested and upheld time and again over the last 200 years, each case giving nuance to its specific words. It was adopted because our colonial forbearers didn’t

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like British troops rummaging through their homes whenever they felt like it.

Basically, searches of U.S. citizens must be supported by a warrant issued by a judge who insures that the search is “legal.”

Now we are told by Mr. Snowden that our government is rummaging through all of our phone calls, all of our email, IM, tweets and Facebook pages. He says all this data is stored away and can be dragged up at any time to build a case against a target (you?).

I hear a lot of people reacting to this revelation with, “Hey I’ve got nothing to hide, who cares? Catch the bad guys.” In

“This kind of centralized power has been the road to perdition in the vast majority of cases throughout history. If you think we’re different, you would be wrong.” fact the latest poll out (Pew) says that 56% of Americans favor domestic telephone surveillance to protect us from terrorist attacks.

To those of you who don’t see this as a threat to personal liberty, let me pose a question to you. Can you name any government that was given similar secret powers that didn’t eventually abuse that power to the detriment of its citizens and their liberty? I’m sure some wag out there will come up with an example, but the point is that this kind of centralized power has been the road to perdition in the vast majority of cases throughout history. If you think we’re different, you would be wrong.

This secret surveillance power was given to the government by itself, i.e., by Congress, so don’t expect them to come to our rescue. Our politicians, Right and Left, supported the enabling legislation of this domestic spy system. Members of both parties are calling for Edward Snowden’s head.

The government, especially our President, says that this secret domestic spy program is entirely “legal” (there’s that word again) and that it is only aimed at foreigners, and, to get specific information for a search on a U.S. citizen, it must get a warrant from the FISA court, a secret court created under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. By “secret” I mean that the procedure is held in complete secrecy attended by government attorneys and a judge of the court. The records are sealed and it is almost impossible to find out what happened.

Edward Snowden has done a very brave thing. As was pointed out recently, we get

most of our valuable information about government abuses through leakers like Snowden. It reminds me of the Pentagon Papers leaked by analyst Daniel Ellsberg during the Vietnam War. The document chronicled how presidents Kennedy and Johnson lied big lies about how we got into the war and what they were doing up to that time (1971). They went after Ellsberg, but he prevailed.

Nixon, of course, famously used IRS data to go after those on his enemies list. W. Bush was actually conducting warrantless spying on U.S. citizens until that came into the light. Obama has gone after the press for revealing classified information.

The most recent case being the AP and Fox News investigations where the government got emails and phone records of the reporters involved. The bottom line is that all presidents lie to us. Some more than others, of course, but it is done on a wide scale to achieve political ends.

Here is the dilemma. The government always, always claims that such leaks are detrimental to national security. They do so whether or not such detriment exists especially when the information proves embarrassing to them, like when they are caught in a lie.

The claim that such searches are legal is a joke because the government can define what is legal. The true test is whether or not the government is violating the Fourth Amendment. It is clear that domestic spying violates the Constitution.

I say that leaks by whistleblowers are one of the few ways we citizens can discover how the government is violating the Constitution and trampling our rights. Rather than being vilified by kneejerk politicians and their cronies, they should be thanked. Unfortunately it looks like Edward Snowden is up to his neck in trouble and that the full force of the government will come down hard on him, à la Bradley Manning. The ACLU has already filed a lawsuit on this issue and it will go to the Supreme Court.

So here we are in 2033. What do you think the outcome will be if domestic spying is deemed legal (constitutional)?

I think we are headed for door No. 3, where we will be no safer than we are today (the Boston bombers still got through despite this huge spy network).

I think that spying on Americans will be commonplace and that we’ll all be looking over our shoulders, concerned about what we might do or say to offend the government. It may be that by then the threat from terrorists will be over, but don’t worry there will always be some excuse in the name of national security to keep us under the microscope. Perhaps it won’t be an Orwellian nightmare, but it doesn’t take much imagination to see that our liberties will be degraded and the State will be much more powerful. Then superimpose those facts against the thrust of history (almost an axiom), which is that ultimate power corrupts. And that never ends well for a free society.

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with Mark Léisuré

Mark spends much of his time wandering Santa Barbara and environs, enjoying the simple things that come his way.

A show here, a benefit there, he is generally out and about and typically has a good time. He says that he writes “when he feels the urge” and doesn’t want his identity known for fear of an experience that is “less than authentic.” So he remains at large, roaming the town, having fun. Be warned.

Concerts in the Park

T

here’s really nothing like hearing music outdoors.

The Live Oak Festival proves that every Father’s Day weekend, when the ambiance at the oak-studded campground makes even pedestrian bands comes across as far more fun than they really are. The Santa Barbara Bowl, of course, is a real jewel among amphitheaters, renowned for its beauty and location as well as a slew of should-be-too-big-to-play-here acts that have graced its glory.

Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin fame makes another appearance with his latest outfit with riveting opener Grace Potter and the Nocturnals this Friday (June 28), for example, while the legendary cool-hipsters Steely Dan are due back again August 20, Depeche Mode – whose guitarist/songwriter Martin Gore lives in Montecito – checks in on September 24, rising folk-rock faves The Lumineers step up to the venue on September 26, and Thom Yorke’s Atoms for Peace pay a return visit on October 17.

But tickets to those venues can prove a bit pricey, not to mention fees for parking, food and drinks. Which is why Concerts in the Park remains yours truly’s favorite mini-festival for frolicking in the sun while taking in some tunes. Lounging around in the late afternoon sun listening to lively music is Mr. Leisure’s idea of tons of fun.

The series began earlier this week with a 19-piece New Orleans band – hey I’m a man of leisure, not punctuality – but there are still five more shows in the series that takes place at Chase Palm Park, right across the street from the beach just a couple blocks from Stearns Wharf.

The parking is free, if you can find a spot on the street, or just $3 in one of the city lots. And you’re guaranteed not to get gouged on food and drinks, since they don’t sell any there. In fact, you’re encouraged to bring your own picnic dinner to enjoy on the gently-sloped lawn in the park as the bands play from 6-8:30pm on these warm evenings.

There’s no show this first week of our fortnight issue in deference to July 4 (and we expect to see you somewhere along the beachfront taking in the superb fireworks display launched from West Beach), but July 11 brings the return of Captain Cardiac and the Coronaries, who both dress the part (shiny red suits) and go over the top with their campy, fun version of ‘60s and ‘70s rock ‘n’ roll. Santa Barbara’s freakiest funk band, the Soul City

Survivors, play July 18, Dona Oxford does funky boogie-woogie on July 25, local rock bands play on August 8 after a week off for Fiesta (and again we expect to see you at Dignatarios at the Zoo), and the series closes on August 15 with R&B queen Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps.

Pick Polo Become a Member!  Exclusive Automobile Club  Located in Downtown Santa Barbara www.HangarSB.com Looking for more outdoor events on the cheap? Polo might be thought of as the sport of kings, but it only takes a ten spot to get in to see some of the best players (and their ponies) in the world just down the 101 at the Santa Barbara Polo Club. High-goal season – which means the teams are stocked with the best players of the summer – begins July 3 and runs through September 1, and admission is a mere $10 on Sunday afternoons, and absolutely free on Fridays. Even if you don’t care about the sport and aren’t a big fan of horses, it’s worth checking out just for the people watching.

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Showtimes are every day except Mondays through July 6. And Circle Bar B Dinner Theatre is showing The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde’s fanciful frolic full of fantastic wordplay that is a must for fans of Downton Abbey. It plays Fridays-Sundays through July 14 in the converted barn at the working ranch, which is indoors, but the Santa Mariastyle BBQ takes place on the beautiful patio outside the main house.

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PUMP IT

by Jenny Schatzle

Fitness Professional/Life Motivator Jenny Schatzle runs the popular Jenny Schatzle Bootcamp right here in Santa Barbara. N.A.S.M , Cardio Kickboxing and SPIN Certified, Jenny was recently awarded Best Outdoor Fitness Program in town. Her motivation, energy and enthusiasm have created a community and program of all ages and fitness levels that cannot be described. It has to be experienced! Free on Saturdays at 8:30am. Go to www.jennyschatzle.com for details.

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“I

nch by inch is a cinch; yard by yard is hard.”

I love that saying, mostly because it’s just true. And it’s just true perhaps nowhere more so than in the health and fitness world.

Most people start a new fitness program thinking and saying that they can get it all done at once, fast, and then go back to old habits. (They die hard, don’t they?) But that’s just not the case. If you try to tackle all your goals at once, then you might find yourself having a tough time. In fact, my experience is that many who start out that way won’t stay with it for the long haul, and that’s really what this is all about.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: This is a lifestyle, people, and it takes commitment and fortitude to stick with it and make the changes needed to realize most of those health and fitness goals we all set for ourselves.

It just doesn’t come overnight.

And so we go, inch by inch, always closer to realizing success. My program is designed to (and will) get you lean and mean and fit, that’s true, but my main goal is creating a lifestyle change that will keep you healthy and fit for good. By breaking it down into steps and making small changes on a weekly basis (an inch at a time!), you can and will achieve a sustainable, maintainable and enjoyable combination of nutrition and fitness that leads to a physically, mentally and emotionally happy life.

Now I know that life is perfect for some of you out there and you don’t need change.

(Can I get a show of hands?) But for most of us that’s not the case. So let’s break it down and commit to making one change a week. Then let’s FOLLOW THROUGH (see last week’s article) and make it happen.

What’s the change for this week? It’s simple. Make time to work out every day (and then actually do it). That’s it.

See? It’s a cinch if you do it inch by inch.

Here’s our workout.

(Next up, I’m taking the workout to the kitchen. So stay tuned.)

Warm-up:

Jumping jacks – 30 seconds Jog in place – 30 seconds Squats – 10 Push-ups – 10 Plank - 30 seconds Repeat for total of 3 rounds

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Workout:

S et a timer for 20 minutes and do as many rounds as possible of the following: Bicep curls – 40 (use weights, bands or milk cartons!)

Bicycles – 30 (abs) Pop-ups – 20 Tricep push-ups – 10

That’s it. As always, if you have any questions about anything (or you want more or need a little motivation), please feel free to contact me directly at 805.698.6080 or jenny@jennyschatzle.com. And remember, make the time this week. That’s (almost) always the first step!

Write Jenny a letter (letters@santabarbarasentinel.com) or contact her directly with any questions at jenny@jennyschatzle.com. And go get ‘em, the Sentinel is rooting for you.

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...continued from p.7 another: Per Sharon Byrne’s May 31 Guerilla Gardening story in the Sentinel (Vol. 2, Issue 21), she more or less proved she’s an idiot.

I’m familiar with the Municipal Tennis Center and the “No Dumping” signs aren’t ominous, rarely is broken glass there, the nearby “liquor store,” where “products are immediately consumed in the area,” Mi Fiesta Market & Deli, is a grocery and convenience store, gang types don’t loiter there nightly, and the area, prior to Tim Steele’s fix-up, wasn’t all that barren, and certainly not dangerous. The worst I’ve seen is occasional drug dealing, which is taken care of quickly, and tagging, also taken care of right away.

Finally, Adapt-A-Park-type [sic] programs have been available in the City and County of Santa Barbara for some time now; see: http://www. santabarbaraca.gov/Recycling-Trash/ clean-community/programs/index. h t m l , h t t p : / / w w w. s a n t a b a r b a r a c a . gov/Resident/Community/ Community_Beautification/ Contact_Information.htm,and http://countyofsb.org/parks/parks01. aspx?id=7552 Sharon, don’t expect a Pulitzer anytime soon.

John Seymour Santa Barbara (Editor’s Note: First and foremost, John, we ran a letter from you reflecting your positions on AB5 and adult beverage articles in the Sentinel just a few weeks back. (See Hate for the Homeless, Vol. 2, Issue 21.) I received your second letter but, frankly, it said nothing different in any material respect than your first, so we didn’t run it. If you really want to know what I’d have said to your second (cantankerous) letter, please just go back and read my earlier response. I’ll let Sharon take it from here. – MSM) (Dear John, are you the same guy that wrote in a few weeks ago about how I might need to consider that I may too become homeless? I work 3 jobs, buddy, including writing for the Sentinel, and am starting a business on the side. I am making damned sure I never become homeless. I am a single mom, a renter, and regularly put in 16hour days and weekends.

What’s your story?

I’d have preferred to know a little something about you before responding.

I’d like to know if you have any street cred

with working with any of the issues our city faces before you went off and attacked someone who has put in some serious hours on same: Me. Re AB 5: You clearly didn’t get what I wrote in Wrong Headed “Rights” (Vol. 2, Issue 19). So here’s the reader’s digest version: My problem with AB 5 is that it was a pissing contest waged by an Assemblyman whose ego just could not allow Rhode Island to one-up California in making symbolic gestures. Instead of putting out a real solution for the state with the nation’s most serious homeless issue, he threw out a wish list of stuff that does nothing to actually fix the problem of homelessness, and had zero funding behind it. So anyone can trot out a wish list with no way to pay for it, as you have done. And you deliberately dismissed my apprehension with such an irresponsibly drafted piece of chicanery dressed up as legislation as “hate.” When you have some solid, well thought-out ideas, I might be willing to listen, but this is a pretty poor start on your part to conducting such a conversation.

Re Guerilla Gardening: Nice links.

Too bad they connect to Looking Good Santa Barbara. It happens that I sit on the Looking Good Committee and have been doing neighborhood clean-up work for years. You clearly don’t know anything about that organization, but I’ll help you out once again: graffiti reduction efforts, litter reduction and pick-up, and neighborhood clean-ups. These are all things that empower neighbors to help take care of their neighborhoods. But parks are handled by the City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation staff – totally different department. Nice link to the county parks website, though totally useless in this case, as they don’t own the municipal courts. The city does.

By the way, Steele was adopting a park, not “adapting” it. Perhaps that was a Freudian slip on your part.

You wrote that you noticed problems at that park. Did you do anything about them? Or just watch passively, as they were taken care of by others?

Perhaps I’ll see you at a neighborhood clean-up, planting, graffiti removal effort, or other community-building event.

You know, one of those activities where people actually work on problems in our community.

It’s a far more productive outlet than

Muller & Go s s

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Beeeeeeeeefy.

writing snarky letters to the editor. – Sharon Byrne)

Bahn Mi Beefer Temptation Matt, just a follow-up-photo-taunt on a beautiful Friday afternoon as I’m enjoying my made-to-order Bahn Mi Beefer and favorite paper! One day soon, I will try The Blue Owl’s homemade spicy iced mocha. For now, though, I’m looking forward to reading about

your post-Solstice indulgence next issue.

Happy Summer!

Michelle Miller Santa Barbara (Editor’s Note: You’re the anti-Schatzle, Michelle, tempting me with your beefy delight. I sincerely doubt that sandwich fits into my weekly meal plan… but I will definitely try one soon. And the spicy iced mocha sounds great as well. Thanks for the photo, keep reading (and eating). Happy Summer! – MSM)

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by Zach Rosen

Good Beer Gone Bad

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have spent a lot of time here talking about good beer. Now it’s time to discuss what happens when good beer goes bad.

Beer’s value is not in its rarity but in its fragility. Heat, sun and even physical agitation will damage beer’s characteristics.

As soon as the beer leaves the brewery it is beginning to age. Over time the flavors will stale or “oxidize.” And although some beers age like (or even better than) a fine wine, most brews are meant to be drunk fresh.

Once you realize how to detect oxidized beer you will begin to see how common old (or “bad”) beer is. It can be disheartening to realize how much stale beer is on the shelf and this knowledge can lead to an ongoing quest for fresh brew. Ignorance is in fact often bliss, especially when it comes to identifying bad beer.

So choose wisely before reading on.

Stale Flavors and “Born On” Dates First, it is necessary to discuss what it means for a beer to be oxidized. Beer leaves the brewery with a set of flavors and physical attributes (color, body, etc.) that forms the fingerprint of that particular beer. The liquid is not in chemical equilibrium and over time reactions take place that alter the chemical and physical makeup of the beer. When the extent of these reactions has altered the perceived qualities of a beer to a degree that the beer is no longer recognizable from its original form, it is considered to be stale.

Here is a very general overview of the progression of oxidized beer flavors. First to go are the hop components. Hop’s floral tones and fruity esters quickly fade in the aroma as beer ages. The bitterness is slower to leave but as it does it takes on a harsher character. As hop’s attributes are diminishing the sweetness of the beer is increasing. This sweetness has a honey- or toffee-like character and is accompanied by a fuller, more-cloying body that helps differentiate it from “normal” beer sweetness.

While this is occurring, a wet paper or cardboard-like aroma will be established in the beer’s flavor as well. The beer also forms a “ribes” character, however this note will slowly decrease over time. Ribes are described as having a currant or tomcat pee-like aroma (believe it or not, this is not my own terminology so do not ask me about the aroma differences between the pee of a tomcat and that of any other furry animal). I’ve always identified ribes as having a stewed pineapple-like note.

Those are oxidation flakes in the bottle. Place back on shelf. Walk away.

That’s a nasty old yeast ring in a hefeweizen. Return to sender.

to process the liquid and will actually extend the lifetime of the beer. Many Belgian beers will have yeast in the bottle and German hefeweizens will always have a bit of yeast in the liquid (hefe means yeast in German).

Admittedly, it does take a bit of experience to be able to differentiate between oxidation flakes and yeast but if you know what to look for then you can be avoiding oxidized beer in no time. Yeast tends to settle in the bottom of the bottle and has a finer texture and more distinct shape, looking like a floury powder or forming small globules. Oxidation flakes look almost like snowflakes and can have a flatter appearance with rougher edges.

Usually these flakes are about the size of a BB but sometimes they can reach the width of a penny (and on a few rare cases I have seen them even bigger than that).

There you have it, the basic knowledge to detect oxidized beer. Now you can begin the search for fresh brew and limit disappointment.

Happy hunting. See you in the beer aisle.

A Midsummer Night’s Drink Zach Rosen is a Certified Cicerone® and beer educator living in Santa Barbara. He uses his background in chemical engineering and the arts to seek out abstract expressions of beer and discover how beer pairs with life.

In the last stages of oxidation the beer will become winey or sherry-like with a sharper alcohol-tone in the nose.

Keep in mind this is a very complicated process and each beer ages differently. The progression of these flavors is influenced by both the composition of the beer and the conditions in which it is stored. In lighter beers (low in alcohol and body but not necessarily light in color) the wet paper/cardboard flavor is most prominent.

Heavier beers (over 7% ABV as a VERY rough number) exhibit more of the honey, ribes and sherry tones, and the cardboard character tends to be imperceptible as it is overwhelmed by these stronger flavors.

When purposefully aging a beer (such as a barley wine), these oxidized flavors are considered to have a positive contribution to the beer flavor. So oxidized flavors are not necessarily a bad thing, just keep in mind that they do not represent the original flavors of the beer.

The oxidation process can range from months to years depending on how the beer is stored. Warm storage temperatures will speed up these processes and quickly cut down the lifetime of a beer. To give you an idea of how influential temperature is on the beer aging process, a rule of thumb used in the industry is that a 10-degree Celsius increase in temperature leads to two- to threefold increase in the rate of aging. Refrigerated, a bottle of beer will last about six months but that same bottle will be noticeably off after about three

Tiny little early oxidation flakes in the glass. You’ve already come this far, so you might as well drink it.

But pinch your nose while you’re doing it.

months if stored at room temperature. So “Born On” or bottling dates are helpful but the storage conditions will dictate how long the beer lasts after that.

Detecting Oxidized Beer Fortunately, there are a few visible signs that indicate when a beer is past its prime. As the beer ages it begins to cloud.

In the glass the beer’s color will take on a muddy brown tone similar to when you take a bite out of an apple and let its crisp, cream-colored insides turn dark.

There is even a way to detect oxidized beer without opening the bottle. The cloudiness that is forming in the bottle is caused by barley protein combining with hop tannins. These complexes begin to aggregate and form large flakes in the liquid causing the beer to look like a snow globe. When buying beer you can hold the bottle up to the light and search the liquid for any “flakes.” A light swirl of the bottle can help rouse any solids within the liquid. The presence of these solid flakes can indicate that the beer is oxidized.

That’s bad, as I’ve now covered. Move on to another six-pack.

With that said, having solids in the liquid is not always bad, as they are not always necessarily oxidation flakes. Bottleconditioned beers, for example, will have visible solids as well. Bottle-conditioned means that yeast is added to the beer before it is bottled. The yeast will continue

One of the biggest concerns from brewers attending beer festivals is that the highly intoxicated atmosphere detracts from their beers. Don’t get me wrong, I’m there WOOING! with the rest of the participants but the professional part of me understands this objection.

And so, in an effort to move away from the overindulgent nature of most beer festivals, I am creating a new class of brew-oriented festivities: Boutique Beer Festivals. These events will have less than one hundred people and feature no more than ten brewers with each beer being hand picked for a specific set of properties.

I am proud to present A Midsummer Night’s Drink as the inaugural event!

In collaboration with the Hutton Parker Foundation, I’ve paired up with the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden (SBBG) to create an evening of beer, botanicals and unforgettable memories.

On Saturday, July 20, from 5:30–8pm, we will be setting up seven beer booths around the gardens and guests will get to stroll through the flora and fauna while tasting the different brews. For each beer being presented, I have selected a specific setting for the beer to be served in so that the beer’s character will be paired with its surrounding. My hope is that the sense memory of the beer’s flavor will etch itself into the drinker’s mind with that particular garden setting and create a lasting effect that will provide a new context for the flavor of the beer.

This idea is an extension of my ongoing beer and atmosphere pairings, which include my Beer Chairs project. These are chairs that have been designed to directly interact with the seated drinker, submerging him or her into a sensory experience that combines visual, tactile

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Breathe deep, smell the wildflowers. Can’t you just taste a Fig Mountain Hoppy Poppy?

(Photo Credit: Frank Ford)

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and auditory elements with the taste, aromas, colors and mouthfeel of a particular beer.

For A Midsummer Night’s Drink, the atmosphere is not limited to a single seat but an entire area of the gardens.

Each beer booth will be set up in a different section of SBBG and be paired with the botanicals, sights and mood of that specific area. Guests will be free to roam the gardens at their leisure or they can follow Executive Director Steve Windhager and myself on a guided tour through the gardens. Steve will highlight the garden’s many features and colorful history while I discuss the beers and the motivation behind their pairings.

Talk about a Beer Garden.

Hoppy Poppy and the Meadow Section Guests entering the SBBG will be immediately faced with its vibrant Meadow Section. Wild flowers, flowing grasses and the soothing buzz of the bees form this vivid area of the gardens.

Figueroa Mountain Hoppy Poppy is a natural pair for the meadow. Its floral tones highlight the poppies dotted throughout the meadow and fill the air and your mind with thoughts of Spring.

Hoppy Poppy’s light body and brisk carbonation will emphasize the charming hum of the bugs as they whip from flowerto-flower doing their noble work. The Meadow Section will be going through an extensive overhaul and this will be one of the last chances to see it in its complete form before it undergoes its renovation.

California Ale with the Mission Dam One of the highlights of the SBBG is the Mission Dam that supplied monks with water. The dam was built in 1807

and is now a State and County Historic Landmark. To pair with this California relic, we will be serving Telegraph Brewing’s California Ale. This beer pays homage to California’s early settlers and is inspired by the beer style called California Common (think Anchor Steam) that was created by California’s gold miners. Telegraph Brewing owner and brewmaster, Brian Thompson, has mentioned that California Ale was partly inspired by the monk-made legendary Belgian brew, Orval. These different influences fit together like the dam’s rock patchwork to produce an intricate flavor that seemed appropriate to match the Mission’s role in developing California.

The strong hop aroma flows out of the glass and reminds one of the brook’s babble. The beer’s aromatics contain a mineral note that works with the stone structure. Caramel flavors and a burly bitterness produce a lasting finish that sustains the test of time, much like this dam has.

••• These are just two of the pairings that will be featured at A Midsummer Night’s Drink and the others will prove to be just as interesting. One of the areas will feature appetizers (paired with beer, of course) designed by Argentinean chef Rodrigo Gimenez (http://rgcocinero.com) and myself. Rodrigo was the recent winner of The Independent’s Sizzling Summer BBQ competition, and after having worked on several projects with Rodrigo, I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing his spectacular skill first hand. Rodrigo incorporates his background in architecture with a perfect palate, flawless technique and an undeniable passion to produce delicious and down right beautiful dishes that excite every sense.

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An ocean water polo tournament at Stearns Wharf is expected to attract 10 teams.

76th Semana Nautica Brings More To The Table

by Barry Punzal

Ocean Swimmers will enjoy a new point series that will crown an overall Ocean Swimmer of the Year.

T

here’s been a little spice added to this year’s Semana Nautica, and the extra kick figures to generate more participation and interest in the various competitions, which begin June 29 and run through July 14.

The new additions to the 76th edition of Santa Barbara’s summer sports festival include: • Participants in the ocean swims will be in the running for male and female ocean swimmers of the year honors. The titles will by determined by the results of four events.

• The 5-mile run-swim biathlon is being sanctioned by USA Triathlon as the Southwest Region Aquathon Championship.

• A new 5-mile stand up paddle and prone paddleboard event is being hosted by the Santa Barbara Lifeguard Association.

• The Santa Barbara Open tennis tournament is offering a record $5,000 in prize money for the open divisions.

The action kicks off Saturday and Sunday (June 29-30) with the California Beach Volleyball Association’s Santa Barbara Open. Twenty-four women’s and men’s teams will battle on courts set up in front of the Bath House at East Beach.

The women play on Saturday and the men on Sunday, both starting at 9am.

The teams will play a bracketed, doubleelimination format.

Santa Barbara High alum Will Montgomery returns to defend the men’s title with a new partner, Avery Drost, a former East Beach local. The pair have won two titles this season, taking “AAA” tournaments at Hermosa Beach and the Manhattan Beach Pier. Montgomery – who is featured on the Semana Nautica

Will Montgomery, pictured, will be back to defend his CBVA Santa Barbara Men’s Open championship.

This year’s Semana Nautica 4th of July 15k will be the 59th edition of the running event.

poster – added a third CBVA victory at the Laguna Beach AAA on June 15 with former USC star Tri Bourne.

On the women’s side, Westmont coach Patti Cook is entered with partner Dana Kabashima, a former Villanova player.

Another local team expected to enter is Sammie Brown-Emily Rottman, recent winners of the Santa Barbara A. With swimmer of the year titles at stake, this year’s ocean swims figure to be highly competitive.

To be eligible for the award, competitors must do a Reef and Run Series mile swim on either July 5 or 11, a Nite Moves 1k (July 3 or 10), the Semana Nautica Mullen and Henzell 1-mile (July 6) and either the 3-miler on July 7 or the 6-miler on July 14. Swimmers will be awarded points based on their finish in each race.

The lowest point total from one Reef and Run, one Nite Moves, the 1-mile and

either the 3-mile or 6-mile wins the title.

If a swimmer doesn’t do the 3- or 6-mile events, a 40-point penalty will be added to their score.

John Abrami, coach at the Santa Barbara Swim Club, considers Andria Cohen and Becca Glusac as the early favorites for the women’s award and Scott Reed and Ed Smith as the top choices for the men.

Smith traditionally does all the Semana Nautica distance swims and the biathlon.

Jane Cairns, director of the 6-mile event, said Smith will be making the journey from Goleta Beach Pier to Hendry’s Beach for the 11th straight year. He is one of three swimmers to do the swim 10 times.

Cairns and Jim Isaac are the others.

Here is a look at the Semana Nautica events: June 29-30: The Santa Barbara Open men’s and women’s volleyball tournaments at the East Beach Bath House will feature top local players and players who have been part of various professional tours. They’ll be vying for $1,000 in prize money.

July 3: Nite Moves 1k swim, 5k run and swim-run aquathon at Leadbetter Beach Park. The 1k swim is part of Semana Nautica’s ocean swim points series for Swimmer of the Year honors.

July 4: The day starts at 8am with the 59th running of the 15-kilometer road race through the neighborhoods around San Marcos High. The “Granddaddy” of

This year’s Santa Barbara Tennis Open features a record $5,000 prize purse. Pictured is past champion Adam Webster.

Central Coast events is run by the Santa Barbara Athletic Association.

(The Santa Barbara Foresters also play their annual Fourth of July game at UCSB’s Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.

This year’s game is part of the Rawlings California Cup.) July 5: Youth swimmers from clubs all over Southern California invade Los Banos Del Mar Pool for the three-day Age-Group Swim Meet.

The Reef & Run Series goes off on a Friday with 1-kilometer, 500-meter and 1-mile swims. The mile swim is part of the ocean swim points series for Swimmer of the Year honors.

July 6: The mile ocean swim off East Beach figures to draw several members of the Santa Barbara Swim Club, including hot shots like Walker Bell, Alex Valente, Olivia Smith and Ali Powell. Coach Mark Warkentin, a 2008 Olympian, also may enter.

An ocean water polo tournament will be staged on the east side of Stearns Wharf.

Tournament director Wolf Wigo, men’s water polo coach at UCSB, expects 10 teams to compete.

The 77th Santa Barbara Open Tennis Tournament begins at the Municipal Courts and at Pershing Park. The open division is offering $5,000 in prize money, which should lure several high-level players throughout the Southland. Early local entries include Miles Seemann, Chase Melton, Natalia Lozano and Zsuzsana Fordo. The tournament will

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continue on Sunday and the following weekend. Also during the tournament, the Tennis Patrons will induct local legend Jack Sanford into their Hall of Fame.

July 7: A busy day at the shore with the 3-mile ocean swim at 9am, followed by a Stand Up Paddle and prone paddleboard 5-mile race and then the USA Triathlonsanctioned 5-mile biathlon (a 4-mile beach run followed by a 1-mile swim).

July 8: Cyclists get into the act at the DMI Monday Night 10-mile Time Trial at Cathedral Oaks and Los Carneros.

July 10: Nite Moves at Leadbetter Beach Park. The 1k swim is part of the ocean swim points series for Swimmer of the Year honors.

July 11: Reef & Run swims at East Beach.

The mile swim is part of the ocean swim points series.

The annual Semana Nautica Art Show reception at the Cabrillo Pavilion, 5pm.

July 13: The Al Orosco Memorial men’s and women’s softball tournament at Elings Park draws teams from all over Southern California. The tourney runs through Sunday.

Beach volleyball veterans take over the East Beach courts for the CBVA Men’s and Women’s Masters Tournament.

The always popular Krazy Kardboard Kayak Race takes place at West Beach.

July 14: Masters swimmers take over Los Banos Pool for the Reg Richardson Masters Meet.

Youth sailors show their stuff in the Sea Shells and Sabot sailboat races off West Beach.

The 6-mile swim from Goleta Beach Pier to Hendry’s Beach traditionally draws some top open-water marathon swimmers. Among those expecting to enter is San Luis Obispo’s Dave Van Mouwerik, who planned to do a 20-plus mile swim across a lake in Sweden before coming to Santa Barbara.

Work Done by GVSLL’s Johnson Worth a Diamond

By Randy Weiss

F

or his incredible devotion to serving young local athletes and their families as a dedicated Goleta Valley South Little League volunteer coach and 20-year member of its board of directors, and now as its field director responsible for the expert care and cultivation of this pristine baseball complex with its three pro quality-like fields, Jerry Johnson is named our newest Santa Barbara Sports Figure of the Month.

It’s all a labor of love for the native Johnson, 65 – forever a Santa Barbara Don. “I really enjoy it,” he humbly says of his longtime GVSLL relationship – one

Jerry Johnson spends hours every week maintaining multiple baseball fields in town.

Jerry Johnson

you could say he just kind of “grew into.”

“Jerry has been a fixture in the baseball community, not only as a coach, a board member and parent, but primarily as the person who takes care of and renovates baseball fields,” shares Dan Feldhaus, a GVSLL dad and Dos Pueblos HS athletic director.

And these are no ordinary fields, but rather magical ones of early baseball dreams.

“GVSLL is known for having some of the best Little League facilities in the area and Jerry is the main reason for our fields and facility looking so good,” adds Feldhaus.

So how did Johnson become the “baseball field guru” in all of Santa Barbara?

“Let’s go to the highlights…”

They start in the early 1990s, when he and wife, Debbie, signed up Anthony and Jessica, two of their three children, for T-Ball.

Johnson signed up as their coach.

On deck was younger son, Andrew, who became “baseball ready” at age five.

He coached nearly all of their early teams from T-Ball through Juniors and loved it.

“By the time Andrew had moved on – we had had such a good time playing baseball here – I just developed a passion for maintaining the fields,” Johnson said.

Next up was tending the DP baseball fields with other Charger parents when Andrew played on the varsity team.

It was very early in his volunteer career (1993) that he was asked to additionally serve on GVSLL’s board of directors – he’s been there ever since and remains a model of professionalism and consistency.

He’s held a variety of leadership positions over his long tenure, including vice president of the T-Ball and MiniMinor divisions and also League VP. He later shifted his focus towards supervising the infrastructure of fields with the ongoing maintenance being performed by local landscape businesses.

“But it’s different maintaining athletic fields than it is for taking care of residential and commercial properties,” he says. “The fields need constant care and monitoring.”

Johnson dove in headfirst – learning everything he could about it by

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researching the Internet – grasses, fertilizers, etc. – and talking with many professional landscapers.

He even attended a specialized, handson athletic field maintenance seminar at Tony Gwynn Field on the Santa Diego State University campus.

“It was excellent,” Johnson says. “Plus, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn stopped by to talk!”

In 2005, with his retirement that capped off a distinguished 25-year Cottage Health Systems career (he last served as Director of Security and Environmental Compliance), he moved into a GVSLL staff position as field director.

And along the way he has become a local legend with a very specialized “green thumb.”

(In case you are wondering, the best baseball grass “is a three-seed mix of perennial rye grass, Kentucky blue grass and fescue, currently popular with pro fields.)

And throughout it all, Debbie has remained right by his side (she’s enjoying a 20-year career run of her own as a Health Clerk at El Camino Elementary School).

In these early years, she logged countless volunteer hours as Team Mom (multiple times) and managing the field’s snack bar for a few years.

Their kids are all grown and out in the working world.

Johnson still enjoys watching games and “seeing the ball bounce nicely from the infield to the outfield,” he recently told Presidio Sports at GVSLL’s Player’s Park with its brand new landscaping, palm trees and tables.

He’s one of the few who can truly appreciate how much work it takes to do such a simple thing.

Johnson sees his GVSLL role as furthering the legacy of those who came before him who worked collaboratively in building on a vision of helping kids enjoy sport in a safe and healthy environment.

So with baseball season now in full swing, we recognize this community MVP – Jerry Parks Johnson – for all of his many and much valued volunteer contributions over the years, along with his passion and commitment to providing a truly “level playing field” for over 400 young athletes annually and in nurturing happy baseball memories and dreams of a lifetime.

“It’s a great life down at the park,” he shares with a big smile.

Santa Barbara Sports Figure Of The Month Each Month, Presidio Sports recognizes a local sports figure for their extraordinary contribution to the Santa Barbara athletic community. It is our way to recognize those who are making a lasting impact. A special thanks to award sponsor American Riviera Bank for making the effort possible. Each award recipient receives a gift certificate to Paradise Café.

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You Have Your Hands Full

by Mara Peters Former editor for the fashion/lifestyle section of the New York

Post, Mara moved to London and worked as a contributing editor for the Daily Mail’s You Magazine, freelancing for Look Magazine, NY Post and the Style Magazine for The Sunday Times. To remain sane during diaper years she writes a mommy blog, You Have Your Hands Full – www.handsfullsb.com.

Drinking the Kool-Aid

I

’m so proud inside that it’s nearly impossible to contain it.

Pacing the sidelines like a female Bill Belichick, I watch Jackson play on the field like a crazed maniac. When he subs out, I see the coaches patting him on the back and can almost feel that encouragement on my own. He’s the linchpin. He calls plays, organizes his team. He’s acting like a winner. He is a winner.

I want to race over and chest bump him.

And then I think to myself, we’re all winners. Waking that kid up at 5:30 every morning so he can practice on the wall across the street; all those times Alpha has come home early to practice face-offs and stick skills with him; the grandparent reviewing college game tapes. Yeah, that’s right, we’ve all invested. And clearly it has begun to pay off. Big time.

You know, this is what he always wanted to be. A great lacrosse athlete.

Ever since he was two he held a stick and threw the ball. To our amazement it just whizzed across the lawn. Yep, he had an arm, even back then. He was a natural born midfielder.

And now he is going to be great. I can just tell.

So obviously my mind moves on to the places he’ll go because he is such an elite athlete. He’ll be named high school All American. Then he’ll be heavily recruited by a lot of the top schools. Maybe he can get into an Ivy. Full Ride. I’ll go to the college games and watch him shine like he does right now in U11. He’ll shout the

plays and I’ll turn to the other parents, quietly pointing out how he was always like that.

Today, his team is undefeated in the LA tournament. I glance at the other parents and know they are thinking the same thing – athletes with an unlimited future. That is the thing about the AllStars, you start to believe in the dream.

They were picked out of the pack to represent Santa Barbara. They are exceptional. Best in the league. Maybe even best in the state.

I can barely watch the championship game. The pressure is just way too much.

I examine his every move. It’s not a good day. My boy’s tired, possibly a little flat.

The other team is hungry and wants it, bad. But still, the SB team looks solid.

It’s a tough game, hard fought. I pace the sidelines preparing to comprehend a loss, but always hoping for a win. I will my Jackson on mentally. And there it is. The whistle blows.

Against all odds, they’ve done it. We’ve done it. A clean sweep, the battle for LA is over.

And we won.

Reality Bites I’m mentally and physically (and emotionally) drained from the intensity.

Fortunately, I’m sitting with the Buddhist lacrosse coach, who quietly watched them from a far and was clearly baffled at my agitation. I wonder how I am going to watch the games when he gets older.

Getting a glimpse into Jackson’s future as a professional lacrosse player.

Sometimes it is just too much.

And then I see Alpha walking over to me with a broad smile on his face. It has been a long weekend of lacrosse, and it’s finally over. We are the victors.

“Well they really dominated in the B

division,” he said with a relaxed, easy grin.

Wait a second. Jackson’s in the B Division? Not the A Division?

Oh. Maybe I need to dial it down a couple notches…

Peters’ Pick

S

ometimes heading out on the 154 does just the trick when we start to get wanderlust.

First stop is White Rock (3.4 miles east on Paradise Road). The kids love the river and play in the reeds for hours. Then we head over to Dale’s Nursery at Summerset Farm (3450 Baseline Avenue) to pick blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. To top off the day, head to Trattoria Grappola (3687 Segunto Street, Santa Ynez) for some of the best Italian food around. Now that is one adventurous day…

Jason Fiedtkou OwNER.gROOMER CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT

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GREEN SCENE

The Law of Attraction

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BE ACTIVE

Sarah’s Staycaytion Survival Guide 3.0

By Sarah Dodge t’s summer again, and for a majority of us this means our yearlong dreams of taking off a few days to spend relaxing and vacationing are in the works. But if you’re lucky enough to call this paradise your home, with pretty perfect weather and plenty to do, why would you choose to go anywhere else for your summer getaway? Instead of venturing outside of these city limits, we suggest you “staycation” and experience all that Santa Barbara has to offer.

• Get Crafty – Unleash your inner artist at Santa Barbara Art Glass where you can blow your own glass vases in just a few hours time. Or, kill two birds with one stone and satisfy your inner artist and your wine habit with a trip to The Painted Cabernet.

• Life’s a Beach – Work on your tan or catch up on your summer reading at Padaro Beach. If in the water is where you’d rather be, Santa Barbara Fitness Tours will get you setup with all the kayaks, paddle boards, surfboards and boogie boards you could possibly need. Now thru August they’re setting up shop on Butterfly Beach for your seaside sporting every Thursday – Sunday.

• Stay Classy – Use those pretty pennies you were going to use on your getaway and treat yourself to a meal you wouldn’t normally splurge on. We vote for a champagne brunch at the San Ysidro Ranch or Julienne for dinner.

• Cook Up a Storm – Ever make Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwiches? How about homemade Granola? Keep it healthy with a Quinoa Salad or impress your friends with a Sparkling Rosemary Lemonade cocktail at your next BBQ. Find all these recipes and more on www.lovemikana.com.

• Leave it to Someone Else – Can’t be bothered with planning a thing? Let L’Apero Gourmet set you up with the perfect meat and cheese plate for your summer picnic. They’ll even give you tips for wine pairings.

Want more? Follow us on www.lovemikana.com for plenty more Santa Barbara tips and tricks.

I

.com

by Courtney Dietz

I

f you’ve attended a hip, fun and environmentally or socially aware event in the Santa Barbara area lately, you already know lifestyle company LoaTree or its sister company LoaCom. If you haven’t, which we actually think is unlikely, then you probably know someone who has.

Ever heard of this little thing called the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival? The Loa teams were production managers for it. SOL Food Festival?

Check. Green Drinks? Yep, that too.

“LOA” means Law of Attraction, with the idea being that when we come together to initiate change in our world, we attract others to follow suit as momentum builds. In this way one person becomes two people, and two people become four, and four people become a movement, changing communities and the world, together.

For its latest action, LoaTree teamed up with the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market Association to launch the Farm Friendly Dining Certification Program.

What does it mean for you? The list of restaurants that buy at least 25% locally is growing and that’s where you should eat.

Attend an event. Read and learn from the blog. Make a new friend.

Because together, we can. www.loatree.com; www.loacom.com.

ART & CULTURE Summer Synergy

By Sylvie Butera Rich et’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. Why? Because we know that the power of the individual consumer’s choice right at the beginning can change the whole ending.

How? It’s easy.

Attend Meet Your Makers, a sustainable design and artisan market happening every Saturday from July 6 through September 21 at Plaza Veracruz (across from the Saturday Farmers Market on Cota Street). This is the spot for you to meet individual makers – artists, artisans, designers, crafters, healthy food producers and other businesses – that participate in sustainable socially and environmentally responsible practices.

Who are the seriously cool creators that will be a part of market? Allow us to introduce them to you: Annie Bananie Apparel - www.anniebananieapparel.com Asher Market - www.ashermarket.com Bamboo DNA - www.bamboodna.com Chapala Gardens - www.chapalagardens.com Genuine Woodworks - www.genuinewoodworks.com Griffinworks Jewelry - www.griffinworks.weebly.com Jeannine’s Bakery - www.jeannines.com Jill Aiko Yee, ITterations Workwear - www.jillaikoyee.com Labella - www.labellaspain.com Mattole Valley Naturals - www.mattolevalleynaturals.com P Studio - www.plynpstudio.tumblr.com Sandra Torres Fine Porcelain Ware - www.sandratorres.com Scott Coppersmith Designs - www.scottcoppersmithdesigns.com Stella Neptune - www.stellaneptune.com Sun Potion - www.sunpotion.com Vintage Remade - www.vintageremade.com T&A Leather - www.tandaleather.com The Refillery - www.the-refillery.com Tiger Owl Designs - www.tigerowldesigns.com Yoko Tea - http://store.yokotea.com If you are a maker yourself, magnificent! You too can put forth your goods at this market as they are still accepting applications for the July 6 inaugural event. Contact MYM at www.meetyourmakers.org for information. And if you’re a consumer who appreciates handmade, homemade and sustainable, then make an impact and visit the marketplace.

L

Happy 4th of July!

Coast 2 Coast Collection La Arcada Courtyard 1114 State Street, Suite 10 ~ Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Phone: 805.845.7888 ~ www.C2Ccollection.com Store Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-6pm & Sunday Noon-5pm

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with Julie Bifano Ms Bifano is Drawn to micro-fiction and is currently writing her first novel – “The Grace Below.” She has a B.A. in English with an emphasis in writing from the University of San Francisco and a M.F.A. in Creative Writing, also from the University of San Francisco. More of Julie’s stories and poetry can be viewed on her website juliebifano.com.

Viva la Fiesta Ranchera!

Old Spanish Days Board Members shout, “Viva la Fiesta!”

Fiesta Ranchera volunteers pose for a group shot.

D

irected by two Boy Scouts in full uniform to park on a gravel side road, I bopped up and down in my car on uneven turf. Next to my car, I observed a lemon tree that produced petite lemons. Some of them had fallen down and wearing my flip-flops, I traversed the potholed parking area, picked a lemon up and smelled it. Out of my newly eventful mid-town neighborhood, I was now in the Goodland. Jagged rocks and dust scuffed up from beneath my flipflops as I walked, sort of annoying me, but those lemons smelled so good, and I thought they probably tasted even better.

They made me think of a time when Goleta was almost all lemon orchards. I should have worn cowboy boots, and I was hungry.

It was June 20, the sixth annual kick off to Fiesta’s summer season, fittingly titled “Fiesta Ranchera” and located at the historic Rancho La Patera & Stow House on 304 North Los Carneros Road.

Immediately, the smell of BBQ meats led me to the Country Catering booth, at which I was served a generous portion of steak bites topped off with thick BBQ sauce.

With a little food in my belly, I followed the sounds of the spirited local favorite band, Area 51. People were dancing out here in the Goodland and wearing cowboy hats and fancy, ruffled dresses.

Some women were even holding brightly colored fans! I ran into Event Coordinator Dacia Harwood and she exclaimed, “I’m proud to say we have many people who have come every year to kick off Fiesta with us in this gorgeous location.” As Dacia and I chatted, out of the corner of my eye I observed the tequila tasting cantina. It looked like an old Western

Wendy Ayala, Steve Golis, Matthew Herzog and Ricardo Castellanos get together for a fun group shot.

Teresa Mullins and Scott Hadley, sponsors of Fiesta Ranchera from Bartlett, Pringle, and Wolf.

outdoor saloon. I took my flip-flops off.

The recently restored historic garden grass felt cool underneath my bare feet on this warm Santa Barbara evening. Dacia also explained that Fiesta Ranchera began six years ago when Old Spanish Days planned for an innovative event to include Goleta (the Goodland!) in their official event line up. Fiesta Ranchera brings together two organizations (Old Spanish Days Fiesta and Goleta Valley Historical Society) to celebrate our community’s ranch heritage.

“Viva la Fiesta!” I heard a group of cowboys say near the Marmalade Café booth, which provided sizeable chunks of ahi tuna on crispy wonton chips. I snapped a photo of the cowboys and chatted with them for a moment, learning that they were former “El Presidentes.” Tim Taylor, El Presidente in 2008, explained, “Fiesta Ranchera recognizes the community of Santa Barbara through dance, music and

Energetic couple Robyn and Jess Parker show their Fiesta Ranchera spirit!

Lisa Boelter and Deborah Weber from Anna’s Bakery share their scrumptious goodies with an excited Fiesta Ranchera crowd.

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Division Dance and Entertainment Chief, Denise Sanford, poses with dancers Corrie Jimenez and Kailani.

International Fiesta Ranchera attendees include Rocio James from Peru, Edna Trujillo from Mexico, and Sylvia Sifuentes from Mexico.

Petrini’s Joe Bohnett, pictured with daughter Anne, passes out flavorful spaghetti.

food.” I learned from these fun-loving cowboys that the current El Presidente for 2013 is Josiah Jenkins. The music and costumes momentarily placed me back in time. I felt like this pre-fiesta event was reminiscent of what it would have been like back in the Old Spanish Days.

People out here in the Goodland were down to earth, friendly and approachable.

Amanda De Lucia, Director of the Goleta Valley Historical Society, stated, “This is a great opportunity for us to share this beautiful, historic location with community and business leaders and, of course, show that we know how to have a great party at the Ranch!” A less crowded, pleasant pre-party fiesta it was indeed, and I decided I’d be back again next year.

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