April 2016 • Volume 1, Number 3
Every Issue Complimentary Every Time
www.santaynezvalleystar.com
WILDFLOWERS SPRING INTO THE VALLEY
aInside… Developers switch lanes on center
Bowling alley going to new location despite approvals
Page 4
A grocery cart full of memories
El Rancho Market family celebrates 50 years
Page 12
Standing Sun has the ‘Wright’ mixture Buellton business combines wine with art and music
Page 22
Students set to perform ‘cranky’ ‘The Night Witches’ will unfurl on April 21
Page 26
Photo by Debra Deyette El Niño may have been less spectacular than was predicted but the rains did set Grass Mountain on fire with an explosion of California poppies.
Blooming hillside beauty makes up for disappointing winter rains
W
ith a few inches of rain and warm spring days recently in the Santa Ynez Valley, the wildflowers have found their happy spot and are blooming all around. Anyone can enjoy the beauty nature has to offer, whether driving into the Valley from the highway in Gaviota with Shooting Stars, Sticky Monkey Flower and Indian Paintbrush along the side of the road; to the peak of Grass Mountain up Figueroa Mountain Road where the California poppies and brush lupin have exploded, and the (non-
native) mustard is breathtaking. We asked our readers to get outside and take pictures, and here’s a collage of the best photos we have received. Thank you for contributing to make this month’s issue almost as beautiful as our valley. If you have a wildflower photo you would like included in our online gallery, email it to news@santaynezvalleystar.com. Photo by Toby Giorgi A stem of Shooting Stars shines along the roadway.