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Santa Barbara Trapeze Company teaches kids and adults how to soar - B1
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SB celebrates Summer Solstice
By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
Community members dressed in costumes to celebrate the Summer Solstice at the Arlington Theatre on Saturday.
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
Santa Barbara’s Summer Solstice made a colorful return Saturday by welcoming locals to the Arlington Theatre to enjoy a showing of a film commemorating the celebration. While the Summer Solstice is typically marked by an iconic parade down State Street, this year, organizers decided to celebrate a little differently due to the pandemic. Members of the public were invited to dress up and come to the Arlington Theatre for a live showing of a film created by TV Santa Barbara that compiled footage of performances and community submissions. Many locals arrived at the Arlington Theatre on Saturday dressed in a variety of colorful costumes. Local dance group, La Boheme, donned colorful corsets, wigs and skirts for the celebration, while others arrived wearing weathered wings or multi-colored cloaks. For Stacie Bouffard, the board president of Solstice, having people in person to celebrate once again felt like old times. “We’re just super excited about all the energy this year that we’ve been able to generate, and the support of our community has been phenomenal,” Ms. Bouffard told the News-Press. “We’re very, very excited to be here in person.” “It feels like Solstice,” she added. This is the second year COVID19 has cancelled the in-person Summer Solstice parade that has historically drawn more than 100,000 people to State Street. But despite the cancellation, guests could feel the celebratory spirit in the air as lovers of Solstice gathered together once again. Shannon Stark, a member of the La Boheme dance group, told the News-Press that she was very happy that people could be back to celebrating Solstice in person once again. For her, dancing at Solstice is one of the highlights of Please see SOLSTICE on A5
Group gathers to honor those who died during COVID-19 By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
A group gathered in Solvang Park on Saturday to remember the 455 people who died of COVID-19 in Santa Barbara County. Local residents met for an Infinity Healing Ceremony to reflect on the past year of the pandemic at noon on Saturday. During the ceremony, multiple religious leaders and community members offered encouragement to those who lost loved ones. Nakia Zavalla of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians opened the ceremony by performing a blessing of the land ceremony. She was followed by remarks from Randall Day, a rector from St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Community, and Rabbi Debi Lewis from the Santa Ynez Valley Jewish Community. Both leaders encouraged attendees with a message of love and support. “We come seeking healing — infinite healing — for ourselves, our families, our circles of friends, our communities, our humanity,” Mr. Day said. “Human closeness is a real pathway, even if it seems risky, to the healing we seek individually and the healing we seek in communities,” he added, noting the year of social distancing and isolation all community members experienced. Ms. Lewis echoed a similar sentiment in her message, telling community members that they
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are not alone in their mourning. “We are here to be with you,” she said. “We will get through this.” During the ceremony, attendees participated in a smudging ceremony — a traditional indigenous practice of burning medicinal plants to cleanse the soul of negative energy — and placed rocks on a small altar in remembrance of those who died. Esron Gates, wealth management strategist for Healing Justice Santa Barbara and a member of the Latinx and Indigenous Migrant COVID-19 task force, played a leading role in organizing Saturday’s ceremony. During the gathering, he led attendees in a guided meditation that focused on releasing grief and accepting love. Mr. Gates said the event was ultimately inspired by one of his fellow members of the COVID-19 task force, who recommended the idea of having a healing ceremony to help community members through their mourning. In addition to Saturday’s event, Mr. Gates said there will be multiple ceremonies across the county to remember lives lost through the collection of rocks. All of the ceremonies will culminate in a celebration in Santa Barbara where event organizers will place the rocks in the ocean as a final resting place. “I hope people take away the fact that it’s okay to release the grief and to embrace the love of their loss,” Mr. Gates told the NewsPlease see CEREMONY on A6
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in s i de Classified.............. A8 Life..................... B1-4 Obituaries............. A4
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
Rabbi Debbie Lewis, right, of the Santa Ynez Valley Jewish Community, observes as Elder Alex Zuniga completes a traditional indigenous smudging ceremony during an “infinity healing ceremony” at Solvang Park on Saturday.
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A5
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 11-19-24-32-44 Mega: 4
Saturday’s DAILY 4: 4-9-6-8
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 17-20-42-45-65 Mega: 12
Saturday’s FANTASY 5: 18-19-29-35-39
Saturday’s DAILY DERBY: 05-08-11 Time: 1:42.66
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 8-31-39-43-60 Meganumber: 17
Saturday’s DAILY 3: 6-9-2 / Midday 0-6-3