New Year's Eve with the Santa Barbara Symphony

New Years Eve Pops Concert

Evening: Wednesday, December 31, 2014; 8:30-10:30PM

Matinee: n/a;

Location: Granada Theatre 

 

Featuring Rhapsody in Blue!

Always the best New Year’s Eve party in town, the Santa Barbara Symphony’s celebration with nationally acclaimed Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt offers the perfect mix of your favorite tunes from Broadway, stage, movies and more! Lighting up the Granada from 8:30 to 10:30 on New Year’s Eve, this concert is the perfect post-dinner take-in, leaving you plenty of time to ring in the new year however you choose.

Not part of subscription series, be sure to get your tickets early—this concert is always a sell-out!

Bob Bernhardt, Conductor
Michael Chertock, Piano

• Sousa: "Semper Fidelis"
• Bizet: Toreador March from Carmen
• Suppe: Light Cavalry Overture
• Anderson: First Day of Spring
• Anderson: The Typewriter
• Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
• John Williams: Far and Away Suite
• John Williams: Viktor's Tale from The Terminal
• Arr. Williams: Fiddler on the Roof selections
• Hamlisch/Tyzik: A Marvin Hamlisch Celebration
• Arr. Hayman: Pops Hoedown

Wishing you a Blessed Christmas and a Happy Hanuka!

Warm and Sandy Holiday Wishes from

Santa Barbara

Wine Tasting Ideas in Santa Barbara

For you Santa Barbararans who want to stay in town, or our friends visiting Santa Barbara, here are suggestions for a day of local wine tasting in town:

Begin at Whitcraft Winery at 36 S. Calle Cesar Chavez: Besides having phenomenal wines, Whitcraft’s founder, the late Chris Whitcraft, was part of the trio of gents who started our festival all those years ago (the first of its kind on the Central Coast).

Then head up the road to Jaffur’s Wine Cellars 819 E. Montecito St. Don’t miss their Syrah.

If you have time to plan ahead, call Silver Wines and set up a tasting, you won’t regret it.

A visit to these three wineries is a stellar experience and we recommend topping it off by a trip to The Shop 730 N. Milpas. Already a huge success, if you haven’t been to this locally owned, sustainable café you are in for a real treat. My favorite are the fish tacos, the best I’ve had this side of the Mexican border, from Vegan to Meat, they do it right. If they have any Brown Sugar Cookies left, get them, they are addictive. We greatly appreciate The Shop being one of the Wine Fest’s food vendors.

After lunch head to the El Paseo for more tastings in a refined atmosphere: Au Bon Climat,Margerum Wines, and Grassini Family Vineyards are situated in my favorite spot in all of Santa Barbara. They have seating areas where you can enjoy savoring their varietals in comfort.

Then for a final treat, enjoy appetizers at Intermezzo, select your favorite wine from the ones you tasted that day and enjoy a full glass!
The Santa Barbara Wine Festival™ is a major fundraiser for the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
Tickets on sale now for great holiday gifts!
For more information about the Santa Barbara Wine Festival please contact Meridith Moore at805-682-4711 ext. 112.

(information from the Santa Barbara Wine Festival Website)

Customer Satisfaction Review

The Nutcracker is on Tonight at the Arlington Theater

for tickets call Arlington Box Office 805-963-4408

SantaBarbarafestivalballet.com 

Santa Barbara Harbor Parade of Lights today, Sunday December 14th

Santa Barbara Parade of Lights - December 14, 2014

The 29th Annual Parade of Lights activities will begin at 3 pm and complete with a 5-7 minute fireworks display at approximately 7 pm. The boat parade is preceded by Santa’s Village activities beginning at 3 p.m. on the City Pier in Santa Barbara Harbor where the boats are located. Come down and play in tons of "snow" to get into the holiday spirit. The first 200 children will receive free goody bags and everyone will be greeted by elves and have their chance to visit Santa!

At 5:30 pm the annual boat parade will begin as 20-30 boats motor, sail, and paddle the Santa Barbara Coastline. Judging will take place at Stearns Wharf and boats will be awarded donated cash and prizes in five categories. Best viewing locations include Stearns Wharf and the breakwater. Free event admission! For more parade information contact the Harbormaster’s Office at (805) 564-5530.  

Click here for a Photo Gallery of last year's event!

A day in Beautiful Santa Barbara!

http://vimeo.com/113563511

Folk and Tribal Arts Marketplace at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Lake Cachuma Wildlife Cruises, Fridays, Saturday and Sundays

Lake Cachuma

                          

Nature Cruises           

Let our Park Naturalists guide you on a 2-hour Lake Cruise aboard the Osprey. A 30-passenger pontoon boat for easy wildlife viewing and personal comfort, the Osprey explores the Lake as Naturalists follow nature's serendipity to reveal the area's natural and cultural riches.

In all seasons, Cachuma Lake is a thriving habitat for a great variety of wildlife, birds, fish, trees, and plants.

Our winter season brings out resident and migratory Bald Eagles and waterfowl from November through February. In spring and summer, wildflowers spangle the hills, resident birds can be seen displaying and building nests, and fawns appear with does.

Who would enjoy our cruise?
The tour is appropriate for all people ages 4 and up. Our boat can comfortably accommodate visitors who use wheel chairs, and we have an access ramp (please let us know so we may accommodate you).

About the Osprey:
Pontoon boats are among the gentlest and safest water vessels. All 30 seats are padded, and wildlife viewing is easy from any seat. There are viewing platforms at the front and rear of the boat. Most of the seats are shaded.

Cruise Fees:

    Adults $15
    Kids $7 (ages 4-12 year old; please no children under 4)

Cruise Reservations:  
    RESERVATIONS ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED in person at the main gate, or call:
     (805) 568-2460 Weekdays 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
    (805) 686-5055 After 3:00 PM on Fridays and Weekends
    Meet at the Marina CRUISE WAITING AREA 1/2 hour before departure. The boat departs promptly on the hour.

Please note:  The current drought has lowered the water level substantially.

for a video view of the cruise, click below.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMQfXP8UPBQ

Millennials Want To Buy A Home

Happy Thanksgiving from Santa Barbara

(photo compliments of Village Properties)

Santa Barbara Studio Art Sale, Saturday, November 29th 10-4

Holiday Faire in Carpinteria, Saturday November 29th

85 Artisans from throughout California

will be participating in this once a year

Holiday Faire, presented by the 

Carpinteria Valley Museum of History

10 am - 3 pm

Saturday, November 29th

Museum Grounds

956 Maple Avenue 

Included will be wooden toys,

country crafts, fine jewelry,

quilts, crochet hats and scarves, 

stained glass, baby gifts,

Christmas decor, ceramics,

succulent dish gardens, photography,

oil and water color paintings.

Hot foods and fresh home baked goodies

will be available for purchase.

Bluegrass and Irish folk music,

face painting and Santa!

Admission is free

The Value of a Remodel

Free Concert at the Central Library's Faulkner Gallery Saturday, November 22 at 3 pm

Santa Barbara Music Club

presents

Free Concert

3 pm

Saturday, November 22nd

Faulker Gallery

at the Central Public Library

40 E Anapamu Street

Santa Barbara

clarinetist Grace Sedgwick, 

pianist Renee Hamaty

will perform 

The Allegro movement from

Mozart's Concerto in A Major

Soprano Joanna Lynn Jacobs and

Pianist Seugah Seo will play

Ravel's Five Popular Greek Melodies

Also performing are

oboist Adelle Rodkey, 

bassist DeAndre Simmons

pianists Mandee Sikich

and Christopher Davis

for more information, click here

Maritime Museum November 20th

November 20
The Age of Sail: The Transatlantic Packet Ship Era Lecture

by Robin Lloyd
Where: Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, 113 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, California
When: Thursday, November 20, 2014 at 7 pm
Members only Reception at 6:15 pm
Cost: Free (members), $10 (non-members).
To Register: Go to www.sbmm.org or call (805) 962-8404 x115
Lecture Series Sponsored by Santa Barbara County Arts Commission and Silvio Di Loreto
Robin Lloyd will present a visual power point (more than 100 visuals, many of them maritime painting images from 6 different museums) that will take you into the world of the American merchant marine from 1820-1850. The talk will give you the history behind his book, Rough Passage to London, as well as give a detailed portrayal of the ships, the routes, the passengers and the sailors of the ante-bellum era when the United States sailing ships were the link across the Atlantic. The talk focuses heavily on the New York packet ship lines as they were carrying most of the passengers and cargo across to England and France. As such, you will see some wonderful historic paintings of old New York as well as many illustrations of these ships off the coast of England, illustrations of the Thames River and the Docklands of London. The talk will also explain how he uncovered the story of his ancestor, Captain Elisha Ely Morgan and his close connection with Charles Dickens. He will tell you the personal story of this man's rise through the ranks of the merchant marine.
Robin Lloyd’s early years were spent on the island of St. Croix where his father ran a dairy farm and the island’s only milk plant. As a boy, he grew up blue water sailing with his parents between islands in the Caribbean. While his childhood was spent in an environment of sailing and farming, his higher education and subsequent broadcasting career took him elsewhere. After an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism, he worked in local television news for several years as an on-air reporter in Seattle and then later in Miami. In 1979, he began reporting for NBC News in Latin America and the Caribbean.
During his 14 year tenure with NBC as a correspondent, he covered the guerrilla wars in El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua, as well as the Falklands War in Argentina; in the Reagan years, he was reassigned to Washington D.C. where he covered the State Department as well as the White House. In 1988, he was named NBC’s African correspondent where he covered the turmoil surrounding the last years of South Africa’s apartheid regime as well as the release of Nelson Mandela from prison. He was sent by the network to provide coverage of the first Gulf War, reporting from Egypt and Kuwait. After NBC closed its African bureau in Johannesburg in 1992, he was brought back to Washington where he was named one of NBC’s National Correspondents.
In 1994, he left NBC to begin a new career, creating and producing news programs with foreign networks, and writing and producing longer news segments and documentaries, primarily for Maryland Public Television. Over the years, he has won numerous awards, including an Overseas Press Award, and four Emmy’s from the National Capital Chesapeake Bay region for documentaries done for Maryland Public Television. The last award he received was for a 2009 documentary on the building of an historic wooden ship in the Chesapeake Bay. He has also written travel articles for many publications, including the Philadelphia Inquirer, the New York Times and the Washington Post. He has also written boating articles for Cruising World and the British magazine, Classic Boat.

Floral Arrangement Show, November 22-23

Benefit for the Public School Art Programs

Saturday 10-5

Sunday 11-3

Schott Center

310 West Padre, Santa Barbara

Holiday Flower Show and Sale

The 38th annual Holiday Flower Show & Sale, sponsored by Las Floralias Flower Arrangers of Santa Barbara, will take place at the Schott Center, Saturday November 21 and Sunday November 22.

Las Floralias Flower Arrangers of Santa Barbara, is a flower arranging club with a broad spectrum of members, the majority of whom have taken Flower Arranging classes through SBCC Continuing Education. Described as “a jewel of a show” by one of the curators at the Laguna Hills Museum of Art (Asian Arts), it will feature a wide variety of seasonal arrangements and fresh, live succulent wreaths for sale. For years this event has been the kick-off for the holiday season, getting people in the mood and providing them with dozens of ideas for holiday decorating and floral arranging.

The show is open to the public. Las Floralias suggests a $5 entrance donation. After the show the group disperses hundreds of dollars to various local Jr. High and High School Art Departments to encourage the arts for the future.

WHERE: Schott Center, Tannahill Auditorium
WHEN: November 21: 12:00 - 5:00 and November 22: 11:00 - 3:00
SPONSORS: Las Floralias Flower Arrangers of Santa Barbara

$5/donations for public school Art Grants.

Santa Barbara Adult Education Arts and Crafts Fair, Saturday November 15th

SBCC Center for Lifelong Learning

Arts and Crafts Fair

Saturday, November 15th

10 am - 4 pm

Wake Center

300 North Turnpike

Featuring fine arts, ceramics, jewelry, fabric arts,

and other handcrafted gifts for purchase

is an annual affair not to be missed

29 Reasons to Love the Santa Barbara lifestyle

29 Things You Need To Know About Santa Barbara Before You Move There

Here's our scoop on this classic California beach town, including ice cream that's basically heaven in a cup.

by Rebecca Podesta

1. Healthy Is More Than Just A Trend Here…

Source: Flickr user Damian Gadal

…it’s a lifestyle. Santa Barbarans probably run more, hike more and eat more veggies than everyone in your last city. They’re also getting more Vitamin D, since it’s sunny over 300 days of the year. You’ll find crowds soaking up the sun and working out at East Beach, where everyone who’s anyone can be found on a run, beach volleyball court or stand-up paddleboard.

2. Our Surf’s Out For Summer

Source: Flickr user Juan Carlos!

Long stretches of pristine beaches cozying up to Rincon, one of California‘s premier surf spots, doesn’t necessarily mean your dreams of barrels during dawn patrol will come true. Surfers here are your average sunbathers and shaka-throwers in summer when the waves are nonexistent.

3. We’re The Source Of Holy Guacamole

Source: Flickr user Andreanna Moya Photography

In 1871, Santa Barbara’s own Judge R.B. Ord introduced Mexican avocado trees to the U.S., bringing the joy of healthy fats and guacamole to all. Our burritos and our palates are forever grateful, Mr. Ord.

4. We’re Jack Johnson’s Alma Mater

Source: Flickr user Prestor_

He’s a charming, ultra-chill surf and song guru with billions of dollars in album sales and a cult following across all seven continents. But before he was a world-famous musician, Johnson was a humble UCSB student eating at the DLG—obviously on a day when there was no Broccoli Surprise, or the campus cafeteria never would have made it into a song lyric.

5. Calories Don’t Count Here

Source: Mike Saechang

Or at least not at McConnell’s Ice Cream. As a true ice cream aficionado, I can confidently say having McConnell’s at your fingertips is worth the price of real estate in Santa Barbara. Arguably America’s best ice cream, it’s superb as a sandwich, sundae, scoop or my favorite—breakfast.

6. Who Needs SeaWorld?

Source: Flickr user Ken Lund

Just off the Santa Barbara coastline, you’ll find The Channel Islands National Park. Each of the five islands are bursting with mind-blowing ecological diversity, both aboveground and under the sea. The protected waters offer some of the best diving in California, plus an unparalleled opportunity to spot sunbathing sea lions, pods of dolphins and migrating whales.

7. Wine Not Go Tasting Here?

Source: Robert S. Donovan

We won’t make Napa admit it, but Santa Barbara County produces some of California’s favorite wines. As a result, downtown has a booming collection of wineries and tasting rooms within walking distance. When there’s no need to hire a driver, any day is a good day to hike the Urban Wine Trail.

8. You Can Take A Hike

Source: Flickr user 4nitsir

Wedged between the Pacific and the Santa Ynez Mountains, the best way to view Santa Barbara is from the top. Downtown’s Spanish style architecture, palm tree lined boulevards and the distant Channel Islands are quite the reward for a little afternoon sweat.

9. You Can Get Educated At The World’s Most Beautiful Community College

Source: Kaplan International English

Santa Barbara City College sits cliffside, overlooking the sun-drenched Pacific Ocean and the misty Channel Islands. I mean, honestly, the whole place looks like a movie set. Take any course here and earn a double degree in spectacular views.

10. It’s A Stress-Free Eurotrip

Source: Flickr user Jeffery Turner

A Mediterranean climate and picturesque coastline earned Santa Barbara the nickname of “The American Riviera.” Our condolences to your travel agent, but there’s no need for flights when the city is already brimming with red-tiled rooftops, high-end restaurants and charming boutiques.

11. We’re The Original Earth Lovers

Source: Flickr user Amber Strocel

After the catastrophic Santa Barbara Oil Spill in 1969, the city had environmental preservation heavy on its mind. The result? The very first Earth Day back in 1970. We’ve been ardently celebrating Earth Day ever since, with festivals so elaborate there’s even valet bike parking. How green is that?

12. You Can Party With Confetti Eggs

Source: Old Spanish Days

When the Spanish settled Santa Barbara, they left behind two pieces of history—the Santa Barbara Mission and an affinity for fiestas. Every year, Old Spanish Days takes over downtown with a citywide fiesta of music, food and confetti-filled eggs for cracking on your friend’s noggin.

13. Get Ya’ Veggies Here

Source: Flickr user ClatieK

On Tuesday nights, Santa Barbara’s famous State Street turns into an iconic California farmer’s market. Traffic shuts down to make way for peaches and avocados, while dreadlocked musicians in tie-dyed cotton pants offer songs and smiles as you fill your basket with organic kale.

14. We Have A True Monarchy

Source: Flickr user Ryosuke Yagi

Santa Barbara’s monarchs sit on a throne of trees. The Coronado Butterfly Preserve is one of California’s largest monarch butterfly winter roosting locations, and its cliffside, ocean-front location definitely isn’t the worst spot for a winter vacation.

15. Jalama-Rama

Source: Flickr user puliarf

The world famous Jalama Beach Grill’s beachside burgers are an SB County classic, especially since every order comes with a side of gorgeous, secluded beach. There’s surf and camping, and come on, “Jalama” (ha-la-ma) is just plain fun to say.

16. Some Of The Best Things In Life Aren’t Free

Source: Flickr user Ken Lund

Yeah, Santa Barbara is a wealth of natural beauty and priceless adventure, but there’s no substitute for some old fashioned retail therapy. The bloodline of downtown, State Street, is a consumer paradise that runs straight up to Stearns Wharf and the Santa Barbara Harbor. Teeming with local small businesses like Plum Goods, selling organic, recycled and fair trade goodies, along with the big names you know and love like Macy’s or Nordstrom, there’s truly something for everyone.

17. You Can Dine With Julia Child’s Ghost

Source: Flickr user Lindblom

The famed culinary demigod Julia Child claimed the suspiciously modest La Super Rica Taqueria as the home of Santa Barbara’s best Mexican food. With handmade tortillas soft enough to swaddle a newborn and an incessant mile long line, this taco haven seems to have earned her blessings for good reason.

18. Our Teenage Dream

Source: Flickr user José Goulão

Contrary to popular belief, pop superstar Katy Perry was born and raised in Santa Barbara, not Candyland. She attended Dos Pueblos High School, where there are no records of her wearing peppermint bras or neon wigs.

19. Float Like A Butterfly

Source: Ramada Pacific Hotels

Directly across from the exceedingly luxurious Four Seasons Biltmore, Butterfly Beach is where celebrities go to get spotted for a “Who’s Hot” bikini bod spread in People magazine. Everything on this beach is beautiful, from the beach bunnies to the views.

20. Velkommen Til Solvang

Source: Dougtone

On the edge of Santa Barbara County sits Solvang, America’s Danish Capital. Founded in 1911 by a homesick clan of Danes, the village looks like the inside of a little girl’s dollhouse. There’s no better place (besides Denmark) to gobble down traditional aebleskivers and contemplate windmills.

21. Scotchy, Scotch, Scotch

Source: GraceFamily

The James Joyce is the city’s first Irish bar, and one of the least pretentious spots for a good drink. There’s toe-tapping live music six days a week, the occasional Irish immigrant and an energetic following of long-time Guinness lovers.

22. This Is Chumash Territory

Source: Flickr user mikebaird

Before there was Santa Barbara, there was Chumash land. Legendary purveyors of land and sea, the Chumash Indians spanned the Santa Barbara coastline and nearby Channel Islands long before the Spanish arrived. Their seashell currency and plank canoes can be revered at the city’s Natural History Museum, or just ask the ghosts of Chumash past a few questions on your own at the Painted Cave off Highway 154.

23. It’s The Original Hollywood

Source: Wikipedia user Eugene Zelenko

Eternally picture-perfect, Santa Barbara knew stardom before Hollywood existed. Beginning in 1910 with California’s first major movie studio, Flying A Studios, the city used to be the area’s largest producer of silent films. Too cool for fame, Santa Barbara soon passed the smog and paparazzi on to Los Angeles.

24. It’s Where Tri-Tip Equals Romance

Source: freeloosedirt

Built by Chinese laborers in the 1860s for travelers crossing the San Marcos Pass, The Cold Spring Tavern is proof that one century’s stagecoach rest stop is another’s romantic getaway. Perfectly preserved old school charm makes an attractive backdrop for the tavern’s timeless tri-tip sandwiches, only available on weekends.

25. Your Outdoor Entertainment, Indoors

Source: Flickr user OCAPA

The historic Arlington Theater features a starry ceiling above mock-balconies, staircases and houses, giving guests the sensation of sitting outdoors in a colonial Spanish plaza. Home to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the Arlington is the best venue to view both fake stars and real ones.

26. When You’re Feeling Shady

Source: Flickr user gailf548

Spreading out over 160 feet, The Moreton Bay Fig Tree generates more than 21,000 square feet of shade. The largest of its kind in the nation, there’s no better place to curl up with a book and recover from yesterday’s sunburn.

27. Our Horizon Has Been Defeated

Source: dirtsailor2003

Jack Johnson’s pirates of the new age are actually oil rigs, the same ones responsible for the 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill. Sure, it was California’s largest ever oil spill, causing massive amounts of ecological damage, and during the daytime these offshore drilling sites do put kind of a damper on the otherwise flawless ocean view. But at night, they’re just like extravagant, blinking Christmas displays.

28. You’ll Have To Pick A Side

Source: Flickr user On the White Line

You’ll have to choose a victor yourself between the Los Agaves and Los Arroyos restaurant rivalry. The similarities are there: Both have a salsa bar, quick, friendly service and melt-in-your-mouth Mexican. You can try to stay objective, but let’s be honest—no one likes a two-timer.

29. The High Price Of Beauty

Source: Damian Gadal

It’s as expensive as it is beautiful, and Santa Barbara is really, really beautiful. We’re talking postcard beautiful. In 2013 the average price of a single family home was more than $1 million. But, as with most things, you get what you pay for.

Feature Image Source: Flickr user Kaplan International English