The International Orchid Show returns to Santa Barbara March 10-12

Orquideas Katia brings Colombian Species to 2023 Santa Barbara International Orchid Show! Conservation of Colombian orchid species is the focus of Orquideas Katia, a nursery located near Medellin, Colombia at an elevation of 2145 meters above sea level. Executive director Gustavo Aguirre shared a few images of the many varied species from Orquideas Katia, including the showy Cattleya trianae (top left), which is the national flower of Colombia. The intermediate to cool growing Kefersteinia graminea (top right) makes an impressive display with medium-sized flowers opening simultaneously. A vanilla-like fragrance is an added bonus of the free-blooming Dichaea tachirensis (bottom left); the distinctive growth provides interest even when not in bloom. Pleurothallis notabilis (bottom right) produces massive inflorescences of small pink blooms in a veritable firework of flowers. We're excited to see which Colombian species Orquideas Katia will bring to the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show this March! Volunteer for the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show March 10-12, 2023 Be a part of one of the largest orchid shows in the country! The Show is looking for volunteers to help enhance our visitors' experience. Volunteers take tickets, monitor doors, staff the plant hotel, and help with other Show duties. Share the joy of orchids and sign up as a volunteer! Santa Barbara International Orchid Show is March 10-12, 2023 Advance tickets available now Skip the line and buy your tickets online! Tickets are $20 per person for 1-day admission or $30 for a 3-day pass. Tickets are also available at the box office during Show hours, 9 am to 5 pm on Friday March 10, Saturday March 11 or Sunday March 12.

Santa Barbara Antique Show & Sale, February 24, 25 & 26.

805-484-1291 Next Antique Show: February 24, 25 & 26, 2023 Earl Warren Show Grounds

Star Party at the Santa Barbara Msuem of Natural History - Palmer Observatory, February 11th. Admission Free

Star Party At the Museum | Palmer Observatory FEBRUARY 11, 2023 / 7:00 PM–10:00 PM The Palmer Observatory will open its doors and its roof to share a remarkable view of the wonders of the night sky through our state-of-the-art 20-inch telescope. Join Museum astronomy staff and members of the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit for an evening of craters on the Moon, nebulas, galaxies, and more.

Information and photograph copied from the Musem Newsletter

Free Entrance to Sothern California and Santa Barbara Area Museums, Sunday February 5th

Free-for-All is BACK! On Sunday, February 5, 2023, over thirty museums—presenting art, cultural heritage, film, natural history, and science—will open their doors and offer free general admission. Admission to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History will be free. Please note that the Museum’s sister campus, the Sea Center on Stearns Wharf, is not part of the Free-for-All and admissions fees there will be as usual. With museums from Long Beach to Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, there is so much to explore. View the full list of museums below and plan your visits now. This offer is for general museum admission only and does not apply to specially ticketed exhibitions. Regular parking fees apply at each museum. Consult individual museum websites for hours, directions, and other visitor information. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures American Museum of Ceramic Art (Advance tickets required. Visit www.amoca.org to make a reservation.) Armory Center for the Arts Bowers Museum Catalina Museum for Art & History Cayton’s Children’s Museum (Advance tickets required. Visit www.caytonmuseum.org to make a reservation.) Craft Contemporary Descanso Gardens (Advance tickets required. Visit www.decansogardens.org to make a reservation.) Fowler Museum at UCLA Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University Hammer Museum The Getty Center The Getty Villa (Timed tickets are required for the Getty Villa. Visit www.getty.edu to make a reservation.) Japanese American National Museum La Brea Tar Pits & Museum (Advance tickets required. Visit www.tarpits.org to make a reservation.) LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes Lincoln Memorial Shrine Long Beach Museum of Art The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) (Advance tickets strongly recommended. Visit www.moca.org to make a reservation.) Muckenthaler Cultural Center Museum of Latin America Art (MOLAA) Museum of Tolerance Museum of Ventura County Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum Santa Barbara Museum of Art Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Santa Monica History Museum Santa Paula Art Museum Skirball Cultural Center (Advance tickets strongly recommended. Visit www.skirball.org to make a reservation.) The Wende Museum The Zimmerman Automobile Driving Museum USC Asia Pacific Museum Thank you to our partners The SoCal Sound 88.5 FM and Southern California Public Radio KPCC. The Free-for-All also serves as a reminder that free visitor days are available year-round at museums across Southern California. A calendar of free days can be found at socalmuseums.org/free.

Santa Barbara International Film Festival February 8-18

2023 Santa Barbara International Film Festival February 8 – 18, 2023 All Film info and Schedule is on the SBIFF App. A printed program guide will be available February 6th.

For more information and tickets, go to SBIFF.org Opening Night will take place on Wednesday, February 8 with the world premiere of MIRANDA’S VICTIM directed by Michelle Danner and starring Abigail Breslin, Ryan Phillippe, Luke Wilson, Donald Sutherland, Mireille Enos and Andy Garcia. It’s 1963 when eighteen-year-old Patricia “Trish” Weir is kidnapped and brutally raped at knife-point. Committed to putting Ernesto Miranda in prison, Trish’s life is destroyed by America’s legal system as she triggers a law that transforms the nation. SBIFF has become an important showcase for Academy Award frontrunners, many of whom have arrived as nominees and gone on to win the Oscar. This year the festival welcomes Angela Bassett, Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Austin Butler, Kerry Condon, Danielle Deadwyler, Nina Hoss, Stephanie Hsu, Jeremy Pope, Ke Huy Quan, and Jeremy Strong. The festival also features smart, insightful panels of leaders from every aspect of filmmaking, including many Oscar contenders. Returning will be the annual Producers Panel, Writers Panel, and Women’s Panel and introducing the new International Directors Panel. Educational opportunities abound with the ongoing offerings to local students and aspiring filmmakers nationwide. Mike's Field Trip to the Movies will continue to delight 4,000 local students from low-income schools. This year will feature an in-person Q&A with writer/director Guillermo del Toro following a screening of GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO from Netflix. The Film Studies Program will invite 30 undergraduate film students from across the country to the Film Festival where they'll take part in a packed curriculum that turns the festival into an interactive classroom. Participants receive priority access to the films, panels, filmmaker seminars, tributes, as well as intimate Q&As with filmmakers. The 10-10-10 Program is made up of 20 area high school and college screenwriters and filmmakers. This year’s program includes filmmaking workshops, individual mentorship, and access to casting, visual effects, producing and sound mentors. The student screenwriters and directors are paired together and guided through the process of taking a film from script to screen. Additionally there are free filmmaker seminars that will take place on each weekday during the Festival at Tamsen Gallery. SBIFF 2023 will close on Saturday, February 18 with the US Premiere of I LIKE MOVIES directed by Chandler Levack and starring Isaiah Lehtinen, Romina D’Ugo, Krista Bridges, Percy Hynes White. Lawrence, a socially inept, 17-year-old cinephile, gets a job at a video store, where he forms a complicated friendship with his older female manager. The full list of films can be viewed here and more information about the festival can be found at sfiff.org

Wellness & Fitness Party Downtown Santa Barbara, Thursday, January 19

On Thursday, January 19 from 5-8 pm, the 700 and 800 blocks of State Street in downtown Santa Barbara will be transformed into a fitness and e-bike expo block party! The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a variety of fitness activities, including group workout classes, dance demonstrations, and more. In addition to the fitness festivities, the event will also include an e-bike safety expo, where attendees can learn about the benefits of e-bikes and get tips on safe riding practices. There will be e-bike demonstrations and test rides available, as well as information on local e-bike rental and sales options. This will be a great opportunity to ring in the new year, get some exercise, and learn about e-bikes – all while supporting local businesses and having a great time! Don‘t miss this first Downtown Santa Barbara block party of the year as part of the ongoing downtown “Rock the Block” series featuring themed seasonal block party events, diverse downtown businesses, live music, face painting, games and fun for the whole family.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Sending Santa Barbara sunshine wishes for a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from our beautiful community.