Reece Coren

2 days ago | santamariasun.com | Reece Coren

Summertime is just around the corner. School is ending, giving kids plenty of free time. What is there for them to do that doesn’t require spending money? Nothing—at least that’s the realization Gale McNeeley had in 2017.  That’s when he started Youth ARTS Alive, a five-week schedule of free summer art classes for children that culminates with a showcase performance in July. Painting, drawing, and sculpting are just some of the skills children can build.

2 days ago | santamariasun.com | Reece Coren

The 2025 Alma Rosa Winery Peace of Mind charity walk raised more than $250,000 to support research on and community services for mental health. On the morning of May 17, more than 250 local community members participated in Alma Rosa’s sixth annual Peace of Mind: 10,000 Steps in the Right Direction walk.

2 days ago | santamariasun.com | Reece Coren

Norm Yost said he was a beer-drinking offensive lineman for the University of California, Davis when he first tried wine in 1979. “My roommate was a winemaker at the time,” Yost said. “I put down my beer and joined him for a wine tasting one afternoon, and I was completely taken by the whole process.”This spring, Yost was named the Sta. Rita Hills Wine Alliance’s 2025 Vintner of the Year, an honor he’ll officially receive in August.

2 days ago | santamariasun.com | Reece Coren

Wildfire season is here. Don’t want your home to burn down? The Santa Barbara County Fire Department has tips it hopes will help you evade disaster. In the first quarter of this year, the Palisades Fire tore through Los Angeles County, burning more than 23,000 acres of land and destroying more than 6,000 structures. Aiming to prevent a similar catastrophe locally, the county Fire Department announced the start of high fire season on June 2 during a press conference.

2 days ago | santamariasun.com | Reece Coren

Iranian writer Vahid Imani’s graphic novel, Naji and the Mystery of the Dig, is now on display at the Book Loft in Solvang. Adapted from Imani’s chapter book of the same name, this version offers readers a uniquely interactive storytelling experience. Rather than having the words already filled in, Imani’s novel comes with blank dialogue bubbles, inviting kids to write their own narratives.