Orchid show planned

More than 70 national and international exhibitors will participate in the 63rd Annual Santa Barbara International Orchid Show Feb. 29 through March 2 at the Earl Warren Showgrounds, located off Highway 101 at Los Positas Road in Santa Barbara.

In addition to a vast selection of blooming orchid plants, corsages, and growing supplies, the event includes gift items and workshops featuring author Eric Hansen, Professor Harold Koopowitz, and lecturer Lance Birk. Koopowitz will speak Feb. 29, Hansen will speak March 1 and 2, and Birk will speak all three days.

Using the theme, “Orchid Fever!” this year’s show includes an awards banquet hosted by the Cymbidium Society of America, as well as open houses, tours and sales at orchid nurseries in Santa Barbara County — Cal-Orchid, Inc., and Santa Barbara Orchard Estate, both of Santa Barbara, and Gallup & Stribling Orchids and Orchids Royale, both of Carpinteria. More information is available from 969-5746.

 

Sondheim comes to Granada

Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim will be interviewed in a public forum by New York Times critic Frank Rich at the newly restored Granada Theatre, 1216 State St., Santa Barbara, on March 8 at 4 p.m. The event, hosted by the UCSB Arts & Lectures Department, the Rubicon Theatre Company and the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, will review Sondheim’s music and masterpieces, with Rich offering conversational insights. The two will discuss things personal and professional in the first of four appearances nationwide. Call 893-3535 for more information.

 

Lecture planned at UCSB

“The Lessons of Abu Ghraib” will be discussed by retired Army Major General Antonio M. Taguba during a free lecture at UCSB’s Campbell Hall on March 6 at 4 p.m. The lecture, sponsored by the UCSB Arts & Lectures Department, will focus on Taguba’s investigation into the scandal and his report. More information is available from 893-3535.

 

Visit six museums free

The first-ever “Free Museum Day” will be held March 1 at six museums in the Santa Ynez Valley. Persons of all ages will be able to visit the museums free for the entire day.

The program is sponsored by the Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Association.

Participating museums include Buellton Historical Society History Room, Elverhøj Museum of History & Art, Hans Christian Andersen Museum, Los Alamos Historical Display, Santa Ynez Valley Historical Society Museum, and Wildling Art Museum.

According to SYVVA Executive Director Mary Harris, “This first-time event is a great way for residents and visitors alike to experience the incredible diversity of history, art, and culture in our valley. Just look for the green flag at each venue. It’s a lot of fun for the whole family and best of all, it’s free!”

Buellton Historical Society History Room, 376 Avenue of Flags, Buellton, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Elverhøj Museum of History & Art, 1624 Elverhoy Way, Solvang, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Hans Christian Andersen Museum, 1680 Mission Drive, Solvang, is open between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Los Alamos Historical Display, located at Bell and Helena Streets, Los Alamos, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Santa Ynez Valley Historical Society Museum, 3596 Sagunto St., Santa Ynez, is open from noon to 4 p.m.

Wildling Art Museum, 2329 Jonata St., Los Olivos, is open between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

SYVVA is a non-profit organization formed in 2001 with more than 100 members. It promotes tourism year-round in the Santa Ynez Valley communities of Ballard, Buellton, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez and Solvang. For more information, call (805) 686-0053 or visit www.SantaYnezValleyVisit.com.

 

Two auctions to raise funds

A silent auction to raise funds for Preservation of Los Olivos and Preservation of Santa Ynez, two organizations focused on development in the Santa Ynez Valley, will be held March 9 at the Veteran’s Hall, 1745 Mission Drive, Solvang, with cocktails and a silent auction beginning at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m., and a live auction at 7:30 p.m.

Using the theme, “Preserving Homes on the Range,” the event will include the live auction of rare and award-winning wines, international trips, collectible art, and a tour of an art collection not available to the public and more silent auction items. Space is limited. Tickets can be purchased online at www.polosyv.org.

Representatives of POLO and POSY have attended and filmed hundreds of government meetings concerning Santa Barbara County with the objective of keeping government officials focused on the Santa Ynez Community Plan. The groups also have filed a lawsuit against the federal government to acquire a voice in the federal process of land disposition. They also have challenged the California governor’s office concerning its deals with special interests, specifically groups that own casinos.

 

Baroque Festival scheduled

Bethania Lutheran Church in Solvang will host the first two-day Solvang Baroque Music Festival, a collaboration of several area music studios, including Mary Beth Woodruff’s Violin Studio, Diane Byington’s Solvang Conservatory, Kathryn Imani’s Song in My Heart Studio, and Bethania, directed by Beverly Staples. The event will be Feb. 29 and March 1.

During the festival, student, faculty and professional artists will perform music composed in the Baroque era using a variety of instruments such as violin, cello, piano, harpsichord, and guitar. Voice and choir selections also will be featured.

“One of our purposes is to bring students of various Santa Ynez Valley studios together to enjoy one another’s playing and celebrate the rapturous and intricate music of the Baroque era,” said Imani. Byington added, “We have wanted to collaborate on a festival featuring a particular period of music. We chose the Baroque era because it is the foundation on which all later music builds, it is accessible to all levels of musicians, and is endlessly beautiful.”

A student concert will be Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. and will feature voice, cello and guitar selections. Students of Michel Marc Gervais, Alita Rhodes, and Vahid Imani also will perform.

A series of harpsichord workshops will be held throughout the morning on March 1.

The Festival will culminate with a faculty recital at 7 p.m. March 1, featuring liturgical selections by Monteverdi, sung by the UCSB Chamber Choir, under the direction of Michel Marc Gervais, also director of Choral Studies at UCSB and conductor of the Geneva Chamber Choir and the Ensemble Vocal Professionnel de Genève at the Conservatoire de Musique in Geneva, Switzerland.

A portion of the program will feature Baroque chamber music by Vivaldi, Bach, and Corelli, performed by Byington, Woodruff, Rhodes and Staples, as well as selections by Alyssa Favero, colluratura soprano.

All Festival events will be at Bethania Lutheran Church, 603 Atterdag Road, Solvang. Admission is free. For more information, call 686-2824.

 

Food and Wine Festival set

The 16th Annual Taste of Solvang Food & Wine Festival will begin this year with a new culinary experience. For the first time, nine Solvang restaurants will offer special three-course tasting menus between March 9 and March 13. Reservations are recommended.

Participants in the middle of the week during the first Solvang Restaurant Week are Bacchus at the Storybook Inn, offering Wine Country Cuisine at 409 First St.; Cabernet Bistro, serving French and Continental at 485 Alisal Road; Café Angelica, serving California Cuisine at 490 First St.; Chef’s Touch, offering Wine Country Cuisine at 1555 Mission Drive; Hadsten House Restaurant, serving American foods at 1450 Mission Drive; Kabuki Restaurant, serving Japanese cuisine at 443 Second St.; Mustard Seed, serving Danish and American food at 1655 Mission Drive; Red Viking Restaurant, also serving Danish and American selections at 1684 Copenhagen; and River Grill at the Alisal, offering American food at 150 Alisal Road.

The weekend festival kicks off on March 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. with a Dessert Reception & live music at the Royal Scandinavian Inn, 400 Alisal Road. On March 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Walking Smorgasbord features 50 taste stops around the Solvang village. In between taste stops, participants can enjoy live entertainment, as well as take free tours of Old Mission Santa Ines & the Elverhøj Museum of History & Art.

That same day, from 6 to 9 p.m., those attending can savor the Wine Tasting Room Walk, which offers more than a dozen vintners and vintages and the prized souvenir Taste of Solvang etched wine glass.

Since 1993, Taste of Solvang has featured cuisine, locally grown foods, wines and live entertainment to celebrate the cultural and culinary heritage of the area.

Participants can purchase a Weekend Passport including logo tote bag & souvenir wine glass for $70 per person or individual event tickets are also available — the Dessert Reception is $25; the Walking Smorgasbord, $30; and Wine Walk is $35.

As part of the Festival, 12 Solvang Hotels are offering value packages including Weekend Festival Passports, lodging and gifts.

For more information, call (800) 468-6765.

 

Students make special trip

Students from Shepherd of the Valley Preschool took a special Valentine’s field trip Feb. 7 to Friendship House to visit residents and share heart-shaped cookies. Students made the cookies at school the day before and passed them out, along with flowers donated by Laura Cogan, to all the residents.

They also sang songs. A special treat was visiting with Shepherd of the Valley members Cliff and Susie Parchman, who now live at Friendship House, and who helped make two banners to welcome the students.

 

Space camp now in progress

Every February, kindergarten and first grade students at the Santa Ynez Valley Christian Academy enjoy the school’s annual Space Camp.

Junior and senior astronauts, under the direction of Commanders Tone Anderson and Sharon DuBois, learn about space with six daily activity centers that include stars, constellations, comets, plants and Earth.

The kindergarten room is transformed into the space camp, complete with a space shuttle.

Students learn astronaut drills, songs, and participate in space experiments, such as the “egg drop,” a lesson about gravity. The children learn how to package an egg so that it will not break when dropped 30 feet from the gymnasium roof.

The Santa Ynez Valley Christian Academy teaches kindergarten through 8th grade.

For more information call 688-3830.

 

Register now for AP exams

Registration and payment for the Spring 2008 Advanced Placement Exams are underway at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School. Because space is limited, early registration is encouraged by school officials. Cost for the exam is $85 per exam.

A fee reduction is available to qualified students. Deadline for payment is March 14.

The exams will be held May 5 through 16 and cover such topics as American government, Spanish, calculus, English literature, U.S. history, biology, chemistry, and Latin.

More information is available from Jon Morris at 688-6487 ext. 3210 or by e-mail, jmorris@syvuhsd.org.

 

Soccer champs to compete

The U10 Boys “A” Soccer team is off to Bakersfield on March 1 and 2 to compete in the regional games.

The team, known as “Santa Ynez United,” has competed in five tournaments, each consisting of five games, and has been undefeated, claiming the first place trophy in each tournament.

The team is led by Head Coach Jez Blacker and assistants Raul Guerrero and David Gay.

The boys also will be playing in the Santa Ynez Winter Classic on March 8 and 9 in Solvang.

 

Teachers to receive awards

Four local elected officials will help celebrate the annual Teachers Network awards dinner on Feb. 28 at the Royal Scandinavian Inn in Solvang.

County Supervisors Janet Wolf and Brooks Firestone will attend, along with representatives from the office of Congresswoman Lois Capps and Supervisor Joseph Centeno.

During the event, 35 teachers will receive 26 grants. Many teachers who participated in the new Care & Share II Philanthropy Grant program, sponsored by the Santa Barbara Foundation, also will be in attendance to receive a special recognition.

Keynote speaker will be Ole Pedersen, 2008 Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year.

Sponsored by the Santa Barbara County Education Office, the ceremony will honor outstanding Curriculum Project Grants recipients sponsored by local business partners, and Teacher Innovation Grants recipients, sponsored by the Santa Barbara County Education Office.

Further information is available from 964-4711, ext. 5281.

 

Wildling receives grant

The Wildling Art Museum has been awarded $36,000 in grant funds from three local foundations and one business. Awards include $15,000 from the Wood-Claeyssen Foundation for operating support; $12,000 from the Hutton Foundation for development support; $4,000 from the Santa Barbara Foundation for capital support; and a Community Dividends Award of $5,000 from Montecito Bank & Trust.

Located at 2329 Jonata St. in Los Olivos, the Wildling Art Museum is an educational institution dedicated to preserving our natural heritage. Four wilderness exhibitions are held annually. It is open to the public Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The current exhibition, “Members Collect III,” which will run through March 30, gives a rare view of works from Museum members’ private collections by such notable artists as Fernand Lungren, Edgar Payne, Carl Sammons, Ludmilla Welch, James Swinnerton, Channing Peake, Milford Zornes, Ray Strong, Millard Sheets, John Cody, and others.

For more information, call 688-1082 or visit www.wildlingmuseum.org.

 

Cates exhibit to open

Gwen Cates is Artist of the Month at Gallery 113 in Santa Barbara during the month of March. The exhibit, at 1114 State St. in Santa Barbara, runs from March 2 through March 29. A reception at Gallery 113 is planned for March 6, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Titled “Through the Veil,” the presentation is a departure from the landscape exhibits Cates usually shows. In this series of acrylic collage paintings, she uses images from her own paintings as elements in the composition. Winged figures and other images from earlier paintings are photographed, cut out and layered with swatches of fabric.

In a press release she explained that the theme “of these experimental and playful paintings by Cates is the veil itself, which both obscures and reveals to the viewer pictures and fantasies from the artist’s imagination.” In several paintings, the artist’s wedding veil from 47 years ago is embedded in the composition, along with other more coarsely woven fabrics.

Call Gallery 113 at 965-6611 for more information.