April 7th, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Who knew there were so many ways to judge a kite? Find out what they are at the 30th Annual Santa Barbara Kite Festival. Categories include most beautiful, largest, and highest-flying. Bring your own commercial or handmade kite, or buy one on site. There’ll be a kite-tail chase for kids, kite fighting and sport flying for skilled flyers, plus a large free-fly zone for all ages. Come see what’s up!
Where:
The Great Meadow–West Campus Lawn
Santa Barbara City College
721 Cliff Drive
Santa Barbara, CA 93109
When:
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April 6th, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Join the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and guest lecturer Neal Graffy for the “Santa Barbara Then and Now” presentation. Author-historian Graffy presents a fascinating journey through Santa Barbara’s past and present. His approach to history is described as “delightfully unfettered by convention,” and his presentations are always entertaining, fun, and educational. Through images, you will see views of the waterfront starting in 1852, learn the secrets of Santa Barbara, and ponder if every building in town has been a restaurant at least once in its life.
Where:
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum
113 Harbor Way
Santa Barbara, CA 93109
When:
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April 3rd, 2015 at 8:30 am
When ice cream shops in Santa Barbara are being discussed, one is on the tip of almost everyone’s tongue: McConnell’s.
At age 66, McConnell’s is legendary not only in its hometown, but also up and down the coast. The family-operated firm pasteurizes its own grass-grazed dairy ingredients in its creamery downtown, mixed with fresh local, cage-free organic eggs, and pure cane sugar. The handcrafted ice cream is made from scratch, in small batches.
The team regularly churns out a wide variety of flavors that have kept customers coming back for more since founders Gordon “Mac” McConnell and his wife, Ernesteen, opened their first store on West Mission Street in 1949. A recent look at the menu includes Brazilian coffee chip, California lemon zest, churros con leche, Santa Barbara strawberry, Turkish coffee, and Vermont blueberry. Sorbets are offered, too, as is a dizzying array of frozen yogurt including red velvet cake, Southern salted butter, toffee nut, death by chocolate, and graham crackers and milk.
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April 1st, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Would you like some red velvet with your Cabernet? Or maybe some Cabernet in your red velvet? That’s the kind of pairing you can expect on the Original Cupcake & Wine Tour with Santa Barbara Adventure Co. This daytrip from Santa Barbara features a sampling of wine-infused-cupcakes from Enjoy Cupcakes in the heart of Santa Ynez wine country. Ready for Pomegranate Mango Chardonnay and Chocolate Blackberry Syrah? The six and a half-hour excursion in a private van includes wine, cupcake and olive tastings in the valley, wine-tasting fees (private tastings available for groups of 10+), lunch, cold beverages, knowledgeable guide, and a discussion of winemaking as well as natural and human history.
Where:
Meet at East Beach parking lot (unless hotel pickup is arranged), 1400 Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara, CA 93190.
When:
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March 31st, 2015 at 1:00 pm
The nonprofit Coastal Housing Coalition (CHC) is sponsoring this year’s Santa Barbara Housing Conference to raise awareness about the impacts of the lack of affordable housing. The public is invited to come and learn alongside more than 200 housing providers, developers, business and government leaders, and more. The goal is to advocate for policies and projects to produce more affordable housing for local workers and their families. According to the CHC, the affordability gap continues to widen and the vast majority of South Coast residents continue to struggle to find adequate housing within their salary, especially in Santa Barbara. By attending and sponsoring, you can help raise awareness and make it possible for your neighbors to continue to live and thrive in Southern California.
Where:
Carrillo Recreation Center
100 E. Carrillo St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
When:
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