In an annual ceremony to honor its athletic past, Santa Ynez High School used the evening of Friday, Sept. 19, not only to stage a football game between SYHS and Nipomo, but also to recognize five former student-athletes and one former coach and faculty member for their induction into the schoo’s Wall of Fame.

In a ceremony preceding the kickoff, the school honored former soccer, swim, and Iain McPherson, former Pirates volleyball star Meghan Mosebar, former football and track star Josh Hartman, water polo, soccer and swimming standout Chris Pace, former football star Kelley Moore, and football and golf standout Parker Colvin.

Retired SYHS teacher Dave Smith accepted the Wall of Fame plaque for Iain McPherson, a native Scot who spent 26 years as a coach and teacher at SYHS before his untimely death in 1999. Known for his tough love approach, he earned respect from students and players by pushing them to achieve more than they thought possible. As an All-American swimmer himself, he coached numerous athletes to CIF, All League
MVPs, and All-American.

Smith was a colleague and good friend of McPherson’s when both were at SYHS.

“I got here in 1975, and he had been here for three or four years already and we became good friends,” Smith said. “I was a swimmer, and I had a sister who spent some time in Scotland, so we had a lot of common ground.”

Smith said McPherson left a lasting legacy with the Pirates’ aquatic sports programs

“He really made a mark in water polo and swimming,” Smith said. “I’m glad I was able to come accept this plaque for him and also happy I got to see some of his former athletes come to see this.”

Meghan Mosebar, who lives in Florida, was also unable to attend the ceremony in person, but Meighan Dietenhofer, a former teammate, was able to accept the plaque for her. After a standout career in high school, she played Division I volleyball at Purdue and William & Mary. She is currently a teacher and club volleyball coach in Rockledge, Florida.

Josh Hartman, who accepted his plaque along with his daughter Willow, was a standout in football and track at SYHS before graduating in 2006. On the football field, Josh was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and honored as the school’s Most Valuable Male Athlete in his final year. After high school, Josh concluded his athletic career at Chapman University, playing football while earning a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in finance.

Chris Pace, who accepted his plaque carrying his young son, Jonah, not only was a three-sport star at SYHS, but outside of athletics was an Eagle Scout, Boys State School Rep, and senior class president. He continued his water polo career at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he graduated in 2008, and went on to a distinguished USAF career.

“They’ve been calling me for quite a few years, but with me moving all over being with the Air Force, I could never schedule it,” Pace said. “Finally, one year they called and I brought up a few old teammates of mine and asked if they were on the wall, and they said, ‘oh, we got them in years ago!’ So I figured it was time to get this done.”

While some of his fellow inductees came in from out of town, Pace has moved back to the Santa Ynez Valley, bringing his family in to settle here just a couple months ago.

Kelley Moore, whose brother Mitch as on hand to accept his plaque, graduated Santa Ynez in 1972. He went on to play football at Allan Hancock College and Chico State. After graduating from CSU Chico in the spring of 1977, Dr. Kelley Moore has been blessed to have had a lifetime,49 years in the coaching profession. After stints at Hancock and Thiel College, he has been an assistant football coach at Arizona Western University.

Parker Colvin played four years (2005-09) of football and golf at SYHS, earned the Jeff Rio Memorial Scholarship and was named the most Valuable Male Athlete for the Class of 2009. After graduating
high school, Colvin attended Cal Lutheran University, where he played four years on the golf team, serving as team captain. He graduated from CLU with a degree in exercise science with an emphasis on sports medicine.

“I’m super honored to be inducted, I was at this school for four years and I loved it here,” Colvin said. “I made sure to bring my old letterman’s jacket to wear to this, just to show everyone, I still bleed black and orange.”

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After going through the 2024 season without his squad returning a kick for a touchdown, Santa Ynez High football’s special teams coordinator Sean Foy put forth a challenge to his players to get a scoring return, and even promised a special lunch to his special teams players if they “took it to the house,” as the saying goes.

That challenge has been met, and then some. At the Pirates’ Homecoming game against Santa Maria on Friday, Sept. 26, Austin Willis took the short opening kick from the Saints and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown, the Pirates’ third kickoff-return score of the year, as Santa Ynez cruised to a 41-0 victory over Santa Maria.

Coming a week after SYHS’s 23-7 home win over Nipomo on Sept. 19, the victory moved the Pirates’ record to 4-2 going into Sunset League play. SYHS plays its first league game Friday, Oct. 3, at home against Atascadero.

The kickoff return game is a source of pride for Foy this year.

“In 17 years this is the most I can remember us having [return touchdowns] in a season, and we’ve just played six games,” Foy said. “Hats off to the boys. It’s not a super complicated thing complicated thing, it’s just executing your job.”

Of course, the performance so far this year came with some incentive.

“At the start of the season, I told the kickoff return team that I would buy them lunch each time they scored a touchdown,” Foy said. “This is the third lunch; it’s a good thing I stock up for these things.”

Actually, the Pirates didn’t waste any time getting the kickoff return score out of the way this year: In the season opener Aug. 22 at Dos Pueblos, Greyson Foy — son of Coach Foy and one of the Pirates’ main running backs — took the first kick of the season and ran it back 90 yards in a 43-22 win. A week later, Aug. 29, after Lompoc had scored the go-ahead touchdown with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter, Willis took the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a score that would have tied the game if not for the subsequent extra-point try being blocked.

After Willis’ game-opening touchdown against the Saints, the Pirates tacked on a lot more points on the night, racing to a 27-0 halftime lead and scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter.

The SYHS offense produced 309 yards of offense in the game, with 167 of those coming on the ground. Cael DeForest led the attack with 73 yards of rushing on just three carries, including a 55-yard touchdown, one of the third-quarter scores. Ayden Finley and Greyson Foy also rushed for scores.

Quarterback Jude Pritchard completed 12 of 19 passes for 142 yards and connected with receiver Mason Skidmore on a 16-yard pass in the second quarter. Diego Pulido hit on two field goals in the first half, from 30 and then 42 yards.

On defense Jackson Glover had a team-high 10 tackles, nine of them for negative yardage, including three quarterback sacks. Meanhwile, Hayden Pahler had 10 tackles of his own, with one QB sack, and Tate Rossler had an interception.

Rossler had actually run back his interception for a touchdown, but the return was called back due to a penalty committed by the Pirates. While SYHS head coach Josh McClurg was happy for the win and had high praise for the defense, the penalty that negated Rossler’s TD was a reminder his team still had things to work on.

“I happy with the win,” McClurg said. “I’m not happy with the mistakes and the dumb penalties. We had a guy who could have gotten his first pick-six, but then we had a bonehead play for the penalty, and we can’t have that.”

The PIrates will return this Friday, Oct. 3, for their Sunset League opener, and third straight home game, against Atascadero. The Greyhounds come in with a 2-3 mark.

GIRLS WATER POLO

The Pirates earned their first Sunset League win on Thursday, Sept. 25, by beating visiting Cabrillo 8-5. Paige Reynolds scored three goals and had four steals, while Juliet Kerr had two goals and four steals of her own, and Rylan Agin had seven blocks.

SYHS played at Paso Robles on Wednesday, Oct. 1, and return home to play Morro Bay on Wedensday, Oct. 8.

GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL

The Pirates’ girls flag football team raised its record to 7-3 in its inaugural since with consecutive shutouts, beating Santa Maria 26-0 on Sept. 25, and Righetti 25-0 on Sept. 30.

In the Santa Maria game, quarterback Leighton Casey completed 15 of 25 passes for 125 yard and a touchdown pass to Campbell McClurg (five catches, 44 yards). Presley Pinoli had a team-high 69 yards rushing with a TD, and McClurg, Ella Gotschall, and Skyla Oslin had interceptions. No stats were available for the Righetti game.

The Pirates return to action on Oct. 7 with a home game against Cabrillo, and then close out the regular season with games at Pioneer Valley (Oct. 16) and at home against San Luis Obispo.

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On Sept. 26, Santa Ynez High School held Homecoming and crowned its royalty during halftime of the school’s football game against Santa Maria High.

Edgar Guzman was named Homecoming King and Anelly Tovalin was named Homecoming Queen. Both were selected from field of eight finalists in each category.

Anelly is a senior at SYHS who has competed on the girls wrestling team and is also a talented singer — she was in the school production of “Andrew Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock” last spring, where she did a rendition of “Amazing Grace.” In fact, she gave as her favorite high school memory the time she was singing Bruno Mars tunes while selling pizza for OLA at a past Homecoming game.

After high school, Anelly plans to attend the University of Chicago, where she will major in pre-law with a minor in psychology. Her dream is to become an immigration lawyer, working to help families like her own.

Edgar is a senior at SYHS, who has played for the boys soccer and boys volleyball. He was a big part of the Pirates volleyball team’s run to the CIF state playoffs last spring and gave as his favorite memory the team’s victory over Arroyo Grande in the CIF quarterfinals.

After graduation, Edgar plans to attend college, with his dream school being the University of Texas, where he hopes to study sports marketing or marine biology. His dream job is to work in sports marketing, combining his love of athletics with his future career.

Other finalists for Homecoming King included Alex Molera, Yahir Torres, Von Gordon, Jude Pritchard, Greyson Foy, Levi Snow, and Diego Pulido. Queen finalists included Elena Sleiman, Emma Johnson, Alyssa Villareal, Haley Spry, Quinn Robinson, Eleanor Murphy, and Keegan Withrow.

The football Pirates made the Homecoming a happy one with a 41-0 victory over the visiting Santa Maria Saints.

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The Buellton City Council held its regular meeting on Thursday, Sept. 25, but it was anything but regular, as Carla Mead was sworn in as the new council member representing the city’s District 4, making the council a full unit for the first time since the changeover from the November 2024 election.

Mead, a self-employed math tutor and wine ambassador for Rideau Winery who has served on multiple local boards and volunteer organizations, won a special mail-in election Aug. 26 over former City Councilperson and Mayor Dave King. The District 4 seat had gone vacant when David Silva moved into the mayor’s seat at the beginning of the year after defeating King in the November 2024 mayoral election.

Mead took her oath from City Clerk Linda Reid approximately 15 minutes into the meeting, before the council dealt with its business items on the agenda. She was joined in the audience by many friends and well-wishers, most of whom wore pink at her request. In fact, District 3 City Councilmember John Sanchez got into the spirit with a pink shirt of his own underneath his sportcoat.

In a reception before the City Council meeting started, Mead reflected on her time this year campaigning and getting to know the people who would become her constituents.

“Not for the weak-spirited, but campaigning and door-knocking, it’s been great meeting so many neighbors to get to hear about people’s concerns directly from them,” she said. “The biggest thing is making people aware that there is a kind of person in their district, making them aware of who I am and making them aware that I’m at their service.”

Mead already had a couple of topics she was ready to tackle as soon as she took her City Council seat.

“I’ll continue working on the SYV Pedestrian Trail. And commercial development — what are we doing to develop,” she said. “And, from listening to the people, how do we improve our transportation issues, whether it’s on 246 or at the high school.”

After Mead took her oath of office, which was followed by a short recess, the five-member council got down to business. One change in the agenda was the redesignation of Item 5 in the Consent Calendar, having to do with funding for the Buellton segment of the Santa Ynez River Trail to Business Item No. 13.

First off was the opportunity to fill the vacant spot on the Buellton Planning Commission now that Mead was on council.

The city had an open window for applications last month, and the only applicant ended up being Daniel Contreras, who served on the Planning Commission from 2024 until he had to vacate the spot with the City Council District 4 vacancy.

Contreras addressed the council citing his background and experience on the commission, and Mead has the opportunity to appoint him back to the commission, which she did, saying “We have similar goals. I would like to nominate Daniel Contreras.” The appointment passes with a 5-0 vote from council.

In Item 11, the Council OK’d by a 4-0 vote an $11,000 payment to En Fuego Events for costs in running the Buellton Fall Fest, which will be held Nov. 7-9 in the area of Avenue of Flags north of Highway 246. The event will be held at Avenue of Flags for the fourth year next month. Councilmember John Sanchez recused himself from the item because he is related to the event applicant.

In Item 12, Council unanimously passed Resolution No. 25-27, Amending the Monthly Wastewater Service Fees and Low-Income Program in the City of Buellton. The low-income program is a service provided by PG&E and SoCal Gas that offers a 20% discount monthly for rate-payers that have been heavily vetted by those agencies. Also a part of the resolution was a deep sewer-rate discount for Buellton mobile-home park residents.

Finally, Item 13, which was originally in the Consent Calendar, Consideration of MOU with SBCAG for the Santa Ynez Valley River Trail (Santa Ynez Valley Regional Community Connector) saw the City Council OK a $425,000 outlay in a city partnership SBCAG for the administration, and preliminary plans for the trail which is proposed to start at Buellton’s River View Park and end at the intersection of Highways 246 and 154.

Fred Luna of SBCAG, a Buellton resident, said he looks to hire a consultant to help with the project and said they already have preliminary plans underway for the project.

Before adjourning, Buellton Mayor David Silva announced the next scheduled City Council meeting for Thursday, Oct. 9, will be canceled due to councilmembers going to the League of California Cities conference that week. The council will meet next on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m.

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In Discussion Item 8a, in an approximately 50-minute talk, councilmembers and Community Development Director Rafael Castillo went over the parameters of a new ordinance laying out policy for STRs, also known by some as Airbnbs, in residential area.

At its Aug. 11 meeting, the City Council directed staff to produce two draft ordinances for revisions to the short-term rental ordinance. One ordinance would allow short-term rentals (STR) only within the Village Mixed-Use (VMU) zoning district (formerly TRC zone), while grandfathering in certain existing permitted STR outside the VMU. A second draft ordinance would allow for STRs throughout the City in any zone that allows residential use, except for high-density residential zones. The current situation has most of the STRs in the downtown Solvang area, know as the Village Mixed-Use (VMU) are, with a few located in the R-3 area, a small region cut out in the eastern end of town.

Castillo reminded council that the main thing they were looking to decide was whether to have all the STRs limited to the VMUs or allow them in any part of the city. Council seemed to agree to keep them in the VMU

City Councilmember Mark Infanti said that he noticed that of the so-called STRs in the VMU, there were “22 or 23” (later re-estimated as 25 or 26) of the STRs that didn’t have permits. “We need to chase these people down and get them to obtain permits,” he said.

Fellow Councilmember Elizabeth Orona agreed: “We don’t have any kind of fine, no repercussions. Should we bring back fines for some consequences?”

Castillo answered, “We withheld going after them, because we want to be sure what their intentions are; maybe we can get them to turn in paperwork to make it legal.” It should be noted that STRs are subject to the Transit Occupancy tax, so if the city succeeds in getting the property owners to get permitted, that would mean tax dollars for Solvang.

City Manager Randy Murphy also noted that City Council Chelea O’Sullvian and the staff were working on a new code enforcement policy.

During Public Comment for the item, Solvang Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tracy Beard spoke out against the STRs and the policy allowing them.

“As a representative of the business community; this is a poor decision [to allow the STRs],” she said.
“We need to have more clarity; it’s not compatible with the business community.

“With STRs, you’re taking away from hotels,” Beard continued. “STRs do not comply with ADA standards ([or the disabled. This is a bigger deal than what we think it is.”

Going back to council, Councilmember Claudia Orona said that while he understood the concerns for hotels, the STRs have been established in the VMU, and many of those property owners have been compliant with the city for those properties and shouldn’t be penalized.

“There would be a lot of angry people in the VMU if we told them they can’t do that anymore,” she said. “Rationale people have been compliant for years; it’s tough to suddenly tell them no.”

Council member Louise Smith, meanwhile, said tenants deserve the right to use STRs if that’s their prerogative.

“I don’t want to take away TOT from hotels, but STRs are a better option for some,” Smith said. “We need to look at how to expand, but only if we have a way to control it. We need to look at visitors who may need something other than hotel room.”

Ultimately, the council decided to give staff direction on bringing back an ordinance where the STRs are limited to the VMU, and to just 30 permitted STRs in that zone. Also, the councils agreed that they would not permit “homestays,” STRs where the property owner resides in the house at the same time as the tenants.

In another discussion item, Castillo introduced a report on the possibility of chain retailers in the city, especially the downtown area.

In his report, Castillo said that at the March 24 meeting, the City Council requested information on chain retailers, whether it was a problem, or it might be anticipated as a problem. Additionally, it was requested that information be brought forth regarding “ghost retail stores,” referring to the businesses that take up storefronts, but are more the “fulfillment center” or warehouse for filling online orders.

In discussion, the council determined that it doesn’t foresee a problem with chain stores moving in. National brands have minimal representation downtown as just Subway and Domino’s have location along Mission Drive, and a lesser-known clothing chain, Kahuna’s, took over the space on Alisal Road that housed Rasmussen’s

Claudia Orona even played what she termed as “devil’s advocate,” in expressing support for a story like Kahuna’s in Solvang.

“I’v been in town since 2008, and I’ve seen different chain retailers; they come and go. I’d caution against making regulations,” she said. I’d much rather have a Kahuna’s store or similar retailer than another cheap trinket store. If someone wants to try opening a chain store  , let them and see how it goes.”

The item ended without action or directive to staff.

The next regular Solvang City Council meeting will be Monday, Oct. 13, at 6:30 p.m.

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By Pamela Dozois

Contributing Writer

The 88th annual Solvang Danish Days Parade was held on Saturday, Sept. 20, as part of the three-day celebration of all things Danish. This year’s theme was “Be Happy — Vær Glæde!.” 
Approximately 25 parade entries joined in the festivities with the Color Guard leading the way, followed by the Boy Scouts carrying a banner welcoming everyone to Danish Days. Next up was the Danish Maid, Addie Madrid, riding in a red Mustang, followed by the Nordhoff High School Rangers Marching Band, then the Grand Marshals of this year’s parade, Brenda and Mark Anderson. Celebrating the famous author Hans Christian Andersen was John Clark wearing his top hat, City of Solvang staff and officials,
two colorful Solvang Trollies, members of the Viking Charities, the Viking Ship filled with cheering Vikings, Danish Maid 2040, residents of the Atterdag Village, the Authentic Leather Patch Co., and the gaily decorated ribboned float flanked by the beautifully garbed dancers from Fossemalle Dance Studio.

A group of elves announced Julefest, the “Nesser are Coming,” and advised us all to “Be Happy.” The Perrin family waved to onlookers, followed by an entry by the Padilla Tile & Construction Company throwing candy to the children lining the sidewalks. Next along the parade route was Birkholm’s Bakery,
Franciscan friars dressed in their brown robes, Kay Dominguez directing the Santa Ynez Valley Jazz Band, beautifully dressed señoritas, one on horseback, then the Figueroa Mountain Brewery bus displaying images of its colorful brews, followed by the Carlsberg Pilsner float carrying the Solvang Village Band.
And for the grand finale, a huge Beehive float, as tall as the surrounding buildings, rolled by with a group of men and women all dressed in bright yellow beehive T-shirts complete with bee antennae on their heads, courtesy of the Nielsen Building Materials family and friends.
A group of ladies from the Visalia Gadabouts, a senior group, came by bus just for the day. A visit to Solvang for Danish Days is on their yearly agenda. They said they did a lot of shopping. “Now I’m broke,” said one of the ladies. They bought T-shirts for their grandchildren, socks they said “were so cute,” cookies, thread, and a ring for one of them and, of course, a mug. “Whenever I go to a new place, I buy a mug and a magnet,” said another, all gleefully speaking in unison.
“This is the first time my friend and I have been to Solvang in more than 25 years,” said Lupe Ramizez. “The parade was wonderful. We caught lots of candy — we were just like kids. I even got a little wet from the water sprayed from one of the floats. We had a great time. Our whole visit was awesome.”

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By Pamela Dozois

The 79th annual Los Alamos Old Days celebration, a three-day event, was held on the weekend of Sept. 26-28, featuring a Classic Car Show, an Artisan’s Faire, the Old Days Stampede 5K Run, dinner and dancing at the Men’s Club, food, music, and games for the children, and the Biggest Little Hometown Parade. The theme of this year’s event was “How the West was One.”
The festivities began on Friday night at the Men’s Club with dinner and dancing to the music of “Red Oak
Country.”
Saturday morning saw one side of Bell Street filled with an array of vintage and antique cars and trucks
and the other side lined with vendors offering their wares. Children were treated to a variety of games, face painting, and bounce houses in Ferrini Park, and a petting zoo behind the Men’s Club. There were food trucks and tri-tip sandwiches available for hungry attendees. Also, there was a “Wild Woof West Dog Parade and Contest” sponsored by That’s FETCH!, Santa Barbara County Animal Services, and Ron and Betty Ziegler. And, of course, what would an old-time Western celebration be without Cow Pie Bingo, which was won by Esto Carrillo.

The winners of the car show were: Best in Show — Pete Gaalswy’s 1939 Plymouth Coupe; Best
Hot Rod — Paul Cetti’s 1933 Ford 3-Window Custom; Best Custom — Mario Angulo’s 1972 Chevrolet K5
Blazer; Best Classic Truck (pre-1990) — Mike Tremper’s 1972 Chevy C-10 Pickup; Best Muscle Car (stock
1960-1987) — Rick Wahlberg’s 1968 Chevy Camaro; Best Rat Rod — Cody Castagna’s 1935 Ford Pickup;
Best Classic Antique (pre-1942 stock) — Rob Rohrer’s 1915 Ford Model T Depot Hack; Best Patina (rods,
customs, trucks) — Teddy Broussard’s 1949 Chevrolet Carpenter School Bus; Best Sports Car 2-seater —
John Shockley’s 1954 Austin Healey 100; Best Volkswagen — Russell Newell’s 1966 VW 21 Window Bus;
Best Classic 1927-1941 (all makes and models) — Robert Mainor’s 1937 Chevrolet 2-door Sedan; Best Tri
Five (all makes and models) — Chris Chiavoni’s 1955 Chevy Bel-Air; Best 1946-1959 (all makes and
models) — Jose Negrete’s 1948 Chevy Fleetline; and Best Low Rider — Joe Hernandez’s 1954 Chevy Bel
Air. Due to overcast skies, many of the automobiles left soon after the judging in hopes of not getting
their cars wet, but dry weather prevailed for the entire weekend.
Saturday came to a close with everyone packing up for the night anticipating the next day’s events, but
the fun continued at the Los Alamos Men’s Club with a Cook Your Own Dinner/Dance with live music by
The Fossils, who played into the night. But there was more fun to be had the following day with the 5K
run and the “Biggest Little Small-Town Parade.”
On Sunday at 9 a.m., a 5K run/walk sponsored by CalSwoosh began with more than 40 people participating in the event. The event is a fundraiser for the nonprofit sports club, part of CalSwoosh, which uses the proceeds to help underprivileged kids to play sports. Trophies were awarded to the first-place male, Matthew Seurria whose time was 16.45, and first-place female, Halle Hamilton, whose time was 20.01. Medals were awarded to the top three finishers in seven divisions.

“This was the 14th year that CalSwoosh has participated in Los Alamos Old Days, and we had the most
people ever, with more than 40 participants,” said Coy Kendrick, organizer of the event.

Following the 5K run, Bell Street began to fill up with hundreds of people anticipating the parade, which was said to be the largest in its history with 48 entries. The sidewalks throughout Los Alamos were filled with people, in some places four or five deep awaiting the parade.

Seeing the parade approaching, Jacob Dana began to sing the national anthem while everyone stood
silently with hands over their hearts. Shirley Williams and Charlie Gonzales were the parade’s
announcers.

This year’s parade Grand Marshals were Ron and Betty Ziegler.

“The Zieglers have been a cornerstone of the Los Alamos community for decades, embodying the values of generosity, friendship, and dedication that define small-town life,” which was stated in part in their bio. “Both are well-known for their active support of local traditions, lending their time, resources, and encouragement to events that bring neighbors together year after year. Their belief in preserving community spirit has made them familiar and trusted faces at nearly every town event. Their commitment to family, friends, and neighbors reflects a deep love for the town they call home.” They have been married for 67 years.

The King and Monighetti families led the parade carrying the American flag, which has been their tradition since 1966. They were followed by the first-ever 2025 Old Days Queen, Lucy Martin, and Old Days Princess, Arena Longoria, and their court, dancing horses, and a brass band from Cabalgata Guadalupana de la Costa Central, and then the parade’s Grand Marshals.

Following the dignitaries was a variety of parade entries featuring dancing horses, hounds, fun floats,
vintage vehicles, beautifully costumed dancers, marching bands, vintage tractors, and floats by local
schools and businesses.

The 2025 Los Alamos Old Days Parade winners are as follows: Best Antique Vehicle 1st Place — Coastal
Vineyard Care Associates; Best Community Service Organization 1st Place — Sleep in Heavenly Peace;
Honorable Mention — JLD Boxing Academy; Best Equestrian Group 1st Place — Lienzo Charro Juan Juavez;
Honorable Mention — Santa Ynez Valley Hounds; Best Float 1st Place — Righetti FFA; Honorable Mention —
Lemos Feed & Pet Supply; Best Locals Entry 1st Place — Peppertree Farms Pumpkin Patch; Best
Elementary School — Olga Reed Broncos and Orcutt Academy K-8 Spartans (tie); Best Performance Group
(musical, marching) 1st Place — Orcutt Academy High School Marching Band; Honorable Mention —
Lompoc High Sapphire Dance; Best Restored Tractor 1st Place — Al Bennett; Honorable Mention — two
Farmall Tractors (Charles and Kelli Linquiti); Best Use of Theme 1st Place — Bundle ADU; Honorable
Mention — St. Joseph High School; and Best Military — Lompoc PD / Armored Rescue Vehicle.

Back at the Men’s Club, a barbecue contest was taking place, and this year’s winner was Priedite Barbecue.
Queen Lucy Martin, and Princess Arena Longoria, and their court — Xiomora Rubio, Elizabeth Flores, Sadie Greenwal, and Monica Diaz, raised $15,000 for the Los Alamos Valley Men’s Club who sponsored the event.

“It was a privilege to raise money for such a worthy organization,” said Longoria. “This incredible weekend doesn’t just happen on its own. I want to recognize the amazing group of volunteers who dedicate their time, energy, and talents to make Old Days possible. These committee chairs and leaders give up countless hours they could be spending with their families to organize, plan, and prepare. They juggle phone calls, emails, permits, and county/state requirements – all while working to create an event that brings joy to our town. Their dedication is inspiring, and I am beyond proud of what they have accomplished,” said Ray Williams, president of the Los Alamos Valley Men’s Club.

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Those who have enjoyed their quaffs at Figueroa Mountain Brewery, the Buellton establishment on Industrial Way, now can enjoy some good eats at the place, as it welcomes a new food provider: Hudson’s Grill at Fig Mtn Brew.

The announcement of the new partnership came in August: After 10 years of operating the restaurant internally, owner Jaime Dietenhofer has teamed up with Alex Uribe to revamp the restaurant offering at the location. The eatery is an American Grill concept with a full menu, open seven days per week.

The place had a soft opening on Labor Day Weekend, with Alex and his family serving up such popular items as smash burgers, Nashville chicken sandwiches, and wood-fired brick-oven pizzas.

“I have known Alex since high school, he has done a great job with his restaurants in the valley here and we are excited to have him focus on the quality of service and food,” he said. “Running a restaurant is an intense task that requires a lot of focus. We are excited to have Alex focus on the food, while we focus on what we do best, making award-winning beer.”

Jamie Dietenhofer started Figueroa Mountain with his late father, Jim, in 2010.

“We opened the brewery but didn’t have any food here,” he said. “People wanted to stay and we would just order in from other restaurants. But we opened our kitchen in, I think, 2015, just to create an environment were people can stay.

“But we found out running a restaurant is full-time and you have to be on top of it, and I’ve watched Alex with all of his restaurants. Just seeing how diligent he is — that’s what you need have a successful restaurant, and our primary focus is beer.”

Uribe is no stranger to the restaurant business — like Dietenhofer, he started a business with his father when they opened California Tacos in Solvang. He has since expanded to locations in Buellton and San Luis Obispo. His family is involved in all of the restaurants, and each one also has a photo of his father, who passed away in 2002.

“I had talked to Jamie about opening a place in here, and we just went back and forth,” Uribe said. “I was ready to do it when he wasn’t and he was ready to do it when I wasn’t. Then this past February we were feeling it’s a good time to do it and started having meetings.”

Uribe is excited about the opportunity and looks forward to the revamp. “We are going to update and improve the menu and the experience for locals and visitors. Hudson’s Grill at Fig Mtn Brew will be an affordable location so families can eat here regularly for lunch and dinner and not break the bank while having a great experience. The food will complement the already amazing beer offerings.”

And for long-time locals, this Hudson’s Grill has no connection with the Hudson’s Grill that had a location in Santa Maria years ago. “Nah, I named it after my grandson,” Uribe said with a laugh.

With the addition of Hudson’s Grill, Dietenhofer is looking to expand the Figueroa Mountain site, in space and in clientele.

“We opened up the upstairs space with tables, and added more to the ground floor,” he said. “And the outdoor patio will have more seats and tables with a huge flat-screen TV and more scattered inside, and we’ll have games out in the patio for the kids to play.”

And that leads to Dietenhofer’s aim to make his place more of a family establishment, even if there is alcohol served.

“I really don’t want to limit my customers,” he said. “I want to have people to come in and have a drink and good food, but I want their kids to come in too, make this a family-friendly place.”

And that works in with Uribe’s menu, which he plans to keep relatively inexpensive.

“I just like to present a value menu here, where a family can come in and eat and not have to pay a lot,” he said.

Hudson’s Grill at Fig Mtn Brew, inside Figueroa Moutain Brewery, is located at 154 Industrial Way in Buellton. It is open Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can also order online at hudsonsgrillatfig.com/

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The Santa Ynez High football team’s record stands at 2-2 with a stretch of three straight home games starting this Friday. The Pirates followed up a big home win over San Marcos with a loss at Mission Prep to stay at .500 so far in the seaons. A look at both games:

Santa Ynez 41, San Marcos 14

On Sept. 5, the Pirates trailed early in the second quarter, but then dominated the rest of the way, avenging their loss at San Marcos last year.

After taking the opening kickoff, SYHS drove down the field and opened the scoring when quarterback Jude Pritchard threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jaxson Glover. After the missed extra point, the Pirates led 6-0.

However, San Marcos came back to scored two touchdowns, included an 87-yard scoring run by Cole Dominguez, to give the Royals a 14-6 lead with 9:44 left in the second quarter.

After that, though, the Pirates took control with three touchdowns before halftime. Pritchard hit Diego Pulido with a 38-yard scoring strike, and then ran in the two-point conversion to tie it at 14.

SYHS then had two scoring runs, with Pritchard scoring on a 9-yard run, and then Greyson Foy taking it in from the 1-yard line, to give the Pirates a 28-14 lead at the break.

The Pirates defense kept the Royals scoreless in the second half, while the offense had two touchdowns from Mason Skidmore, a 4-yard run on a reverse in the third quarter, and a 17-yard pass from Pritchard in the fourth to close the scoring.

Pritchard continued to prove his worth as a double threat, completing 16 of 23 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushing for a team high 91 yards on 10 carries and another TD. Cael DeForest (76 yards on nine carries) and Ayden Finley (46 yards on five carries) also added to the ground game. Skidmore (four catches, 91 yards) and Pulido (five catches, 87 yards) excelled as Pritchard favorite passing targets.

On defense, Hayden Pahler was credited with a team-high 15 tackles, while Adrian Merritt (fumble recovery) and Dylan Zepeda (interception) had turnovers for SYHS.

Head coach Josh McClurg had blamed the Pirates’ previous-week loss to Lompoc on players “not doing their jobs.” When asked if they did against San Marcos, he said “to an extent. We gave up some plays early on, but the defense settled down and really played well in the second half.”

McClurg had high praise for the Pirates’ offense.

“I’m really proud of our quarterback,” McClurg said about Pritchard. “We had a good game plan and he pulled it off really well. Overall, after the loss to Lompoc, we had a good week of practice and did some soul-searching and came back.”

Mission Prep 24, Santa Ynez 7

On Sept. 12, the Pirates were worn down by the host Royals’ twin rushing attack of Robert Kardashian and Aiden Shelton in a 24-7 loss on the Mission Prep campus.

MP’s Kardashian led all runners with 172 yards on 26 carries and one of the Royals’ three touchdowns, while Shelton tallied 101 years on 10 carries, including a 41-yard TD run in the first quarter.

The Pirates’ offense had trouble getting untracked for most of the game and were behind 24-0 in the fourth quarter before getting a scoring drive that ended with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Pritchard to Pulido for its only points.

The Pirates will play three straight home games starting Friday, Sept. 19 against Nipomo. After that is a Sept. 26 contest vs. Santa Maria, and then the team’s first Sunset League game Oct. 3 against Atascadero.

Girls water polo team heads into Ocean League play

The Santa Ynez girls water polo team got a couple of big non-league wins last week before heading into Ocean League play.

On Thursday, Sept. 11, the Pirates defeated Santa Maria 14-3. In a balanced scoring attack, Elena Sleiman, Paige Reynolds, and Adriana Bilac had 2 goals apiece. Angelina Lefemine added a goal and 3 assists, while Juliet Kerr had a goal, 4 assists, and 5 steals.

Two days before, on Sept. 9, SYHS beat Lompoc 20-10, after jumping ahead 9-0 in the first period. Rylan Agin had 3 goals, 4 assists, and 4 blocks, and Eleanor Murphy had 2 goals and 5 blocks.

The Pirates played their first Ocean League game, at Morro Bay, on Wednesday, Sept. 17, and will return home to play Cabrillo on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

Girls tennis squad falls to strong Cate team in non-league finale

The Santa Ynez High girls tennis team ended its non-league schedule with a 9-0 loss to Cate of the CIF Southern Section to drop to 7-4 going into the Pirates’ Mountain League opener.

“We were short four of our varsity players but played some great matches against a strong, Southern section team,” said head coach Jennifer Rasmussen, who’s team played Lompoc at home in the first league game on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

The doubles team of Ainsley Haws and Clair Tipich gave Cate it toughest test, taking some games at No. 2 before losing 8-4.

SYHS was more successful on Sept. 9 with a 7-2 win at Cabrillo. Keegan Withrow, Haws, Tipich, and Clea Malkmus posted singles wins, while the Pirates swept doubles with the teams of Withrow/Haley Townes, Haws/Rylee Arellano, and Tipich/Avery DeJohn.

The Pirates traveled to Arroyo Grande on Thursday, Sept. 18, and return home Tuesday, Sept. 23, against St. Joseph at 3:30 p.m.

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The Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District has restructured its leadership team in order to strengthen leadership, provide greater accountability, and prepare the district for the important work ahead, the district announced in a statement released on Friday, Sept. 5.

The Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District Board approved the appointment of Tori Martinez on Sept. 9, as the district moves from a combined principal/superintendent model with three assistant principals to a more balanced structure where Dr. Kimberly Sheehan will continue in her role as district superintendent, Martinez will be appointed to the role of principal, and Jasmine Day and Kelley Carter will continue in their current roles of assistant principals.

“Last year, when Dr. Sheehan was hired, the board chose to combine the roles to better align leadership, goals, and vision,” said Board President Chris Johnson at the meeting. “While Dr. Sheehan has worked diligently to fill both roles, the scope of the superintendent and principal roles has expanded significantly, making it impossible to fill both positions effectively.” 

Johnson added that as vice principal, Martinez had willingly taken on the expanded duties of the principal condition despite them falling outside her job description, and said that it is important to formally to recognize the scope of responsibilities fall under a principal’s job description, necessitating her appointment.

The district’s Sept. 5 statement said, “This change reflects the district’s commitment to aligning with best practices in education as it prepares significant initiatives in the coming years. With a dedicated principal in place, the district can more effectively address instructional leadership priorities and the continued expansion of educational program opportunities for students. At the same time, Superintendent Dr. Sheehan will have the capacity to focus on additional executive leadership responsibilities, including financial oversight, facilities planning, consortium management, charter authorization, accountability measures, and labor negotiations.

“The restructure also strengthens an important system of checks and balances. By separating the superintendent and principal roles, the district adds an additional layer of oversight and internal control. This change provides additional clarity for students, families, and staff.

The district also noted the change is essentially budget-neutral. The adjustment eliminates the need for payment of additional assistant principal work days and reallocates existing funds, including a reduction to the superintendent’s professional development stipend. In return, the district gains a leadership model that is more efficient, equitable, and sustainable.

Martinez has been a dedicated leader in the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District since 2019. Most recently, she has served as an assistant principal at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School, where she has coordinated and drafted master schedule development, overseen the Counseling Department and the Health & Wellness Center, provided oversight of WASC accreditation, and drafted the district’s LCAP. Prior to that, she served as the Refugio High School’s administrator and a teacher on special assignment, where she developed the district’s Independent Study and Online Learning programs. With a background in teaching English and communications, Martinez brings both classroom experience and extensive leadership expertise, all centered on her deep commitment to student success and community engagement.

“With Sheehan, Martinez, Day, and Carter leading the way, the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District is well-prepared to meet the challenges ahead while keeping student success at the heart of every decision,” the statement concluded.

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