STAFF REPORT

The Book Loft in Solvang will be holding a book signing for author Roger Rapaport and his novel “Searching for Patty Hearst,” on Sunday, Jan. 28, from 12 to 3 p.m.

On the night that Patty Hearst was kidnapped in 1974, journalist Roger D. Rapoport was a short distance away in his El Cerrito home. He quickly became one of the primary reporters covering the saga as it unfolded in real time. His reporting gave local and national readers a window into one of the most bizarre and polarizing crimes in U.S. history. Now, 50 years later, he has written a novel that draws us back to that time.

Rapaport, an award-winning film producer, publisher, author, and investigative journalist, has covered the Patty Hearst story for half a century. With a wry sensibility and insider knowledge that Rapoport is one of the few people to possess, “Searching for Patty Hearst,” goes beyond the tabloid headlines to tell the story in all its depth.

The Book Loft is located at 1680 Mission Drive in Solvang. Find out more about the book at pattyhearst.com.

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Staff Report

The book signing and reading of “From White to Black: One Life Between Two Worlds,” a memoir of her life by local author Iris Rideau, scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m., Friday, Nov. 3, at Rideau Winery has been canceled for personal reasons. It will be rescheduled at a late date, according to Rideau.

Rideau, owner of the winery and vineyard that bears her name, spent 32 years in the insurance industry and also spent time on the California political scene, fighting for the rights of the underprivileged. The book is an intimate look into her life as a Creole woman born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1936, when Jim Crow was the law of the land, through her journey to become the first black woman to own her own winery and vineyard in United States.

Despite the cancellation, her book may still be purchased at Rideau Winery, at 1562 Alamo Pintado Road in Solvang, accessed on Amazon.com, or at The Book Loft, 1680 Mission Drive in Solvang.

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PARc Place at 1623 Mission Drive in Solvang will be holding an Artisans Market on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 12 to 5 p.m.

The event is billed as the first of what will be a monthly Artisans Market, to happen on the last Saturday of each month.

For more information, go to @solvangartisansmarket on Instagram.

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The Book Loft in Solvang will hold a book signing from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21, for Christina Walsh, whose latest book, “Political Poetry: Finding the Words for Real Communication,” came out in June.

Walsh is an internationally published abstract artist and poet, where her written works are focused on environmental justice, civil rights, and living as a human in our natural world.

In discussing “Political Poetry,” Walsh calls it “a celebration of the human spirit, resilience, and our shared humanity. It highlights the importance of empathy and understanding urging us to listen to each other’s stories and appreciate the beauty in our differences and our shared connection to the natural world all around us.”

The Book Loft is located at 1680 Mission Drive in downtown Solvang. 

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The Santa Ynez Valley Jewish Community invites SYV to observe the High Holy Days with them on Sept. 15 and 16 for Rosh Hashanah and Sept. 24 and 25 for Yom Kippur. There are no tickets required, but donations are always welcome.

For more information, please call (805) 693-4243 or email thesyvjc.org.

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Beer lovers from the Santa Ynez Valley and beyond were greeted by sunny skies and all sorts of food, games, entertainment, and, of course, their favorite beverage May 6 at the 10th annual Buellton Brew Fest at River View Park.

According to organizers, the event is getting close to where it was before the pandemic hit in 2020.

“This is our 10th year of the Brew Fest; we started it in 2012 and we had to skip a year because of COVID,” said Kathy Vreeland, executive director of the Buellton Chamber of Commerce, which put on the event along with En Fuego Events. “We did a virtual one in 2021 and came back last year, but this year we’re noticing more turnouts; it’s getting close to pre-pandemic numbers.”

Vreeland said what she really likes about the Brew Fest is reaching out to a possibly overlooked group — those who like their craft beer.

“We’re known as a wine industry kind of area, but we like to celebrate the beer community, and this is one of things that bring people to Buellton,” she said.

And being that promoting the city’s tourism trade falls under the umbrella of the Chamber of Commerce, Vreeland has another reason to appreciate events like the Brew Fest.

“It also helps them to stay in our hotels and stay in our town, so it serves a dual purpose,” she said.

This year’s Brew Fest had multiple ways for festival-goers to enjoy themselves. One could get a good craft beer — or hard ciders, seltzers, or other spirits — from over 50 vendors. There were also numerous food trucks to keep the crowds from going hungry.

And in between drinks, attendees could enjoy live bands or DJs from the specially built stage (with canopies to provide some shade), and nearby were lawn games like cornhole and a giant version of beer pong using a volleyball and trash bins made to look like giant red Dixie cups.

Dani Tupper and Krystal Carrasco, both of Santa Ynez, were taking part in a game of giant beer pong, one in which they came out victorious.

“We were familiar with the event, but I haven’t been out here in a few years,” Tupper said. “We’re just enjoying a Mom’s day out.”

For two other attendees, the Brew Fest was just a precursor to a bigger event. David Robles and Malenda Garcia are set to be married in June, and decided to do a little pre-celebration as both had on some casual wedding-like gear for the occasion.

“We were here last year, so we knew it would be a good time,” Robles said.

“We heard about the Brew Fest coming up, and figured we could have a combination bachelor/bachelorette party,” Garcia said. “We’re having a great time.”

On the other end of the serving table, vendors were enjoying the atmosphere also. Figueroa Mountain Brewery is a regular presence at the Brew Fest, and employee Jared Rudder said he has noticed the crowds getting better after the COVID-related downturn.

“Honestly, it’s going better than I thought it was going to be,” Rudder said. “The crowd seems a lot happier than last year, much more upbeat.”

The Figueroa Mountain Brewery was one of many local ones to take part in the event, with Firestone Walker and Solvang Brewing Company, among others, also on the scene.

There were also a lot of vendors from a little bit out of town, including Third Window Brewing Co. out of Santa Barbara. 

“We try to get up here for this whenever we can,” said Third Window Head Brewer Eric Hansen, who was manning the tent. “It’s a fun event.”

Moreover, Third Window’s interest in the Valley goes beyond just the Brew Fest — the brewery has been looking to put a location in the area.

“We’ve been working on trying to get something settled down [up here],” Hansen said. “Some Planning Commission plans haven’t come through yet, but were definitely looking to get up here on a more permanent basis.”

Feature Image:

David Robles and his fiancee Malenda Garcia made the Buellton Brew Fest the setting for their impromptu bachelor/bachelorette party at River View Park. Photo by Mike Chaldu

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The Lompoc Quilters Etc. Guild, serving the Lompoc and Santa Ynez Valleys, is holding its two-day biennial quilt show, “Sewn with Love”, May 6-7 at the Veterans’ Memorial Building in Lompoc.

The quilt show will feature boutique vendors, Basket Raffle, Mini Quilt Raffle, and guests can purchase a ticket to win this year’s beautiful Opportunity Quilt. Over 70+ quilts made by Guild members will be on display. Attendees should be sure to enter the Opportunity Quilt Raffle, as one special attendee will win a special queen bed quilt; drawing to be held in October.

Mini Quilts to be raffled off will include a few made by one of our founding members, Marguerite Van Coops, now 102 years old!

The “Sewn with Love” Quilt Show will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The Lompoc Veterans’ Memorial Building is located at 100 E. Locust Ave. in Lompoc and has free parking. The event is handicap accessible.

Tickets are $10 for both days and can be purchased on site. Admission for children ages 12 and under is free.

For more information, please visit the Quilters Etc. website at https://quiltersetc.org. 

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Staff Report

The annual Los Alamos Town-Wide Rummage Sale returns on May 6, from from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The sale is coordinated by Cathy Christoferson and other volunteer members of the Los Alamos Valley Senior Center. The annual event is a way for the nonprofit to raise funds from the sale of donated items that go to benefit the programs, services, and social events the center offers to local seniors.

A list of garage sale addresses and a town map will be released soon. For more information or to sign-up, call Cathy Christoferson at (805) 344-1931 or (805) 878-7909.

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With over 50 breweries slated to participate, The Lagerville Beer Fest, the nation’s premier beer festival celebrating lagers, is returning to Figueroa Mountain Brewing on Saturday, April 15.

Now in its fourth year, Lagerville is expected to be bigger than ever this year, with more breweries from all over the world, and the addition of a juried competition to decide once and for all who the greatest lagermakers are.

Often maligned as “boring” beer, lager is actually a broad term that encompasses a diverse array of beer styles from all over the world, all defined by their bottom-fermenting yeast and lower fermentation temperatures. Lagers of all styles have been enjoying a resurgence in interest among the craft beer community over the past few years, and the festival, hosted by Figueroa Mountain Brewing, seeks to honor that passion with only the brewers who make the best examples.

Participation in this year’s festival is invite-only, and is drawing brewers to the Central Coast from all over the United States, as well as countries as far as Mexico, Australia, and Germany.

One such brewery is Bayreuth, Germany’s Maisel & Friends, whom Figueroa Mountain recently teamed up with to collaborate on a lager named Bockville. The beer will only be available in Maisel’s home market in Europe, but through their participation in the festival, Maisel is bringing a few kegs to sample at the event in its only American appearance.

In return, Figueroa Mountain is having Maisel collaborate with them on their yearly “Super Collab” beer, also called Lagerville. The beer, which is released every year at the festival, will bring together the two breweries as well as San Luis Obispo brewers There Does Not Exist. This year, they’ll create a hoppy West Coast Pilsner that will be available in four-packs of 16-ounce cans at Fig Mountain’s taprooms, as well as at select retailers throughout Southern California.

The increase in prominence for the festival has led to the addition of a new element this year: a juried beer competition scored by some of the industry’s best palates, including Figueroa Mountain Innovation Director Victor Novak, and Figueroa Mountain founder Jaime Dietenhofer. The panel will award medals for Best Light Lager and Best Dark Lager, in addition to the People’s Choice Award which has been present at prior year’s festivals.

“Over the years, we’ve seen the quality of lagers brought to the festival just punch through the ceiling,” says Kevin Ashford, brewmaster at Figueroa Mountain. “This competition seeks to highlight that by honoring those beers with some well-deserved industry recognition.”

The event will take over the campus of Figueroa Mountain’s Buellton location (45 Industrial Way), and will run from 12 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $55 for general admission, and $65 for VIP, which includes early access at 11 a.m. and the opportunity to taste beers brought exclusively for the VIP hour.

Live entertainment will be provided by R&B tribute band The 90’s BaBiez, as well as reggae band Dante Marsh & the Vibe Setters, and DJ Peetey. Food will also be available for purchase from Figueroa Mountain, as well as food trucks Birria Boyz, Elubia’s Kitchen, and more. The festival is being produced by En Fuego Events, the team behind popular parties like Surf ‘N’ Suds, Buellton Brew Fest, and more.

For guests looking to visit the area, hotel accommodations can be found at VisitSYV.com, and more information about activities in Buellton can be found at DiscoverBuellton.com. For Lagerville tickets and a full listing of participating breweries, visit Lagerville.beer.

About Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. was founded in 2010 by father and son team Jim and Jamie Dietenhofer. Through their passion for craft beer, they’ve sought to share the beauty and the spirit of the Santa Ynez Valley with beer lovers throughout the state. Their beer can be found in bars, restaurants, and grocery stores throughout California, as well as in their taprooms throughout the region. For more information, visit FigMtnBrew.com.

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Staff Report

The Solvang Christmas Tree Burn, which was scheduled for Friday, Jan. 6, has been canceled, the City of Solvang announced Thursday afternoon. The cancellation came after Wednesday’s night’s rainy weather into Thursday morning caused conditions making it impossible to do the event at Mission Santa Ines.

“The rain has been a wonderful and long overdue necessity. But the heavy rains do come with consequences. One of them, unfortunately, is the cancellation of this year’s Tree Burn Event,” the city said in a press release. “Although some of the saturated trees may still be able to burn, the tree pile site at the Mission Santa Ines field has been inundated with water resulting in very large puddles, excessive mud, terrible footing and giant ruts from various vehicles driving directly to the pile to drop off trees causing unsafe terrain.”

The release said that while Friday’s weather is projected to be clear, the poor conditions remain in the field next to the mission, where the trees were to be burned. 

“We are all disappointed that this annual event will not take place this year,” the release continued. “We are working with Waste Management and the tree pile will instead be recycled into mulch. Trees can still be dropped off (due to excessive mud no vehicles, carefully walk it in from the parking lot) through the end of next week by January 13.” 

The city release ended by saying it looks forward to this community event returning next year with the right conditions, and thanked residents for their patience and understanding.

The Christmas Tree Burn was to signal the end of Julefest, the city’s monthlong celebration of the holidays. The festival start Nov. 26, and kicked into gear the first weekend of December, with the tree lighting and parade. 

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