Staff Report

LOS ALAMOS — The Western Author Party & Signing event at Bedford Winery, which was postponed last month due to a COVID-19 outbreak, has been rescheduled for Saturday, Aug. 20, at the winery.

This will be a Western-themed book signing party, featuring R. Lawson Gamble and his third novel in the “Johnny Alias” Western series, titled “Johnny and the Comanche.” His previous titles in the “Johnny Alias” series, as well as books from his “Zack Tolliver, FBI” series will also be available.

Also scheduled is Nipomo author Wanda Snow Porter, whose Western children’s books (such as “Riding Babyface,” “Spurs For Jose,” and “Capturing Time”) are sold at Dana Adobe and have resided in the top 100 in that category on Amazon.

Gamble said the authors will sign their books at the event and may even read a passage or two from them.

Attendees are encouraged to wear their cowboy hats and boots for the event on the outdoor patio at Bedford Winery, and listen to country and western music performed by Bud Christoferson. 

Those present can enjoy a glass of wine, visit with old friends and neighbors and meet new ones, listen to the music, sample some munchies, and take away a free audiobook of “The Curse Of Matilija,” narrated by actor Case Matthews while supplies last. 

Those planning to attend are encouraged RSVP to winemaker@bedfordwinery.com although drop-ins will be welcome also. 

Bedford Winery is located at 448 Bell Street, Los Alamos. For more information, call (805) 344-2107.

Gamble is also planning a book signing Sept. 10 at The Bookstore, located at 1113 North H Street, Ste. Q, in Lompoc. For more information on his books and appearances go to rlawsongamble.com.

You can also find information on Porter’s books at wandasnowporter.com.

Both author’s books are available for sale at amazon.com.

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Staff Report

The Santa Barbara Wine and Food Festival’s 30^th anniversary is just around the corner, and several Santa Ynez Valley vintners and restaurants are among the 100 vendors participating this year.

The annual event in the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s backyard has become one of the museum’s largest fundraisers, and this year its name has been modified to recognize the participation of local bakers, chefs and confectionaries. Visitors will sip, snack, and nibble the afternoon away from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 24, next to the Mission Creek.

Some of the local purveyors participating are Alma Rosa Winery, Andrew Murray Vineyards, Bedford Winery, Au Bon Climat, Fess Parker Winery, Grassini Family Vineyards, Rideau, Sunstone Winery, Industrial Eats, Mr. E’s Freeze, PICO, and Bear and Star.

“My hope is that the name change will help to attract even more of Santa Barbara County’s incredible food vendors and highlight the ones that have been participating all these years,” said Meredith Moore, the museum’s event manager.

The fundraiser will host more than 100 different wine and food vendors, including half a dozen sparkling wines that will return to Sparkling Way, a festival feature introduced last year.  In what has become a tradition for local wine- and nature-lovers, the festival also doubles as the perfect venue to promote the most popular vintners and culinarians in Santa Barbara County.

To that end, the VIP Redwood Lounge returns, granting guests early admission and a private, secluded tasting area. VIP tickets for the Redwood Lounge are $125 for museum members and $150 for others.

General admission for museum members is $75 and $100 for others.  All proceeds benefit the museum’s exhibits and education programs.

The Every Cork Wins raffle guarantees prizes after a $40 donation to pull a cork. Winnings can include a prize from a wine or food vendor, a museum membership, or even a pair of tickets to next year’s Santa Barbara Wine and Food Festival.

Guests 21 and older may purchase tickets at sbnature.org/winefestival, and guests must present valid identification for admittance.

For more information, visit sbnature.org/winefestival. Anyone interested in participating in the festival should contact Moore at 805-682-4711, ext. 112, or mmoore@sbnature2.org.

The museum is at 2559 Puesta del Sol in Santa Barbara.

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The novel, his fourth in the series, begins at the Grand Canyon and moves into the Tuba City area of the Navajo Land where Zack and his comrade-in-adventure Eagle Feather hunt a mountain lion seemingly endowed with the ability to appear and disappear at will. They find it is no ordinary hunt. The book received a five star rating from Reader’s Favorite.

Gamble’s previous novels, The Other, Mestaclocan, and Zaca follow Zack and Eagle Feather engaging in a variety of mysteries pitting them against mythical creatures now more real than imaginary. Their adventures take them among the Navajo, Agua Caliente, and Chumash Indian cultures, from Palm Springs to Santa Maria to San Francisco. R. Lawson Gamble, who lives in Los Alamos, is the author of the pictorial history Los Alamos Valley, released by Arcadia Press last July. Gamble will sell and sign all his titles, read passages from CAT, discuss his novels and answer questions. There will be music, snacks, wine and drawings.

In more news, R Lawson Gamble will deliver an illustrated talk at the Dana Adobe July 10 at 2 pm on Salomon Pico, Mexican Bandit. He will present little known and interesting facts about our local bandit gleaned from his research for a book that is in the works. For more information visit http://rlawsongamble.com

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