Third-grade teacher Linda Mayer reflected in late May on her last bike ride with her class: “I just realized how long I have been doing this ride with students. The cost of ice cream in 1995 was 50 cents for a big scoop and today an astounding $1.99 for a smaller scoop.”

It was Mayer’s passion for the outdoors and alternative education that led her to start the Santa Ynez Valley Charter School 20 years ago this summer. June 5 was her final graduation and farewell to a school she has represented with passion, commitment and plenty of flair, Charter School Director Dr. John Dewey said.

Known for the 25 field trips she takes her students on each year, as well as her colorful classroom with its myriad lizards and fishes, Mayer took her students on one last trip to the Santa Maria Mini Rodeo.

“Whether it’s project-based learning, field trips, cooking, guest speakers, presentations, plays or puppet shows, Linda goes all out to make every learning experience the most fun, the most meaningful and the most incredible,” Dewey said. “So when Linda shared with me that she was retiring at the end of this year, it took me a moment to take it in.”

Mayer was one of a dedicated and determined group of teachers and parents who started the school with four classes and 80 students. Her vision was a school that promoted character development, outdoor experience, collaboration and hands-on learning.

There is no suggestion that Mayer will change gears in her retirement, as she plans to stay busy with her catering business, family and volunteering.

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Contributing Writer

Tom Gerald has loved the written word since childhood, and his 40-year career in bookselling includes the past 15 years at the Book Loft in Solvang, helping people discover the magic that lies within the pages.

Gerald has become a fixture at the Book Loft and in the community, due not only to his extensive knowledge about books, writers, publishing and bookstores but also because of his friendly southern charm and storytelling skills.

But now he is retiring.

“I’ve been in the book-selling world my whole adult life,” Gerald said. “While attending Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, studying for my degree in English, I worked at the college bookstore.” 

After receiving his degree, Gerald taught school for four years but left that career in 1974 to pursue a different direction.

“I became enamored with the idea of opening a bookstore with a couple of partners in Natchez, Mississippi, which we called ‘Page One,” he said. “Unfortunately, that store closed after only two years.”

“In 1978 I decided to move to Jackson, Mississippi, to work with a friend at his bookstore called Lemuria Book Store, which continues to be one of Mississippi’s finest independent bookstores. I worked there for 15 years. It was great because my friend and I could talk book business together,” he said.

 “While (I was) working at Page One, a nice man came into the store wanting to start building a library for his young son. He started with the Hardy Boys, ordering three books at a time,” said Gerald. “Fast forward 20 years, while working at Lemuria Books, a man came into the store and asked if I was Tom Gerald. Surprisingly, it was the same boy, now a grown man, whose father had started building him his own library.

“I hadn’t seen him since he was a boy. He told me that he had just published his first novel and he wanted to know if I would hold a book signing for him. His name is Greg Iles, now a famous author of numerous crime novels, some of which have been made into movies.

 “At 43 I moved to Eugene, Oregon, and worked at the University of Oregon’s bookstore for about eight years. My future wife, Molly, who lived in Lompoc, told me there was an opening at the Book Loft. I met with Ed Gregory, the manager, and Kathy Mullins, the owner, and they hired me, so I moved to Lompoc. Molly and I had known each other in college but, after graduating, we had gone our separate ways. Fortunately we reconnected and we got married. Molly Gerald is the former director of the Lompoc Public Library,” he noted.

“It’s kind of ironic that I work in a store that has a Hans Christian Andersen Museum in it,” Gerald mused. “One of my earliest memories was of my mother trying to read to me ‘The Ugly Duckling,’ but she couldn’t get through it because she’d just start crying. It wasn’t until a few years later that I read it for myself and found out it had a decent ending.”

“I also have this image from second grade when my teacher got fired and was replaced by an interim teacher who read us two Hans Christian Andersen stories, ‘The Steadfast Tin Soldier’ and ‘Thumbelina.’ Both of those stories were so magical to me. I hadn’t been exposed to such inconceivable stories before. Imagine, to have this idea of someone so small you could hold in your hand. Hans Christian Andersen has had some kind of impact on my life. I even see him every night when I close the store,” he mused.

Reading didn’t come easily for him, he said. His first real excitement was reading short stories by Edgar Allen Poe, by himself. “It was quite different from Dick and Jane.”

He then got caught up reading car racing books, which were all the rage at the time. Most of these paperbacks were set in California, which gave him a really romantic picture of what California was about.

“As a kid I spent a lot of time in my local pharmacy at the paperback spinner rack,” said Gerald. “That’s where I purchased all the James Bond books, since we didn’t have a bookstore in town.”

Gerald believes it is important for people to have books as a part of their every-day lives.

“Growing up, we always had a collection of books in my home,” he said. “When I told my father about opening a bookstore, he said, ‘Everyone isn’t like you. If you had a dollar you’d spend it on a book before spending it on dinner.’ But then again, books are food for the imagination.”

“You pick up a book and it’s a vessel that contains these words and these words have been put into this vessel by this other person – the writer. When you open that vessel, images and sounds are created in your mind. The contents become uniquely yours. What is that? How does that happen? It’s very interesting to me,” he said.

Gerald recalled that recently a customer said to him, “walking through a bookstore is quite different from shopping on Amazon. You can see the real book, not just the image, you hold it in your hand, and there’s a connection there.”

 “One of my favorite books is Ralph Ellison’s ‘The Invisible Man,’ another is M.L. Stedman’s ‘The Light Between Oceans.’ Since I am a stepfather of three children, that book perfectly described the relationship between a stepfather and a stepchild. Step-parenting gets overlooked, in my opinion. Raising stepchildren is a huge responsibility. Another favorite of mine is Ahmed Saadawi’s ‘Frankenstein in Bagdad.’ It’s not political, it’s about how violence begets violence,” he said.

“I have been fortunate to work in some really great bookstores during the past 40 years and it has been a delight working at the Book Loft. It’s a unique book environment, in that it has new books and is also a used bookstore plus a museum dedicated to one of the icons of literature. It’s been an education for me to be exposed to people from all over the world who know and love Hans Christian Andersen. I also feel like I’m leaving the store in good hands, under the leadership of Echo Molina, the manager, and my fellow book sellers,” Gerald said.

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After more than 20 years of serving Santa Barbara County in various capacities, Santa Ynez Valley resident Elizabeth Farnum has retired from her post as a local representative for the 3^rd District county supervisor.

Farnum had worked as an attorney in the County Counsel’s office, volunteered as a Planning Commissioner, and most recently worked for 10 years as a 3rd District Representative for both Supervisors Doreen Farr and Joan Hartmann.

She retired on Jan. 10, and Hartmann has hired environmental consultant Meighan Dietenhofer, a Santa Ynez Valley native, to fill the position.

Farnum began her work for Santa Barbara County as a deputy county counsel specializing in land use, air quality, and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) issues. After that, she served as 3rd District planning commissioner, appointed by Supervisor Gail Marshall.

Upon her election in 2008, Farr named Elizabeth as district representative for the Santa Ynez Valley – a role she filled for all of Farr’s tenure and for the past two years with Hartmann.

 Elizabeth’s extensive experience at the county, her encyclopedic knowledge of Santa Ynez Valley issues, and her close relationships with valley residents were instrumental in providing wise counsel and practical advice on a wide variety of policy issues such as the Santa Ynez Valley Community Plan, water, parks and open space, libraries, seniors, the Gaviota Coast, and Highway 154 safety improvements, according to a county statement.

“Throughout all of the challenges and emergencies that arose over the years,” Farr said, “Elizabeth remained stalwart, calm and unflappable and became not just a trusted and loyal member of my staff but a good friend and confidant. Her retirement is certainly well deserved, but she will be sorely missed by so many residents for whom she worked incredibly hard to make Santa Barbara County a better place to live for everyone.”

 “I will dearly miss working with Elizabeth every day. I am deeply grateful for her years of service to both the 3rd District and the county. She has played a tremendous role in preserving the rural character of the valley and has helped hundreds, if not thousands, of valley residents. She has been our rudder,” Hartmann said.

In retirement, Farnum said, she looks forward to more adventure traveling, more swimming, snorkeling and hiking, and just spending more time outside, which includes gardening.

She was recognized for her years of service with an honorary resolution at the Jan. 8 Board of Supervisors meeting.

Meighan Dietenhofer

Meighan Dietenhofer, who has been hired to fill the position, has worked for more than 20 years in private environmental consulting, for UCSB at Sedgwick Reserve, and for Santa Barbara County at both the Flood Control District and the Water Agency.

She holds a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Puget Sound and a master’s degree in water resources management from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UCSB.

She lives in the Santa Ynez Valley, where she is a third-generation resident and where she and her husband are now raising their two children.

Dietenhofer most recently served as a commissioner representing the 3rd District on the county’s Riding and Hiking Trails Advisory Committee and on the county’s Park Commission.

 “I am ecstatic that Ms. Dietenhofer is joining our staff; she has diverse experience and deep roots in the Santa Ynez Valley and I feel very fortunate to bring her skills and knowledge to our team,” Hartmann said.

 The 3rd District is the geographically largest and most diverse district in the county, extending from UCSB and Isla Vista up the Gaviota Coast, into the Santa Ynez Valley and up to Vandenberg Village and Guadalupe.

Hartmann maintains offices in Santa Maria in the Joseph Centeno Betteravia Government Center at 511 Lakeside Parkway, in Solvang at 1745 Mission Drive, and in Santa Barbara in the county Administrative Building at 105 East Anapamu St.

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Brad Vidro says he hadn’t seen as many parades in his life as he has during his 12-year tenure as Solvang’s city manager, and this year he will be the grand marshal of the Julefest parade at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 8.

Vidro, who will retire on Dec. 28, said he will miss being an official part of the city but plans on continuing to be involved.

Still, he said, he will be proud to “hand over the keys’ to whoever is chosen to replace him.

“I have had a hand in the process of choosing who will follow, and I think the council has a great set of candidates to pick from. I just hope that whomever they choose really becomes part of the community as I feel I have,” Vidro said.

The council might have to hire an interim city manager if one isn’t hired before Vidro leaves, but he is confident a good person will be found.

Vidro said one of the projects he was very excited during his tenure was the building of Sunny Fields Park. He called the park a great community asset and expressed gratitude for all the organizations and businesses that stepped up to create it.

Vidro was born and raised in Michigan and got his degree in civil engineering from Michigan State University. For his first job he moved to San Francisco to work for Caltrans, which was a big transition. After five years there his family relocated to South Lake Tahoe, because they had spent winters skiing there and loved it. He became the city’s public works director for 17 years before an opening in San Luis Obispo drew him to the Central Coast.

Marlene Demery, then Solvang’s city manager, happened to be on the panel and asked Vidro to apply to be public works director in Solvang. A year after he came to Solvang, he stepped into Demery’s shoes when she retired.

“I had visited Solvang before briefly, and coming here I pretty much knew the territory as Tahoe is also a tourist destination,” he said.

In his time as city manager, Vidro said, he was glad to see the city’s volunteer fire department consolidate with Santa Barbara County Fire so that residents had access to 24/7 protection.

He is also proud of the reconstruction of Copenhagen and First streets and recent sewer system repairs to avoid flooding in heavy rain storms.

“I know it’s not glamorous, but having a city that runs efficiently and not flooding is important to me,” Vidro said.

The biggest change he has seen in his time is the explosion of wineries and tasting rooms. When he started there were six tasting rooms in town and now there are 17, he said.

Vidro said that he has heard people say Solvang isn’t very business friendly, but he disagrees. He points to numerous improvements.

“I don’t make up the codes, the state does, and we have to enforce them,” Vidro explained.

The city’s sign ordinance process, for example, became more flexible when the city recently modified the regulations to get approvals more easily.

Vidro says his routine involves walking the city often to talk with business owners and residents to hear issues or get ideas.

“I feel like I am leaving the city in a great spot with solid processes in place,” he added.

Next, he plans to spend a year traveling with his wife, Debra.

“Right after I retire we plan on going on a several-week long-camping trip to visit a few national parks. We also plan on spending our 25th wedding anniversary in Spain and Portugal later in the year,” Vidro said.

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The afternoon of July 20 was bittersweet for Pattibakes owner Patti Wicks as she officially handed over her spatula to new owners Kim and Cassandra Farris.

“I think I will be happy about not waking up to that alarm anymore,” Wicks laughed.

“We will be continuing Patti’s legacy and adding in our own recipes. I am so excited to start the next chapter of Pattibakes,” Cassandra Farris said.

The popular breakfast and lunch spot and bakery was founded in 1996, after Wicks’ son was convinced that his mother’s apple cinnamon coffee cake and scones were much better than ones sold elsewhere.

More than 20 years later, Wicks says that she is still not sure how the bakery and café took off. Her specialty, she added, lies in the cream cheese frosting she makes for her cakes.

Cassandra Farris graduated from Santa Ynez Valley Union High School in 2007 and attended culinary school at Santa Barbara City College. She then went to cook in South Lake Tahoe for several years and returned to the valley in 2013.

She has worked as a sous chef and chef at several local restaurants, including Succulent in Solvang and Industrial Eats in Buellton. She went to Europe in 2016 to study food and came home to open a food truck. She traveled around the Central Coast cooking at vineyards, events and even for the firefighters during the Thomas Fire. (Her father is a local firefighter.)

“I wanted to expand somehow and wasn’t sure how to do it until I saw an ad on Craigslist for a small bakery in Buellton for sale. I called up the agent and not that much longer we decided to take over,” Farris said.

Farris and her father’s wife Kim decided it was time to start their own venture with Kim handling the business end of the bakery and Cassandra handling the food.

“We are hoping to expand the lunch options and offer items that the valley will be excited about,” Cassandra Farris said.

Pattibakes is at 240 E. Highway 246 No. 109. Orders can be placed at the store or on www.pattibakes.com. Those who follow on social media have access to contests and giveaways.

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Rural crime detective John McCarthy, known for developing relationships throughout the county that helped him make arrests and close cases, retired in June after 24 years of service, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office recently announced.

“His masterful use of human intelligence, interview technique, and available technology combined with his great law enforcement instincts are part of what make Detective McCarthy so effective in his position of the department’s lone rural crime detective,” Sheriff’s officials said.

They cited an example in February when McCarthy was called to a theft of agriculture equipment at a Santa Maria farm. His only bit of evidence at this location was a shoe impression. Soon, a second theft of agriculture chemicals and fuel was reported near the Santa Maria airport and while investigating that crime, McCarthy was able to match shoe impressions found at both scenes.

A detective with the Santa Maria Police Department then told McCarthy that he had a suspect in custody with ag equipment and fuel, and McCarthy was able to match the suspect with the shoe impressions.

McCarthy started his career with the Sheriff’s Department in March 1994 and worked in various departments, including search and rescue field training.

McCarthy is succeeded by Det. Jon Fleming, who has a long history of ranching and farming since his family came to the area in the 1920s. He has been in the Sheriff’s Department for 10 years in patrol and as a major crimes detective.

Fleming encourages rural residents to contact him about any issues or just to meet with him. His email is jnf4162@sbsheriff.org.

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Nursery Manager Gordon Young recently retired from Solvang’s Valley Hardware after 45 years of employment, leaving one less familiar face at the well-known hardware store.

“It has been a fun place to work. A lot of good people,” Young said.

Young came to Valley Hardware with some high school experience working in a nursery where he pulled weeds and planted roses. His affinity for roses stayed with him during his years at the hardware store, and he held a rose-pruning workshop each January.

Young was Valley Hardware’s first nursery manager.

“It’s grown a lot out there, thanks to Gordon,” store owner Ken Verkler said.

Verkler and Young started working at the hardware store on the same day in October 1972. They both laughed when they recalled transporting fresh Christmas trees from Los Angeles to the valley every year and the changes to both Solvang and the hardware store itself.

Photo contributed
Gordon Young, right, shown years ago with original Valley Hardware owner Bill Hanly, worked in and managed the store’s nursery for 45 years.

“Everything has changed out there, but for the better,” Young added.

Though Young still can be found at the hardware store every now and then for a quick shopping trip, he’s now enjoying more time at home with his wife, Marsha.

“We had a good run,” Verkler added.

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