The day before Easter Sunday drew sizable crowds, despite the threat of rainy weather, to Buellton’s River View Park for the 33rd annual Easter Eggstravaganza on March 30.

The leadup to the popular egg hunt was greated with mostly sunny skies, although the event had to be curtailed somewhat with the possibility of the wet weather.

“It looks like the egg hunt will come along just fine,” Recreation Coordinator Kristen Thomsen of Buellton Rec said before the start. “However, we had to cancel a few things that were part of it. No petting, no games and a lot of the vendors canceled out, but we still have the Easter Bunny coming.”

As the time for the hunt came closer, Buellton Recreation Coordinator Allison Firey warmed up the crowd by running along the rope trying to get a good crowd shot with her cellphone camera.

Meanwhile, Fred Lageman of Solvang Recreation was out in the field with a bullhorn, reminding the participants how much time was left before the hunt, and the ground rules for the hunt.

Then, finally, Lageman counted it down and the kids, some with parents in tow, took off to get as many eggs as they could, and many were seen just minutes later with a full basket of the plastic eggs. The eggs had candy inside (of course), but some were “golden eggs” hidden somewhere in the park grounds and redeemable for a bigger prize from the Rec Department.

Of course, the rain did make an appearance, as a quick cloudburst passed over the park as kids and their parents were sorting out the collected eggs.

James Downing and his family — wife Sydney, and kids Tylee and Sawyer — were among those prepared as he held up an umbrella while the kids were going through their loot.

“It’s a good thing I brought this,” James said referring to the umbrella, “it said on the news the rain would come, but at least it waited until the hunt was over.”

While many of the booths and activities were canceled due to the threat of rain, one group that showed up was the Valley Christian Fellowship where Pastor Jon Firey and Sherri Noble were selling toys and other Easter goodies to raise money for the VCF.

“This has always been a good event, and I just wanted to support Buellton Rec,” said Firey, who is also a professional musician and married to Allison, who works for the rec department. “We were coming here rain or shine.”

Also able to make it for the event was the Easter Bunny, who was taking pictures with a long line of event attendees.

Despite the somewhat abbreviated event this year, Thomsen said the event was a success, and now they can look forward to next year’s Eggstravaganza, slated for April 19, 2025.

Feature Image: Kids fill up their bags with plastic eggs during the Eggstravaganza on March 30 at River View Park in Buellton.

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Visitors to Mission Santa Ines on Saturday, April 6, got to experience an event that’s becoming a little more frequent in Solvang: the Flying Miz Daisy Vintage Market.

With a little cooperation by the Central Coast weather, the market was able to happen on the first weekend in April, albeit in a slightly different location.

“We usually have this on the lawn next to the mission,” said Char Goetz, the founder/proprietor of Flying Miz Daisy. “However, with the threat of rain, we had to move it to the parking lot. Of course, we were able to sunny weather today, so it’s working out fine.”

The Flying Miz Daisy market is not your typical “swap meet” or “flea market.” While some of the vendors deal in straight antiques, many handcraft their products out of repurposed materials, whether it be furniture, home decor, jewelry, or clothing.

It was exactly what Goetz was going for when she first began the outdoor market, originally called Driving Miz Daisy, approximately 10 years ago in Orange County.

“I was an antique dealer for quite a number of years, maybe 15 or so, and my kids were growing up, and I decided, you know, Orange County could use a really cool winter market,” she said. “Since I was shopping at them all the time, I thought I could do it in a different way. I wanted to bring in the whole community where kids and all different ages just want to spend the day.

“I had a row of vintage trailer shops, a vintage barber, and a farmers market. I had a children’s play area. It was beautiful to see everybody come together.”

Goetz said it was important to bring a sense of community and personal touch to selling goods, something she feels has been lost.

“You know, we’re living in the age of technology, right?” she said. “And people are just shopping online all the time and losing that one-on-one experience. With this [Flying Miz Daisy], it’s so cool to see people go ‘Yes, I know what that is, and let me tell you a story about that.’ Then you know it’s going great.”

On the vintage market’s website (www.flyingmizdaisy.com), Goetz describes its vendors community as “a family” that “welcomes those who seek a different kind of relationship with the goods that surround them.”

“A lot of them have been with me for years and years, and they follow me where I do my shows,” she said. “There are some new ones, which is great, from the Central Valley and up, but I usually like to have the antiquing community with me on these.”

While Goetz treasures her vendor “family,” her real family is also very dear to her. Goetz and her husband, Bob, have lived in Solvang since 2020, and she keeps in touch with her four adult sons, Peter, Bobby, Corey and Dusty. In fact, two of them made appearances during our interview: Peter, who has a production company that works with TV network like the Discovery Channel, facetimed Char from the Amazon, where he was doing some work; and another son, Corey, who recently moved to the area and has a health and fitness podcast, came in person to check on his mother.

However, a driving force in Char Goetz’s efforts with Flying Miz Daisy and her philanthropic efforts is her late daughter, Ashley Goetz, who was born with cystic fibrosis, and passed away from the disease at age 25 in 2014.

Char said it was Ashley who had an important role in the establishment of Flying Miz Daisy.

“Before she passed, we sat down and actually did a dream board, or we like to call it a vision board, and she said ‘Mommy, what do we want to do with this trailer? Where do you want to go with it?'” Char said. “And I said I really wanted to open a vintage market, and we put it on the vision board.

“I took it to the city of San Juan Capistrano, and they were like, ‘this is great,’ and that’s how I got it started. So, Ashley was the one who pretty much inspired this.”

Ashley also inspired Char to create a foundation bearing her daughter’s name to contribute to deserving causes. Details can be found at ashleygoetzfoundation.com. Recipients of the foundation currently shown on the site, include Slave 2 Nothing, a foundation that aims to eliminate human trafficking and helps those in the throes of drug and alcohol addiction; and Womencraft, a community-driven social enterprise that designs, produces and exports hand-woven home décor items made from natural fibers and vibrant fabrics of East Africa.

“We’re in the process of changing it up, because we like to change up who we give it to,” Char said. “We have all women-based organizations we donate to, because she was all about that. So we donate every year to these causes, and [Mission Santa Ines] is one of them.

“Our goal is just to help as many people as we can and keep her legacy alive.”

A trip through the Flying Miss Daisy Vintage Market shows a number of different kinds of vendors. One of them was Anything Rustic, which sells furniture and home decor obtained from far and wide.

“We items sourced from around the world,” said Audrey Rivera, who runs the Anaheim-based business with her husband Hank, and their two sons, Zavier and Jeremiah. “We get stuff from far away as Germany and France.”

“We hand-pick every item we sell,” Hank said. “A lot of love went into it.”

The Riveras said working this show represented the first time they came to Solvang.

“We do at least 12 shows a year for our business,” Audrey said. “Sales have been amazing here for us today, so it’s definitely a success.”

Nearby, Pamela Amrine of Ojai was selling her wood products out of her trailer, along with Samantha Simpson. There, the selection ranged from small wooden signs with various sayings to flowerboxes to benches, all made with salvaged wood.

“Everything we have here is repurposed and recycled through my business, called Pamela’s,” Amrine said. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years to support my kids and grandkids.”

Amrine said she makes the rounds at all the big antique shows.

“Yeah, I do this show, Three Speckled Hens in Paso Robles, Great Junk Hunt, Barn Chicks; there’s a lot of them.”

Other kinds of merchandise spotted for sale at the market included clothes and antiques as well as a few food trucks.

Since starting it in Solvang last year, Goetz has run the Flying Miz Daisy twice a year, with the next one scheduled at the mission for Sept. 21. 

“We got it scheduled right in the middle of Solvang’s Danish Days, so we should do pretty well with that one,” she said.

Goetz said the market will continue to have a presence in Solvang as long as she resides there, and talked about how much she’s enjoyed the area since making the move in 2020.

“Solvang really has that small-town feel we were looking for when we moved from Orange County,” she said. “It really is so beautiful here. We live here, but I always feel like I’m on vacation.”

To find out more about the Flying Miz Daisy Vintage Market, go to flyingmizdaisy.com. For more info about the Ashley Goetz Foundation, go to ashleygoetzfoundation.com.

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By Pamela Dozois

Contributing Writer

Unspeakable cruelty has been perpetrated on animals down through the centuries to the present. Many people believe that animals are not sentient beings with individual thoughts, feelings, and personalities. It is their contention that animals can’t feel pain or become emotionally disturbed or that communication with each other, let alone humans, is very limited. Thankfully, science is becoming more aware of the fact that not only animals but plants really do have the capability of communication. We as humans just have to learn how to listen.

Santa Ynez Valley resident Tammy Golden is an animal intuitive healer, behavior consultant, and herbalist who works mostly with horses who have psychological, emotional, behavioral, and physical issues. She listens to them through what she calls a universal language: their body language combined with energy.

Golden’s job is her passion. She has always cared for animals on a deeper level, from rhinos to feral cats. Presently she works mostly with horses. 

“I’ve been handling animals since I was about 4 years old and naturally knew how to listen to them,” said Golden. “The first animal I rode as a child was a giant Galapagos tortoise. I rode around on his back, and I didn’t want to leave. It was just a wonderful experience.”

She moved on other animals a few years later.

“When I was about 8 years old, I started making money by training our neighbor’s dogs,” she explained. “Working with animals is something I can’t say no to. I can’t work in a store or on a computer; I need to be outside in nature, up close and personal with something furry, feathered, or scaled.”

After that, Golden got experience with cats.

“My first cat was feral. My neighbor was overloaded with kittens, and she said if I could catch the mother, I could keep her. That was all it took,” she said. “Interestingly, I was not interested in the kittens, I wanted the mother. I caught her, took her home and got her calmed down and socialized. Over the next few years, she actually taught me how to communicate with cats, learning cat language. I learned some things from other trainers, but for the most part, I’ve learned from listening to the animals themselves.”

As a youngster, Golden had a dream of becoming an animal trainer and when she grew up she went to work at a wildlife theme park in northern California but quickly discovered it wasn’t what she thought it would be.

“It was a terrible place for animals, and I quickly moved on, getting myself fired because I refused to beat a baby camel,” she said. “I am not a proponent of animal training colleges because they treat animals not as sentient beings but as things, and that’s not right.”

Returning to Santa Barbara, Golden has worked with local animal sanctuaries and with individuals who want to create a better relationship between themselves and their horse.

“Horses are the most in need of help, I find, because abuse is normalized and overlooked in the horse industry,” said Golden. “There is no protection for horses. Most people have traditions about handling horses that are often cruel, often without people realizing what they are doing is cruel, starting out wrong and escalating into something where the horse doesn’t trust people anymore.

“People think that punishment is a way to fix a problem. In reality they are causing the animal just to fear you. I’m trying to educate people that if they allow the horse to speak with his body, to say, ‘I don’t like something or I do like something’ and how to respond in a proper way that the horse can understand, the outcome is better for people and horses. You are setting up a conversation between you and your horse — not an ‘obey me or else’ attitude.”

Golden’s method is to create a friendly environment where the horse feels comfortable and secure enough to engage with her in a form of communication.

“While every situation is different, I can give one example of what it looks like when I work with a horse,” she said. “It’s actually more like play. I offer an invitation for the horse to engage. I take on the body language and demeanor of the herd matriarch, which is the most trusted and looked up to member of the herd, a very motherly figure. Horses understand and see the mother movements I am making and will respond in all kinds of ways that help me to know what’s going on inside of them. This is always done in an open environment without any kind of physical restraints or round pen to limit the movements of the horse. 

“There is never any need to show dominance or be the alpha as these ideas are foreign to horses. I seek to become the trusted friend that a horse can feel safe talking to. Meanwhile, I am always watching and listening to their body language and feeling their energy.”

Golden’s work with horses has inspired her to pursue another goal.

“I am hoping at some point to open a healing center for horses and other animals where people can come, in a quiet and natural environment and learn how to communicate with their animals, a place to heal animals that are in such bad shape that they can no longer be around humans,” she said.

Golden has four grown children: a son who is a local ferrier, a daughter in Washington who practices ancient Chinese medicine, a son who is a prison guard and another daughter who writes, illustrates, and animates comic books.

“My main goal is to change people’s perspectives about the other beings with whom we share this planet,” said Golden. “Communication is everything! If we can’t communicate with each other and our animals, how can we have harmony in this world.” 

To contact Golden, call (805) 245-4158.

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By Mike Chaldu
michael@santaynezvalleystar.com

Unlike last year, when major storms and resultant flooding caused cancellation of the event, crowds were able to gather this month at Mission Santa Ines in Solvang for the annual Christmas Tree Burn.

The burn, which signals the end of the city’s month-and-a-half long Julefest and the holiday season in general, went off without a hitch on Friday, Jan. 5, on the lawn across the parking lot from the mission.

“It’s great to have this back,” said Jenny McClurg, Solvang Parks and Rec director. “It was disappointing to have to cancel it last year, but the weather has cooperated and everyone seems to be having a good time.”

The Parks and Rec Department provided games to be played before the burn, and attendees were able to get some eats from the food truck belonging to Rudy’s Mexican Restaurant in Buellton.

Those arriving at dusk to the mission grounds were met with a sizable pile of discarded Christmas trees, a pile that was still being added to as the Santa Barbara County Fire Department personnel from Station 30 arrived to conduct the burn.

Joe and Sharon Filipko were awaiting the show along with their grandchildren Vienna Cervantes, 6; and her sisters Lola, 4; and Santina, 18 months. They were standing near the big pile of trees they contributed to a few minutes earlier.

“We live right across the street, so we just dragged the tree over and added it to the pile,” said Sharon Filipko. “We’re all pretty excited, the kids especially, after having to miss it last year.”

Another person who added to the pile of trees was Jesse Van Noy, who brought his all the way down from Avila Beach, coming with some friends to enjoy the fiery spectacle to come.

“We try to get down here for this as many times as we can; I think I’ve been to two or three of these so far,” he said. “I’m glad to be here; I think it’s a really good thing they put on.”

Van Noy was able to get his tree up near the top of the pile, although he needed a couple of tries for it to stick up there.

“Hey, those things are heavier than they look,” he said.

The burn also brought in attendees who were from out of town, some of whom didn’t know it was happening until hearing about when they were in town.

Amanda Meadows of Orange County came in with her husband Jake, children Autumn, 9; Silas, 7; Winnie, 5; and Sadie, 1; and Amanda’s grandparents (from Sacramento) Justin and Judy Petsas.

“We came up to visit and found out about this,” Amanda said as they waited for the sun to go down and the burn to commence. “We’ve been enjoying the area; we took the kids to the Santa Barbara Zoo, and I got to meet Monty Roberts [the Solvang horse trainer and owner/operator of Flag Is Up Farms]. I’m really into riding horses, so that was the highlight of the trip for me.”

The tree burn was a great topper to the trip, the kind of event the family never thought they’d come across.

“We don’t have anything like this where we live,” Jake Meadows said. “We just leave the tree on our curb for the trash guys to pick up and be done with it.”

While the burn was an unforeseen attraction for the Meadows and the Petsases, for the Molina family of Ventura, it was a destination.

Gabriel and Blanca Molina made the trip up to the Valley with their children Gabrielle, 17; Matthew, 7; and Adeline, 2.

“We decided to take a day trip; went to the Santa Barbara museums, and then continued it up here,” said Gabriel Blanca. “We come to Solvang quite a bit and love to visit the downtown, and we decided to check out this event for the first time.”

The program began with a ceremonial (and respectful) flag-burning conducted by the Boy Scout Troop 41, who cut up the worn flag before tossing the pieces into a small fire pit.

After that, the county firefighters gave a fire-safety demonstration, explaining the dangers a dry Christmas tree can pose and then lighting up three trees set up apart from the big pile to show just how fast a tree fire can ignite and spread.

After that, it was time for the main event.

The firefighters went slowly around the pile of trees lighting strategic spots along the bottom of the heap, and in no time at all the flames started shooting up into the sky amid the “oohs” and “aahs” of the crowd. The onlookers also gradually backed away from the pile as the heat got progressively more intense.

As the fire settled to a steady burn, Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Andrew Wedel, who’s been with the department for 17 years — seven of them with Station 30 — could be pleased with another successful burn.

“Very pleased with how this turned out, and pleased with the crowd,” Wedel said. “We do this partly to show how careful you have to be with the trees and fire, but it’s also a time for the community to get together and have a good time, and we’ve had that tonight.”

Wedel estimated that the fire would burn out by “about 8:30 or 9 p.m.,” which would have meant two and a half or three hours since the fire was started just before 6 p.m.

As far as the aim of educating people about fire dangers, Wedel felt that part of the event has been a success.

“We haven’t had to answer a call about a tree catching on fire this year, and we haven’t had much at all over the past few years,” Wedel said. “So, I guess the people are listening.”

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By Mike Chaldu

michael@santaynezvalleystar.com

Residents, diners, city leaders, and more in Buellton are still trying to make sense of the sudden closure of longtime city landmark Pea Soup Anderson’s restaurant on Highway 246 and Avenue of Flags.

Reports of the closure started coming in on social media on Tuesday, Jan 9, and a post in the blog “The Restaurant Guy” on santabarbara.com said the closure was confirmed by Pea Soup Andersen’s sister location in Santa Nella in Northern California. That restaurant’s management said said the Buellton property was sold and will be redeveloped and that an all-new Pea Soup Andersen’s will open in the future, according to “The Restaurant Guy.”

Before the most recent sale, the restaurant was owned by Milt Guggia Enterprises, which still owns AJ Spurs restaurants in Buellton and Grover Beach, as well as four restaurants in Santa Maria.

The restaurant also had an adjacent hotel, the Pea Soup Andersen’s Inn; however, the separately owned hotel was not part of the sale and is still operating, as confirmed by a press release sent by the inn on Wednesday, Jan. 10.

“Pea Soup Andersen’s Inn located in Buellton, California is open and welcoming guests,” the release said. “The neighboring restaurant with a similar name, Pea Soup Andersen’s Restaurant, recently closed for redevelopment; however Pea Soup Andersen’s Inn is independently owned and operated, and remains open. 

“Pea Soup Andersen’s Inn has a rich history within the Santa Ynez Valley dating back to its establishment in 1969 by the original owners, Daryl Nielsen and Vince Evans. The hotel is still managed by the Nielsen family, who have dedicated 55 years to maintaining the high standards and traditions of Pea Soup Andersen’s Inn. 

“Pea Soup Andersen’s Inn looks forward to what the future holds for their Buellton neighbor.”

Meanwhile, the Buellton City Council held its first regular meeting of 2024 on Thursday, Jan. 11, and addressed the restaurant’s situation at the end of the meeting.

“I can confirm that Pea Soup Andersen’s has closed,” said City Manager Scott Wolfe in giving his report. “We cannot confirm who has purchased the building and what their intentions are. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Wolfe said any new developments concerning the Pea Soup Anderson’s property would be highlighted on Buellton’s Community Engagement webpage at Buellton.civilspace.io

Councilmember John Sanchez pointed out that the restaurant site has been designated a historical landmark, and asked Wolfe if the City Council could make sure the building isn’t torn down.

“The Pea Soup Andersen building has been designated as a local historical landmark; that does not necessarily preclude the building from being removed,” Wolfe said.

“In fact, I assume anything other than extension or continuation of the existing Pea Soup Andersen’s would require removal of the building. However the landmark ordinance we have gives City Council some discretion to ensure there’s some recognition of the building.”

Buellton Mayor Dave King, however, said he remembers when the landmark ordinance when it was adopted and why.

“When he had the ordinance not precluding being taken down,” King said. “It was because that building might now come up to modern standards.”

If the building were, in fact, to build some down, it would spell the end to a local business and location that would have reached its 100th anniversary on June 13 of this year.

Pea Soup Andersen’s started out when Anton and Juliette Andersen purchased a small parcel of land and building from William Budd, brother of city namesake Emily Buell, and opened a restaurant. Because electricity had just reached the area and the Andersens had just acquired an electric stove, the couple called the new place Andersen’s Electrical Cafe.

Anton and Juliette began their new venture by serving simple, wholesome foods like hot cakes and coffee, ice cream sodas and such, to highway travelers. Their first customers were the salesmen, tourists and truck drivers who drove the main highway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. 

However, soon their most popular dish was the split pea story made from an old family recipe, one that would become the restaurant’s new name and identity.

Their son, Robert, returned to the family business after graduating from Stanford in the 1930’s. Robert was by all accounts a very forward-looking man. When he returned to Buellton, Robert established the billboards for which the restaurant became known.

In the early 1930s, a cartoon appeared in the old “Judge” magazine. It was one of a series by the famous cartoonist Forbell, under the heading of “Little Known Occupations.” The cartoon showed the little known occupation of splitting peas for pea soup, with two comic chefs standing at a chopping table, one holding a huge chisel, splitting peas singly as they came down a chute.

Andersen obtained permission to use the idea for advertising. He even adopted his nickname “Pea Soup,” the eventual trademark and official name of the family business. In 1941, Robert married Rosemary Mohan. She immediately became active in the family business and opened a gift shop which remains today filled with wonder for children and adults alike.

In 1965, Robert “Pea-Soup” Andersen decided he needed a break from the high-paced family business and sold the Buellton restaurant to Vince Evans, larger-than-life personality.

Vince and his wife Margery moved to a 900-acre ranch south of Buellton in 1959. They raised cattle, grew alfalfa and operated a feed store. When he purchased Pea Soup Andersen’s, he jumped into his newest adventure with the same high energy and enthusiasm that he displayed for many other ventures.

The business thrived under Evans’ hand. By then the restaurant was purchasing 50 tons of peas each year, enough for three-quarters of a million bowls of soup! He built an aviary and filled it with parrots, he installed a train for children to ride that went from the restaurant to the area where the motel now stands, and even had a miniature wild animal park for two years. He also expanded the Pea Soup Andersen’s empire and opened the Santa Nella location in 1976.

Vince had expansive dreams and the energy to make the dreams a reality. Unfortunately, neither dreams nor energy could change the cards fate dealt him. On April 23, 1980, Vince, his wife Margery and their 21-year-old daughter, Venetia, were tragically killed in a small plane crash just minutes from the Santa Ynez Valley airport. 

After the death of the Evans family, Pea Soup Andersens went through multiple ownership changes. Guggia, a Central Coast restaurateur, purchased Pea Soup Andersen’s Buellton in 1999 and Pea Soup Andersen’s Santa Nella in 2007.

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By Mike Chaldu

michael@santaynezvalleystar.com

Santa Ynez got a kick start on the local Veterans Day celebrations as the Santa Barbara County Veterans Foundation held its 3rd annual Santa Ynez Valley Salute to the Vets on Nov. 4, seven days before the actual Veterans Day.

The day began with the now-customary parade down Sagunto Street in downtown Santa Ynez, and continued with festivities at the Maverick Saloon, which was the starting point of the parade.

The parade was led by Grand Marshal Dave Smith, a Marine Corps sergeant who served in the Vietnam War and later was a teacher and coach at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School. Also in the parade were local dignitaries such as Solvang Mayor Mark Infanti, Buellton Mayor Dave King, Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joan Hartmann, and California Assemblyman Gregg Hart.

Other entries in the parade were the Flat Fender Friends’ caravan of jeeps, the Daughters of the American Revolution, numerous women dressed up as the pin-up girls of the 1940s, the 11th Mounted Cavalry Unit, and the Widows Sons motorcycle contingent representing the Vietnam Vets.

And, of course, introducing and interviewing the parade participant, as he did last year, was emcee Drew Wakefield, the motivational speaker and radio host who’s billed as “Mr. Santa Barbara.”

Wakefield expressed satisfaction that the Salute to the Veterans event has started to take a foothold in the Santa Ynez Valley area.

“Having a third year makes all the difference in the world, because now it’s not just a novelty,” he said. “People are now getting used to putting this on their calendar earlier in the year. People are looking forward to it because they know they’ve have such a good time at it before.

“If you love our veterans, and you love the United States of America, you want to show up.”

The parade kicked off the second annual Salute to the Vets celebration and led back to the Maverick Saloon on Sagunto Street for the in-person event, featuring live music from the Cash Cooper Band, local veterans programs and services booths, pin-up girl contest, food and drink, and military vehicle displays.

After the parade, there were a trio of individuals who made quite the entrance to the event as three members of the Patriot Parachute Team — Scott Harper, Nate Reed, and Steve Lobin — skydived in, landing in the field on the other side of Meadowvale Road right next to the saloon.

The parade and celebration at Maverick’s Saloon was presented by the Santa Barbara County Veterans Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to support and helping our local veterans and keeping the money in the tri-county area.

For more information on the organization, go to syvalleyvets.org. 

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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 beginning of October can signal one thing in Santa Ynez Valley and beyond — the fall season has begun and coming up fast will be Halloween and all the trimmings that come with it, like pumpkins.

And that was the idea a lot of people had on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Solvang Farmer Pumpkin Patch on Alamo Pintado Road. The patch, owned and operated by Steve Jacobsen and his family, is one of the most popular in the Valley, and that showed as a good crowd showed up on a warm Saturday to get an early pick of the gourds.

“It’s an OK crowd, but I think the heat this weekend has kept a few away,” Steve Jacobsen said. “But I think the crowds will pick up as it gets cooler and also as Halloween gets closer.”

Jacobsen has operated the seasonal pumpkin patch along with family members like his daughter, Tayler, whom Steve calls the “brains of the operation,” and son Wesley, who was manning the popcorn stand at the patch on this Saturday.

In addition to the pumpkins, the Jacobsens also have a corn maze on the site that is a popular draw, as well as a number of old vehicles and farm equipment with pumpkins loaded on them, which makes for a great photo op.

The patch not only has a lot of Valley residents coming by, but also folks from further away.

Mario Pavlovic came up from Los Angeles with his sons Luka and Matteo to pick out a few pumpkins, and it was a return trip for them.

“We come to this place often, and they wanted to come up and pick pumpkins,” Mario said. “We used to come when it was at another location, and we’ve always been happy about what we found.”

Dylan Jones of Santa Maria, who was there with his family, was also becoming a loyal customer of the Jacobsens’ patch

“We came here last year and it was really great,” Jones said as his 2-year-old son Diego was pulling along a cart with pumpkins in it. “We decided to come back and try to make a tradition out of it.”

The Solvang Farmer patch isn’t the only one selling the Halloween gourds: The Summerset Farm and Pumpkin Patch, located at 3450 Baseline Ave. in Santa Ynez, just north of Edison Street and next to Highway 154, also has some available. The patch is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Summerset Farm calls itself “a hidden gem” in the Santa Ynez Valley and states on its website “our mission is to grow high quality produce to be enjoyed by all.” in addition to the pumpkin patch, the farm also offers a produce stand, pick-your-own berries, local honey, homemade jams, free range eggs, and more!

While pumpkins are popular this time of year, so is seeking out eerie and unsettling, but mostly fun, activities such as the haunted house put on by the Solvang Parks and Recreation Department. This year’s 29th edition of the Halloween Haunt is themed “Tainted Souls: Even Clowns Have Feelings” and will be open on Friday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28, at 411 2nd St. in Solvang. Each night will kick off with a more kid-friendly version from 6 to 6:30 p.m., and the more “grown-up” version will continue from that point until 9:30 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and under.

Parks and Recreation Director Jenny McClurg made a general presentation to the Solvang City Council and remarked that they just got started on the attraction.

“We started this week, and it should be quite a production,” she said. “We should be busy with it for the next four weeks.”

The department is still seeking volunteers to help out with and participate in the Haunted House. You can register to help out, either as a guide or as one of the “monsters,” by going to cityofsolvang.com/310/Haunted-House. 

Meanwhile, The Haunt, billed as “Solvang’s premier ghost tour,” promises to “whisk you away into the ghostly past of this unique Danish village. Embark on a thrilling adventure through the town’s haunted architecture, steeped in eerie tales of their phantom residents at the most haunted sites.”

Having started back up last month in time for Danish Days, the tour is perfect for families, couples, and children. The Haunt combines authentic ghost hunting with engrossing storytelling, making it an unforgettable journey into Solvang’s haunted past.

The tour runs Thursday through Sunday through October and will also offer extra days on Oct. 30 and 31 for Halloween. The tour departs near the Visitor Information Center. Spots fill up fast, so book online now to secure your place in this otherworldly experience. To get tickets and learn more go to thehauntghosttours.com/tours/solvang/.

Other events on and around Halloween include:

A Not So Scary Movie; Saturday, Oct. 21, from 2 to 4 p.m.; 202 Dairyland Road, Buellton (future site of SYV Children’s Museum)

The Santa Ynez Valley Children’s Museum will be screening what is billed as a “Not So Scary Movie” for ages 10 and under and their families at the future site of the museum. Tickets are $8 per person or $30 per family, which includes the movie screening on the patio and access to the “Mud Kitchen” and “Dirt Zone” play area. Snacks and drinks are available for purchase and attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets. For more information, go to syvchildrensmuseum.com. 

Day of the Dead: Haunted Ball at Sunstone, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m., Sunstone Winery, 125 Refugio Road, Santa Ynez

This Halloween, Sunstone Winery transforms into a haunting haven inspired by Dia De Los Muertos.

Enjoy Day of the Dead inspired cocktails, delicious bites, and dance the night away in the wine cave with DJ Fess on Deck.

Honor those who have passed and come dressed up in your best costume. Prizes will be given to the best dressed in three categories: Best Group, Most Original, and Best Couple. Tickets: $129 ($99 for Sunstone Members). For more info go to exploretock.com/sunstonewinery/event/439075/day-of-the-dead-haunted-ball-at-sunstone

The post Valley gets ready for season of pumpkins and scares appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

There was some concern that when the organizers of the popular Wheels ‘n’ Windmills Car Show was discontinued after last year there would be too much of a void in the event calendar for car enthusiasts in Solvang.

However, the Vikings of Solvang, the longtime civic group announced they would be holding their own show to replace WnW.

On Oct. 7, the inaugural Viking Classic Car Show took place along Copenhagen Drive and 1st Street in Solvang. Organizers estimated that over 250 cars were entered in the event. Prizes were given in 23 different car classes, and special awards were given afterwards.

Those who participated in and entered cars in the show said they were enjoying the event despite the unseasonably hot temperatures and many admitted there were some kinks to work out.

“We’ve really enjoyed it so far,” said Richard Alexander of Lompoc, who had been to the Wheels ‘n’ Windmills show and brought his red ’56 Chevy. “There’s definitely a learning curve with this being their first year, but I think they’ll work it out.”

Vikings Vice Chief Larry Humburger, who manned the club’s booth wearing traditional viking gear and was taking pictures with some of the show’s attendees said the vibe had been pretty positive, but the “growing pains” were expected.

“From what we’ve heard, everyone’s pretty happy. We’ve been getting a few minor complaints, but everyone’s been very understanding,” Humburger said. “We had been planning to take this over for a while, and our committee chairman Roger Lane learned a lot from the Wheels ‘n’ Windmills people last year. We were expecting some constructive criticism, and we’ll use that in planning next year’s event.”

The Saturday car show was just the centerpiece of the weekend for car lovers: On Friday, Oct. 6, the Vikings hosted a Gala Dinner at Mendenhall’s Museum of Gasoline Pumps and Petroliana in Buellton, and on Sunday, the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School Auto Shop (aka “The Pirate Garage”) was the site of a barbecue and tour of the school’s auto shop facilities.

At the end of the car show on Saturday, an awards ceremony was held at Solvang Park. The winners by classes and the special award winners were:

Stock Class A — Antiques/Classics to 1959 All Makes

Best in Class: Jack Sanford; 1940 Ford Deluxe. Honorable Mention: Diane Robertson; 1955 Packard Caribbean.

Stock Class B — 1955-57 Chevy

Best: Steve Hovey; 1955 Chevy 210. HM: Randy Tripp; 1955 Chevy Bel Air.

Stock Class C — 1960-90 GM (Excl. Class F)

Best: Jon Stephen (Pacific Valley Street Rods); 1967 Chevy Malibu. HM: Ken Millington; 1987 Buick Grand National.

Stock Class D — 1960-90 Ford/Mopar/Other (Excl. Class F)

Best: Pete De La Torre (A.C.D.C.); 1964 VW Kombie. HM: Jim Johnson; 1970 Dodge Charger R/T.

Stock Class F — 1964-90 Camaro/Challenger/Cuda/Firebird/Mustang

Best: Cindy Kennedy; 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T. HM: Eric & Tara Weatherby; 1987 Ford Mustang.

Stock Class G — Corvettes to 1990

Best: Kelly Preston; 1967 Chevy Corvette. HM: Vern Hall; 1968 Chevy Corvette.

Stock Class H — Trucks. El Camino, Ranchero to 1990

Best: Wally Schelvis; 1955 GMC 100. HM: Tom Jordan; 1970 Chevy El Camino.

Stock Class I — Sports Car (Foreign or Domestic) to 1990

Best: Andrew Sharpe (MG car club of UK); 1963 MG B. HM: AC D’Augustine; 1965 Ford GT40.

Stock Class J – Motorcycles (Original/Unrestored) to 1990

Best: Glenn Landon; 1934 Prester M/C

Modified Class BB — Hot Rod (Coupe/Sedan) to 1932 

Best: Jim Fortelny; 1932 Ford Coupe. HM: Dan Murphy; 1932 Ford Coupe.

Modified Class CC1 — Hot Rod Coupe 1933-48

Best: Danny Foster; 1940 Mercury Chop Top Coupe. HM: Pete Gaalswyk; 1934 Plymouth PE Coupe

Modified Class CC2 — Hot Rod Sedan 1933-48

Best: Hank Carralejo (Pacific Valley Street Rods); 1934 Ford Sedan. HM: Steven Bernston; 1940 Ford Woodie.

Modified Class DD — 1949-59 All Makes (Excl. Class FF)

Best: Tim Sweet; 1956 Ford F-100. HM: Rod Cox (Rodfathers); 1956 Ford Victoria

Modified Class EE — 1960-90 All Makes

Best: Todd Aho; 1967 Chevy Chevelle. HM: Merle Heggen; 1969 Chevy Nova.

Modified Class FF — 1955-57 Chevy

Best: Raymond Vega; 1955 Chevy Bel Air. HM: Jerry Fults; 1957 Chevy 210.

Modified Class GG —Camaro/Challenger/Cuda/Firebird/Mustang to 1990

Best: Russ Garrison; 1970 Chevy Camaro. HM: Gene Reyes; 1965 Ford Mustang.

Modified Class HH1 —Trucks to 1949

Best: Paul Hinkle; 1948 Thames Panel Trk. HM: Jeff Shannon; 1929 Ford P/U.

Modified Class HH2 — Trucks, El Camino, Ranchero to 1950-90

Best: Gary Pace; 1959 Chevy Apache. HM: Walter Van Wingerden; 1956 Ford Panel Truck.

Modified Class II — Sports Car (Foreign or Domestic) to 1990

Best: Mark Gowing; 1965 Shelby Cobra. HM: Keith Raphael; 1961 MGA Roadster.

Modified Class KK — Motorcycles (Custom) to 1990

Best: Glenn Landon; 1980 Yamaha 650. HM: Robert Rauchhaus; 1951 HD EL

Special Interest Class CG — Mercury Cougar (All)

Best: Rob May (Central Coast Mercury Club); 1969 Mercury Cougar. HM: Rob May (Central Coast Mercury Club); 1967 Mercury Cougar.

Special Interest Class PS — Pro-Street/Street Legal Race

Best: Don Wagner, (Paul Hinkle Group); 1965 Chevy Chevelle. HM: Stu Hanssen; 1958 Scarab Roadster.

Special Interest Class SC — Motorcycle with Sidecar (All Makes and Years)

Best: Ray Hull, 2010 Ural Side Car; HM: Phil Wilson (Pacific Valley Street Rods); 2002 Kawasaki 1200RS

Special Awards

Car Club Participant Award: Pacific Valley Street Rods

Christopher Hartman Memorial Award: Jim Fortelny; 1932 Ford Coupe

Mayor’s Award: Stu Hanssen’s 1958 Scarab Roadster

Viking Chief’s Award: Robert Rauchhaus; 1952 Harley Panhead

Best of Show (Stock): A.C. Augustine; 1965 Ford GT40

Best of Show (Modified): Todd Aho; 1967 Chevy Chevelle

The post Vikings hold their inaugural Car Classic in Solvang appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.