It’s that time of year, when Santa Barbara’s famed Summer Solstice Celebration takes over downtown “adjacent” for three days of crazy creativity, festive flamboyance and not-so-plain fun.
The highlight of the weekend is the June 23 Summer Solstice Parade, which sports a “Flights of Fancy” theme this year and celebrates the undertaking’s 50th anniversary.
You can click here for our Daniel Green’s parade preview, and do look for Noozhawk copy editor Marcia Heller, who will be frolicking her way up Garden Street with World Dance for Humanity.
Maybe next year, for the 51st anniversary, the parade will find its way back to State Street where it belongs.
While artists were hustling to finish their costumes, props and floats, Noozhawk was juggling an audience of 157,068 readers this past week, according to our WordPress analytics.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading during that period, as determined by those analytics.
As a reminder, this is my opinion column, not a news story, and I’m Noozhawk’s publisher and not a reporter.
1. Boy Killed by Train in Montecito was Santa Barbara High Student
A 15-year-old Santa Barbara High School student was struck by a train and killed June 19 while he and his companions were walking on the railroad tracks near Montecito’s Fernald Point.
As our Tom Bolton reported, Santa Barbara County sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick said the youth — later identified as Ryan Bradley Chapman of Montecito — was fatally injured just before 1:40 p.m. when he was hit by an Amtrak passenger train.
According to Zick, Ryan and his friends reportedly were walking to a birthday party at Fernald Point Beach when the horrific collision occurred.
Ryan had just completed his freshman year at Santa Barbara High, where he played junior varsity football and volleyball. He recently made the junior varsity basketball team, as well.
Zick said the school opened a “compassion center” for students and their families on June 20.
In an added tragedy, just over two years ago, Ryan’s dad, Paul, died unexpectedly at age 48 while on a family ski trip in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Ryan is survived by his mom, Kristie, and brother Graham.
Funeral services are pending.
2. Old Town Goleta’s Renowned Santa Cruz Market Sold, But ‘Nothing Will Change’
Tom Modugno’s lifelong connection to Santa Cruz Market in Old Town Goleta is coming to an end.
As our Josh Molina reported, Modugno has sold the renowned, retro grocery store at 5757 Hollister Ave., as well as its sister store in Santa Barbara’s West Beach neighborhood.
In the 1960s, Modugno’s dad, Ralph, bought the Old Town store, and the younger Modugno — along with his brother, Jon — started working in the converted airplane hangar there as a kid.
“It’s basically who I am,” Modugno told Josh. “This store is part of the community. We have grown with the community.”
The business included a second store at what is now home to Lazy Acres, off Meigs Road on the Mesa, but the family lost that lease in the early 1990s. They quickly regrouped and reopened at 524 W. Montecito St.
More than just an independent grocer, Santa Cruz Market has become a local staple over the decades, offering specialties like chicharrones, piñatas, and the classic miniature carnival rides on the sidewalk out front for 50 cents.
In addition, Modugno has taken great pride in researching and preserving the history of the Goleta Valley on his website, goletahistory.com.
According to Modugno, the new owner, Santa Barbara Markets LLC, operates several similar grocery stores in Ventura County.
“Santa Cruz Market is not going to change,” he said. “They are going to keep the same name, they are going to keep the same employees, they are going to keep the same products.”
3. Major Injuries Reported in Crash on Highway 154 Near Santa Barbara
A car crash near Windy Gap on Highway 154 the evening of June 17 put one woman in the hospital with critical injuries and left the driver under suspicion of reckless driving.
As our Tom Bolton reported, authorities say the driver of an eastbound SUV lost control of her vehicle around 6:15 p.m. and slammed into a tree some 10 feet off the roadway, about 1½ miles north of Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara County fire Capt. Scott Safechuck said one of the three people in the car, a woman whose identity was not disclosed, suffered critical injuries in the wreck.
She was transported by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
The driver, whose identity was withheld, was detained by a Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputy for suspected reckless driving.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the circumstances of the crash.
4. Pioneer Valley Principal Shanda Herrera Keeps Job Despite Receiving Warning
Pioneer Valley High School Principal Shanda Herrera has kept her job following another contentious Santa Maria Joint Union High School District board meeting.
As our Janene Scully reported, district trustees met for more than three hours in closed session the night of June 17 to discuss employee discipline but took no reportable action.
Herrera had received a 45-day termination warning on June 7, prompting an outpouring of community support.
The reason for that notice has not been disclosed, although one speaker defending Herrera referred to “verbiage in a text message and an email.”
Others pointed out more serious policy violations by still-employed top district administrators.
Superintendent Antonio Garcia clarified that Herrera remains employed and has not been recommended for termination.
“There have been no recommended changes related to principal assignments for the 2024-25 school year,” he added.
Supporters — including teachers, students and parents — praised Herrera’s leadership, citing Pioneer Valley’s high ranking and 96% graduation rate.
Many speakers urged the trustees to “do the right thing” and keep Herrera as principal.
A 27-year district veteran and Santa Maria High School alumna, Herrera has led Pioneer Valley for 13 years, and is only the second principal in the school’s 20-year history.
After the meeting, she expressed gratitude for her supporters.
“This is the reason why I work here; my school people,” she said. “I’m just grateful for their support.”
5. BizHawk: Jonesy’s Fried Chicken Brings Southern Comfort Food to Old Town Goleta
Goleta native Kyle Jones has opened Jonesy’s Fried Chicken in Old Town Goleta, serving Southern-style fried chicken.
As our Josh Molina reported, the San Marcos High School and Santa Barbara City College School of Culinary Arts graduate, spent summers down around Biloxi, Mississippi, learning how to cook soul food from his grandparents.
The restaurant — at 282 Orange Ave., the former home of the popular but now-defunct Red Pepper Chinese restaurant — uses Mary’s Organic Chicken and peanut oil, offering hot and dry rub options.
“Soul food, Southern comfort food has always been part of my wheelhouse,” said Jones, who also owns Craft Wood-Fired Catering.
With chef Derek Heidamann, Jones has developed recipes honoring his family’s 100-year Goleta roots.
Jones’ grandfather emigrated to the United States from Italy in the early 1900s and opened the Durbiano Dairy in Santa Barbara.
“I feel like Santa Barbara is kind of going in a different direction,” he said. “… I think Old Town Goleta is really the up-and-coming location. I think it’s funky and there’s a lot of cool stuff.”
Jonesy’s Fried Chicken is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. It’s closed Monday and Tuesday.
I’ll be there soon.
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Good Reads
Don’t miss these six stories before you go:
» Joshua Molina: Being a Father to Your Aging Father Feels Upside Down, But a Reminder to Seize the Moment — For Father’s Day, South County editor Josh Molina shares his bewildering experience as a member of the sandwich generation. Is it just me or is it dusty in here?
» Builder’s Remedy Apartment Project Proposed for Santa Barbara’s Lower Riviera — Josh gives us an update on an apartment project proposal on the Santa Barbara Riviera.
» New City Administrator Kelly McAdoo Ready to Tackle Tough Issues Facing Santa Barbara — Staff writer Daniel Green has an exclusive interview with new Santa Barbara City Administrator Kelly McAdoo.
» Central Coast Elephant Seal Pup Swam 5,000 Miles to Alaska and Back — Christine Heinrichs, a staff writer for our partner, the San Luis Obispo Tribune, follows an elephant seal pup’s astounding adventure, which began and ended on the beaches of Vandenberg Space Force Base.
» Strawberries Still in Top-Crop Spot for Santa Barbara County Despite Field-Damaging Storms — Daniel delivers some berry good news about Santa Barbara County agriculture.
» UCSB’s Harder Stadium Announced as Home Field for Santa Barbara Sky FC Beginning in 2025 — Sports editor Diego Sandoval is on hand as the Santa Barbara Sky FC scores an important goal for the fledgling soccer club.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? On the Brink of Homelessness, San Diego Woman Wins the Medi-Cal Lottery.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
This is our state of California in 2024: $2,500 in Rent for a Rusted RV? The Rise of San Francisco’s Vanlords.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
My Instagram feed this past week basically has the bases loaded with College World Series content and other scenes from Omaha, Nebraska.
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Watch It
I think every parent has gone off this deep end once or twice, or 117 times.
