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Fiesta Ranchera — a collaboration of Old Spanish Days and the Goleta Valley Historical Society — was held Thursday night under the canopy of historic trees on the grounds of Rancho La Patera and Stow House in Goleta. Now in its eighth year, the unique outdoor tasting event attracted a sold-out crowd of more than 900 attendees.
Guests enjoyed the relaxed pace and the spacious lawn and gardens, where they strolled and sampled generous appetizers and desserts from local restaurants, wineries and breweries as they celebrated Fiesta in Goleta.
The event included performances by the 2015 Spirit of Fiesta and Junior Spirit of Fiesta, musicians Vincent and Vedant, and dancing on the outdoor dance floor to tunes by local band Area 51.
The Rev. Larry Gosselin from the Old Mission Santa Barbara spoke to the crowd and gave a blessing, noting that the theme of this year’s annual celebration is Fiesta Romantica and that it is about community, love and appreciation for the beauty of the Santa Barbara area.
El Presidente Cas Stimson and Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte also greeted the crowd and ended with a rousing “Viva la Fiesta” chant before the Area 51 band started their first tune, which attracted many dancers to the dance floor.
Major contributors included Presenting Sponsors Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf and Community West Bank; Gold/Founding Sponsor Cox Communications; Silver Sponsors American Riviera Bank, Venoco Inc., Catering Connection, Bella Vista Designs and Spark Creative Events; Bronze Sponsors MarBorg Industries, The Bank of Santa Barbara, the City of Goleta, Hollister Brewing Company, Prospect Mortgage-Taylor Team, Radius Group-Golis, Rockin’ Double RC Ranch, Sauza Blue Tequila and Ventura Party Rentals.
New restaurants that joined the festive tasting event this year were Arch Rock Fish, Benchmark Eatery, Brophy Bros., High Sierra Bar & Grill (soon to open at the old Elephant Bar location near the Santa Barbara Airport), Pascucci and Whole Foods.
Returning restaurants included Anna’s Bakery, Bacara Resort & Spa, Catering Connection, Country Catering, Georgia’s Smokehouse, McConnell’s Ice Cream, The Nugget, Pepe’s, Sage & Onion, Rincon Events, Goodland Kitchen, Woodstock’s Pizza and Woody’s BBQ.
Participating wineries included Bella Cavalli, Zaca Mesa, Sunstone, Brander, Arthur Earl, Alexander & Wayne and Windrun.
Rancho La Patera is a focal point of the Goleta Valley’s rich and diverse history for the thousands of visitors who tour annually. The landmark, built in 1872 by the pioneering Stow family, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Goleta Valley Historical Society assumed stewardship of the ranch in 1967 and continues to preserve it for future generations through a partnership with the City of Goleta.
For more information about the property or the Goleta Valley Historical Society, contact events coordinator Dacia Harwood at 805.637.6783 or dacia@goletahistory.org.
— Noozhawk contributing writer Rochelle Rose can be reached at rrose@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkSociety, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.