Taste and Sounds of Old Town
Joel Rintoul, Michelle Kuo, center, and Michele Schneider show some Goleta love at the Taste & Sounds of Old Town event. (Rochelle Rose / Noozhawk photo)
  • Joel Rintoul, Michelle Kuo, center, and Michele Schneider show some Goleta love at the Taste & Sounds of Old Town event.
    Joel Rintoul, Michelle Kuo, center, and Michele Schneider show some Goleta love at the Taste & Sounds of Old Town event.
  • Longtime Goleta resident and event volunteer Leslie Lund, left, with event creator and board president Phebe Mansur of the Goleta Old Town Community Association.
    Longtime Goleta resident and event volunteer Leslie Lund, left, with event creator and board president Phebe Mansur of the Goleta Old Town Community Association.
  • Christy Condon, left, and Anne Pazier of Santa Barbara Gift Baskets in Goleta Old Town pour wine at the event.
    Christy Condon, left, and Anne Pazier of Santa Barbara Gift Baskets in Goleta Old Town pour wine at the event.
  • Goleta residents dance in the street to the tunes of Spencer the Gardener.
    Goleta residents dance in the street to the tunes of Spencer the Gardener.
  • The Spencer the Gardener band performs on a mobile stage along Magnolia Avenue.
    The Spencer the Gardener band performs on a mobile stage along Magnolia Avenue.
  • Goleta City Councilman Kyle Richards and Mayor Paula Perotte relax in the Mercury Lounge, one of the destinations for the Taste & Sounds of Old Town.
    Goleta City Councilman Kyle Richards and Mayor Paula Perotte relax in the Mercury Lounge, one of the destinations for the Taste & Sounds of Old Town.
  • The Mariachi Las Olas band performs outside the Santa Cruz Market in Goleta Old Town.
    The Mariachi Las Olas band performs outside the Santa Cruz Market in Goleta Old Town.
  • More than 200 people attend the first-ever Taste & Sounds of Old Town along a blocked off Magnolia Avenue.
    More than 200 people attend the first-ever Taste & Sounds of Old Town along a blocked off Magnolia Avenue.
  • Five-dollar wines were offered at the Santa Barbara Gift Baskets booth. Bowls of lemons announced the upcoming Lemon Festival,
    Five-dollar wines were offered at the Santa Barbara Gift Baskets booth. Bowls of lemons announced the upcoming Lemon Festival,
  • Goleta Community Association board member Jean Blois, a former city councilwoman, was pleased to purchase a gift basket at a new shopping spot for her.
    Goleta Community Association board member Jean Blois, a former city councilwoman, was pleased to purchase a gift basket at a new shopping spot for her.

iSociety: Rochelle Rose

The Goleta Old Town Community Association inaugurated a friendly Taste & Sounds of Old Town on a bright Saturday afternoon in the 200 block of Magnolia Avenue in Goleta.

The event was the brainchild of Phebe Mansur, the association's board president.

“Old Town boasts a large number of 'mom & pop' shops and businesses, which are locally owned and operated. It’s like stepping into the past,” Mansur said. “We wanted to showcase the international variety of our restaurants and other businesses in our beloved Old Town. Today, attendees are enjoying the excellent dishes prepared by our local restaurants.”

After guests purchased a ticket and were armed with a bright green wristband, they were able to visit eateries marked with balloons and “Destination” signs located along Hollister Avenue and surrounding streets.

First, guests enjoyed the Taste home base on Magnolia Avenue, which offered hand-crafted beverages for sale in the beer/wine/cider garden. Santa Barbara Gift Baskets offered gourmet Santa Barbara Popcorn and wines by the glass. The Santa Barbara Cider Co. provided cider brewed in Old Town. The Goleta Chamber of Commerce served lemon-flavored brew and regular lager from M.Special and as a preview for the upcoming Lemon Festival set for this weekend.

What really got the crowd going was the two-hour performance by the Spencer the Gardener band, which took the stage at 1:30 p.m. Guitars, a trumpet, a trombone, a bass, drums and vocalists made up the dynamic music from the band, which began decades ago on the South Coast. In addition, Santa Cruz Market hosted Mariachi Las Olas, which played for a couple of hours on the Hollister Avenue sidewalk.

Savories offered to attendees included mini chili cheeseburgers from The Habit Burger, chicken panang curry from the Pattaya Thai restaurant, fresh pizza from Santa Barbara Woodfired Catering, carnitas tacos from La Chapala Market, chili verde from Domingo’s Café and many more.

Taste and Sounds of Old Town
Longtime Goleta resident and event volunteer Leslie Lund, left, with event creator and board president Phebe Mansur of the Goleta Old Town Community Association. (Rochelle Rose / Noozhawk photo)

“Everyone passing out food was so friendly and nice,” Goleta resident Kathy told Noozhawk.

Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte and City Councilman Kyle Richards enjoyed the airy backyard patio of the Mercury Lounge, which is under new ownership. Councilmen Roger Aceves and Michael Bennett also were spotted at the inaugural Goleta event.

“This was a wonderful opportunity to highlight the unique and special local Old Town businesses that call Goleta home,” Perotte told Noozhawk. “It was such fun to share Old Town's first taste of the town with so many friends and neighbors. Everyone I talked to expressed the hope that this will become yet another great annual event residents and visitors will be able to experience.”

Longtime Goleta resident and event volunteer Leslie Lund said: “Old Town Goleta is the new Funk Zone! So many attendees and Goleta residents, as well as me, are visiting Old Town restaurants, stores and businesses that they never knew were here.”

Click here for more information about Goleta Old Town, or call 805.694.8275 or stop by 5710 Hollister Ave., No. 128.

— 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.