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This year Earth Day is officially celebrated on Sunday, April 22 globally with a focus on ending plastic pollution. In Santa Barbara the festivities will be going all weekend at the Alameda Park. Saturday April 21 11am to 8pm and Sunday April 22 from 11am to 6pm. Entry is free and this is made possible by the by many local businesses as well as with the help of over 300 volunteers. Santa Barbara has been holding these festivities since 1970 and every year it has stellar participation.

There are several zones to explore in the festival: Ecovillage has green products, organic clothing, and technology. The Bike Valet will give your bike a free valet parking and check-up. Many local restaurant and businesses will have smoothies and healthy foods. there is also an educational program in the farm to table area, called Homegrown Roots, and a fun Kids Zone. The Green Car Show has exciting cars with the latest technology. On Saturday at 2pm, the Environmental Hero Awards will be held honoring SeaLegacy and Florencia Ramirez.

Earth Day is also being celebrated at the Santa Barbara City College, where vendors are showcasing some environmentally friendly products and sustainable foods.

Hope you will get to enjoy this weekend’s events and have a happy and safe Earth Day!

Santa Barbara Earth Day website http://sbearthday.org/

Earth Day website https://www.earthday.org/

Alameda Park is located at 1400 Santa Barbara St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) has been taking place in our beautiful city for over 30 years. It features offers over 200 films, talks, tributes and events over the span of 11 days. I am proud to support this non-profit organization, which brings unique films from around the world to our local theaters. The festival promotes community outreach and educational programs for the appreciation of film. This year the festival celebrated its 33rd year.

To name just a few of the numerous films that came to town: Happy End, Call Me By Your Name, The Eternal Road, The Public, Skid Row Marathon, Fifty Springtimes, oh Lucy!, A Land Without Borders, Streetlight Harmonies, Gutland, Beartrek, Blue, Big Wata, Faces Places, Kim Swims, The Doctor From India, the Push, Wife and Husband (Moglie e marito), Tulipani: Love, Honour and a Bicycle, and Crossing the Channel.

Gary Oldman received the Maltin Modern Master Award, the highest honor from the SBIFF which is given to someone who has “enriched the culture” of the film industry. He receives this award for his sensational role as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Focus Features’ “Darkest Hour.”

The Cinema Vanguard Award went to Willem Dafoe for his role as Bobby in Sean Baker’s The Florida Project, an A24 Films release. Saoirse Ronan received the Santa Barbara Award for her role in Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird.”

The American Riviera Award gave the outstanding achievement honor to Sam Rockwell. It was exciting to see his interview at the Arlington. He has such a broad range of roles and some great dance moves on film.

Margot Robbie and Allison Janney both received the Outstanding Performers of the Year Award. It was an inspiration to attend the interview of these very talented ladies at the Arlington Theatre.

Many of the awards were introduced by SBIFF executive director Roger Durling.

The Virtuosos Award is given to a group of up-and-coming actors and this year the recipients were Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Hong Chau (Downsizing), John Boyega (Detroit), Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), Mary J. Blige (Mudbound), and Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name).

Outstanding Directors of the Year award went to Christopher Nolan (DUNKIRK), Greta Gerwig (LADY BIRD), Guillermo del Toro (THE SHAPE OF WATER), Jordan Peele (GET OUT), and Paul Thomas Anderson (PHANTOM THREAD).

The Variety Artisans Award celebrates those who work in the production of the film and this year the recipients were:
Paul D. Austerberry – Production Design – The Shape of Water
Mark Bridges – Costume Design – Phantom Thread
Alexandre Desplat – Original Score – The Shape of Water
Rachel Morrison – Cinematography – Mudbound
John Nelson – Visual Effects – Blade Runner 2049
Tatiana S. Riegel – Editing – I, Tonya
Julian Slater, – Sound Mixing – Baby Driver
Arjen Tuiten – Makeup and Hairstyling – Wonder
Matthew Wood – Sound Editing – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

The SBIFF Closing Night featured short documentary films pertaining to our beautiful Santa Barbara. These were:
Chris Price and Casey McGarry’s CASCARÓN
Ryan Slattery’s CROSSING THE CHANNEL
Hallie Brown’s OUT OF THE ASHES
Justin Gunn’s A SOLSTICE IN SANTA BARBARA
John Klein’s SOUL OF THE CITY
Danielle Cohen’s THE TIPPING POINT

The festivities started with an opening night party at the picturesque Paseo Nuevo mall, with the first films showing January 31, and ended on February 10th. SBIFF Website

For those looking to travel from or to Santa Barbara, highway 101 has been closed since the flooding and mudslides occurred in Montecito. Our hearts go out to those affected by this tragedy and we are thankful for the tireless efforts of brave emergency responders. Downtown Santa Barbara and Goleta did not have mudslides, but they are unreachable from the south due to road closures. As of today Highway 101 is closed between Santa Barbara and Ventura and we are still waiting to hear when the road will open. It is speculated to be at least next week and until then there are alternative routes and methods of transportation available. This is the time support our community and local businesses so if you are planning a trip to our out of Santa Barbara there are still many options besides the roads.

By Train

Many people are taking the Amtrak Train at this time due to the Highway closures and you can find the schedules and costs on their website https://www.amtrak.com/home.html

From Santa Barbara to Ventura the fare is $15 and Business $25. It takes about 35 to 44 minutes, depending on departure time selected, however the trains may have some delays. From Santa Barbara to Los Angles Union Station the trip would be about 2 hours and 46 minutes to 3 hours and 7 minutes, depending on the departure times and there is a possibility of delays as well. Value tickets were $31, Flexible $47, Business $40 to $47 and Premium $104 to $259. The Amtrak bus service is not going to Oxnard at this time.

For up to date notices see the Pacific Surfliner updates on Twitter https://twitter.com/PacSurfliners

and Amtrak on Twitter https://twitter.com/amtrak

Driving

Alternate driving routes are given by KSBY news and Caltrans on this website. They suggest Highway 46 to Interstate 5 or Highway 166 to Interstate 5. Please see their website for details and warnings http://www.ksby.com/story/37260042/ways-to-get-around-the-highway-101-closure

For an interactive street map visit   http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/

Highway 101 is open north of Santa Barbara. Highway 154 and 1 are open as well.

Ferry

The Island Packers and Condor Express ferry boat companies are offering an emergency ferry service between Santa Barbara Harbor and Ventura Harbor. The cost is $32 for adults and the trip takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

You can get tickets online at Condor Express http://condorexpress.com/101-closure-emergency-ferry-service/

The Island Packers have a separate website and ticketing, which is at this link http://islandpackers.com/ventura-santa-barbara-emergency-shuttle-information-page/

Flight

A flight from Los Angeles LAX Airport to Santa Barbara Airport is about $220 to $345 for Economy and $801 for First Class. From Santa Barbara Airport to Los Angeles LAX Airport flights vary $170 to $400, depending on the day. It takes about 1 hour and 3minutes flight time for nonstop and 4 hours with one stop.

You can check the flights online here https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/flysba/default.asp

Hotels

The hotels are open in parts of Santa Barbara and many local hotels are offering special rates for storm evacuees. You can find a list on this link https://santabarbaraca.com/content/uploads/2018/01/Storm-Evacuee-Hotel-Rate-List.UpdatedCH1.12.18.pdf

If you are planning a trip please call your choice of hotel ahead to make sure it is available.

For County of Santa Barbara information and updates visit https://www.countyofsb.org/
The information of transport costs and types on this website are provided as a convenience only. Check the individual websites of the various transport modes for current prices and schedules.

Please travel carefully and let us know if you have any other transportation suggestions.

Wishing everyone very Happy Holidays and Prosperous New Year!

May this be a joyful time to gather with your friends and family.