Up, Down, and Around Town
The triumphant (?) return of The 805 Diary
The Unofficial Official Start of Summer
The dreaded Santa Ana winds have finally abated. Last night, an ocean breeze carried with it our regularly scheduled June Gloom and the comforting scents of saltwater and seaweed. Below us on the high school athletic field, a voice could be heard over a public address system reading off the names of the Class of 2026. Cheers punctuated the night air. Afterward, the crack and boom of fireworks echoed across the valley.
The next crop of high school graduates has been loosed upon the world. And summer has officially arrived (the calendar be damned).
The Sandy Fire
The Sandy Fire, which started on May 18 and quickly grew to just over 2,000 acres, has since been contained. Despite several residents being evacuated, only one house was destroyed. A local news station managed to interview its owner during a live broadcast, and I was mortified on behalf of the poor woman. So, how does it feel knowing you’re the only one to lose your home?
If that were me being interviewed, they would’ve had to bleep out my response.
More reassuringly, Santa Paula’s Glen Tavern Inn graciously offered evacuees a place to stay during the fire. The offer befits the hotel’s history, housing those affected by other area disasters, including the St. Francis dam collapse in 1928. Let’s hope the resident ghosts gave evacuees a warm welcome.
New Hours for Parque 1055
Parque 1055 recently announced that they would no longer be open on Mondays, marking the first time the restaurant has scaled back its hours since it opened. Attempts to draw in locals with $2 beers and other discounts apparently did not attract enough business to justify staying open. Too bad. If there’s a day of the week that demands $2 beers, it’s Monday.
Cruise Night in Santa Paula: June 5, 5:00 – 7:00 PM
Cruise Night kicked off in April and continues through October, with a brief hiatus in July to accommodate the Independence Day holiday. This year, the event is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and several of its member businesses, including Rabalais’ Bistro.
This has long been a Santa Paula favorite, inviting car collectors to show off their classic (pre-1981) babies, while encouraging locals and visitors alike to enjoy a night of food and drink and camaraderie along Main Street. Most restaurants offer Cruise Night specials.
Be sure to check out the vendor market in the parking lot of the Fermentation House (formerly Anna’s Cider). If you’re still of the party persuasion, stick around the Fermentation House for an after-hours party scheduled to last until 1:00 AM.
The Red Rock Road Band will be playing its signature mix of rock, blues, and country under the clock tower on Main Street, starting at 5:00 PM.
Mountain View Inn and Corazón de Piru
This last weekend marked Judy’s birthday and my return to local adventure after 8 weeks of recovering from back surgery. Dale, Judy, and I trekked out to Piru to celebrate and see our favorite Piru people — and sat chatting with Rick, the general manager, off and on for nearly three hours. He told us that their early spring events, including Easter brunch, Mother’s Day brunch, and the winemaker dinner, were all smashing successes. And after he shared the winemaker dinner menu with us, I told him, “Hell, I’ll eat the menu!”
Greasing the social wheels was a bottle of Kurtural Chardonnay from Solano County. After Judy decided to take a bottle home with her, I think it’s safe to say that it’s become our current fave. Light, bright, and aromatic with ripe, peachy and blossom-y notes. No oak barreling to spoil the fruit-forward character. Fermented in stainless steel.
A recent VC Reporter article also broke the news that the owners of the Mountain View Inn, Ken and Betty-Lou Wiseman, recently bought the Newhall Mansion. Yay! The purchase returns to the mansion private ownership, with an eye toward benefitting the community, while continuing to serve as a premier event/wedding destination.
The Mountain View Inn’s sister business, Corazón de Piru, is rapidly becoming a community center of its own, with regular karaoke and live music nights, and Youth Nights devoted to giving local kids a place for both fun and community support.
You may hear this frequently quoted bit of wisdom: Piru takes care of its own.
And Ken and Betty-Lou Wiseman are taking care of Piru, in the best way possible.