Cover Story
Bottom’s up: SLO County breweries are on the move, getting bigger, and gaining a foothold in SLO Town
Firestone Walker Brewing Company and Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company headlined for the Central Coast at the Great American Beer Festival once again this year. Fig Mountain took home a handful of awards, and Firestone received the distinction of being best mid-sized brewery for a fourth time. Central Coast Brewing also took home an award this…
What’s your favorite local beer and why?
Cooper Prentis retail “Firestone DBA. A lot of people like the IPA, but I love the DBA.” Amanda Adam bartender “Libertine Sour, because it has a lot of oomph.” Grace Waters restaurant manager “Firestone’s new Oktoberfest. It’s the bomb!” Trevor Dieterle bartender “Figueroa Mountain’s IPA because it’s 10 percent, so I only need two.”
‘Rocky Horror’ screens at the Fremont Oct. 29
If you understand the above subhead, then you’re probably a fan of Rocky Horror Picture Show, the 1975 cult classic musical dripping with fishnets, rock ‘n’ roll dance moves, and sexual innuendos. That means I don’t have to tell you that the Fremont Theatre is gearing up to show the kitch-tastic film this Oct. 29…
SLO County artists wanted to create installation at Avila Beach
Avila Beach is about to get a dose of fresh color thanks to a new public art project spearheaded by the Avila Beach Community Foundation and ARTS Obispo. They’re currently seeking proposals from SLO County artists to create a seaside installation near the promenade (prime real estate, people!), and you could be that featured artist.…
Suspended Motion’s aerial dance show, ‘Carnival of Phobias,’ plays Oct. 23-24 in their SLO studio
I’m in Suspended Motion’s cavernous studio space at the end of Suburban Road, where long, colorful silks hang from the extra high ceiling all the way down to the hard, cold floor maybe 20 feet below. Co-owners Gigi Penton and Liz Stevenson are telling me all about their upcoming show, Carnival of Phobias, which promises…
Japanese photographer Heeko Kumagae brings street energy to Templeton Oct. 23
Narihiko “Heeko” Kumagae isn’t shy. He’s been rebuked, yelled at, even kicked—all in the pursuit of his man-on-the-street art. The 26-year-old photographer first traveled from Japan to the U.S. in January of last year, and has since taken solo photo expeditions to New York City and LA, where he currently resides. Whether wandering down skid…
Where art meets the ocean: Vanessa Venegas uses surfboards as her canvas
Surfboard in hand, Vanessa Venegas braves the foggy chill of morning as often as she can to catch the best waves of the day at Pismo Beach. But it wasn’t always this way. She didn’t even like the ocean when she started working at Pancho’s Surf Shop about three years ago. A surf lesson from…
Electrifying Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings bring their soulful R&B sounds to Cal Poly’s Spanos Theatre on Oct. 29
Earlier this year, I saw Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings open for the great Tedeschi Trucks Band, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry that they had to follow Jones’ electrifying performance. Heck, I would’ve felt sorry if the Rolling Stones had to follow Jones, who has the sort of joy and energy that comes…
Clubs 10/22/15 – 10/29/15
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Rd., Shell Beach, 773-5000, cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Rd. in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the Pismo Beach location every Fri. and Sat. from 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell and Doc Stoltey play on…
Libertine’s Wild IPA and Wildhorse’s 2013 Viognier
So you’re a little freaked out by the “sour beer” thing and you’re afraid to admit it. I get it. Even if you’ve never been to Libertine Pub in Morro Bay, which serves up distinctive, barrel-aged sours, you can still switch up your brew routine and move from tired to tart. Stop by Libertine’s new…
Festive
Get crafty: DIY make-ahead Halloween snacks that won’t make your lil’ devils and princesses groan? Brilliant! Make classic candy apples (poke apples with cinnamon stick handles and dip into heated candy coating or caramel) or craft classic popcorn ball “skulls” complete with candy corn fangs and malt ball eyes. Don’t underestimate how cheap and creative…
The Spoon Trade in Grover Beach is a funky fun slice o’ Americana
At The Spoon Trade American Eatery, the first thing you’ll notice is the cluster of antique spoons dangling in the foyer. They’re silver, gunmetal, slate, battleship—and all hues in-between. Some capture the Grover Beach light and throw it back with dazzling intensity. Others have seen better days. All are special if you ask Chef Jacob…
Frogurt for life!
Paul Ryan’s list of demands to accept the Speaker of the House position got me thinking. I mean, if the Wisconsin Republican, former vice presidential candidate, and P90X workout guru/boy-toy can make demands, why can’t I? After all, I’m a highly sought after office appliance and astute cultural observer, as noted by three stoners who…
We can’t run out of water; we’ve got the ocean
Perhaps you can enlighten me on why we are worried about running out of water when we have a free ocean. Yes, the ocean belongs to us! It is free and we have the knowledge to build large desalination plants. The largest desalination facility in the western hemisphere is in Carlsbad, Calif., producing 54 million…
Oil trains are bad for our air quality
Explosions aren’t the only concern with oil trains. These mile-long diesel trains belch extremely dirty exhaust into our air. Diesel engines emit soot and nitrous oxides, among other extremely harmful air pollutants. If these trains are allowed here, there will be a measurable decrease in the air quality that we have up to now enjoyed…
Psychiatric hospital is a plus for SLO County
I have watched with concern and interest the feedback North County residents are providing on the proposed psychiatric facility in Templeton. A psychiatric facility in this area is desperately needed. I would like to share my experience of working for several years at Charter Psychiatric Hospital in Westlake Village. Westlake is a rather exclusive, wealthy…
St. Serra left a lasting legacy
Another vicious, ill-informed rant from Bill Deneen, this time about St. Junipero Serra, appeared recently in the New Times letters section (“Serra is no saint,” Oct. 8). Such hate speech wouldn’t be tolerated if his target wasn’t a European missionary and a monk, who Deneen raves should be burned in effigy. If you know anything…
Approving the rail project is good for the economy
The proposed Phillips 66 rail extension project will be built entirely on their property for the flexibility to seek other affordable sources instead of only being dependent on expensive oil via pipeline. Let’s be frank, we all know that the main pipeline feeding the refinery is shut down. The fact that the cost of crude…
It’s about more than oil
We get it. The country runs on crude oil. We drive cars and use petroleum-based products. But the issue of expanding the Phillips 66 Refinery to add a 27-acre rail transfer terminal, to accommodate five mile-long crude oil tanker trains, each train carrying approximately 2,220,000 gallons of toxic and volatile crude through SLO County, presents…
Fang thang: Scarecrow Vampire Fangs provides treat for Halloween blood drive
Popular culture tells us your blood can leave your body for a handful of reasons. For example: It could be sucked out by a thirsty vampire. Another option: You could volunteer to give your blood willingly and receive a pair of vampire fangs in return. Sound like a good deal? Scarecrow Vampire Fangs and United…
Cougars & Mustangs
In movies, stressful things tend to happen on elevators. A hero may be on top of one doing acrobatics to infiltrate an office; someone may cut a wire to send anyone standing inside to their doom; there might be reason to believe that the person you’re standing next to is the devil himself. Elevators are…
SLO County looks into Veterans Services Department cash handling violations
One-and-a-half months ago, San Luis Obispo County Veterans Services Officer Dana Cummings quietly resigned from his position as head of that county department. Amid whispered rumors, both Cummings and county officials are being tight-lipped about the circumstances surrounding the Sept. 9 resignation. An internal audit of the department recently released to New Times stirs more…
Nipomo CSD accused of violating Brown Act
If plans for development at Nipomo’s Blacklake Golf Resort weren’t already controversial enough, one local man is taking the small South County town’s Community Services District to court over it. Nipomo resident Noel Heal filed a petition in SLO County Superior Court claiming that the CSD violated the state’s public meeting laws during a discussion…
SLO County hires interim Veterans Services Officer
The county of San Luis Obispo has formally opened the hiring process for someone to head the Veterans Services Department. The position, called the veterans services officer (VSO), would be charged with running a department that provides a variety of services to military veterans, active duty military personnel, and their families. The job posting on…
Grover Beach to OK no-limit poker
A Grover Beach cardroom that wants to offer no-limit poker to its patrons is getting help from the City Council, which plans to alter a law that restricts betting amounts for licensed establishments. At its Oct. 19 meeting, members of the council held the first reading of an amended city ordnance that would allow so-called…
Flash flooding closes Highway 166, foreshadows El Nino
Flash floods overwhelmed a portion of Highway 166 with mud and water on Oct. 16, trapping approximately 100 vehicles in the area east of Santa Maria and shutting down the two-lane highway for three hours. California Highway Patrol told New Times that responders “assisted numerous disabled motorists” on the scene but that there were no…
Bali’s Yogurt shop closes after almost 25 years of business in downtown SLO
It came so suddenly. It was like that partially melted spatter that spits out of the machine as soon as you pull the lever for the self-serve frozen yogurt. Bali’s Yogurt, the original self-serve frozen yogurt shop in San Luis Obispo, shut down their machines, covered the windows of thier Higuera Street storefront in plastic,…
Gearhart fraud scandal ‘middleman’ sentenced
The man who helped disgraced North County developer and convicted felon Kelly Gearhart steal millions of dollar from investors was sentenced by a federal judge on Oct. 19. James Hurst Miller Jr., 67, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and aiding and abetting a…
