Barney’s Weekend Picks

Assuming the Indian Summer holds for at least one more weekend,
we all need to get out into the Great Outdoors.

Hike of the Week: Hit the
Douglas Family Preserve (aka Wilcox Property), on the Mesa off
Cliff Drive. Head for the bluff and look for the pod of dolphins
that swim to and fro along the coast. End up at the point
overlooking Arroyo Burro Beach County Park (aka
Hendry’s Beach) and gaze down the shoreline west toward UCSB.
Expect to find lots of dogs.

Culture Time: The Santa Barbara
Symphony, in the capable hands of the new music director,
Nir
Kabaretti, hits the Arlington stage Saturday at 8 p.m.
and Sunday at 3. Orion Weiss will tickle the ivories on
Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major. The orchestra will play
Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, so appropriate
considering the balmy weather. Edward Albee’s The Goat or, Who
Is Sylva? is playing at the Center Stage
Theater. It’s about a married man who falls in love with … you
guessed it. The ads read: “Warning! Contains extreme language and
mature content. Not for the faint of heart.” A major award winner
for Albee, however. On the more demure side, Ballet Santa
Barbara will perform Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at
2 and 7 p.m., at Marjorie Luke Theatre, 721 E. Cota St. Kiss
Me, Kate is one of my favorite Cole Porter
musicals, and the kids at Dos Pueblos High are
staging it. Info at 968-2541, ext. 263.

Dining Out: You want a pre-concert bite before
the S.B. Symphony program? Park early and sit outside at
Carlitos, right across State Street from the
Arlington. Then stroll over. Or head for
Opal, just a few steps from the Arlington, for a
drink or dinner — good wine list there. (Carlito’s photo by Sue De
Lapa)

Remember Veterans’ Day: The annual Veterans’
Day Parade will step off from the Veterans Memorial Building, 112
W. Cabrillo Blvd., Saturday at 1:30 and end at State and Sola
streets. On Saturday starting at 5 p.m., Veterans for
Peace will hold a candlelight vigil at the Arlington
West memorial at the beach, where there are now more than
2,800 crosses. Tom Urban suggests that those
planning to attend the tribute bring their candles in a cup to
protect the flame from the wind. It will be a quiet vigil, with his
nephew, Martin Urban, playing bagpipes. Social
worker Ken Williams, a vet and a true saint for
his work with the homeless, many of them vets, will be signing his
book China White, Saturday, 3-5 p.m., at 416 E. Valerio
St. Food, wine, and music in a garden setting. (Read his piece in
this week’s Independent or online.)

Politics: Yes, politics. John
Dean will be speaking at Saturday’s workshop by
Progressive Democrats of Santa Barbara, from 1-6 p.m. at Victoria
Hall. At 7 p.m., there’s a dinner with Dean at Nu restaurant ($60).
More info at 451-1219.

Moving Pictures: Family Flick Night, Saturday
night at La Cumbre Plaza, is free, free, free. Kids’ activities
start at 4:45 p.m. and movies start at 6. Featured this week are
Looney Tunes and Back in Action (whatever that
is). They’ll also take your Pizza Mizza order (for $$). Over at the Fiesta
Five, the majestic Helen Mirren stars in The Queen, the
trials and tribulations of the present Brit Queen Liz. In this
week’s Independent, Roger Durling of the Santa Barbara
International Film Festival chats with Alejandro González
Iñárritu, director of Babel, starring Brad Pitt
and Cate Blanchett, now at Paseo Nuevo.

Music: The Soul City
Survivors will sound off at one of the town’s favorite
music venues, SOhO, 1221 State St., at 9:30 Saturday night.

California Indians: The dances, music, stories,
food, and crafts of Native America will be on display at the
California Indian Festival, at the Santa Barbara Museum of
Natural History on Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (Get a buck off the
admission for up to four people with the coupon in The
Indy.)

Heal the Ocean: The Santa Barbara Art
Association is holding a wine and snacks reception and art sale
to benefit Heal the Ocean on Friday, 5-7 p.m., at Gallery 113, La
Arcada Court, 1114 State St.

Donate a Turkey: Over at the Foodbank,
Diane Durst tells me that she’s short
5,198 turkeys to feed the needy for Thanksgiving.
You can start dropping off birds at the Foodbank, 4554 Hollister
Ave. Here’s the big deal coming up: All Albertsons stores in the
county will be taking part in a Bird-a-Thon Friday, November 17.
Albertsons is offering a two-for-one turkey deal and buyers are
asked to donate one of them to the Foodbank. Volunteers are needed
to help out. Info in the North County at 937-3422, ext. 104, and
from Diane at 967-5741, ext. 104.