story published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 10/2/17
Santa
Barbara is no stranger to wine festivals. It’s become a haven for polo
enthusiasts, too. And a new fete set to premier this weekend brings the two attractions
together in one of the area’s prettiest settings.
 |
| The Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club |
The Santa
Barbara Polo & Wine Festival touts itself as the first of its kind in
California. The open-air, all-day event features high-thrills polo matches, upscale
wine tasting and a star-studded roster of music. It’s set to take place this
Saturday, October 7th, from 11am to 7pm, at the Santa Barbara Polo
& Racquet Club in Carpinteria.
“This event definitely
draws from fans of all three -- wine, polo, and music,” says Joey Massa, one of
the event’s organizers. “And all three are representative of the Santa Barbara
lifestyle."
The festival,
which aims to become an annual affair, is also presented by KCRW, a popular
public radio station that’s been on the air in Los Angeles for more than 70
years. That helps explain the impressive lineup of musicians, which are
scheduled throughout the day and includes Grammy winner Macy Gray, who takes
the stage at 6:15pm. Her five opening acts, scheduled throughout the afternoon,
include buzzy independent up-and-comers like rocker LP, songwriter Nick
Waterhouse and Malian singer and guitarist Vieux Farka Touré.
The wine
angle is clearly Santa Barbara-inspired, with labels like Summerland Winery,
Standing Sun and the new August Ridge Vineyards. Happy Canyon Vineyard will
pour and host a VIP tent; the popular winery in Happy Canyon, on the eastern
end of the Santa Ynez Valley, is well-known for its own onsite polo field.
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company will provide beer.
The day’s
thumping action will be provided by a cavalcade of horses. Two back-to-back
polo matches are scheduled for 3pm, followed by pivot stomp. In the world of
polo, matches are traditionally followed by a stomp where patrons flip over
divots, or the chunks of turf kicked up by horses’ hooves, and drink bubbly and
wine.
The goal of
the event is, in large part, to combine multiple lifestyle activities –
introducing wine lovers to the nuances of polo, for example, and vice versa. ““Polo is a sport that
a number of people have never seen, and we want this to be a great introduction
to that sport,” says Mr. Massa. To that end, organizers have created a
website that highlights polo terminology – a “chuckker” is a period of play
that lasts seven minutes, and matches can consist of four to eight chukkers – and
suggested attire. There’s no dress code for the festival, but ladies are
encouraged to wear stylish sundresses, hats and gloves while the gentlemen
should sport chino pants or shorts and a polo or button-up shirt; men’s sports
coats and fedoras are optional. Find out more when you buy your tickets at sbpoloandwine.com.
 |
| The Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club is one of the oldest in the Western U.S., dating back to 1911 |
Guests have
several buy-in options. General admission is $75, with wine and food sold
separately. VIP ticket holders ($185) get access to a private entrance, the
indoor/outdoor VIP Polo Clubhouse and stage area, VIP bathrooms, private bars,
the Happy Canyon Vineyard tent and areas with extra shade. VIP Box and Cabana
Seating ($265-$290) come with extras like a bottle of Champagne, valet parking
and wait staff service during the polo matches.
General
parking is $10 and VIP parking costs $40.
One dollar
from every ticket sold is earmarked for Notes for Notes, a nonprofit group that
outfits Boys & Girls Clubs with recording studios so that the clubs’
after-school youth can produce music for free.
###
I’ve been browsing on-line greater than three hours today, but I never discovered any attention-grabbing article like yours. It is beautiful worth sufficient for me. Personally, if all webmasters and bloggers made good content material as you did, the net will be a lot more helpful than ever before. putlocker
ReplyDelete