Edhat Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Santa Barbara Community!

By the edhat staff

The Santa Barbara community was invited to a free happy hour celebration at Carr Winery to celebrate edhat’s 20th birthday.

On April 19th, readers, commenters, contributors, local politicans, John “Primetime” Palminteri, and more took conversations offline to chat about all things Santa Barbara.

Edhat partnered with SB Humane, a local nonprofit that is the oldest animal welfare agency in Santa Barbara County, serving the community for over 135 years. The organization’s two campuses in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria provide low-cost veterinary care, affordable dog training, adoption, and socially-conscious sheltering for local animals, whether they are with a loving family or at the shelter waiting for a home of their own.

(Photo: Ingrid Bostrom)

Lando the dog, woof woof (Photo: Ingrid Bostrom)

SB Humane does not receive any federal funding, it relies on donor support to help thousands of animals and families each year in Santa Barbara County. So the edhat staff decided to host a raffle with 100% of its proceeds going towards the support of local animals.

Santa Barbara’s venerable newsmen: “Scanner Andrew” on edhat, Blazer of KJEE, and John Palminteri of everywhere (Photo: Ingrid Bostrom)

Amazing local businesses and friends of Edhat donated some fantastic raffle prizes including the Condor Express, Roy, SB Pet Sitters, Spa Escape, and Bungalo805. Guests had the option to purchase as many tickets as their arm lengths will allow for a set price. Thanks to our readers participating in our raffle, we were able to raise $480. Since Ed is such a swell guy, he chipped in an extra $150 for a total donation of $630 to the local nonprofit.

Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez [left] and [right] Wade Cowper, Councilmember Eric Friedman, and Joe DeLise (Photos: Ingrid Bostrom)

We had delicious wine varietals from Carr Winery, a bevy of sweet treats made by local bakery La Bella Rosa, and sweet tunes from talented musician Conner Cherland.

Groovy music by Conner Cherland make the people want to dance (Photos: Ingrid Bostrom)

Every year we honor the winners of our annual March Edness photo hunt competition with a trophy and prize bag from local businesses. This year celebrated Kcottrell for winning 1st Place, Mfitch54 won 2nd place, and SBsuferlife for 3rd place.

Teams Mfitch54 (left) and Kcottrell (right) receiving their March Edness prizes (Photos: Ingrid Bostrom)

We also debuted our new line of 20th anniversary merchandise! Inspired by the iconic Chromatic Gate, local artist and activist Jordan Killebrew designed these custom vintage logos exclusively for edhat. Shop our new tshirts, tote bags, and mugs here.

Thank you everyone for celebrating with us. Edhat was founded in Nov 2003 by the late Peter Sklar as a community resource for neighbors to engage with one another. We continue to do that today by giving locals a voice and providing local news. It would not be possible without all of your support, so thank you.

Sweet treats from La Bella Rosa Bakery (Photos: Ingrid Bostrom)

If you like being in the know on all things Santa Barbara, please support us so we can continue bringing the community together. You can upgrade your subscription and/or donate to us. We’ll give you a high-five!

A very special thank you to Carr Winery for allowing us to take over their barrel room and patio while serving their delicous wine and Ingrid Bostrom for capturing this fun-filled party in stunning images. Thank you Blazer at 92.9 KJEE for emcee’ing the event and promoting it on the air and Isla Vista Screenprinting for their merch love.

Thank you for all of your support and here’s to another 20 years!

Edhat columnist and local historian Betsy J. Green (right) showing off her raffle ticket (Photo: Ingrid Bostrom)