🤠🐴🇺🇸 Episode 51 — Old Santa Ynez Days - Charlotte Becerra - Jail Wagons • Tortilla Tosses • Rodeo Weekend • The Most Santa Ynez Thing Ever
Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos · Released June 12, 2026 · Santa Ynez Valley, California
About this conversation
Some towns have festivals.
Santa Ynez has a jail wagon.
This week on Choppin’ It Up with Keith Saarloos, Keith sits down with Charlotte Becerra from Old Santa Ynez Days and the Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce to talk about one of the most wonderfully unhinged, deeply beloved, and historically perfect weekends in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Old Santa Ynez Days started in 1962 as a fundraiser to help build Segundo Park.
And somehow, all these years later, it still has everything you could ever want:
• A hometown parade
• Leather badges
• Deputies looking for people without badges
• A rolling jail wagon
• A tortilla toss
• A pie contest
• Pony rides
• Bounce houses
• Face painting
• Painted horses
• The Santa Ynez Historical Museum
• The Carriage Museum
• The rodeo
• And an entire town showing up for each other
We talk about Dutch Wilson.
We talk about how a community builds things that last.
We talk about the old stagecoach routes, the horseshoe crosswalks that spell “WHOA,” the world’s smallest working library, the history hiding in plain sight, and why Santa Ynez still feels like Santa Ynez.
It’s weird.
It’s wonderful.
It’s cowboy.
It’s community.
And it might be the most Santa Ynez thing that has ever existed.
If you love this valley...
If you love old traditions...
If you believe towns are built by people who keep showing up...
This episode is for you.
🎙️ Choppin’ It Up — Old Santa Ynez Days with Charlotte Becerra
Listen.
Buy a badge.
Don’t get thrown in jail.
Or do.
It’s for a good cause.
OldSantaYnezDays.com
From Keith’s original Valley archive
The following material is preserved from the original episode post. Existing transcript text is an archive copy and may contain transcription errors.
Episode 51: Charlotte Becerra — The Story Behind Old Santa Ynez Days
In Episode 51 of Choppin' It Up with Keith Saarloos, Keith sits down with Charlotte Becerra, Executive Director of the Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce and the driving force behind Old Santa Ynez Days, one of the Santa Ynez Valley's most beloved annual traditions.
For generations, Old Santa Ynez Days has celebrated the history, culture, and western heritage of Santa Ynez. What began as a small community celebration has grown into a multi-day event that brings together residents, families, businesses, volunteers, and visitors from throughout Santa Barbara County and beyond.
Keith and Charlotte discuss the origins of Old Santa Ynez Days, how the event has evolved over the years, and the traditions that continue to make it special. From the famous Tortilla Toss and the Old Santa Ynez Days Jail to the parade, live entertainment, community gatherings, and local fundraising efforts, the conversation explores why the event remains such an important part of life in the Santa Ynez Valley.
The episode also highlights the incredible volunteer effort required to organize and sustain a community celebration of this size. Charlotte shares stories about the people who make Old Santa Ynez Days possible, the importance of preserving local traditions, and how community events help connect generations while keeping the history of the Santa Ynez Valley alive.
Listeners will gain insight into the history of Santa Ynez, the role of community organizations, local volunteerism, small-town traditions, and why events like Old Santa Ynez Days continue to matter in an increasingly connected but often disconnected world.
Whether you're interested in Santa Ynez Valley history, western heritage, community events, local traditions, Santa Barbara County culture, volunteer organizations, parades, family activities, or the people who help keep small-town America thriving, this episode offers a fascinating look behind one of the region's most cherished celebrations.
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🤠 Episode 52 — Old Santa Ynez Days 🤠🐴🇺🇸
Jail Wagons • Tortilla Tosses • Rodeo Weekend • The Most Santa Ynez Thing Ever
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THE Transcript
Hey, everybody. It is 10:00 AM on a Saturday morning, and that means you are listening to Chopping It Up with your host, Keith Saarloos of Saarloos and Sons Wine and Cupcakes, located right there on Grand Avenue in Los Olivos. If you're listening to this, come on over, have a great day sitting out front. Eat some cupcakes, drink some wine, have the best day of your life. Today we are talking about Old Santa Ynez Days. Old Santa Ynez Days is coming up fast, and we wanted to invite every single person in the Santa Ynez Valley and beyond to participate. So today we have a very, very special guest who's gonna tell us all about it. Please introduce yourself. Hello. This is Charlotte Becerra from Old Santa Ynez Days and the Chamber of Commerce. Uh, so are you in charge of Old Santa Ynez Days? Who is actually in charge of Old Santa Ynez Days? That would be me. My friends even made a crown- ... for my cowboy hat for me, so it's legit. So how long has Old Santa Ynez been, Days been going on in, uh, the Santa Ynez Valley? It was founded in 1962 by Dutch Wilson and his brother. Um, and we had two years off for COVID. Yeah. So we're still cruising. Dutch Wil- Is that Dutch Cojo Dutch? Yes. Is it really? Yes. That is fantastic. So how, how did it all start way back when? It was originally a fundraiser called Los Amigos de Santa Ynez Old Tortilla Days, and that's- where the tortilla toss comes from. And it was a fundraiser to, uh, do the parks, uh, Segundo Park. Really? Mm-hmm. And so Old Santa Ynez Days kinda built the Santa Ynez Park? Yes. It, it was a fundraiser. That is a beautiful piece of valley lore that I don't think anybody would ever come up with. So where did, where did the tortillas come from? Uh, that I do not know. I have to ask, uh, Dutch's niece. I am friends with her. Is she still involved? No. She does p- she has a fantastic leather badge collection, and she lends it to the museum every year. They do a whole Old Santa Ynez Days exhibit- Yeah ... at the Santa Ynez Historical Museum. Okay. So you being, um, El Jefe, El Presidente of this whole thing, tell us about what happens at Old Santa Ynez Days and, and f- get everybody fired up for it coming up. What... Start to finish, what are we doing? On, on the 18th, the Santa Ynez Museum has the kickoff party. This year they have the Double Wide Kings- Ooh ... which will be pretty fabulous, and the Pork Palace is serving the goods. So it's good food and dancing, and that is Thursday, the 18th. Mm-hmm. Saturday, June 20th is we open the day with the street fair and parade, which is the portion I run- Mm with a fantastic volunteer crew, and it is free to the public. And our goal really is to have a free, fun community event- Awesome ... to celebrate our town. So when it starts basically, where, where, where does it start, where does it end? It starts at 9:00 AM, ends at 2:00 PM, parade's at 10, and most of the activities happen on Segundo Street between Edison and Faraday. So basically you're from Red Barn all the way down to the Maverick. N- just to- Oh ... uh, the museum- To the museum ... or the gas station. Sorry. And then we have added and grown it every single year, a huge free kids area. So you have little kids, we have face painters- I love it ... and pony rides and bounce houses and activities, and it's all free. So Old Santa Ynez Days, when I remember it, well, you know, 25 years ago when we first moved to the valley, was kind of like the party. And, uh, the badges. So if you can bring, bring us into the whole lore of the Santa Ynez Valley Old Santa Ynez Days, because there's a, there's a, uh, jail involved, there's badges involved. Give us the whole rundown. So we do have a jail, um, at the Old Santa Ynez Days Jail, and it is the last entry in our grand old parade. And so we have leather badges that, um, we make. They are $2 a piece, and if you're wearing a badge for that year, you don't get sent to jail. If you are caught by one of our deputies not wearing a badge- Mm-hmm you have to go to jail, and it's 20 bucks. Is it 20 bucks to get out of it again? To get out of jail. Oh, man. We also have, um, all of the badge revenue goes towards our scholarships for the chamber. Mm-hmm So, uh, we do have a $20 scholarship posse badge. Um- I like that ... and a lot of stores in town on the day of Old Santa Ynez Days give discounts to people wearing badges- Yeah to kind of encourage the town camaraderie. Where did the badges whole thing start? Where did the jail thing start? 'Cause it, this is... I wanted to have you on here because I think for me, and hopefully for the rest of the Santa Ynez Valley, if you go to, you know, the 4th of July parade in Solvang, it's, like, pretty straightforward. You know, every- line up on the street, get there early, put your stuff down. The tree burning, same thing. Um, Day in the Country in Los Olivos, right down the middle. Uh, uh, you know, Old Fashioned Christmas, all the, all the great stuff that this valley does individually, but also we all do it together. Mm-hmm. S- Old Santa Ynez Days seems like it has the most amount of really, really cool lore that comes along with it, that quite honestly I don't feel like anybody knows about, right? The fact that Dutch started this, I mean, Dutch and who else? His brother. Really? Mm-hmm. So were they living in the Santa Ynez Valley at the time, or were they out at Cojo when they started this thing? I believe they were on Refugio. They're on Refugio. Mm-hmm. So I, from, you know, I don't know Dutch, right? But it just seems like a very weird group to have started this event. Was he g- was he... Uh, like, you sitting across from me, I could totally see you, like, grabbing this thing by the reins and going, "Okay, we're gonna raise some money for these kids. We're gonna do this." But the fact that, like, a cattle hand, um, started this, which benefited and built a park, seems not out of character, but it really blows me away thinking like, wow, these people were really planting trees that they were never going to sit under the shade of. I think that speaks to the valley culture in general. Um, we always help each other, and that's something, that's why we do what we do- Yeah ... because keeping that culture alive, and it doesn't matter who you are in our community, if the community needs help, we're there. And so when you g- so now the jail, do you know when that started? I have no idea when the jail started. We, we should just start m- let's just start making stuff up. I know. I like it. It's, it was recently refurbished by the- Is- ... Pirate Garage- Is it really? ... at the high school. Yes. Wait, the high school refurbished the jail? Yes. Okay. Is it still in the back of a truck? Yes, or a tractor. Or a tractor. Yes. Got it, and then they just go up and down throwing people in j- I've been in the jail. So y- they just drive up and down the street. If you're not wearing a badge, a deputy will come and find you- Uh, grab you and say, "Off to jail." Yes. And then you get thrown into... We- let's paint the picture here for everyone, because I think this is so fun, right? They paint the picture is, if you're walking down the street and you're from out of town, you don't know the game. You're looking around, everybody's got this badge on. You're like, "What? I don't know. What, you know, what is this?" And, and by the way, if you live in the Santa Ynez Valley, invite people from out of town to this. Oh, it's a great weekend. The rodeo, it's all things Santa Ynez. All things Santa Ynez. And don't tell them about the badges. I mean, the whole point is- ... and I'm just saying this right now. If, if you don't know about the badges, and I'm, I'm sorry to anybody I'm, I'm, you know, talking about Santa here with, um, don't tell anybody. Don't tell anybody about the badge. Because when the deputy walks up and grabs, you know, the tourist who just bought their brand new cowboy hat and is rolling around town, um, and they get drug off and thrown straight into a j- a literal jail cell, uh, that is being pulled around by a tractor or a truck or whatever this year, um, and then they get paraded up and down the street Because they weren't wearing a badge. So everybody in the valley, don't tell anyone to buy a badge. We- I think that the 20 bucks to get out of jail is, is ... That seems about a good bail money. Yeah. And it's a good cause. It's a good cause. And has anybody ever gotten upset about them being thrown in jail? No. No. They, uh, they find humor in it. And actually, we leave the jail, um, after the parade- usually by my shop. Yeah. Um, and tons of people take pictures in the jail. Oh. That's a thing. I love it. Oh, it's so fantastic. So okay. The jail, lo- absolutely love it. Um, the badges, 20 bucks to get out. Um, what, what are some of the other ... The, you described the, the stuff for the kids this year, which I think is always the, the great Are you doing, are you doing anything with tortillas this year? I hope to find a tortilla toss chair. If- Okay ... shout out to anyone out there that really wants to chair the tortilla toss, you just contact me. So to bring up what the tortilla toss is or was, and we need it, we're actively ... So if you're listening to this right now y- and you feel it on your heart, how do they get ahold of you to be the chair of the tortilla toss? They can contact me. Uh, my information is on oldsanYnezdays.com. Perfect. Uh, and there's information there. And should we explain what a tortilla- Yes ... toss is? Please do this. 'Cause it's very random. I love it. So- That's why I had you in here today. I mean, in all honesty, I love Old San Ynez Days. I love the jail. I love the tortilla toss. I think it's one of the most exci- I think it's the funnest event to go to in the San Ynez Valley because, and I'm sorry if I'm saying, but it's almost completely unhinged, and that's the part that I like. Oh, it's kooky and unusual, but it's ours and we love it. Okay. We're gonna get into parade after this, but w- tell us about the tortilla toss. So I assume this was started, um, probably to raise money. You paid, I would imagine, to, uh, toss a tortilla. Yes. You take a fake cast iron skillet- Mm-hmm ... uh, 'cause real ones are very heavy. Yes. And you put the tortilla in there, and you fling it into a kiddie pool. And if you make it into the kiddie pool, you are a tortilla toss champ. Fantastic. Do you win anything for the tortilla toss championships? We usually have, uh, candy or little toys- Fantastic ... 'cause they're usually kids. Yes. Fantastic. So again- We've gone from jail to the tortilla toss, and we're, we're really building on the unhinged aspect of, of Old Santa Ynez Days, which I absolutely love. Um, tell us about the parade. Are you still ex- are you still looking for people to join the Old Santa Ynez Days Parade? Absolutely. We have a ton of horse entries, which we are, I think, the Central Coast cowboy capital- Yeah ... so it's appropriate for us, and it's- Well, now that Fiesta doesn't do the world's biggest equine parade, I think Santa Ynez is probably going, vying for the title. Right. Our, our whole two blocks- ... you know, from the Maverick to Red Barn. Per capita. Right. Per capita, right. The most horses in a parade per capita. There you go. Um, we would love floats. We have some dancers. We always love little kids, of course. We've had kids on trikes and ponies and- Love it ... all cool old cars. You name it. Has there ... And, and they can find that at OldSantaYnezDays.com? Yes. Perfect. So we're gonna keep plugging the plu- keep plugging the website. Absolutely. So a question I may have for you is have you ever said no to anybody who wants to be in the parade? Um, we try to stay away from political entries. Fair enough. We just are- But if it's- ... happy and, you know, we hand out American flags for everyone to wave. Oh. So. But if you're, if you've got an old car and you just wanna be in a parade. Absolutely. If you're a couple of kids and you wanna ride your bike in a parade. Oh, yes. We've had those. Perfect. We have a fantastic dog entry. Ooh, fantastic. Some of them do little tricks. And they all wear little red, white, and blue bandanas, so. So other ... Let's just say this. No political stuff. Anything other than that, and is kid-friendly and family-friendly and every- and a good time, uh, go to oldsantaynezdays.com and enter. Absolutely. If you have a tractor, how many tractors? Oh, well, Tractor Joe. Yes. We all know Tractor Joe. We'll see how many tractors he brings this year. Perfect. Last year he brought three. Oh, so, uh, if I was, if I have a riding lawnmower and I would like to be in the parade, would you allow me to be in the parade? We, last year we actually had a golf cart- ... that was decorated with pool stuff- Yeah from a pool sweep company. Fantastic. It was fabulous. Yeah, so if you're in this and you're listening in the Santa Ynez Valley and you have a business, uh, throw a sticker on the side of your truck, uh, the side of your, anywhere, and enter into the parade and get free advertising. Absolutely. I love it. Okay. So tell us about the, uh, kickoff party, because you said it was at the Carriage Museum. Correct. Okay. And it is, uh, the Doublewide Kings- Mm-hmm ... which is a great, um, Santa Barbara County- Yep ... band. And Pork Palace is doing the food. And we honor our grand marshal there, which is Nicole Pena this year. So how did Nicole become the grand marshal? Uh, the committee voted on it, and the chamber board, of course, approved it. She has dedicated decades to that town. That is very true. How would we know, how would you know Nicole if you've never met her? What does she do in the valley? Who is she, what is she a part of? Um, she is an instrum- instrumental part of the Chamber of Commerce, of course. Mm-hmm. She currently serves as secretary. And she's also on the We Watch board. Oh, really? Mm-hmm. And she's always, I don't know if you've seen our painted horses around Santa Ynez. Um- Yeah ... she's always restoring those. I've gotten a few phone calls, "Somebody stole the horse." And no, it's being restored. It's in Nicole's garage, so. Can I ask a question about the horses, by the way? Mm-hmm. Where do the horses come from? That actually, it started with the chamber, and it is now with our 501[c][3] which is called Santa Ynez Beautiful. Okay. And we, local artists have painted them. We provide the horse blank. Ooh. And, uh, they're really cool. And they're just scattered around town. There is a map- Mm-hmm ... I believe, on our website, santaynezca.com Uh, if you wanna check out all the horses Is that Santa Ynez specific? 'Cause I live in Los Olivos, and I've always been envious of the horses. Is there a way that I can buy one of those horses and have somebody paint it and have it be in Los Olivos, or, I'm just saying, I, I don't wanna cross a horse boundary here, or is it Santa Ynez specific? It's only been Santa Ynez, uh, so far. Yeah But it's just kind of our little, tiny- C- ... project. And like Los Olivos, we are not incorporated- Yeah ... so we don't have tax revenue. So it's kinda scrappy and creative and- Well, if you're ever looking to expand, I am interested, and I'm sure there's a lotta people that are listening to here that would love to have one of these horses. They're so cool and creative. I remember years and years ago, we were in, um, Zurich actually for the thousandth anniversary of the town. And they had all these painted lions. And it reminds me of that. I'm like, "Santa Ynez and Zurich," you know? I love it when you go to a town and then all of a sudden you're seeing, like... You know, I've seen dogs, I've seen ... The horses are fantastic. I think it's perfect for Santa Ynez. Um, there's cows. You know, when a group of people get together and then all of a sudden you're just driving around and you're like, "Oh, another one, and another one, and another one," and then you see them in people's front yards and things like that. It, it is such a warm hug for a community because it looks ... You're also, you're not taking yourself too seriously, but you're also adding to the landscape, and you're seeing something beautiful and making people smile. And I absolutely love them. How many are there around town? Um, I wanna say we have about a dozen. Okay. Well, when you want the 13th, I, give me a call. Right on. I love it. So can we talk about the Santa Ynez Carriage Museum a little bit? Absolutely. Perfect. Um, I think, I always find the Santa Ynez Valley Carriage Museum as one of, like, the most It's a hidden gem, and it's, it is truly a world-class, uh, museum. And I think it gets, I won't say slept on a little bit, but it is a beautiful facility. It's right there in Santa Ynez. Um, you know, Solvang has a few museums here. Um, but that, that building and the truly treasures that are inside of it is world-class, like over the top world-class. I was just there yesterday. Um, it is amazing, and if you haven't been into the carriage house, which is the best collection of carriages west of the Mississippi, if you- It's unreal ... and, uh, John Copeland of, uh, Rancho Olivos- Mm-hmm ... has really, uh, taken his skills from TV production to creating, uh, exhibit installations that are what he calls edutainment. Yes. Yeah. So, uh, the Mattie's exhibit, for example, has Felix Mattie- Mm-hmm ... um, with, um, the longest monologue that actor has ever had to say. Really? Uh, but it's pretty amazing. Okay. Uh, and then we of course have the Yosemite stage. We have one on dogs, and they're currently working on a Rancheros exhibit. Oh, that'll be awesome. Yeah. So when they, when you guys, you guys do a few events over there a year and, uh, and every single time I'm like, "Oh, it's o- We- Let's go over there," right? It also has, d- does it still have the world's smallest, uh, library inside of it? That is on the same property. Okay. I think that museum is 16 feet by 10 or something m- But it's an actual library. It is. It's open on Saturdays. That's fantastic. So if you, if you need a book right after you're listening to this, head over to the world's smallest library- Right ... in Santa Ynez. It's actually been moved around town a full, a few times, and they literally just threw it on a flatbed trailer on the back of a pickup truck and moved it. Isn't it... It's, but it's, but that's the, the one thing we need to say, it is an actual library. It is a working Santa Barbara County Library. It's fantastic. 16 by 16? It's something tiny- Yeah ... like that. Yeah. So there's, there are books in it. Yes. That's the other thing we gotta let people know. Yes. Um, c- let's talk about carriages and horses- Yeah 'cause I know that's near and dear to your heart. Absolutely. Some of the, if you, you know, a lot of places you go to and, and you'll walk in and, you know, you, uh, if you grew up in Southern California, you went to Knott's Berry Farm, or you've seen a stagecoach on a movie. Everybody's seen one, right? The fact of the matter is, for the Santa Ynez Valley, um, the stagecoach system was actually n- one of the most important aspects of the fact that Santa Ynez as a whole and the Santa Ynez Valley is here. And the r- railway. I w- I would put those two together. Absolutely. Because one of the things that a, not a lot of people know about was that the train line went to Santa Barbara and stopped. That was kind of it. And there wasn't the Gaviota Pass, there wasn't this, and the only way that you could get from Santa Barbara to up and over the hill was on a stagecoach. And the fact that when it co- came up and over, it kind of be, it ... The reason Cold Spring Tavern is still there today is because that's where they would trade horses. And if I'm saying anything wrong, because you're the authority here- You, I'm shaking my head yes. You are. Okay. You are correct. I'm, 'cause this is, like, all cobbled together. But if you go to up to s- like, Cold Spring Tavern, that's where they would go, you know, over the Lizard's Mouth and everything else, and they would get there to switch horses. They would get, the, that's a working bunkhouse and a working stagecoach stop literally to this day. Correct. Then they would switch horses there and make their way back down the hill, all the way over, and I've heard tons of different circuitous routes where they would hug kind of where water was. Like, up Ballard Canyon, up and over the hill, um, basically over into Los Olivos, uh, where the end, endpoint was right there at Mattie's Tavern. Correct. And there are, um, if you peek around the valley, there are some historical- Yeah ... signs, um, on Baseline, over, um, on Segundo as well. Um, but the, the railway and the stagecoach were incredible. And, um, as you know, my husband, Ramon Becerra- There we go ... horse trainer, uh, but he loves his carriage horses and, uh- Loves it ... his Visa V and his chariot. Uh- I've seen the chariot Everyone needs a chariot. I actually gave that to him for Valentine's Day one year. Um, I found it on the side of the road in Pearblossom. Okay, I have a request. Yes. Can he- ride the chariot for Old Santianez Days? He cannot. Aw. Uh, 'cause the, the wheels are actually being repaired right now. Okay. Okay. Now, uh, the year after this? Uh, yes. Perfect. I- Can I nominate him for grand marshal and make him wear the whole Roman suit to go down? It, he, as long as you are in a toga. I'll ride with him. Okay. I, I'm saying yes to this now. It's a date. This is fantastic. So tell me some of the, the other things that are in the, uh, the museum, 'cause one of the things you were saying, uh, west of the Mississippi. The w- the carriages that are in that museum are original. Is that correct? There are a few, um, re-pops, as we call them- Sure reproductions. Uh, the Carroll Stage Line- Yep ... is an absolutely stunning, uh, reproduction of a mud wagon, uh, which is, most people know as a stagecoach. Yep. Uh, but most of them are original. There's some- there's a Sicilian donkey cart that's just the cutest darn thing you've ever seen. The paint on it is beautiful. Awesome. I mean, just fun stuff. One of my favorite, I have two little pieces of, like, fun facts, right? So this is the fun facts with Keith, uh, for the Santianez edition. Um, the term riding shotgun- Comes from what? Uh, from being the guy up i- on the front, uh, holding the shotgun so they didn't get robbed. And, uh, same with a buckboard or a trunk. Okay. A trunk was a trunk- Ooh ... on the back of the stagecoach or carriage. I love it. Yeah. My other little fun fact about Santa Ynez is when you go to the crosswalks that are right by the red barn, um, and, uh, both all the, the directions. If you look down, one of the things you'll notice is there's a lot of horseshoes that are laid into the concrete, which looks very, very weird. But the one thing that everybody should know, and it took me so long to figure this out, and I was so delighted once I saw it, is it actually spells out whoa. Correct. How many people actually know that? I, it's ... Well, my shop's right on the corner- Yes ... so I hear them. And visitors are like, "Oh my God, look. This says-" Do people actually see it? They see it. Oh, that's so cool. The other random fun fact is, um, over near, um, Dos Carlitos, there's a key- Yes ... of all the shoes and the horses that those shoes came from. Really? And there are some- Oh, in that little kinda kiosk on the corner. Yes. Yes. And there are some very famous horses- Okay that wore those shoes. Sh- let's hear. Do you know any off the top of your head? Oh, I believe Wayne Lukas was here at the time. Mm. So there's some famous racehorses. Uh, Windfall, Charlotte Bredahl's horse might have a shoe in there. Awesome. Um, we've had some ... I mean, in the '80s and '90s, there were over 30,000 horses in this valley, so. That's another amazing fact. Yeah. I mean, '80s and '90s, the Santa Ynez Valley was not really known for, let's say, wine like it is today. It was truly from ... Oh, well I can go back. In Los Olivos, like our building, like Charlson's Sons is, was built in 1886, and that was when the train line was there. And we, we've got the door knocker from the front of it, and it was all kinds of different stuff. Uh, we actually had somebody walk in and says, "I was, I was delivered in this building." Oh my gosh. Which is really, really cool. Wow. Um, and E.E. Cummings lived in it for a little while, so there's a lot of weird lore. I would, you know, 90% is probably inaccurate, but I love hearing it anyway. Um, but when you go back to Santa Ynez Valley and the history of it, from 18 roughly Uh, Santa Ynez, when was Santa Ynez a, a township? 1882. I believe- Got it ... Los Alamos or Ballard were our first two towns. I think it was Ballard. I- 'Cause Ballard had the Ballard store- Yes ... f- first. And I think that was actually a stagecoach stop. Probably. Because- And a, a saloon. It- And a saloon, right ... it had, like, two saloons at one time in- Yes Ballard. W- what a party. Right. Right? And that's because the stagecoach line would come up Ballard Canyon and would go over, I'm dating myself here, where Anchor Johnson's property was, and it would cut from Ballard Canyon up and over the hill over into where Ballard is today. And then make a left and go down the creek, basically. And one of the things that I've always thought is fascinating is if you look at creeks and things like that, that's usually where the main thoroughfare was because most people were riding a horse, and if you would be on a horse next to a creek, you always had a water source. Correct. Thank you. And make it all the way down to Matty's. So w- another question, you be the person. Are there any palm trees in Santa Ynez? Hmm. Not in downtown Not downtown No ' Cause I was- the one thing we were thinking about, 'cause they used to plant palm trees because they're not indigenous, and if you were looking a far distance, you could see a palm tree coming out of the ground, and you knew that was somewhere that you need to make your way over to and ride. So Mattie's Tavern has a couple palm trees out front. Our, our tasting room has one growing out of a garage. But maybe, I don't know if it's the old, uh, Christmas tree- Oh ... that was planted in the front. Possi- well, the, the redwood tree, um, on Segundo- Yeah ... we use that for our annual- Yeah ... Christmas tree. I think it's about 65 feet tall- Yeah now. And, um, that property is owned by Ray Gonzalez- Yeah ... and he graciously lets us use his redwood tree every year. ' Cause there are some, there are some pretty historic buildings still in Santa Ynez, isn't there? Mm-hmm. Is, like, Joe Olah's building, like, one of the old ones? Yes. And actually, um, the bakery, um- Is it really? San Ysidro Market, I believe that was original. By the way, I love the fact that you went right to San Ysidro Market. That's- That's it. I know. I know ... the sign's still on the side- I know ... of the road. I know. Um, and actually, that was owned by Nicole Pena and her husband- Yeah ... Ben. And, uh, she had the florist and the deli and all the things in there when they had that. But I believe that was built in 1886, and- So it's a new building, got it. Right. Yeah, sure. Really new. Um, yeah, there's some amazing, uh, structures. The, the Johnson building, that was built in 1902. Mm-hmm. I think, uh, where Joe Olah's office is, that was around 1887- Yeah ... maybe. ' Cause if you look at that, he has that little gap, that gap building, that when you kinda look down, you're like, "What is this?" Yes. And you're like, that's because they needed a gap between the buildings way back when. Yes. Amazing. Yeah. The Johnson building actually had a gas station- Yeah ... um, on the corner. I have some photos somewhere. I love it. Yeah. So everybody who's listening to this, you have got to set this aside. Uh, Old Santa Ynez Days. So Old Santa Ynez... Oh, j- let's start over here. Oldsantaynezdays.com, is that where they can find all the information? Correct. Perfect. And one thing we did not talk about was pie contest, which we have on Saturday- Perfect ... in the Santa Ynez Museum. Okay And, uh, forms for the pie contest are also on the website. Vendor forms and parade forms. So what we're talking about is the world's greatest day. We're starting at the Carriage House on what night? Thursday night. And, and people get tickets at oldsantaynezdays.com. Yes, sir. And then that's Thursday night. Friday- We're just prepping- Prepping ... for Saturday. There we go. And then Saturday morning, bright and early, what time? 9:00 to 2:00. And then the afternoon, Saturday and Sunday afternoon, the Old Santa Ynez Days Rodeo just down the street. So and this is what days again? 'Cause we were just saying Thursdays, Fridays, and things like that. Sorry. June 18th- There we go ... is the kickoff party at the Santa Ynez Museum. Yep. June 20th is Old Santa Ynez Days Street Fair and Parade and Pie Contest. And the rodeo is June 20th and 21st, uh, down the hill in the Meadowvale Lot. And that goes all the way into the evening, correct? Oh, yes. Well, it's the longest days of the year- That's right ... so it's perfect. And it's also Father's Day weekend. Dun, dun, dun. I couldn't think of a better way to hang out with your dad. You know what? This is what your dad wants to do on Father's Day. Load him up, bring him down. Uh, you basically Saturday morning from early, early in the day, parades, hang out. Uh, don't tell him about the badge so he gets thrown in jail. He'll get out of jail. He'll have a great story. You spend the whole day, check out the pies, go to the Carriage Museum, and then at the end of the day, wander down, go to the, go to the rodeo. Absolutely. Where ... Can people buy tickets to the rodeo? They're ... The, uh, tickets for both Thursday, the kickoff party- Yep and the rodeo, there are links on oldsantaynezdays.com. So let me get this straight. The only place you have to go to have the world's greatest Father's Day weekend is oldsantaynezdays.com. Correct. Man, it has been so nice having you in here. Thank you so much. Thank you for your time, your effort to continue traditions. Because one of the things that I think this valley is comprised of is amazing people like you that put a very big pr- I won't say a problem, but put a very big event on your back to get a bunch of people to be a part of something, to do something absolutely magnificent for a huge community of people- Um, I can't thank you enough because it, it- without people like you, things like these traditions would go away, and I think the most beautiful part of the Santa Ynez Valley as a whole, and specifically the tity- the city of Santa Ynez, the township, is that this has been going on for years and years and years. And it is one of the most fun events in the Santa Ynez Valley. It's great, and thank you, but it could not be done with the 40-plus volunteers- I know, I know ... that help me. It's an amazing crew. Somebody's gotta run, sit, sit shotgun, though. I, I'm just the bossy one, I guess. I don't know. No. I think it is very well put in your hands. So everybody, go to oldsantaynezdays.com. You don't wanna miss this thing. Um, if you're sitting at home on a Saturday, y- you're missing out on life. You basically get ready for this thing, put it on your calendar, start circling it. Uh, you're not going out of town. You're not gonna go do anything else. Dad just wants to sit at home anyway, 'cause quite honestly, what does Dad wanna do? He wants to have a beer and sit on the couch. So on Saturday, bring him out to Old Santa Ynez Days. Have ... He gets two days for the price of one. Go down to the rodeo, have a blast, go to the party on Thursday night, and then you're having so much fun on Saturday night, you're gonna wanna go to the rodeo again on Sunday, so you might as well buy all your tickets right now. Oldsantaynezdays.com. It's a perfect weekend. It's a blast. So this has been Keith Sarloos and Chopping It Up on 105.9 KZXY Country. See you at Old Santa Ynez Days.
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Topics Covered
Item desTopics Covered:
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Who is Charlotte Becerra?
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The history of Old Santa Ynez Days
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Santa Ynez Valley traditions
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The famous Tortilla Toss
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The Old Santa Ynez Days Jail
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The Santa Ynez Parade
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Western heritage in Santa Barbara County
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Community volunteerism
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The Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce
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Family-friendly events in the Santa Ynez Valley
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Preserving local history and culture
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Small-town community leadership
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Annual festivals and celebrations
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Why community traditions matter
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who is Charlotte Becerra?
Charlotte Becerra serves as Executive Director of the Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce and helps organize Old Santa Ynez Days, one of the Santa Ynez Valley's longest-running community celebrations.
What is Old Santa Ynez Days?
Old Santa Ynez Days is an annual community celebration that honors the history, western heritage, traditions, and culture of Santa Ynez through parades, family activities, community events, entertainment, and fundraising.
What is the Tortilla Toss?
The Tortilla Toss is one of the most popular and recognizable traditions associated with Old Santa Ynez Days, drawing participants and spectators from throughout the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara County.
What is the Old Santa Ynez Days Jail?
The Old Santa Ynez Days Jail is a longtime community tradition and fundraising activity that allows participants to playfully "arrest" friends, family members, and local personalities during the celebration.
Why is Old Santa Ynez Days important?
Old Santa Ynez Days helps preserve the history, culture, western heritage, and community spirit of Santa Ynez while bringing together residents, businesses, volunteers, and visitors for a shared celebration.
What role do volunteers play in Old Santa Ynez Days?
Volunteers are the backbone of the event, helping organize activities, coordinate logistics, support fundraising efforts, and ensure the celebration continues for future generations.
This episode is more than a conversation about an annual event. It's the story of a community, the traditions that connect generations, and the people who work year-round to preserve the character, history, and spirit of the Santa Ynez Valley.cription
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FAQ
Who is Charlotte Becerra?
Charlotte Becerra serves as Executive Director of the Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce and helps organize Old Santa Ynez Days, one of the Santa Ynez Valley's longest-running community celebrations.
What is Old Santa Ynez Days?
Old Santa Ynez Days is an annual community celebration that honors the history, western heritage, traditions, and culture of Santa Ynez through parades, family activities, community events, entertainment, and fundraising.
What is the Tortilla Toss?
The Tortilla Toss is one of the most popular and recognizable traditions associated with Old Santa Ynez Days, drawing participants and spectators from throughout the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara County.
What is the Old Santa Ynez Days Jail?
The Old Santa Ynez Days Jail is a longtime community tradition and fundraising activity that allows participants to playfully "arrest" friends, family members, and local personalities during the celebration.
Why is Old Santa Ynez Days important?
Old Santa Ynez Days helps preserve the history, culture, western heritage, and community spirit of Santa Ynez while bringing together residents, businesses, volunteers, and visitors for a shared celebration.
What role do volunteers play in Old Santa Ynez Days?
Volunteers are the backbone of the event, helping organize activities, coordinate logistics, support fundraising efforts, and ensure the celebration continues for future generations.
This episode is more than a conversation about an annual event. It's the story of a community, the traditions that connect generations, and the people who work year-round to preserve the character, history, and spirit of the Santa Ynez Valley.
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Photograph reused from the original Saarloos + Sons episode post.
