Beatles, beatniks, beehive hair, bellbottoms, body paint, British invasion, and go-go boots are all buzzwords of the 60s which “The Swingin’ Events Committee” incorporated in their invitation for everyone in the Geography Department to “take a walk on the wild side” and attend the “Swingin’ Sixties” end of year BBQ on June 6th. The event kicked off at 4 pm at Goleta Beach and lasted until the “psychedelic sunset,” featured “Montello’s marinated meat and veggie bratwurst,” and included face painting, juggling, and, of course, golden oldies from the 60s (music, that is!).
As you can see from the pictures, the events committee’s encouragement to “drag out those ‘hip’ bell bottoms, tie-dye tank tops, beach boy shorts, sandals, love beads, head bands, go-go boots, mini dresses, fringed vests, paisley shirts, mod fashions, etc. and have a blast remembering the past!” was taken to heart. While most of the attendees were born well after the 60s, and the few true 60s generation members who attended have made the transition from acid rock to acid reflux, everyone had a righteous time. Like, a department that plays together stays together—dig it? Special thanks are due to grads Pam Dalal, Suzanne Foss, Mike Marshall, Ed Pultar, and Park Williams for collecting cash from department members to finance the main course and liquid refreshments; to the “Swingin’ Events Committee” members Mo Lovegreen, Connie Padilla, Nancy Ponce, Bernadette Weinberg, and Beilei Zhang for all the behind the scenes efforts at setting up, decorating, and cleaning up after the gala event; and to everyone who donated their time and effort to make the gathering groovy!
Editor’s notes:
MORE PICTURES
HERE!
For a local and more somber perspective on the 1960s, check out Malcolm Gault-Williams’ “Don’t Bank on Amerika,” a history of the 1970 Isla Vista riots and the UCSB counter culture that led up to them, and Professor Bob Potter’s dedication of the Isla Vista Perfect Park Peace Monument here (Robert A. Potter is a playwright and UCSB Professor Emeritus, Department of Dramatic Art, who headed the Playrighting Program at UCSB for decades and has had his works widely performed).
As for Alice B. Toklas and her famous brownie recipe, the real story is best told by the Wikipedia entry for her name. The “brownies” weren’t really brownies, and the recipe wasn’t really her own–but the recipe did call for “a bunch of canibus sativa” (sic). Toklas was the life-long companion of Gertrude Stein and a player in the early 1900s Parisian literary and art salon which included such American ex-patriot writers as Ernest Hemingway, Thornton Wilder, and Sherwood Anderson, as well as major avant garde painters of the day, including Picasso, Matisse, and Braque.
Raubal_Sweeney.jpg<|>400<|>Martin Raubal & Stuart Sweeney. Martin: "I’m a 60s child. I was born in 1968."{|}Montello_Hotdogs.jpg<|>400<|>Dan Montello: "They’re not hotdogs!"{|}Sixties makeup.jpg<|>400<|>Connie Padilla applies 60s makeup to Cat Grace’s daughter, Maeve{|}Libe_Washburn_right_60s_garb.jpg<|>400<|>Libe Washburn (right): "Sure, I’m a sixties person–but I always dressed like this."{|}Toklas_recipe.jpg<|>400<|>Copy of the original Alice B. Toklas recipe someone left by the brownies. Margot Clarke: "Is this for real?"
