King Kong Comes to Montecito

••• G. noticed a rather large statue of a gorilla visible from Buena Vista Drive, just above East Valley Road, and wondered what the backstory (if there is one) could be. I tried asking but didn’t get anywhere. Anyone know?

••• And M. wondered why this stone wall and gate at Blanchard Street and N. Canada Street on the Eastside appear to be half-buried. When I went to check it out, a passerby said that the city requires homeowners to have fenced yards, which I thought was unlikely (and could find nothing online to support it), but then as I drove home I saw that everyone’s yard is fenced….

••• Employees at the Talbots at Paseo Nuevo La Cumbre Plaza told C. that the store will close at the end of the month.

••• Expect some disruption over the next four weeks while the city prunes the large Indian fig laurel trees on Milpas Street and State Street: “The pruning will manage the overextension of the tree canopy and reduce weight in limbs across the outer canopy. Additional needs will be addressed on a per-tree basis to ensure the long-term health and safety of the mature trees. Work areas include: Milpas Street between Carpinteria Street and Canon Perdido Street, and State Street from Calle Palo Colorado to South Ontare Road. Due to the large size of the trees and their location along busy streets, traffic control measures will be implemented to ensure the safety of crews and the public.”

••• A little rant: The license plate recognition at city parking lots is great when it works, but sometimes it doesn’t—but the only way to find out is to pull way past the payment machine. Was there really no way around this problem?

••• Gillian Welch and David Rawlings will play the Granada Theatre on March 9.

••• And Khruangbin returns the Santa Barbara Bowl on May 21 and 22. If you like this new song, you will like them all.

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