The ‘Neverland Valley-Welcome’ sign depicts a little boy, bending over to talk to a troll.
Peter Pan was playing at the packed eighty-seat, 7, 000 square-foot theatre. Popcorn and drinks were dished up gratis to the mobs at the concession stand. On-screen, Captain Hook had ten wide-eyed children in white nightshirts bound and gagged, about to be fed to the crocodile. Nearby, amid the rides, a band was taking a break.
Beat It thumped loudly from hidden speakers. A circus-like tent houses the bumper cars, where jubilant lads, faces flushed with excitement, rammed each other with enthusiasm.
I freely admitted, there was no doubt that allegations of child molestation had hurt Jackson in this community. Where wouldn’t such charges resonate? Sodom and Gomorrah?
***
What did Michael Jackson’s neighbors really think of him, or the other famous residents of the rural California wine country made famous by
Sideways? Just two hours from Los Angeles, the honorable Old West lives on, with cowboys and Indians, a Danish village, stars, surfers, and more.
***
‘Though this is not truly a guidebook, Etling tips readers to wildflower fields, surfing spots, cave paintings and museums. Readers will forget Sideways and head south to eat with cowboys and celebrities at the Longhorn Cafe, watch a missile launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base and ski on Figueroa Mountain.’
San Francisco Chronicle
About the author
William Etling moved to the Santa Ynez Valley in 1966, at age 13. He is a graduate of Santa Ynez High, and the University of California at Santa Barbara.
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