What I love most about Santa Clarita is how our city embraces creativity and invites art into every aspect of community life.

Every October, the city of Santa Clarita celebrates National Arts and Humanities Month with ARTober, a month-long series of arts and cultural events. From catching a live performance or exploring the history of Western cinema, ARTober turns everyday spaces into places of inspiration and invites everyone to experience the magic of art together.

Speaking of new, take the recently reopened and upgraded Old Orchard Park at 25023 Avenue Rotella, Santa Clarita, CA 91355, for example. As you stroll around this incredible park, you’ll notice a striking new addition near the entrance: The Dreams of the Golden Oak by artist Gail Christofferson. This gorgeous piece pays tribute to the historic oak tree and our city’s unique history, including the 1842 discovery of gold by Francisco Lopez. From a distance, its golden form catches the eye, inviting you to come closer. Step beneath it and you’ll find yourself surrounded by a glowing gold mosaic, with light filtering through in a kaleidoscope of colors. A built-in bench offers a place to sit, reflect and be inspired by the beauty around us.

Innovation is also at the heart of the Santa Clarita arts scene, and I am thrilled to share an exciting new project. The city’s new Walk of Western Stars Augmented Reality Experience app is now live. Developed by acclaimed digital media artist, Victoria Vesna and the UCLA Art|Sci Center, this immersive digital installation brings the history of Western cinema to life like never before. Using your smartphone, download the Western Stardust app to unlock interactive 3D saddles along the Walk of Western Stars in Old Town Newhall. Through the app, each saddle transforms into shimmering golden portals celebrating the legends of Western film. Front-facing camera effects allow you to see yourself as a Western star, complete with a dazzling stardust filter, while the back camera activates the AR saddles and animations. You can even upload your photos to an online gallery and share them on social media using #WesternWalkOfStarsAR! At this time, the Western Stardust app is only available on iOS devices.

If live theatre is more your style, mark your calendars for Noisivision Studios’ production of Resisted Living, taking place at The MAIN during the weekends of Thursday, Oct. 9 through Sunday, Oct. 12, and Friday, Oct. 17 through Sunday, Oct. 19. This dark, comedic play follows ex-con Scotty Dudek and his siblings as they navigate a family fortune gone wrong, a shady car dealer and a mysterious caregiver, promising laughs, chaos and heartfelt moments along the way. To buy tickets, go to AtTheMAIN.org.

Later in the month, don’t miss the Sidewalk Poetry Reception, also at The MAIN, on Thursday, Oct. 30, from 5 to 6 p.m. Here, winners of this year’s Sidewalk Poetry Contest will read their winning work before their poems are permanently stamped into concrete around the city. This is one of my favorite events of the year, for it’s a beautiful way to bring poetry off the page and into the very pathways we walk every day.

Santa Clarita proudly supports its vibrant arts community through the city of Santa Clarita Arts Grants Program, which provides funding for local nonprofits and artists bringing creative projects to life, whether they are theater productions, murals, music festivals or youth programs. Applications for the 2025–26 cycle are due on Wednesday, Oct. 22, and I encourage local creatives to apply. In recent years, these grants have supported dozens of programs that have reached thousands of residents, enriching our cultural landscape and inspiring future artists. Learn more and apply at SantaClarita.gov/Arts-and-Culture/Grants. This is an incredible opportunity to grow your ideas, share your talents and make a meaningful impact on our community.

Santa Clarita’s arts scene is thriving and it belongs to all of us. From public art and innovative technology to live theatre, poetry and grant opportunities for local artists, there are so many ways to participate, engage and be inspired. When we invest in the arts, we invest in more than just beauty. We invest in connection, creativity and a stronger community. This ARTober, I invite you to join us at these upcoming events, explore the new public art installations and experience firsthand how Santa Clarita continues to grow as a premier city for the arts. Here, in Santa Clarita, the arts are not just something we see. They are something we share together.

Councilmember Patsy Ayala is a member of the Santa Clarita City Council and can be reached at payala@santaclarita.gov.