SANTA YNEZ CHUMASH MUSEUM AND CULTURAL CENTER TO FEATURE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR AND FILMMAKER GARY ROBINSON AT SECOND THURSDAY AT THE MUSEUM LECTURE SERIES
SANTA YNEZ, CA – August 25, 2026 — The Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center will host the next installment of its free "Second Thursday at the Museum" lecture series from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 10, featuring award-winning author and filmmaker Gary Robinson.
Robinson’s bibliography includes “From Warriors to Soldiers,” a history of American Indian military service; “The Language of Victory,” a history of Native American code talkers in WWI and WWII; the launch of a series of short fictional books for teens called “The PathFinders,” which was published by 7th Generation/Native Voices Books and was the first teen novel to feature a contemporary Native teen as the main character; the historical novel series “Lands of our Ancestors”; and most recently, the “Thunder Child Prophecy” series.
For this free after-hours event, Robinson will be discussing his latest series – and the most ambitious project of his career - the “Thunder Child Prophecy.” The trilogy’s central character, Billy Buckhorn, is called upon to battle evil Underworld forces intent on invading and ruling the Middle World and has been described as a “Native American Harry Potter.”
Attendees will also be able to enjoy free museum admission to the Permanent Exhibit, Temporary Exhibit, and Cultural Park. Audio tours can be added to your experience for $10 per person. Admission is free, and no reservation is required.
The museum is located at 3500 Numancia St. in Santa Ynez and offers free parking. Annual memberships are available for purchase, and the museum also accepts donations, which support facility maintenance, the creation of new exhibits and educational programming. Before experiencing the museum, the tribe encourages visitors to explore the facility’s informative website at www.sychumashmuseum.org to preview the exhibits, explore aspects of the 3.5-acre park and plan their visit.