Events

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FAMILY NEW YEAR EXPERIENCES

Mar Vista Students Raise Funds for Paradise Elementary

Mar Vista Elementary Winter Benefit Concert Video

Mar Vista Elementary Winter Benefit Concert Photo Gallery

Our Community Reads in 2019

Our Community Reads 2019 Events

Chronic Illness Self-Management Training

Legally Speaking Series Offered at Santa Cruz Libraries

Ultimate New Year’s 2019 Guide for Santa Cruz

APTOS

SOQUEL

FELTON

CAPITOLA

SANTA CRUZ

SCOTTS VALLEY

BROOKDALE

Candy Cane Lane in Pacific Grove

Candy Cane Lane Video

Experience Winter Magic at the Aptos Library

History Sharing Day at Castro-Adobe

Mar Vista Harvest Festival Back for 2018

Food Trucks at the Harvest Festival

Halloween at the Santa Cruz KOA

Video from Santa Cruz / Monterey KOA Halloween Spooktacular

Photo Gallery for Halloween at the Santa Cruz KOA

Read a good book lately?

Looking for a Home in Aptos?

Read a good book lately?

Looking for a Home in Aptos?

Read a good book lately?

Looking for a Home in Aptos?

Ring in the New Year at Seascape!

Best Western Seacliff Inn New Year’s Eve Party

Tsunami plays Cafe Rio New Years Eve!

Read a good book lately?

Chamstock 2019 “Hippy” New Year Party

China Cats New Year’s Eve Celebration

Soulwise and The Leftovers at Zelda’s

New Years Eve Party w/ The Get Down and Judo No

New Years Eve Black and White Party at Bruno’s

4th Annual New Years Eve Party with THE LOST BOYS featuring James Durbin

New Year’s Eve Party and Campfire Benefit

New Years Eve at the Jack O’Neil Lounge

New Year’s Eve Three Course Dinner

New Year’s – Lobster, Oysters & Bubbles

What a List Price Really Means

Early New Year’s Eve Skate

New Year’s Eve Sleepover at The Aquarium

Noon Year’s Eve at Happy Hollow

New Year’s Eve and Garden Night Holiday at Gilroy Gardens

Looking for a Home in Aptos?

Read a good book lately?

Looking for a Home in Aptos?

Read a good book lately?

Read a good book lately?

Looking for a Home in Aptos?

Looking for a Home in Aptos?

Read a good book lately?

February 22, 2019 by Seb Frey

The students at Mar Vista Elementary School recently held a special Winter Benefit Concert to raise funds to help the children and families of Paradise Elementary School, which burned to the ground in 2018 during the devastating Camp fire.

Students in grades TK (Transitional Kindergarten) through 4th performed a wide range of songs, starting with It’s a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong and finishing up with I’ll be There by Bruno Mars. The first of two performances was held on a Thursday morning at 8:30 AM, but the hall was packed with parents excited to see their kids perform.

Students from the 5th and 6th grades ran the coffee and bake sale, which was the fundraising portion of the event. They had an ambitious goal of raising $4,000-$5,000 for the victims of the fire. The students of Mar Vista Elementary School ask you to please donate to the Camp Fire Relief Fund!

Schools is all about learning, and by putting on this benefit concert, the students have learned a very important lesson. They’ve learned that we’re all in this together, and that when people need help it’s important to step up and lend a hand to those in need.

The school also put together a video showing how the idea of this special benefit concert came about, and can be seen below:

January 19, 2019 by Seb Frey

Friends of the Aptos Library / Our Community Reads

Friends of the Aptos Library is again sponsoring “Our Community Reads” in 2019. In its second year, the goal is to bring the community together around issues concerning our residents and to foster ways to engage people in a thought-provoking manner.

A book is chosen by a committee and recommended as a community read. Last year’s themes were based around the book “Born a Crime”, by Trevor Noah which highlighted the issues of racism and “otherness” as they affect members of society. This year’s book choice, “The Death & Life of Monterey Bay: A Story of Revival” focuses on the tumultuous story from the bay’s disastrous past of over-fishing and pollution to becoming the most prized natural resource it is today.

If you have some room on your reading list, I invite you to read my book Get It Sold! It's an easy read (just 110 pages!) and it tells you everything you need to know about selling your home quickly, easily, and at absolute peak pricing. I'll send it to you for free - no shipping charge either!

OK Send me a Copy!

The Friends of the Aptos Library offers a vast array of events to the public to bring these themes to light and allows people to gather together for discussion and community engagement. This year’s offerings consist of 3 films (each presented by an expert in a field relating to the film’s topic) several speakers, a panel discussion, a conversation with the book’s two authors, a poetry slam/art event hosted by Aptos High & Delta School, and some outings to explore the Elkhorn Slough. All but two of these events are free, and all are open to the public.

Not only do we project that readers will learn a great deal about the Monterey Bay through this extensive program and gain an appreciation for the bay’s turbulent past, but participants will gain access to what they can do to secure the healthy future of our most precious natural resource.

Every home in Aptos is unique, and finding just the right home can be like finding that needle in a haystack. Fortunately, now there's SantaCruz.RealEstate, featuring the best search engine for Aptos homes and real estate available online today!

A major goal of Our Community Reads is to foster awareness, highlight literacy, and create a passion for engagement and activism. We believe that a well-informed and involved community is a healthy one!

To reach underserved communities, the Friends of the Aptos Library, through a California Humanities grant, will be purchasing Spanish-language educational materials relating to the ocean and conservation and environmental issues. They will be donated to the county library Book Mobile and taken along with volunteers who can facilitate learning to these grade school aged children.

Lunch with Steinbeck @ Aptos St. BBQ (March 14, 2019)
Elkhorn Slough Boat Safari (March 10, 2019)
Art and Poetry at Aptos High School (March 7, 2019)
Docent-led Walk at Elkhorn Slough (March 2, 2019)
Film Series ~ Of the Sea (February 27, 2019)
Authors Talk Monterey Bay (February 21, 2019)
Trivia Night with Zach Friend (February 19, 2019)
The Return of Elkhorn Slough (February 12, 2019)
Save Our Shores Beach Clean-up at Rio Del Mar Beach (February 9, 2019)
Sustainable Oceans: Coral Reef Management in the Western Pacific (February 7, 2019)
La Selva Beach Library Film Night (February 6, 2019)
Panel Discussion ~ Monterey Bay: Today’s Heroes (January 30, 2019)
The Death & Life of Monterey Bay: A Story of Revival (January 26, 2019)
Film Series ~ Saving Otter 501 (January 22, 2019)

January 10, 2019 by Seb Frey

The Santa Cruz Public Library System (SCPL) has partnered with the HEALTH Trust to bring the Better Choices, Better Health chronic illness self-management training program to Santa Cruz in the new year.

Better Choices, Better Health is a 6 week self-management program series provided by 2 trained community leaders. These workshops are for anyone dealing with the challenges of living with chronic or ongoing health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, or high cholesterol and/or their caretakers. Participants will learn about stress management, dealing with pain & fatigue, weight management, decision making, and more.

According to the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency, chronic health conditions are the leading cause of death in the US, and are also the most preventable. The Health Santa Cruz County 2015 Report indicates that in 2015, 24% of adults over the age of 20 had high blood pressure. According to Library Director Susan Nemitz, “SCPL connects people with critical information that can transform lives. This is an excellent partnership with the potential to help many in our community live longer and healthier.” Workshops are fun, interactive, and designed to enhance regular treatment and condition-specific education.

Workshops take place every Monday. 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. January 28^th 2019 through March 11^th 2019, except for Presidents Day. Participants are requested to attend each session, and registration is required. For more information or to register, please call 408-961-9877 or email wellnessprograms@healthtrust.org.

January 9, 2019 by Seb Frey

The Santa Cruz Public Library System (SCPL) has partnered with the Santa Cruz County Bar Association to offer a free monthly series of discussions with Q & A on various legal and financial life event topics.

The new series, titled Legally Speaking, answers questions about the most frequently experienced legal issues faced by people in our community. These discussions will take place at various locations throughout the county. The first event, covering immigration law, will be held at the Downtown Library on January 24^th from 6-7 p.m.

Led by Jeraline Singh Edwards, Esq, this presentation will encompass “Know your Rights,” immigration law fundamental principles, such ways to become a U.S. citizen, main categories of immigrant, ways to get a green card, process of naturalization, and the “Do’s and Don’ts” of immigration law. Most importantly, we will discuss the truths and myths about current immigration law and policies. Jeraline is a Professor at Monterey College of Law teaching Immigration Law Clinic. She is a Seaside Rotary Club Board member, Del Monte Manor Board Member, and a member of Monterey County and Santa Cruz Bar Association and American Immigration Lawyers Association.

According to Library Director Susan Nemitz, “Navigating legal and financial life events can be overwhelming. Getting a good overview and having a professional answer questions can significantly reduce this stress.” Nemitz also indicated that the series is a result of a 2018 SCPL Innovation Grant. These small internal grants “…encouraged staff at all levels to look to their own passions, and to try something new to meet the needs of the community.” The new series will serve as a pilot to help determine which additional topics and formats will benefit the community.

Other events in the series include:

Thursday, Feb 14, 2019: Estate Planning with Emily Buchbinder at the Aptos Library
Thursday, Mar 14, 2019 Elder Law and Abuse with Anna Penrose at the Downtown Library
Thursday, Apr 11, 2019 Coastal Access with Gary Redenbacher at the Scotts Valley Library
Thursday, May 9, 2019 Labor Law with Gretchen Reganhardt & Lizett Rodriguez (CRLA) at the Downtown Library

December 20, 2018 by Seb Frey

If you don’t know what to do to ring in 2019 in Aptos and Santa Cruz, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered! Turns out, our Santa Cruz has something for everyone. Here is the list of the ultimate New Years 2019 Activities in Santa Cruz County (and a few beyond!).

Seascape Resort is hosting a New Year’s Eve party. Offering a lavish dinner and dessert buffet with live music by Mike Hadley and the Groove, and a midnight champagne toast (must be 21 or older to attend).

The event will begin when doors open at 6:30. Dinner is from 7:00-9:00pm, and dancing from 8:30pm-12:30am. They have special room rates, too! The event cost is $150 per person (includes service charge and tax).

Our local hotel, the Best Western Seacliff Inn will have a New Year’s celebration with food and music on Monday, December 31, 2018 from 6:30 PM – 1:30 AM. Dinner seating times are from 6:30pm-8pm, and includes champagne toasts and party favors. Dance the night away with Live Again, performing hard rocking tunes from 9pm-1am.

They will serve a four course dinner at $109 per person. Check their web site for the Room and Dinner Special at $425 per couple. Package includes a standard room, dinner for two and a complimentary hot breakfast buffet.

The Tsunami Band will be playing at Cafe Rio on New years eve from 9 PM til 12:30 Am – make your reservations now!

Chaminade Resort & Spa will host a Hippy New Year, offering a very psychedelic night. The flashback starts at 7pm with appetizers and includes a complete New Year’s Eve beverage package of beer, wine, champagne. It sounds like a really great time, as they’re offering a themed strolling dinner experience from 8pm-10pm, then dancing until midnight.

Check their overnight Packages Starting at Just $499 per couple (taxes and resort fee additional).

Hosted by Flynn’s Cabaret and Steakhouse and the China Cats. On Monday December 31st from 9PM to 12 AM you can join the rich and varied musical tradition of the Grateful Dead and more.

The China Cast band on any given night will play songs from throughout the Dead’s 30-year repertoire. Their joy and enthusiasm for making music together is so contagious that the band has featured guest appearances from Grateful Dead alumni, including original member Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay. Melvin Seals of the Jerry Garcia Band has joined the band on numerous occasions since 2013.

The cost is $30-$35, or consider getting the package of dinner and tickets. Vegan/Vegetarian choice for $84 with Glass of Champagne or $99 Meat Plate with Glass of Champagne

Located at Flynn’s Cabaret and Steakhouse
6275 Highway 9, Felton, California 95018

If you looking for Reggae and rock party on New Year’s Eve, consider checking out SOULWISE and THE LEFTOVERS. The fun starts at 10 pm and goes on til 1 am at Zelda’s Restaurant in Capitola on the Esplanade.

203 Esplanade Ave, Capitola, California 95010

Cruise on down to the Crepe Place for their New Year’s Eve Dance Party. Right in the new year with great bands, people, and a party! The fun starts at 9 PM and goes til 12:30 AM.

The Crepe Place
1134 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz, California 95062

Bruno’s Bar and Grill will host a Black and White Party on New Year’s Eve, and they claim to have the best party in town. Dinner starts at 7:30PM and they have a package for $50 per couple or $25 per person, including party horns and a crown or hat.

The dance party starts at 9:30PM with a champagne toast at midnight. Offering live music from the Hot Fuse Band playing classic rock, funk, latin rock and reggae covers.

You can wear all black, white or both and for those who would like to participate in the masquerade portion, wear a mask or pick one up at the door.

Monday, December 31, 2018 at 7:30 PM – 12:30 AM.
230 Mount Hermon Rd. #G, Scotts Valley, California 95066

You can also celebrate at The 4th Annual New Year’s Eve Party with The Lost Boys featuring James Durbin for $50.00. This event will be located at The Inn at Pasatiempo. You can expect dancing, Appetizers, Champagne Toast, balloon drop and no host bar along with a rockin’ good time.

Monday, December 31, 2018 at 8 PM – 12:30 AM
The Inn at Pasatiempo
555 HWY 17, Santa Cruz, California 95060

Hosted by Beneath the Redwoods Event Planning
The party will rage from 8 PM – 1 AM at the Brookdale Lodge
11570 Hwy 9, Brookdale, California 95007

The Aquarius Restaurant at the Dream Inn Santa Cruz will offer a five course New Year Dinner. From 5:30pm – 10:00pm. Live Music 6:30pm – 9:30pm. $85 per person, Reservations Required.

Aquarius Restaurant
175 W Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz, California 95060

The Chaminade Resort & Spa is also offering a NYE Three Courses prix fixe dinner. From 5pm to 10 pm. Offering a three-course prix fixe dinner crafted by new Executive Chef, Pete Page. Linwood’s Bar & Grill will be featuring this delicious menu throughout the evening, with additional champagne and wine pairings available.

$50 Per Person – tax and gratuity additional

View menu at www.chaminade.com

MJA Vineyards and Ohana Table in the Westside Barrel Room will host a New Year’s party like no other. Starting at 4 PM until 7 PM they will be serving raw oysters, sauteed oysters, and a special treat – traditional Maine-style lobster rolls (chilled w/ lemon aioli on top a split bun).

Entry to the event is free! Oysters may be purchased in the barrel room, or in advance at a discounted price. You can check the menu online.

MJA Vineyards
328 Ingalls St Ste A, Santa Cruz, California 95060

“Aptos — The TRUTH: Your Home's List Price

Think your home's list price has ANYTHING to do with what it's going to sell for, or even what it's worth? In truth, it has little to do with your home's value, but instead says something about YOU. Learn the The Honest Truth about Your Home’s List Price to see what you've been missing!

A great way to celebrate with young people that can’t make it to midnight. Santa Cruz Roller Palladium will have an early New Year’s Eve skate.

7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Santa Cruz Roller Palladium
1606 Seabright Ave, Santa Cruz, California 950

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is offering a New Year’s Sleepover for kids and families from 5 years old to adult. This one of a kind experience will happen on Monday, December 31st, 2018 from 7 p.m. til 8:30 a.m. on January 1. Tickets are $155 per person for the general public or $125 per person for Aquarium members.

Monterey Bay Aquarium
886 Cannery Row, Monterey, California 93940

Hosted by Happy Hollow Park & Zoo. The countdown to midnight may belong to the adults, but Happy Hollow’s Noon Year’s Eve celebration is all about outdoor fun for the little ones. On December 31st, Happy Hollow Park & Zoo will celebrate the arrival of 2019 with award-winning magician Robert Strong, Danny the Dragon, sparkling apple cider, biodegradable confetti, music and dancing, and a magical “countdown to noon” ball drop.

All the fun is included with the price of admission!
Monday, December 31, 2018 at 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
1300 Senter Rd, San Jose, California 95112
happyhollow.org

Get together with family and friends for a special New Year’s celebration at Gilroy Gardens including music by DJ Livinh, and fireworks over Coyote Lake as they count down to 2019! They’ll have music, local wines, and craft beers at the Events Plaza starting at 8pm. The fireworks show starts just before midnight and is included FREE with all Holiday night admission tickets.

Monday, December 31, 2018 at 8 PM – 12 AM
Gilroy Gardens
3050 Hecker Pass Rd, Gilroy, California 95020
www.gilroygardens.org

December 17, 2018 by Seb Frey

Each year in the month of December, a neighborhood in Pacific Grove transforms itself into Candy Cane Lane. Dozens of homes around Platt Park (on Morse Drive) transform into an incredible show of the Yuletide spirit, with all manner of lights and decorations. Don’t miss our exclusive video below, provided for your viewing pleasure.

This annual holiday tradition has been going on since the 1950s, and it’s a completely volunteer effort. The city of Pacific Grove pays for the electricity for the lights in Platt Park, but all other expenses are born by the neighbors. There’s no fee to park or walk through the neighborhood to take in the spectacle. It is truly a gift of love for the holidays from the neighbors to the community.

A few days ago, we drove around Aptos (and Capitola/Soquel) looking at Christmas lights, and we saw some magnificent displays. But nothing we have in Santa Cruz county can compare with the mind-boggling display you’ll find just an hour or so south in Pacific Grove on Candy Cane Lane.

If you go, I recommend that you bring warm clothes and maybe some hot cocoa to share. Walking slowly through the neighborhood should take about an hour. There are plenty of restaurants and cafes nearby to grab dinner at before or after visiting Candy Cane Lane. It’s a great holiday tradition to share with the kids, so be sure not to miss it while they still believe in the magic of Santa.

December 12, 2018 by Seb Frey

Experience winter magic at the Aptos Library! Renowned magician Mike Della Penna is coming to the Aptos Library on Saturday, December 15th 2018 at 3 PM to share is unique and zany magic with children of all ages in the Aptos Community.

Mike Della Penna has been awarded the “Parent’s Press Best of East Bay” for three years running: 2015, 2016, and 2017. He is known for captivating the 3-to-7-year-old crowd with his laughter-filled, participatory magic shows. In a former life he was a stand-up comedian in Boston for 20 years, before returning to his boyhood love for magic in 2004 when he moved to the Bay Area.

Come out and meet with your fellow Aptosians this weekend at the Library! Put away the screens and have some good old fashioned magical fun.

Can’t make it to the 3 PM show? Good news – he will also be appearing that same day at other Santa Cruz Public Libraries on that same date:

Saturday • December 15th
10:00am – 11:00am
Downtown Library • 224 Church St.

Saturday • December 15th
12:30pm – 1:30pm
Scotts Valley Library •251 Kings Village Rd.

November 13, 2018 by Seb Frey

Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks (Friends) today announced it will host a history-sharing event Castro Adobe State Historic Park on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Thanks for the Memories” is a chance for history buffs, locals and Castro family descendants to visit the new state historic park in the Pajaro Valley and share historic photos of the property and surrounding area. Staff will be on-hand to scan the images and add them to the park’s archive and for potential use in the site interpretation. Friends staff is also interested in hearing personal stories and anecdotes about the Castro Adobe and families that have resided there.

“Part of restoring and opening the Castro Adobe as a State Historic Park is learning all of the history of the property and interpreting it for the public,” said Bonny Hawley, executive director of Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks. “But we need help. Please check your attics, photo albums and even family bibles for information related to the Castro family or the property. We’re crowd-sourcing in the 21st century to get a look at life in the 19th century.”

Friends is trying to solve one mystery in particular — what did the family of Juan Jose Castro and his wife, Rita Josefa Pinto Castro look like? To date, no photos of this particular family have surfaced. Friends is also seeking historic photos that include:
• Castro family members and nearby rancho families, such as Rodriguez and Amesti
• the Castro property and historic buildings including outbuildings
• nearby properties and surrounding lands
• Old Adobe Road from various angles

Photos and documents will be returned immediately after they are scanned.

The Saturday event also will include tours of the Adobe and is free to attend. Castro Adobe State Historic Park is located at 184 Old Adobe Road, Watsonville. Parking is extremely limited and carpooling is encouraged. Learn more at www.thatsmypark.org.

For those who cannot attend the event, but still want contribute to the historical archive at Castro Adobe State Historic Park, please contact Friends at 831-429-1840.

October 10, 2018 by Seb Frey

Mar Vista Harvest Festival 2018It’s baaack! The Annual (not to be missed) Mar Vista Harvest Festival is October 28th, 2018 from 12-4 PM at Mar Vista Elementary School (behind the Aptos/La Selva Fire Station on Soquel). This community event is open to all families and community members, and that includes folks who don’t have kids at Mar Vista!

Admission is free but rides and activities require tickets or an unlimited wristband. There will be many fun activities including a cake walk, photo booths, dunk tank, rock wall, bungee swings and so much more!

Ate3one
Saucey’z
Pono Hawaiian Grill
El Buen Taco

This is a really, REALLY fun event that never fails to disappoint. If you’re looking for a fun, inexpensive, weekend family activity, this is one you honestly won’t want to miss!

Tickets can be pre-purchased online at https://squareup.com/store/mvps-club/item/harvest-festival. All-day wristbands are available for $15 each if you pre-order before October 28th, and after that they’ll be $20 each at the door and online. You can also buy ride and activity tickets online for $1 each or $10 for a book of 12.

*Rain or shine, you’ll have a great time!*

If you have a teenager and they need community service hours, please e-mail the Harvest Festival organizers at marvistaharvest@gmail.com and they will be in touch.

September 30, 2018 by Seb Frey

If you know anything about Santa Cruz County’s reputation, you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Halloween is a big deal here. Every Halloween evening in downtown Santa Cruz, there’s a massive street party attended by many thousands of people in costume. The police are out in force to make sure everyone stays safe amid the chaos. While some children do go downtown for the festivities, many parents are wary of bringing their kids, especially those of single-digit ages, into that madhouse.

So what is a fun-loving family to do in Santa Cruz county for Halloween? It turns out, there’s a raging party down by the southern end of the county at the Santa Cruz Monterey KOA.

KOAs are known as squeaky-clean family campgrounds, a Disney-fied camping experience that’s cleaner, better-run and with much superior amenities compared to anything you’d find in a public campground. So imagine my surprise when I learned that at our amazing KOA they host a Halloween party that is absolutely off the hook.

Each year, for the last three weekends of October, the Santa Cruz Monterey KOA hosts what they call the “Halloween Spooktacular.” For 2018, the weekends are October 12-14, October 19-21, and October 26-28. Of course, you’re probably already too late to get a spot for any of these weekends; I understand that they are generally booked up a year in advance – but they could have a cancelation, so it’s worth your time to inquire.

So what’s this “Spooktacular” all about? They have a bunch of activities during the day, like a pumpkin carving contest, the spooky train, site decorating contest, Halloween ceramic painting, the KOA Ice Cream Bike, and new this year, the “Haunted Trail” in the evening. So there’s plenty of activities to keep everyone occupied until the witching hour, which starts at 6:30 PM.

That’s when the real fun begins. The whole campground turns into a massive trick-or-treat extravaganza, with most cabin and RV sites hosting visitors, sharing candy for the kids and cocktails for the adults. Many of the sites are decorated very creatively in splendid Halloween adornments, which make great conversation starters with the site tenants and fellow revelers.

Later in the night, a roving dance party makes its way through the campground, with sound, lights, and dozens (hundreds?) of people bouncing around, with every color and configuration of lights flashing and swaying to the beat.

It’s an amazing thing to experience – a great time for children of all ages (even those who’ve been in their double digits for decades). If you’re able to grab a spot and you’re looking to have fun this Halloween, you need to look into spending one of the last three weekends in October at the Santa Cruz / Monterey KOA.

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