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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

The Early Days of Aptos Post Office Jumps

Ryan R-Dog Howard Video

Santa Cruz First Day Hikes 2019

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

Christmas Lights of Aptos (and Beyond)

Aptos Christmas Lights Slideshow

10th Annual Beauty Bash this Sunday December 16th

King Tide is Coming to Monterey Bay

King Tide Activities

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?

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?

#1: Walk the Coastline

Read a good book lately?

Get My Book 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!

#2: Check the Tide Pools

#3: Find the Fossils

What's YOUR Aptos House Value?

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 12, 2019 by Seb Frey

Ryan Howard (aka “R-Dog” – find him on Instagram) is a professional mountain biker from our favorite coastal town: Aptos, California. He recently appeared in a video shot for Freehub Magazine and appearing on the website Pinkbike. It’s good to hear talk about how important the Aptos Post Office Jumps were not just to locals, but to the international mountain bike community. While the Post Office Jumps are gone, they’re certainly not forgotten – and probably never will be!

Original article @ Pinkbike.com

December 28, 2018 by Seb Frey

Looking for a great way to start the new year in Santa Cruz? How about going outside and enjoying the great outdoors? Beaches, forests, and more! You owe it to yourself to check out these amazing Santa Cruz First Day Hikes for 2019. There are a couple right here in Aptos!

History Under the Trees

Concrete Ship History Walk: First Day Hike

Bird Walk

First Day Hike in Fall Creek

Wilder Ridge Loop: First Day Hike

Buzzard’s Roost Hike

Burleigh H. Murray Ranch Park Property: First Day Hike

Sempervirens Falls Hike

Sequoia Audubon Trail First Day Hike

Sandhills to Observation Deck First Day Hike

Skyline to the Sea Bypass Trail

Old Cove Landing Trail

First Day Hike to Cable Car Beach

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 15, 2018 by Seb Frey

Last night, after grabbing a quick bite at Burger and some hot chocolate from Starbucks, our family decided to hit the road and explore. We were looking for the best Christmas Lights of Aptos (and Beyond), and we discovered plenty of eye-popping and heart-warming displays throughout 95003. You’ll find a slideshow with dozens of the best homes we found below.

If you’re on NextDoor, check the app (and I assume web site too!) for their “Holiday Cheer” map. It will show you where users have said that homes are festooned with holiday lights, and it will be a good guide for finding such homes in Aptos and elsewhere.

We didn’t actually end up using the NextDoor holiday cheer map much – my wife checked her iPhone and saw on Facebook where people recommended that you go to see some awesome Christmas lights. We ended up spending about 90 minutes driving around, through Seacliff, Rio del Mar, Mar Vista, Capitola, and Soquel, listening to Christmas music on the radio and sipping the hot cocoa.

Amazingly enough, the kids spent the time happily, with lots of “oohs” and “ahhs” and nary a mention of wanting to play XBox or jump on the iPad. And the best part is, when we finally rolled into our driveway, one of the boys had already fallen asleep and the other was well on his way. Visions of sugar plums, I’m sure, were dancing in their heads.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

December 14, 2018 by Seb Frey

Santa Cruz Children Charities is hosting their 10th Annual Beauty Bash, on Sunday December 16th at Seascape Village Fitness. The event begins at 8:30 AM and there will be a line out the door, so come early! You’ll be able to find your favorite salon brand products (shampoo, gels, sprays, conditioners, etc.) at prices that are up to 80% off retail – and lots of other gifts for that special someone. Everything will be sold at below wholesale prices! This year’s proceeds will once again go towards helping families with Children in need.

Over the past years your support has helped so many children and families in our community who have needed a little extra. Thank you for all that you do to support this event and provide Santa Cruz Children’s Charity with the opportunity to donate.

So come on out and mingle with your friends and neighbors while picking up some screaming deals on high-end salon products AND helping out a great local charity! Happy Holidays indeed!

Date: Sunday, December 16th

Time: 8:30 am – 2:30 pm

Location: Seascape Village Fitness, STE. 16a

December 14, 2018 by Seb Frey

Do you like those nature shows on TV? Well, you’re in luck because we’re about to have an incredible show right here, live in Aptos! California King tides are coming back to Santa Cruz and Monterey before the end of this year. Get ready to hit the beach and watch this exceptional natural phenomena, and it’s something you won’t want to miss.

The so-called Kind Tides happens naturally now and again. They are the highest tides that occur when the Earth, moon and sun are aligned at their closest points. The result is the largest tidal range seen over the course of the year. The flip side is a very low tide as sea levels rise. Tidal events such as the King tides push seawater further inland.

King Tide are predicted to happen in Monterey Bay on December 22nd/23rd and on January 21st/22nd 2019. Make sure to put it on your calendar so you don’t miss it!

At the beginning of this year, my wife and I decided to take the kids to explore the tide pools exposed by the super low tide. I made a blog entry about it, you can read it here: walk at King Tide on New Year’s Day.

You can walk almost all the coast line from New Brighton Beach to Capitola Beach, even to Rio del Mar. It was a great way to start 2018!

The King Tide hike was part of America’s State Parks’ movement known as “First Day Hikes,” with more than 80 hikes and other outings planned throughout all 50 states for New Year’s Day. On New Year’s Day, two wildlife interpreters from Seacliff State Beach led a public walk from New Brighton State Beach to Capitola Beach.

When the strip of beach between New Brighton and Capitola is accessible walkers get a unique experience in nature viewing. A number of different tide pools are revealed along the sandy, rocky route — people get a rare chance to view and document various inhabitants and species.

It is so unique. You can check out countless sea anemones and hermit crabs, or starfish. Many people were able to find them very easily. However, on our last visit we couldn’t find any starfish, alas. Some folks even saw an octopus darting between the rocks!

In addition, remnants of the natural history of Santa Cruz County’s coastline were exposed during the low tides, including many fossils — some millions of years old. One impressive sight only seen during a negative or king tide is the 5-million-year-old fossil of a whale backbone, embedded permanently in the shoreline.

This phenomenal natural show gives people a glimpse of what daily tides may look like in the future due to sea level rise, if we think about climate change.

The best places to view the king tides are in Watsonville: at Palm Beach State Park and the last mile of Watsonville Slough, as well as Elkhorn Slough.

So, make sure to check it out and feel free to post it in our instagram or Facebook page Aptos Community News!

Aptos Home Prices — Find YOUR Home's Value!

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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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