cabrillo college

Micro Business Summit returns to Aptos

March 28, 2018 by Seb Frey

The Santa Cruz 82% Micro Business Summit – billed as “Santa Cruz County’s biggest small business conference” – returns to Aptos in 2018! 82% of business in Santa Cruz county is done by small business, so collectively it’s really the biggest business in the county. As in years past, the event will be held at Cabrillo College, this year on May 4th.

“We’re building on the success of last year’s Micro Business Summit with even more exciting speakers and topics,” says Barbara Mason, Economic Development Coordinator for the County of Santa Cruz. “Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy. We want to support these entrepreneurs because their success lifts our entire community.”

This year’s event features a range of speakers on topics including social media marketing, startup technologies, managing cash flow, working with millennials, lead generation and much more.

Tickets for the “82% Micro Business Summit” are on sale now for only $49 (use this link to buy tickets) thanks to the generosity of their sponsors. Participants will be able to choose from a range of dynamic speakers and breakout seminars, receive a complimentary breakfast and luncheon and have access to an afternoon mixer as well as fantastic raffle prizes.

Enrollment is limited to 300 participants, so if you’re interested in attending, you better sign up soon! Visit the event’s web site for more details.

Santa Cruz Small Business Development Center

December 13, 2016 by Seb Frey

Santa Cruz Small Business Development Center

The Santa Cruz Small Business Development Center is located on the campus of Cabrillo College. Nationwide, nearly every county in the United States has a Small Business Development Center, as they are a program of the Federal government’s Small Business Administration (SBA). Their goal is to provide high quality management and technical assistance for Santa Cruz small businesses – new or existing.

They offer confidential, no-cost counseling, seminars, and classes. On-going seminars include topics such as “Writing your Best Business Plan”, “Solving the Social Media Puzzle”, and “Record Keeping for Small Business”. Periodically, they also hold special events, such as a Federal and State basic payroll tax seminars.

Their counselors will assist prospective business owners with developing a business plan, preparing financial projections, a marketing plan, and help getting financing for your start up – including taking you through the SBA loan process. In addition, they provide book keeping assistance, Internet training, operations review, procurement assistance, strategic planning, business “tune-ups”, and much more.

Many local small businesses have received a leg up thanks to the Santa Cruz Small Business Development Center: Hydra-Point Nursery in Watsonville, Mission Hill Creamery in Santa Cruz, Zizzo’s Coffeehouse and Wine Bar in Capitola, New Bohemian Brewing Company in Live Oak, the Hindquarter Bar and Grille in Santa Cruz, and many more.

If you’re thinking of starting a small business, or need help sustaining or growing the business you already have, check out the Santa Cruz Small Business Development Center! They are generally open during normal business hours, 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday. They can be a little hard to find, so please read the directions on their web site.

Cabrillo Engineering Students to Exhibit at the MOD

May 27, 2015 by Seb Frey

Sixteen students of the Cabrillo College Engineering Department have helped create nine new exhibits for the Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery. These new exhibits are to be unveiled this Friday, May 29th at 1:00 PM.

The students are from Professor Jo-Ann Panzardi’s Engineering (ENGR) 35 Statics, a three-unit class. The students paired up this past semester to design and fabricate STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology, Math) exhibits for the museum. ENGR 35 Statics is a sophomore level course where students study the effect of forces and torques on rigid bodies.

Students in the course worked under the supervision of Children’s Museum of Discovery staff to create safe and engaging exhibits for children. This is the first time the museum has collaborated with Cabrillo College on exhibits.

The new exhibits include Chaotic Pendulum, Magnetic Maze Table, Gears, Pendulum Wave, Electric Fleas, Levers, Pulleys, Shock Absorbers and Soil Liquefaction.

Learn more about the exhibits and the event at the Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery Web Site.

Dinner with Jacob’s Farm and Alfaro Winery

November 3, 2014 by Seb Frey

The Pino Alto Restaurant, located in the historic Sesnon House at Cabrillo College, is having a special menu on Friday, November 7. The menu is billed as Dinner with Jacob’s Farm and Alfaro Winery, and features four courses paired with four wines.

The evening starts at 6:00 with a reception and hors d’oeuvres before dinner is served at 6:30 PM. The menu is as follows:

1st Course: Seafood and Delicata squash risotto – Crab, shrimp and mussels
2nd Course: Orange, fig and gorgonzola salad
Main course: Choice of Spice crusted Duck Breast with natural jus, roasted root vegetables, and walnut parsley fried rice -or- Pumpkin Lasagna
Dessert: Apple bread pudding with chai spiced ice cream

The price for dinner is $65.00 and reservations can be made by calling 831-479-6524.

Jacob’s Farm is a local family-owned and operated organic farm in Santa Cruz, and is a supplier for Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and many other local grocers. The Alfaro Winery is located in Corralitos on 75 acres and produces an extraordinary selection of wines including Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Syrah.

Aptos in October

October 12, 2014 by Seb Frey

The finest month of the year in Aptos is in October. The tourists are gone, and the fog is gone. It’s just glorious, warm sunny days and crisp evenings…getting crisper as we head towards the end of the month, of course. This year we had some very hot days at the beginning of the month, which was a nice change, as truly hot days are in short supply here in Aptos.

Here’s a picture I took with my iPhone the other day, as we took one of our evening walks on Seacliff Beach:

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Do you need any more proof that October is THE month in Aptos? #aptos #sunset #iphone #instagram
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Nice, huh?

Yesterday was a pretty awesome day…Cabrillo College hosted a Science Expo so we went to check that out. Despite the publicity on it being pretty poor (we only heard about it the day before, and it seems everyone we talked to also got late notice), it was very well attended. It seems Cabrillo is wanting to connect with kids at a younger age to start getting them interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) studies early. They put on a pretty fabulous exposition…it was only two hours long, seems like it should have been longer. I recorded some video:

We could only stay for about forty minutes, because we had to run off to the polo grounds for soccer. My son plays on the Red Sharks, a U-6 (under 6) team…and actually his team is definitely Under 6, as there are only five players on it (most teams have 8 or more players).

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Soccer super stars (and their mascot) #aptos #soccer
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After soccer, we went home and the boys took a bit of a nap, and then we headed on up to the Rodoni Farms Pumpkin Patch, which is something we do pretty much every year. I am pretty sure that with the cost of gas and everything we spend a lot more on pumpkins than if we just went to Trader Joe’s, but it’s a beautiful spot on the coast with room for the kids to run around, play on hay bales, and just let their freak flag fly.

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The annual trip to Rodoni Farms #october #pumpkins #halloween
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After we got our pumpkins, we headed down to Woodstock Pizza in downtown Santa Cruz, which I had actually never been to before. It was great! I give it two thumbs up, for sure. After dinner, we headed on over to Capitola for the Monte Foundation Fireworks. For years, the fireworks had been in Aptos, but this year they moved them to Capitola…grrrr. But it was a beautiful display:

It was a pretty busy day, but it’s kind of par for the course in Aptos in October. In a small town kind of way, of course.

Loma Prieta Earthquake Commemoration

September 18, 2014 by Seb Frey

Esteemed local historian Sandy Lydon and UCSC Professor Gary Griggs will be commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake this October with three events:

Event #1: Friday, October 17 @ 10 AM: An Expedition Back to the Epicenter in Nisene Marks Park. Participants will be driven by van through Nisene Marks Park to White’s Lagoon for a talk about the earthquake, followed by a three mile hike through the “Crazy Forest” to the area above Aptos Creek that exhibited the most dramatic effects of the Earthquake.

Fees: Register by September 8 – $100 per person to ride the vans
Register after September 8 – $110

Space is limited for this event, and it is expected that it will sell out – so register soon!

Event #2: Saturday, October 18, 2014 @ 9 AM: Silver Anniversary Preparedness Fair, to be held at Cabrillo College. This will be a collection of all the latest in disaster preparedness including workshops and displays. This will be a chance for you to review your own personal preparedness, your family’s, your neighborhood’s, and your community. The subjects and workshops will range beyond earthquakes and include flood, tsunami, wildfire, and drought. This is a free event.

Event #3: Saturday, October 18 @ 7 PM: A presentation by Gary and Sandy entitled The Lessons of Loma Prieta at 25, to be given at the Forum Building, Cabrillo College Aptos Campus.

Fees: $0 if you participated in Event #1 and pay the $100/$110 fee
Register by Sept. 8 – $18 (lecture fee included in van shuttle fee)
Register after Sept 8 – $22

More information can be found on Sandy Lydon’s Central Coast Secrets web site.

Cabrillo College Annual Plant Sale, May 9-11

May 5, 2014 by Seb Frey

Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and for the 38th year in a row, the Cabrillo College horticulture department is having it’s annual Mother’s Day Plant Sale. Each year, they sell a huge selection of plants, flowers, culinary and medicinal herbs, succulents, vines, vegetable starts – you name it, they got it! This year they have over 1,000 varieties to choose from.

All of the plants being sold were grown by Cabrillo students, with proceeds from the sale going to fund the Environmental Horticulture Facility for the upcoming school year.

The “presale” begins on Friday, May 9 from 3 to 7 PM, and you must donate $25 to get in on the presale. On Saturday May 10, hours are from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

While you’re there, check out their state-of-the-art facilities including the greenhouse complex, shadehouses, lab classroom, horticulture learning center, and community room. Agriculture plays a significant part in the Aptos economy, and it’s interesting to see how the future of agriculture is being shaped in our community.

Cabrillo Connector Trail Opens Today

March 28, 2014 by Seb Frey

There’s good news today for residents of Mar Vista, Vienna Woods, and Cabrillo College Students! The Cabrillo Connector trail opens today for public use and enjoyment. The creation of the trail has been in the works for 15 years, with Santa Cruz county approving $40,000 for the creation of the trail back in 2012. The trail will allow travel between Cabrillo College and Nisene Marks State Park via an easement over 140 acres of private land. Signs have been posted at Kamian Way and at Mesa Grande Road.

There will be a celebratory walk this afternoon, Friday March 28th, at 1 PM at the Kamian Way entrance to the trail – rain or shine!

See also:

James Durbin Speaks in Aptos on March 29

March 26, 2014 by Seb Frey

The Monterey Herald is reporting that Santa Cruz native James Durbin will be speaking – and possibly performing a song or two – at the Cabrillo College Visual and Performing Arts Complex this coming Saturday, March 29th at 7:30 PM. James Durbin garnered wide acclaim when he appeared on the 10th season of American Idol, coming in 4th Place. James is afflicted with Tourette’s Syndrome and Aspberger’s Syndrome, and appeared in a documentary Different is the New Normal, about a teen living with Tourette’s.

Durbin will be talking with Wallace Baine of the Santa Cruz Sentinel about his upbringing and his experience on American Idol, and his life as a professional musician since his time on the top-rated TV show.

Adult tickets are $15; kids and seniors are $12, and Cabrillo Students are $10 and can be ordered here.

Nobel Scientist to Talk at Cabrillo College

March 4, 2014 by Seb Frey

Nobel laureate Randy Schekman will give a presentation, Your Future in Science, at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Cabrillo College Crocker Theater, 6500 Soquel Drive.

His appearance is sponsored by Cabrillo, Santa Cruz County College Commitment, Rotary Club of Watsonville and Pajaro Valley Unified School District.

Admission will be free, and seating is first come, first served, with overflow seating and live-streaming in Samper Music Recital Hall.