Green Fix
Cleanup Cowell’s
All rains lead to the ocean, which is why it’s especially important to clean our Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary beaches during and following rain storms. Join Save Our Shores in its bi-monthly Cleanup Cowells Project, the brainchild of Sanctuary Steward extraordinaire Haley Mander. Volunteers must be over 18 years of age or be accompanied by an adult. Wear layers and sun protection, bring a reusable water bottle, and start your Sunday off right by helping to protect marine life from plastic debris, cigarette butts and whatever else may have been flushed down the pipes.
INFO: 9-11 a.m., Sunday, April 2. 21 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz. (In front of public bathrooms at Cowell Beach. Questions, contact [email protected]. Free.
Art Seen
Jewish Film Festival
Celebrating Jewish history and culture in film, the Santa Cruz Jewish Film Festival opens on Saturday, April 1. A catered opening reception will include a raffle, mouth-watering bites, and writer/director/filmmaker Aaron Wolf in-house. Saturday’s films, beginning at 7 p.m., include the documentary El Hara, about the Tunisian-Jewish born writer and essayist Albert Memmi, and Wolf’s Restoring Tomorrow, which tells the story of a treasured local temple near demise in Los Angeles, and rediscovered faith. A Q&A with Wolf, who wrote and directed, will follow.
INFO: 6 p.m. Saturday, April 1, Jewish Community Center, Temple Beth El, 3055 Porter Gulch Road, Aptos. The film festival continues on Monday, April 3 and Wednesday, April 5 at the Del Mar. Visit santacruzjewishfilmfestival.com for full schedule. Suggested donations $20/person, $35/couple.
Saturday 4/1
First Saturday Arboretum Tours
On this and every first-Saturday of the month, UCSC’s Arboretum offers a chance to circumnavigate the world through the amazing plant life of its Mediterranean climates. Bask in the sunshine of our own Mediterranean-temperate spring, as you follow a docent from New Zealand to South Africa to Australia and back to California—all in less than 90 minutes. You’ll learn about rare and endangered plant species, as well as about bees, butterflies, aromas and succulents in the arboretum’s specialty gardens, and check in on which trees are blooming in the Rare Fruit Garden, and what’s new at the developing World Conifer Collection. Bring a camera, and/or notebook for garden notes.
INFO: Tour leaves at 11 a.m. from Norrie’s Gift Shop, UCSC Arboretum, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz. 502-2998. Tour is free with admission; $5/adults, $2/Children ages 6-18, and free for members.
Tuesday 4/4
Nationwide Screening of ‘1984’
Does art imitate life or life imitate art? Or, do some artists and thinkers simply possess an uncanny capacity for prophetic works? George Orwell’s book 1984 has undergone a resurgence in post-election popularity, and remains a rich platform for community conversations around our society under the new administration. On Tuesday, April 4, independent movie theaters in more than 80 cities across 35 states will be showing the film based on Orwell’s novel, in a stand for free speech, respect for human rights and promulgation of factual news. In solidarity with these fundamental rights, Scotts Valley Library joins the nation-wide screening, choosing 1984 as the first film in a five-month series called Movies that Matter. Come watch, talk and learn. Rated R.
INFO: 5-7 p.m. Scotts Valley Branch Library, 251 Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley. 427-7700. Free.
