.5 Things To Do in Santa Cruz: July 3-9

A weekly guide to what’s happening

Art Seen 

Rockford Gallery Grand Opening 

Rockford Gallery Contemporary Ceramics is a new art venture opening in Boulder Creek. Featuring the art of Rydell Award-winner and local artist Rocky Lewycky, the gallery will rotate exhibits monthly during the summer season from July through September. Lewycky’s ceramics exhibit I Found Mino No Kuni is based on the Shino glaze from the 1500s in the Mino province of Japan.

INFO: Show runs Friday, July 5-Sunday, July 28. Reception Friday, July 5, 6-9:30 p.m. 125B Forest St., Boulder Creek. rockfordgallery.com. Free. 

Green Fix 

Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf Experience 

Learn more about Monterey Bay from oceanic vantage point—no sailing or swimming necessary. The Santa Cruz Wharf extends a half-mile out to sea in a dynamic marine environment, and scientists from UCSC utilize this easy access to ocean ecosystems to conduct research on sustainable energy, biological oceanography and more. Seymour Marine Discovery Center volunteers are available to answer marine science questions all summer long; look for them at the end of the wharf. Volunteers will be wearing uniforms of khaki pants and navy blue Seymour Center shirts.

INFO: Noon-3 p.m., Saturdays through August 24. Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, 21 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz. 420-5725. Free. 

Thursday 7/4

Free Swimming at Simpkins 

It’s looking like the weather will be sunnyish and warmish this Fourth of July, which means locals and out-of-towners alike will be trying to beat the heat. The Simpkins Family and the Santa Cruz County Parks Department are sponsoring a free swim day at Simpkins Family Swim Center, with the water slide, climbing wall, inner tubes, pools, and spray zone all fair game and free of charge. Get there early; it’s first-come, first-served, and the good lounge spots will be gone early. 

INFO: Noon-4 p.m. Simpkins Family Swim Center, 979 17th Ave., Santa Cruz. 454-7946. Free. 

Friday 7/5 

Sun and Sea: First Friday Show with Anastasiya Bachmanova

Sun and Sea is a collection of original acrylic paintings celebrating the magic of coastal life, featuring beach scenes, sunsets and marine life in bright, cheerful acrylics. Anastasiya Bachmanova is a local artist who has a passion for the outdoors, with a unique blend of realism and abstraction that utilizes bright colors and flowing lines. Though she primarily works with acrylic on canvas or wood panels, she’s recently begun incorporating resin and other modern techniques in her new work. 

INFO: Opening reception 5-7 p.m. Friday, July 5. Capitola Wine Bar, 115 San Jose Ave., Capitola. followthesunart.com. Free.

Thursday 7/4

Boulder Creek Pancake Breakfast and Fourth of July Parade

Firefighters do so much for the community already, but now they want to feed us, too. Bless their hearts. So start the day off right with the Boulder Creek Fire Department’s pancake breakfast, where firefighters will be serving up all-you-can-eat pancakes (original, blueberry and chocolate chip), eggs, sausage, fruit, coffee, and juice. Following breakfast, the downtown Boulder Creek Fourth of July Parade starts at 10 a.m. and is an annual tradition, but the food and fun doesn’t stop there. After the parade ends, check out Boulder Creek Park and Rec’s Fourth of July BBQ at Junction Park for live music, food and drinks, swimming, plus art and craft booths. 

INFO: 7 a.m. Pancake breakfast with the Boulder Creek Fire Department, 13230 Hwy. 9, Boulder Creek. bcba.net. $10 adult/$5 child.