Event highlights for the week of May 3, 2017
Green Fix
UC Master Gardeners Classes
The UC Master Gardeners of Monterey Bay offers two free classes this week for home gardeners who garden in the ground or in raised beds, of any gardening level. On Sunday, May 7, they’ll host “Soil Prep For Your Vegetable Garden” at their demonstration grounds in Watsonville. Master gardener Delise Weir will discuss the basics of soil science and why it’s important to the success of your vegetable garden. On Saturday, May 13, they will present their annual Smart Gardening Fair from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Jewell Park in Pacific Grove. Participants can enjoy presentations, demonstrations, vendor booths on butterflies, landscape design, and propagation methods.
Info: 10 a.m.-Noon, UC Master Gardeners Watsonville Demonstration Garden, 1430 Freedom Boulevard, Watsonville. mbmg.org. Free.
Art Seen
Spare Change Music Festival
Project Pollinate and Cypher Sessions present the Spare Change Music festival with 100 percent of the proceeds going to support four featured nonprofit organizations: Foods Not Bombs Santa Cruz, Veterans Empowered Through Technology, Gravity Water, and R3 Tiny Homes. Focusing on the areas of food, technology, water, and shelter, the festival will be a free all-ages event to highlight the potential of change when people come together. With an emphasis on education, the event will provide a safe space for communication and learning with The Rainbow Girls, Frogman, Boostive, and more.
Info: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, May 6. San Lorenzo Park, 134 Dakota Ave., Santa Cruz. Free.
Friday 5/5 – Sunday 5/7
Dis/Connected Art Show
Smartphones and social media: for most people, it’s hard to imagine a day going by without them. This weekend the aerial performance company Aeraflux, will debut their newest show which deals with teen identity development and relationship-building in a world where smartphones and social media play an enormous role. Nine local women between ages 13 and 15 will perform the blend of acrobatic floorwork, hand balancing, and contemporary dance with aerial rope and trapeze. Allie Cooper, founder of Aeraflux, says, “This theme seemed so obviously relevant to explore with these young women, especially as they are entering their teenage years and learning to navigate their own social lives.”
Info: 7 p.m. Veteran’s Memorial Building, 846 Front St., Santa Cruz. dis-connected.bpt.me. $20-$25.
Saturday 5/6 – Sunday 5/7
Santa Cruz Symphony Verdi’s Requiem
Santa Cruz Symphony’s final program of the season will feature one of Giuseppe Verdi’s supreme masterpieces, the “Messa da Requiem” with soprano Michelle Bradley, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, tenor Stuart Neill, and bass PeiXin Chen, under the direction of Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus director Cheryl Anderson. The Santa Cruz Symphony showcases world-renowned soloists and many vocalists from the Metropolitan Opera. During their season they perform 10 classical concerts from October and May, benefit concerts, and community outreach with in-class music listening programs.
Info: 2 & 7:30 p.m. Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St., Santa Cruz. Henry J Mello Center for the Performing Arts, 250 E Beach St., Santa Cruz. santacruztickets.com. $27-$57.
Saturday 5/6 – Sunday 5/7
17th Avenue Studios Spring Show
Ever wonder what goes on at Santa Cruz’s 17th Avenue Studios? Recently expanded to four buildings and providing the work space for more than 50 artists, the studio may be one of Santa Cruz’s best-kept artistic secrets. This weekend the studio throws open its doors to the public, with a sure-to-be special 17th annual Spring Show you’ll want to squeeze in between yard sales and farmers markets. Come hang out, purchase original fine art by a wide range of local artists, celebrate spring, and ogle the creatives in their natural habitat. Photo is of mixed-media works by 17th Avenue artist Roberta Lee Woods.
Info: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, May 6 and 7. 980 17th Avenue, Santa Cruz. (Across from Simpkins Swim Center.)
