Event highlights for the week of February 21, 2018.
Green Fix
Straw Bale Gardening Workshop
Straw bale gardening is the answer to any organic gardener’s prayers. It’s sustainable, easy and pretty. Straw bale gardening is a form of container gardening that uses bales of straw as the containers instead of planters or pots. Straw bales are especially useful in locations with poor soil quality because straw composts over time and contributes to soil quality. Join straw bale wizard Nadine Frush in this free workshop to get your bale gardens ready for spring.
INFO: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24. General Feed & Seed Co. 1900B Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. 476-5344. Free.
Art Seen
Eclectic Sound Sessions: Kirtan and Song Circle
Kirtan is singing and meditation combined into one form of self expression—think yoga for the vocal cords. Join Haji Basim and Arindam Krishna Das in a Kirtan and song cicle, where they will lead you on a heartfelt spiritual journey into the mind and soul. You don’t need to be particularly spiritual or religious to participate. No need to know the songs, either, though you will likely have learned them by the end.
INFO: 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24. DiviniTree Yoga and Art Studio. 1043B Water St., Santa Cruz. 421-0518. sc.divinitree.com. $15 at the door.
Saturday 2/24
Third Annual Winter Dance Fest
Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center’s Winter Dance Fest is a celebration of cutting-edge local choreographers. Gregory Dawson’s contemporary dance company, dawsondancesf, is back for another year. This time he will showcase snippets of his jazz-meets-ballet collaboration with Bay Area jazz master Richard Howell. Santa Cruz local choreographer Cid Pearlman will also present “Strange Toys” (2004) featuring music by Joan Jeanrenaud.
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Colligan Theater at the Tannery Arts Center. 1010 River St., Santa Cruz. tanneryworlddance.com. $17-$25.
Saturday 2/24-Sunday 2/25
37th Clam Chowder Cook-Off and Festival
Who knew that the country’s biggest and longest-running clam chowder fest was right here in Santa Cruz? The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Clam Chowder Cook-Off and Festival is back for its 37th time around. There are both amateur and professional categories, and prizes for the best chowder. Be a part of Santa Cruz’s storied clam chowder history, and find out where you fit into the bigger clam chowder picture. (OK, just kidding on that last part. There is no bigger clam chowder picture, but wouldn’t that be kind of cool?)
INFO: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz. 420-5273. beachboardwalk.com. Free admission, tasting kits $10.
Sunday 2/25
Santa Cruz Symphony Family Concert
Symphonies boast anywhere from 65 to 90 musicians, each specializing in strings, woodwinds, brass, or percussion. The whole thing can be a bit intimidating for some, so the Santa Cruz Symphony family concert is the perfect place to introduce your entire family to classical symphony and a multitude of instruments—there is even an instrument “petting zoo.” The Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony, the Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band, the Cabrillo Youth Chorus, the Santa Cruz High School Drumline, and the Santa Cruz Ballet will also join in the fun.
INFO: 2-4:30 p.m. Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. 307 Church St., Santa Cruz. santacruzsymphony.org. $10.50 child, $18.50 adult.
Art and Mini Golf Downtown
Friday 2/23-Sunday 2/25
Puttering around downtown takes on a whole new meaning with the new downtown mini golf and art extravaganza. Individual teams of local artists and engineers designed nine unique golf holes that are spread across shops and secret spots downtown. Play a round while you are playing around downtown, and grab a scorecard from a downtown information kiosk. The weekend opens with an artist reception Friday night, and ends with an awards presentation on Sunday.
INFO: Friday, 3-8 p.m. Saturday, Noon-8 p.m. Sunday, Noon-6 p.m. Downtown Santa Cruz. 1130 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. 332-7422. downtownsantacruz.com/golf. $10 children/$20 adults.
