A weekly guide to what’s happening.
ARTS AND MUSIC
ART SHOW Emerging from sheltering in place, Ben, a lifelong artist, photographer, actor and writer, was always looking for the next opportunity to translate everyday experiences into artistic expressions. At the start of shelter-in-place in mid-March, Ben began painting as a hobby, but his painting has since evolved into one of his favorite artistic forms of expression. Meet and greets will be held Saturdays and Sundays 8:30-10:30am with face masks and proper distancing. Ben’s paintings and fine art prints can also be viewed and purchased in the comfort of your home through artevolutionstudio.com. Wednesday, March 3, 7am-11:30pm; Tuesday, March 9, 7am-11:30pm.
BANFF CENTRE MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL VIRTUAL FESTIVAL All the programs? All the programs! If you’ve been too busy getting after it outdoors, or just haven’t made the time yet, now’s your chance to catch all our Virtual World Tour Programs including the Grand Prize Winner: ‘Piano to Zanskar.’ This year, bring the adventure home! Fluff up your couch cushions, grab a snack of choice, and make sure you have a good internet connection because the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour is virtual! Travel to the most remote corners of the world, dive into daring expeditions, and celebrate some of the most remarkable outdoor achievements, all from the comfort of your living room. Films can be purchased individually or as a bundle. Visit riotheatre.com for more information about the online programs and how you can support your local screening. You may also go directly to the Banff affiliate link for the Rio at filmfest.banffcentre.ca/?campaign=WT-163945.
FIRST FRIDAY SANTA CRUZ First Friday is a free event and is perfect for enthusiastic art goers or those just looking to have a fun and enjoyable evening checking out the art scene is Santa Cruz. This month, First Friday Santa Cruz returns to in-person events! In 2020, Arts Council Santa Cruz County launched a new program called the Visual Arts Network. At the height of the pandemic, it became a way for artists to still be visible to their buyers and stay connected with their peers. The exhibit features over 450 original works of art in all media from 150+ artists throughout Santa Cruz County. “450 Pieces” is divided by artists’ last names among three commercial galleries: A-G: Blitzer Gallery, 2801 Mission St., 1-4pm; H-R: Curated by the Sea, 703 Front St., 12-8pm; S-Z: Radius Gallery (Tannery Arts Center) 1050 River Street #127, 6-9pm. This exhibition is a partnership with Arts Council Santa Cruz County, Radius Gallery, R. Blitzer Gallery, and Curated by the Sea. Also, tune in to the virtual event hosted by the Printmakers at the Tannery. The show runs March 5-May 2. Due to the pandemic, viewing will be virtual only. To see the exhibit, please visit firstfridaysantacruz.com. First Friday happens every month; stay social as you socially distance. Friday, March 5, 1pm.
WESTSIDE MARKETPLACE Shop local at the new Westside Marketplace, first sundays at the Wrigley! Featuring local art, handmade and vintage shopping, food trucks, and pop-ups, all outdoors at the Old Wrigley Parking Lot on Mission Street. Free admission. Friendly leashed pups are welcome! Remember to social distance as you shop and wear your mask. If you’re not feeling well, please stay home. There will be hand sanitizing stations at the market and signs to remind you about all these things! Presented by your friends at SCM Makers Market and Food Trucks A Go Go. Sunday, March 7, 11am-4pm.
COMMUNITY
CABRILLO VAPA CROSSTALKS NO. 1 Please join us for the first of Cabrillo VAPA’s CrossTalks, a Zoom storytelling series about careers in creative arts and design. Our first speaker is Naz Arandi, a creative with over 15 years of experience in the advertising and design industry. Arandi has been telling human stories, using technology as an invisible engine to propel immersive brand narratives for Apple, Netflix, Mexico Tourism, PayPal, and others. Currently global creative director at Apple TV, Arandi uses the culmination of her experiences to lead a cross-functional team in product launches, editorial, content and strategic innovation to further propel the brand’s next phase and big ideas. Learn more at cabrillo.edu/vapa-division. Thursday, March 4, 5pm.
SURF CITY-SANTA CRUZ KIWANIS GRAB AND GO CRAB DINNER The Kiwanis Club of Surf City-Santa Cruz will be holding a curbside delivery/grab-and-go version of its annual Crab Feed. This will be our 40th year for our Crab Feed, and we are not letting the pandemic slow us down! We are currently pre-selling no more than 200 of these takeout crab dinners for $45/person through a link on our club’s website at surfcitykiwanis.com. Saturday, March 6, 5pm.
SALSA SUELTA FREE ZOOM SESSION SALSA SUELTA FREE ZOOM SESSION Keep in shape! Weekly online session in Cuban-style Salsa Suelta for experienced beginners and up. May include Mambo, ChaChaCha, Afro-Cuban Rumba, Orisha, Son Montuno. No partner required, ages 14 and up. Contact to get the link. salsagente.com. Thursday, March 4, 7pm.
TENANTS’ RIGHTS HELP Tenant Sanctuary is open to renters living in the city of Santa Cruz with questions about their tenants’ rights. Volunteer counselors staff the telephones on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 10am-2pm. Tenant Sanctuary works to empower tenants by educating them on their rights and providing the tools to pursue those rights. Tenant Sanctuary and their program attorney host free legal clinics for tenants in the city of Santa Cruz. Due to Covid-19 concerns, all services are currently by telephone, email or Zoom. For more information visit tenantsanctuary.org or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/tenantsanctuary. 831-200-0740. Thursday, March 4, 10am-2pm. Sunday, March 7, 10am-2pm. Tuesday, March 9, 10am-2pm.
GROUPS
CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP Support groups create a safe, confidential, supportive environment or community and a chance for family caregivers to develop informal mutual support and social relationships as well as discover more effective ways to cope with and care for your loved one. Meeting via Zoom and phone. Who may benefit from participating in the support group? Family caregivers who care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, those would like to talk to others in a similar situation, and those who need more information, additional support and caregiving strategies. To register or for questions please call 800-272-3900. Wednesday, March 3, 5:30pm.
COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS OF SANTA CRUZ Parents of a child who died at any age, from any cause, any length of time ago, are invited to join the Compassionate Friends of Santa Cruz for our monthly grief support meeting. Opening circle followed by smaller connection groups. Sharing is optional, grief materials are available. Bereaved grandparents and adult siblings also welcome. Non-religious. Monday, March 8, 7-8:30pm.
ENTRE NOSOTRAS GRUPO DE APOYO Entre Nosotras support group for Spanish-speaking women with a cancer diagnosis. Meets twice monthly. Registration required, call 831-761-3973. Friday, March 5, 6pm.
FAMILY SANGHA MONTHLY MEDITATION Come help create a family meditation cooperative community! Parents will meet in the main room for about 40 minutes of silent meditation, followed by 10-15 minutes of discussion about life and mindful parenting. Kids will be in a separate volunteer-led room, playing and exploring mindfulness through games and stories. Parents may need to help with the kids for a portion of the hour, depending on volunteer turnout. All ages of children are welcome. Please bring toys to share. Quiet babies are welcome in the parents’ room. Donations are encouraged, though there is no fee for the event. Sunday, March 7, 10:30am-noon.
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS All our OA meetings have switched to being online. Please call 831-429-7906 for meeting information. Do you have a problem with food? Drop into a free, friendly Overeaters Anonymous 12-Step meeting. All are welcome!. Sunday, March 7, 9:05-10:15am.
WOMENCARE ARM-IN-ARM Cancer support group for women with advanced, recurrent, or metastatic cancer. Meets every Monday at 12:30pm via Zoom. All services are free. Registration required. Contact WomenCARE at 831-457-2273 or online at womencaresantacruz.org. Monday, March 8, 12:30pm.
WOMENCARE TUESDAY SUPPORT GROUP WomenCARE Tuesday Cancer support group for women newly diagnosed and through their treatment. Meets every Tuesday currently on Zoom. Registration required. Contact WomenCARE at 831-457-2273 or online at womencaresantacruz.org. Tuesday, March 9, 12:30-2pm.
WOMENCARE: LAUGHTER YOGA Laughter yoga for women with a cancer diagnosis. Meets every Wednesday at 3:30 via Zoom. Registration required by contacting 831-457-2273. Wednesday, March 3, 3:30-4:30pm.
OUTDOOR
OUT AND ABOUT: INDIGENOUS CULTURE OF SANTA CRUZ Out and About is a monthly series of family-friendly, small group get-togethers exploring Santa Cruz’s diverse natural spaces through guided activities with the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. There is a rich history of Indigenous culture in Santa Cruz, originally named Aulinta by the Awaswas-speaking Uypi people. Join us for a morning exploring this Indigenous culture and the relationships between people, plants, and animals. We’ll learn about oral tradition, ethnobotany, and traditional tools outside in the Museum’s Garden Learning Center. Families are encouraged to attend, but all ages are welcome. Please review the following details prior to registering: Wear a mask at all times; if you feel sick, stay home; maintain at least six feet of distance from others. We are limiting the number of individuals who can join us to 12. Registration is required. santa cruz museum.org. Saturday, March 6, 10-11am.
ROCKIN’ POP-UP: BIOGENIC GEOLOGY When we think of geology and rocks, living things rarely jump to mind unless we’re talking about fossils. And when we think of fossils, we usually think of mineralized bones and shells or tell-tale impressions within sedimentary rocks. Some rocks, however, are made up entirely of the fossilized remains of once living creatures. These “biogenic” sedimentary rocks are an important part of the solid Earth and more common than you might think! The Geology Gents are no biologists, but they nonetheless explore biogenic sedimentary rocks and the incredible geologic histories they record. About the series: Join the Geology Gents, Gavin and Graham, for monthly conversations about rocks live on Facebook. Each month we’ll explore a different geologic topic, from Santa Cruz formations to tips for being a more effective rockhound. Graham Edwards and Gavin Piccione are Ph.D. candidates in geochronology with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UCSC. Event will be broadcast via Facebook live at facebook.com/SantaCruzMuseumOfNaturalHistory/live. You do not need to have a Facebook account to be able to watch the program live. Wednesday, March 3, 3pm.
VIRTUAL YOUNGER LAGOON RESERVE TOURS Younger Lagoon Reserve is now offering a virtual tour in both English and Spanish. This virtual tour follows the same stops as the Seymour Marine Discovery Center’s docent-led, in-person hiking tour, and is led by a UCSC student! Virtual Younger Lagoon Reserve tours are free and open to the public. Part of the University of California Natural Reserve System, Younger Lagoon Reserve contains diverse coastal habitats and is home to birds of prey, migrating sea birds, bobcats, and other wildlife. See what scientists are doing to track local mammals, restore native habitat, and learn about the workings of one of California’s rare coastal lagoons. Access the tours at seymourcenter.ucsc.edu/visit/behind-the-scenes-tours/#youngerlagoon. Sunday, March 7, 10:30am.
