Event highlights for the week of April 18, 2018.
Green Fix
Every Child Outdoors Fundraiser
At the Santa Cruz County Outdoor Science School in Corralitos, aka “Science Camp,” fifth and sixth graders spend four to five days living in the Santa Cruz Mountains among the redwoods and learning about science and the environment. No classrooms necessary, and hiking shoes are mandatory. Unfortunately, many families cannot afford to send their kids to camp, and that’s where Every Child Outdoors (ECO) comes in. ECO awards grants to local elementary schools to sponsor and promote the outdoor education program. Help them help others during their third annual fundraiser for kids outdoor education and get a delicious dinner in the process.
INFO: 6-9 p.m. Saturday, April 21. Santa Cruz Food Lounge. 1001 Center St. #1, Santa Cruz. everychildoutdoors.org. $20 general admission, plus sliding scale donations. Tickets online at brownpapertickets.com.
Art Seen
‘Many Roads: An Evening of Short Plays’
Artistic Director Sarah Albertson spent months collaborating with a variety of Cabrillo College students to create a series of 10-minute theatrical pieces. Each short play was directed by students from Albertson’s class, and though each piece is unique, she says there is a common thread of unusual life paths and circumstances—hence the title Many Roads. Cabrillo students were also responsible for facilitating the lighting, sound, costumes and props for the production.
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Runs Friday, April 13-Sunday, April 29. Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos. 479-6154. cabrillovapa.com. $17 general admission, $15 students and seniors.
Through Sunday 5/27
‘The Art of Nature’
Cell phone cameras don’t capture everything, and they certainly won’t do when every leaf vein and feather tuft matters. Sure, people buy fancy cameras, but what happens if they lose their memory card or something malfunctions? Or what if the animal is extinct? Despite its centuries-old history, scientific illustration is still a very relevant and accurate art form—and the latest exhibit at the Museum of Natural History proves it. The annual exhibit features longtime local illustrators and UCSC art students’ work that will make you go “there is no way someone drew that!” The collection of watercolors and sketches in this exhibit proves that scientific illustration is just as awe-inspiring as ever.
INFO: 5-7 p.m. Friday, May 4, Free First Friday Scientific Illustration Demos. Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. 1305 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz. 420-6115. santacruzmuseum.org. $4 general admission, $2 seniors and students. Image artwork: “Cicada” by Martha Iserman.
Saturday 4/21
Earth Day in San Lorenzo Park
Every day should be Earth Day, theoretically, but for some reason we limit it to a single day. In celebration of water, air and living things, get outside, ride a bike, pack your trash, and maybe even put the house spider outside instead of squishing it—it deserves to live, especially today. Join the rest of the community in celebration of this beautiful planet. There will be a climbing wall, river clean up, compost workshop and tons of live music. Show Mama Earth a little extra love and affection; she definitely doesn’t get enough.
INFO: San Lorenzo River clean up 10 a.m.-noon at the Pedestrian Bridge. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. event. 137 Dakota St., Santa Cruz. scearthday.org. Free.
Thursday 4/19-Friday 4/28
11th Annual Dance Week
There are few events that draw thousands of people to downtown Santa Cruz, and Dance Week is one of them. Presented by Motion Pacific dance studio, the event is comprised of more than 300 free dance events, including classes, performances, open rehearsals and lecture demonstrations. The annual “Dancing in the Streets” event features three hours of dance across three stages downtown. To keep things extra interesting, “Dance in Unlikely Places” will pop up anywhere. There are a few new additions this year, including a country square dance, samba dance lesson and improvisational movement along West Cliff.
INFO: Dancing in the Streets: April 19, at 5:20 p.m. on Pacific and Cooper street intersection. Dance in Unlikely Places: April 20-22.
Open dance classes: April 21-28. Varying levels, types and locations. $10 week pass.
Other times and locations vary, check scdanceweek.com for full details. Free. Photo by Crystal Birns.
