A weekly guide to what’s happening.
ARTS AND MUSIC
CABRILLO VAPA CROSSTALKS NO. 3 Please join us for the third of Cabrillo VAPA’s CrossTalks, a Zoom storytelling series about careers in creative arts and design. Our third speaker is Dr. David Cutler, director of Music Entrepreneurship at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Cutler is a pianist and composer equally comfortable with classical, jazz, popular, folk and world music. Stretching what it means to be a performer, events regularly involve extreme eclecticism, choreography, humor, interdisciplinary collaboration, superhero costumes, character ushers, celebrity cameos, kazoo playing marching bands—you name it. In his varied roles as educator, arranger, conductor, collaborator, concert producer, author, blogger, consultant, speaker, advocate and entrepreneur, he works to push boundaries while connecting with new audiences. Tuesday, April 27, 5-6pm. Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos.
EDGE OF THE WEST “DINNER AND A SHOW” Edge Of The West returns to Michael’s on Main to play a “Dinner and a Show” performance. The cosmic country jam band looks forward to their first local public appearance in over a year! Doors at 5pm, dinner at 6:30pm, music at 8pm. Call 831-479-9777 for tickets. Outdoor seating, great atmosphere. Saturday, April 24. Michael’s on Main, 2591 S Main St., Soquel.
SPRING SESSION Community Music School of Santa Cruz presents “Spring Session,” a two-day series of online Celtic music classes on April 24 and 25. This event is for players of guitar, fiddle, harp, whistle, Irish tenor banjo, and bodhran; there’s also a session on singing in Irish, a Happy Hour and Pub Quiz, and a group jam session. Saturday, April 24, 9am and Sunday April 25, 9am. community-music-school-of-santa-cruz.square.site/shop/spring-session/4. Monte Toyon Camp and Conference Center, 220 Cloister Lane, Aptos.
THE COMEDY OF ERRORS BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE UCSC theater arts professor Danny Scheie is bringing the old gang back together for one more show. Professor Scheie is retiring from teaching, but luckily not from the stage! The Arts Division at UCSC is thrilled to present a live streaming reading of Scheie’s signature piece, “Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors,” to raise money for the newly established Danny Scheie Scholarship Fund and honor Danny’s incredible impact on so many. Featuring Scheie as the Dromio twins, along with an impressive cast drawn from his hilarious 1988 production with Shakespeare Santa Cruz, this enthralling presentation will also include talented student and professional actors he’s worked with across his storied career. All proceeds will benefit the Danny Scheie Scholarship Fund which will provide an annual grant to selected UCSC theater students to help launch their performing arts careers. Ticket prices start at $10. Friday, April 23, 5:30pm. Visit arts.ucsc.edu/news_events/live-reading-comedy-errors for more information and Zoom information.
COMMUNITY
AFFORDABLE EVS: HOW TO QUALIFY FOR A FREE OR LOW-COST EV Join this webinar to find out just how affordable EVs really are. We’ll do the cost breakdown on how income-qualified individuals are getting money put back in their pockets or leasing for as low as $35/month. We’ll also discuss electric vehicle basics: charging, battery range, new vs. used, federal, state and regional rebates/incentives that make buying an EV super affordable. Saturday, April 24, 10-11:30am. Ecology Action, 877 Cedar St., Suite 240, Santa Cruz.
ASK ME ANYTHING: CONVERSATIONS FROM THE FRONT LINE OF HOMELESSNESS Join Housing Matters’ programs staff in their newest webinar: “Ask Me Anything: Conversations from the Front Line Of Homelessness.” This is your opportunity to hear what is going on every single day to solve homelessness and ask all the questions you have about working to solve homelessness in our community. Monday, April 26, 10am. Housing Matters, 115 Coral St., Santa Cruz.
CUÉNTAME UN CUENTO – DÍA DEL NIÑO ¡Acompáñanos para una presentación especial donde celebraremos el Día del Niño con cuentos y música con nuestro invitado especiál, MusicalMe! Le animamos a traer una maraca u otro instrumento musical. Una manualidad para crear un librito para los niños estará disponible en su biblioteca más cercana. Este programa es para niños de 0-8 y sus familias. Será una reunión virtual en vivo de Zoom. Es necesario registrarse para este evento. Los registrantes recibirán un correo electrónico 24 horas y 1 hora antes del programa con un enlace Zoom e instrucciones para iniciar sesión. Join us for a special Spanish Storytime, as we celebrate Día del Niño with stories and music with our special guest, MusicalMe. We encourage you to bring a noisemaker or other musical instrument. A mini book craft will be available at your closest library branch. It’s going to be a live Zoom meeting. Registration is required for this event; register at santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/7432108. Registrants will receive an email 24 hours and one hour prior to the program with a Zoom link and instructions for logging in. Saturday, April 24, 11am-noon.
GREY BEARS BROWN BAG LINE If you are able-bodied and love to work fast, this is for you! Grey Bears could use more help with their brown bag production line on Thursday and Friday mornings. As a token of our thanks, we make you breakfast and give you a bag of food, if wanted. Be at the warehouse with a mask and gloves at 7am, and we will put you to work until at least 9am. Call ahead if you would like to know more. greybears.org. 831-479-1055. Thursday, April 22, 7am. California Grey Bears, 2710 Chanticleer Ave., Santa Cruz.
OMEGA NU’S 31ST ANNUAL DUCKY DERBY Duck adoptions, sponsorships, and donations are now being accepted for the Virtual 31st Annual Omega Nu Ducky Derby. Due to county Covid-19 restrictions, Ducky Derby will be held virtually this year. There will be multiple virtual races and lots of amazing prizes! Adopt a duck and cheer it on as you watch the races online. Please help Omega Nu continue our long-standing tradition of supporting vitally needed community programs, charities, college scholarships, and teacher grants for classroom materials. Please visit duckyderbysantacruz.org and join in the fun of our 2021 virtual event where you can adopt ducks for a chance to win prizes while supporting your local community. Saturday, April 24.
PUPPYLOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS What if the Three Bears were really Teddy Bears? What if Goldilocks was not a little girl at all, but a golden, mischievous little dog? That is exactly the case in this very funny retelling of the traditional fairy tale. Watch this impish little dog do everything wrong in the bears’ house while the bears are off to the Teddybear Circus! Puppylocks is presented with traditional Bohemian-style marionettes on a tabletop stage. It runs for about 40 minutes and is recommended for ages 3 and up. For more information contact Julie Soto at 831-427-7713. Saturday, April 24, 11am-noon. Santa Cruz Public Libraries, 117 Union St., Santa Cruz.
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 older. Contact to get the link. salsagente.com. Thursday, April 22, 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, April 22, 10am-2pm. Sunday, April 25, 10am-2pm. Tuesday, April 27, 10am-2pm.
TRINITY FOURTH TUESDAY SANTA CRUZ HISTORY PROGRAM VIA ZOOM Frank Perry, curator of the Capitola Historical Museum, will be speaking on The Cowell Family in Santa Cruz County History. Cowell is a familiar name to most Santa Cruzans. There is Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Cowell College at UCSC, and Cowell Beach near the wharf. So who was Henry Cowell and why is the Cowell name in so many places? How did the Cowell family influence Santa Cruz history? Why are there no descendants of the family? Frank will explore the curious history of the family and the important ways it shaped the course of local history. Zoom link available at trinitypressc.org under news and events. Tuesday, April 27, noon.
GROUPS
COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT FORUM Complementary Treatment Forum is an educational group, a safe place to learn, for women with a cancer diagnosis. Meets every fourth Saturday, currently on Zoom. Registration required; contact WomenCARE at 831-457-2273. Saturday, April 24, 10:30am-12:30pm.
CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP – VIA TELEPHONE 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. To register or for more information please call 800-272-3900. Wednesday, April 21, 5:30pm.
ENTRE NOSOTRAS GRUPO DE APOYO Entre Nosotras support group for Spanish speaking women with a cancer diagnosis. Meets twice monthly. Registration required, call Entre Nosotras 831-761-3973. Friday, April 23, 6pm. WomenCARE, 2901 Park Ave., Suite A1, Soquel.
WOMENCARE ARM-IN-ARM WomenCARE ARM-IN-ARM cancer support group for women with advanced, recurrent, or metastatic cancer. Meets every Monday at WomenCARE’s office. Currently on Zoom. Registration required, contact WomenCARE at 831-457-2273. All services are free. For more information visit womencaresantacruz.org. Monday, April 26, 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. Tuesday, April 27, 12:30-2pm.
OUTDOOR
EARTH DAY CELEBRATION Come celebrate Earth Day with Downtown Commons Advocates and Santa Cruz Climate Action Network in the parking lot on the corner of Cedar and Cathcart Streets in downtown Santa Cruz. There will be musical performances by Russell Brutsche, Anthony Arya, Michael Levy and Peter Weiss, Elie Mabanza and Gina Rene. Learn about the work of community groups, see entries in the Earth Day photo contest, the artwork of Russell Brutsche and participate in a hands-on art activity. This event is free. Please bring your own chairs and drinks, and bike to the event if you can! Saturday, April 24, 1-5pm. Parking lot 4, 616 Cedar St., Santa Cruz.
GROWING A MOVEMENT: AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY AND FOOD POLICY AS TOOLS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE An often overlooked factor in the climate crisis is the role of agriculture, now done at vast commercial scales, with hidden costs (“externalities”—your economics terms of the day). How can we reimagine our agriculture practices for a sustainable future? This talk will focus on some of the key environmental and social externalities of traditional agriculture and how advances in agriculture technology and more robust food policy can address some of these issues. Zoom link: middlebury.zoom.us/s/92687052609?pwd=bThYMGVVV3cyUk1yUzNxdTV3UUQ0QT09#success. Password: IdeasHeal. For questions visit centerfortheblueeconomy.org or call 831-647-4183 (must leave a message and receive a call back). See this lecture and full speaker series: middlebury.edu/institute/academics/degree-programs/international-environmental-policy/overview/speaker-series. Thursday, April 22, 12:30-1:30pm.
OUT AND ABOUT: BIRDING AT NEARY LAGOON Out and About is a monthly series by the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History of family-friendly, small group get-togethers exploring Santa Cruz’s diverse natural spaces through guided activities. Let’s get out and about! This month we’ll be looking for birds at Neary Lagoon Wildlife Refuge, a wonderful oasis for local wildlife in the heart of Santa Cruz. We’ll bring along binoculars for everyone to use and share tips for identifying birds during this one-mile walk. This program is based on the Museum’s Wetland Walk field trip for third-grade students where we explore concepts of seasonal change, migration, and human impacts by exploring this important wetland habitat and recording observations. Registration is required, visit santacruzmuseum.org for more information. Saturday, April 24, 10am-noon. Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, 1305 E Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz.
THE WORK THAT RECONNECTS: COURAGE FOR THE HEALING OF OUR WORLD Join us for a transformational group process that builds motivation, connection, solidarity and vision, renewing the courage to act for the healing of our world. In these times of climate chaos, rampant inequality, systemic racism, and other daily catastrophes, there is a tension between our desire to take urgent action and our need to process reality on a deeper level. The workshop tuition is for both days, and there is not an option for partial participation. We will be adhering to the latest Covid-19 recommendations and precautions. The exact address will be shared after registering. You are welcome to camp on-site, and there are many hotels nearby. All meals are on your own. There are many natural food stores and restaurants nearby. Please bring a bowl (for a ritual), notebook, something to write with, and clothing layers. Learn more and register at santacruzpermaculture.com/wtr. April 24-25. $150-$200.
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, April 25, 10:30am. Seymour Marine Discovery Center, 100 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz.
ZOOM SPEAKER SERIES: PLANKTON MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND Join Save Our Shores and local expert panelists from Cabrillo College, UCSC, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, One People One Reef, and OceansMicro as we dive into and explore the unseen world of plankton! Together we will learn how plankton help sustain our planet and support the incredible diversity of life we are fortunate enough to witness in our ocean backyard. We’ll zoom in on these tiny organisms live through the eye of a microscope as we peer into a water sample discovering all that our local Monterey Bay holds within. Lastly, we’ll hear how each of us can continue to learn about and be amazed by plankton while contributing to the valuable data collection and community science efforts that help to better understand our oceans. You won’t want to miss this informative, exciting, and even perhaps emotional discussion. Register online for this Zoom event at saveourshores.salsalabs.org/planktonmaketheworldgoround/index.html. Wednesday, April 21, 6pm.
