A weekly guide to what’s happening
Thursday-Saturday, 3/12-3/14
Watsonville Film Festival
Debuting in a new venue with the theme “Stories Matter,” the 8th Annual Watsonville Film Festival will present 20 films, as well music, art and conversations with filmmakers over three days. The closing film is the docu-drama The Infiltatrators, which won two awards at Sundance for its dramatic recreation of a true incident in which undocumented teenage immigrants broke in to a for-profit detention center in the U.S.—with a plan to get themselves and others out. The film’s director Alex Rivera is one of the festival’s many post-film-discussion special guests. Selected screenings will also include dances immediately following the films.
INFO: Women’s Club, 12 Brennan St., Watsonville. Ticket info and schedule at watsonvillefilmfest.org.
Friday 3/13
Top Dog Film Festival
Meet dogs from all walks of life on the big screen at the Top Dog Film Festival—The Top Dog 2-hour cinematic celebration honoring the bond between dogs and their people. Filled will delightfully doggy moments of joy and celebration of our beloved canine companions. From the surfing dog of Huntington Beach, the bus-riding pooch of Seattle, the husky dogs of Alaska, and the working dogs of Australia, meet four-legged heroes, unbreakable bonds and canine companions that enrich the lives of all those they encounter.
INFO: 7pm. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. 423-8209. topdogfilmfestival.com. $15.
Saturday 3/14
Green Fix
Cowell Beach Cleanup
Cowell Beach isn’t the state’s dirtiest beach any longer. Let’s keep it that way. Meet at the base of the stairs, dress in layers, wear sun protection, and bring a filled reusable water bottle. Save Our Shores encourages volunteers to avoid single-use plastics at our cleanups. Volunteers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Closed-toe shoes are required. Restrooms and drinking fountains are available onsite. Metered parking is available and may be limited, so please plan accordingly. All cleanup materials are provided, but volunteers are welcome to bring their own (gloves, buckets, grabbers) to help us reduce our use of single-use items. Dream Inn will host a BBQ for all volunteers at noon.
INFO: 10am-noon. Saturday, March 14. Cowell Beach, 100 Beach St., Santa Cruz.
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. Free.
‘The Golden State Art Show’ Reception
In honor of National Women’s Month, women-artists from throughout California are coming together to present an impressive display of paintings, sculptures and other artworks in The Golden State Art Show. Confirmed participating artists include Dani B, Suki Berry, Rose Briccetti, HumanShapedAnimal, Britt Kuchenmeister, Elyse Pignolet, Missy Reitner-Cameron, Lena Rushing, Leigh Erickson, and Mamie Young. Additional artists will be announced as the event approaches. The Art Cave, a woman-owned gallery, is hosting a reception opening the show through the month of March. In the spirit of supporting women, partial proceeds from the show will go to Planned Parenthood. Show on display through the end of March. Image: Britt Kuechenmeister.
INFO: 6pm. Saturday, March 14. The Art Cave, 2801 Mission St. #2803, Santa Cruz. Free.
Art Seen
Botanical Bundle-Dyeing and Extraction Workshop
Textile designer Victoria Larnach is hosting a bundle-dyeing class. The dyes are made with seasonal plants and compost scraps from the kitchen and garden. Participants will learn different methods of extracting color from plants and flowers and explore a natural palette as an alternative to chemical dyeing. Each participant will leave with dyed samples and several unique, ready-to-wear project pieces.
INFO: 10am-1pm. Saturday, March 14. Westside New Leaf, 1101 Fair Ave., Santa Cruz. bit.ly/NewLeaf-events-1. $50 or two for $90.
Saint Pittie’s Day Bar Crawl
Kiss me, I’m a pittie. This weekend, the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is putting pitbulls in the limelight. The weekend-long pitbull adopt-a-thon pub crawl features discounted pints from Discretion Brewing, Beer Thirty and more, or bring your pittie or pit-mix along for free professional portraits for all Santa Cruz County owners.
INFO: 8pm. Saturday, March 14. Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, 1001 Rodriguez St., Santa Cruz. Free.
Tuesday 3/17
38th St. Patty’s Day at the Poet
Join the Poet for one of the longest-running St. Paddy’s Day celebrations in Santa Cruz with a pint and a fish supper. In their 38th year of celebrating the luck of the Irish, The Poet will have the renowned Scrumptious Fish and Chips food truck parking from 3-7pm. There will be live music from 4-7pm, plus Guinness, Harp and Smithwicks all on tap (duh), in addition to other local, but less festive, brews.
INFO: 1pm. Poet and The Patriot Irish Pub, 320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. Free.
