Because many in-person events across Santa Cruz County have been canceled or postponed during the pandemic, Good Times is compiling a weekly list of virtual events hosted by local nonprofits, artists, fitness instructors and businesses. To submit your virtual event, send an email to [email protected].
ARTS AND MUSIC
MAGICAL MOONSHINE THEATRE PRESENTS: PUPPYLOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS What if the Three Bears were really Teddy Bears! And 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 fairytale. Watch this impish little dog do everything wrong in the Bear’s house while the bears are off to the Teddy Bear Circus! Puppylocks is presented with traditional Bohemian style marionettes on a tabletop stage. Free all ages library Summer Reading Program: santacruzpl.org/pages/srp. Register online: santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/6780147. Saturday, July 18, 3pm.
MAGICAL MOONSHINE THEATRE PRESENTS THE THREE LITTLE PIGS Three pigs set out to seek their fortunes with a bit of house building. Things don’t go as planned in this creative retelling of the traditional story: houses collapse, pigs and wolves play together, and audience members help the story along with lots of live music, singing, construction and laughter. Presented with traditional Bohemian style marionettes on a tabletop stage. Saturday, July 18, 11am. For more info visit santacruzpl.org.
CONNECTIONS: A VIRTUAL PRINTMAKING EXHIBIT View the virtual Resource Center for Nonviolence “CONNECTIONS” Printmaking Exhibit online through July 31 at rcnv.org/programs/rcnv-exhibits-the-art-of-nonviolence. In this time of the coronavirus and sheltering at home, we yearn for connection. These prints link us to the healing power of nature, our history and our memories. They provide a window of hope for the current moment. The art helps us to remember the past and to face the future. Features eleven artists: Jody Bare, Molly Brown, Marcus Cota, Esmeralda DeGiovanni, Emma Formato, Jane Gregorius, Anita Heckman, Bridget Henry, Glenn Joy, Stephanie Martin and Melissa West. The exhibit has moved online due to Covid-19, since RCNV is temporarily closed to the public. For more information: [email protected].
SPEED SKETCHING Come with paper and pencil and try your hand at speed sketching: All artistic experience is welcome. Prior to beginning the program, please select an object in your home and place it in view of your computer’s camera, and let’s have fun together and see who can draw the silliest, stylish, true to life, or abstract interpretation of it. Every Tuesday afternoon at 2pm, take a break out of your day for some fun! Register for Zoom at: santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/6780189.
CLASSES
SALSA SUELTA IN PLACE: Free weekly online session in Cuban-style Salsa Suelta for experienced beginners and up. Contact to get a Zoom link. Thursdays at 7pm. salsagente.com.
COMMUNITY
MONTH LONG HISTORY SCAVENGER HUNT The MAH has teamed up with Ecology Action and local bike shops to bring you an around-the-town scavenger hunt in honor of Santa Cruz bike month, and our current exhibition, “Trailblazers.” In this epic around-the-town scavenger hunt, whiz through local history, solve riddles, and plan your route. Participants will have all month to complete the scavenger hunt and visit as many clues as possible. The top five players will receive epic prizes: more to come. For more info visit santacruzmah.org/events/race-through-time.
LUMA BOOK CLUB This is a time of seismic shift, and yet also one of opportunity. Luma Yoga is a community center operating on principles of inclusion, compassion, and, yes, reflection, but make no mistake—also of action. The first step in effective action is gaining knowledge. To this end, Luma is hosting a book club on the topic of racism and social justice issues. The reading groups will be held remotely (for now) over Zoom Thursday nights 7-8:15pm, starting Thursday, July 16, covering chapters 1-5 of “So you Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo. The purpose of the groups is to learn the endless shapes oppression can take in the world, to recognize our own biases within ourselves, and to move from discomfort to action in support of Black and non-white POC. The groups will be facilitated by Steven Macramalla, a professor of Psychology at SJSU. The Club will work on a 3- to 4-week cycle, reading one book per cycle, with several chapters covered each week. For more info visit lumayoga.com. Thursdays at 7pm.
2020 SUMMER LUNCH PROGRAM Children and youth aged 18 and under can get free lunches this summer at 12 sites throughout Santa Cruz County! The annual Summer Lunch program, sponsored by La Manzana Community Resources, a program of Community Bridges, combats food insecurity and supports good nutritional habits. The Summer Lunch program begins June 8 and serves lunch Monday through Friday from 12-1pm. Free meals will be provided to all children, without eligibility documentation, who are 18 years of age and younger. For more info visit communitybridges.org/lmcr.
KIDS CREATE STEAM PROJECT SERIES Series of STEAM programs through the summer for kids of all ages, presented via Facebook and our YouTube channel. Look for new videos on Tuesdays at 3:30pm and Fridays at 10am through July. Check out our Facebook (facebook.com/santacruzpl) and Youtube channel (youtube.com/user/SantaCruzPL).
LEGO BUILDING CHALLENGE Join our eight-week summer Lego Building Challenge. You will only need common Lego pieces to complete these challenges. To join the fun, register each week via our online calendar, through July 29. On Wednesday, you will receive an email with the weekly challenge. If you would like to share your creation, post a photo on our Facebook SCPL Lego Building Challenge webpage. Bonus building challenges will be posted there for intermediate-level Lego fans. Learn more at santacruzpl.org.
TALES TO TAILS GOES VIRTUAL Tales to Tails goes virtual to create a comfortable, neutral, and fun reading experience. Bring some books, a stuffed animal or your own pet, and come read with us! This is a YouTube livestream event so you might be reading to up to six animals at once. Woo hoo! Caregivers, you can post your child’s first name and city in the comments section, along with the book they are reading, and we’ll read off as many of those names as we can, live, during the break we need to give the dogs. Each week you register we’ll send you your dog bone “punch cards.” These will be dated dog bones your child can color and email to us. The following week, we’ll display them live on the feed. This will also be recorded so if you can’t make it live, the dogs will still be there for you. Every Wednesday, 10-11am. Learn more at santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/6764929.
PEOPLE AND STORIES: READING DEEPLY IN COMMUNITY People and Stories is dedicated to opening doors to literature for new audiences. Through oral readings and rigorous discussions of enduring short stories, we invite participants to find fresh understandings of themselves, of others, and of the world. Please note that some stories contain themes and language of an adult nature. Santa Cruz Public Libraries offers People and Stories regularly in our county jails. We invite you to our special eight-week session on Zoom! Drop in for one or attend all eight People and Stories sessions! Wednesdays through July 29, 1:30pm. Learn more at santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/6760931.
GROUPS
SUNSET BEACH BOWLS Experience the tranquility, peace and calmness as the ocean waves harmonize with the sound of Crystal Bowls. Every Tuesday at 7:45pm. Moran Lake Park.
VIRTUAL YOUNG ADULT (18-30) TRANSGENDER SUPPORT GROUP A weekly peer support group for young adults aged 18-25 who identify as transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, agender, or any other non-cisgender identity. This is a social group where we meet and chat among ourselves, sharing our experiences and thoughts in a warm, welcoming setting. Our meetings will be held on Discord during the shelter-in-place order. For more info, contact Ezra Bowen at [email protected].
LGBTQNBI+ SUPPORT GROUP FOR CORONAVIRUS STRESS This weekly LGBTQNBI+ support group is being offered to help us all deal with stress during the shelter-in-place situation that we are experiencing from the coronavirus. Feel free to bring your lunch and chat together to get support. This group is offered at no cost and will be facilitated by licensed therapists Shane Hill, Ph.D., and Melissa Bernstein, LMFT #52524. Learn how to join the Zoom support group at diversitycenter.org/community-calendar.
OUTDOOR
OUTDOOR CIRCLE DANCING We have found the way to come together in a Sacred Circle, 6 feet apart, without holding hands, and dance our Circle Dances! Barbara Thomas invites you: Sunday, August 9, 3-5pm led by Maureen Atkins; Sunday, Sept. 13, 3-5pm led by Maureen Atkins. Each Dance is first taught. By donation. Please bring water, a 4pm little snack for yourself, also your own food to eat together afterwards at 5pm, instead of a potluck. (Sanitizing lotion will be available). Important to RSVP so we can keep count of numbers. Outdoors in the Amphitheater, Ben Lomond Redwoods. 11737 Alba Road, Ben Lomond. For further information and to keep count of our list of attendees, please reply to: Barbara Thomas at [email protected] or 831-336-2673, or Juliet Goldstein at [email protected] or 831-662-0186.
AMAZING TIDEPOOL ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS Local California State Parks in Santa Cruz County are offering virtual junior ranger programs for 7- to 12-year-old children during the Covid-19 pandemic. These fun, free Zoom webinars are scheduled on Mondays and Fridays at 10am each week in July. Children receive a digital stamp for each program they attend; after receiving a certain number of stamps, they can earn prizes! How is it possible to live in the difficult environment of a tidepool? Discover the superheroes of the intertidal zone with a state park interpreter! This interactive program will be broadcast as a Zoom webinar. Registration is required. To register, visit tinyurl.com/SantaCruzJuniorRangers. Free event. Friday, July 17, 10am.
A MOST UNIQUE AMUSEMENT ENTERPRISE Local California State Parks in Santa Cruz County are offering virtual junior ranger programs for 7- to 12-year-old children during the Covid-19 pandemic. These fun, free Zoom webinars are scheduled on Mondays and Fridays at 10am each week in July. Children receive a digital stamp for each program they attend; after receiving a certain number of stamps, they can earn prizes! Why do we have a sunken concrete ship at the end of a pier on our beach? Travel back in time to uncover the answers. This interactive program will be broadcast as a Zoom webinar. Registration is required. To register, visit tinyurl.com/SantaCruzJuniorRangers. Free event. Monday, July 20, 10am.
MYSTERIES OF THE MARBLED MURRELET Join us as we investigate one of the park’s most secretive and elusive residents. Like our Facebook page to receive a notification when this pre-recorded program is premiered: facebook.com/PortolaRedwoodsStatePark. Viewers will be able to post questions and comments during the premiere for a state park interpreter to answer. The program will also be available for later viewing. Free event. Friday, July 17, 7pm.
CONSERVATION, CAMPFIRE, AND COOKIES Join the interpreters of Seacliff and New Brighton State Beaches with songs and games focusing on environmental conservation and a special campfire cookie! Like our Facebook page to receive a notification when this pre-recorded program is premiered: facebook.com/SeacliffStateBeach. Viewers will be able to post questions and comments during the premiere for a state park interpreter to answer. The program will also be available for later viewing. Free event. Saturday, July 18, 7pm.
SEYMOUR CENTER’S OCEAN EXPLORERS VIRTUAL SUMMER CAMP Ocean Explorers experience the thrill of scientific discovery at a working marine lab. Join the Seymour Marine Discovery Center for behind-the-scenes virtual visits, live streaming interactions with scientists and animal trainers, and much more! Children actively learn in a distance learning format. Enjoy a week of fun this summer learning about ocean science. Investigate the incredible creatures that inhabit Monterey Bay. Discover how ocean scientists work with marine animals at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center and Long Marine Lab to help conserve animals in the wild. Space is limited–APPLY NOW! Masterful Marine Mammals, ages 9-11, July 13-17, and August 3-7. Masterful Marine Mammals, ages 12-14, July 20-24. Marine Science for Girls, ages 9-11, (waitlist only), July 27-31. Programs run 10:30am to 2:30pm (1-hour lunch break from 12-1pm): varied activities and mini-breaks. Fees: Members $250 (was $610); General Public $300 (was $650). Learn more at seymourcenter.ucsc.edu/learn/youth-teen-programs/ocean-explorers-summer-camp.
