Ham Radio Operators Find a Way to Host Field Day, By Becky Steinbruner

VIRTUAL EVENTS (cont.)

During this Covid-19 pandemic we want to especially acknowledge the contributions of farm workers via the Campesino Appreciation Caravan.

Please download the Zoom application prior to joining. Visit https://tinyurl.com/cccconferzoom-9617278770 to join the meeting.

PREPARING GIRLS FOR KINDERGARTEN WITH GIRL SCOUTS VIRTUAL EVENTS Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) is launching a free “Make New Friends” virtual event series to ensure that all girls are prepared to start kindergarten with confidence.

The COVID-19 pandemic and transition to virtual learning and activities has disrupted important educational milestones, particularly for children entering kindergarten this year. Social and emotional learning is important for success in kindergarten, and as the experts on girls’ leadership and development, Girl Scouts is uniquely poised to lead fun and impactful events that help girls make new friends while boosting their social skills, self-confidence, and experience in a classroom or virtual setting.

One of the largest girl-serving organizations offering social and emotional kindergarten readiness programming, Girl Scouts has designed a specialized, engaging four-part virtual event series that is free and open to all girls who are entering kindergarten. Girls will: • practice interacting with other girls, exploring new ideas, and gaining the courage to ask questions about what they see; • explore emotions and learn how being persistent can help them achieve their dreams; • use their senses to process the world around them while practicing reasoning and problem-solving skills; and • learn how to listen to a story, identify key characters, follow a plotline, and then share what they learned. Monday’s 10:30 am -11:00 am • July 20th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111196351280 • July 27th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111197322184 • August 3rd https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111197996200 Monday’s 10:00 am – 10:30 am • August 10th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111195960110 • August 17th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111196401430 • August 24th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111197390388 • August 31st https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111196485682 Tuesday’s 11:30 am – 12:00 pm • July 21st https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111197286076 • July 28th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111197974134 Tuesday’s 10:00 am – 10:30 am • August 4th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111195817684 • August 11th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111196389394 • August 18th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111197384370 • August 25th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111198056380 Wednesday’s 1:30 pm – 2:00 pm • July 22nd https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111196361310

• July 29th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111197328202 • August 5th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111198018266 Wednesday’s 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm • August 12th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111195980170 • August 19th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111196475652 • August 26th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111197691288 • September 2nd https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111198120572 Thursday’s 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm • July 23rd https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111197292094 • July 30th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111197984164 Thursday’s 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm • August 6th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111195839750 • August 13th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111196461610 • August 20th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111197683264 • August 27th https://www.eventbrite. com/e/111198098506

Many in-person kindergarten readiness and pre-K programs have been cancelled or modified due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including opportunities to meet teachers and classmates and to try out a classroom activity. Knowing that social and emotional learning and development are some of the strongest predictors of academic success and healthy relationships, Girl Scouts has designed fun activities for girls to meet these critical milestones. Events will include activities for girls to explore the solar system, create an inspiring drawing to represent their dreams and remind them to be persistent, and much more.

Enter your zip code to sign up for Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast Make New Friends event series at www.girlscouts.org/ready.

PUBLIC EVENT Wednesday July 22

MENTONE TO HOST RIBBON-CUTTING 3 p.m., 174 Aptos Village Way The new David Kinch restaurant Mentone will have a ribbon-cutting with the Aptos Chamber of Commerce. Masks are required.

Mentone has set up tables and chairs in their parking lot for spritizes, snacks and pizzas Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 3-7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.

The menu is online at mentonerestaurant.com. For information call 831-708-4040.

FEATURED COLUMNIST Ham Radio Operators Find a Way to Host Field Day

By Becky Steinbruner

At a time when most of our treasured From a hilltop vineyard deep in the annual events have been cancelled Santa Cruz Mountains, the radio operators due to COVID-19 restrictions, local exchanged hundreds of messages with amateur radio operators found a way to others from throughout North America keep this year’s June 27-28 Field Day event over a 24-hour period, using power from up and on the air. solar panels and quiet portable generators.

Since 1933, with silence only in 1942- This year, some people in the county set 1945 due to World War II, the American up smaller radio stations near their homes Radio Relay League as well, and joined the Field Day event has promoted Field remotely. Day as an emergencyIt was a great success. readiness exercise and Ensuring that this year’s Field Day as a way to promote was not cancelled was important not amateur radio to only because the radio operators treasure newcomers. Normally the event and its rich history, but also this event, held on a because the community service events weekend in June, is a hard-working beehive Becky Steinbruner that normally provide good disaster communication training for the radio operators of people, shoulder-to-shoulder, raising who volunteer for disaster public service portable antennas and sharing radio were all cancelled. These include the Big microphones and potluck dinners with an Sur International Marathon, the Sea Otter extended invitation to the public. Classic, and numerous local cycling and

However, when COVID-19 restrictions triathlon events. threatened to eliminate all of that, members Amateur radio figures heavily of the Santa Cruz County Amateur Radio into emergency communication plans Club and San Lorenzo Valley Amateur throughout North America, and espeRadio Club were determined to find a way cially in Santa Cruz County, which easily to hold this year’s June 27-28 event safely. becomes isolated in natural disasters.

Traditionally the two local clubs join Santa Cruz County has an unusually forces, often including the UC Santa Cruz high number of licensed and active radio Amateur Radio Club members. This year, operators. They are ready and waiting to the UCSC students did not participate, lend well-trained assistance when called because most of them had left town when upon by local Emergency Operations staff COVID-19 shut down the campus. in the next emergency or disaster. n

“When we looked at everything that ••• had to fall away in order to make the event For more information, visit: happen safely, things got simpler,” said San Lorenzo Valley Amateur Radio Club: Kerry Veenstra, the event coordinator and https://www.slvarc.org/ whose radio call sign is K3RRY. No sharing Santa Cruz County Amateur Radio Club: food at a big public potluck. No huge http://www.k6bj.org/ and complicated antennas that require lots of people working closely together to raise. No open invitations to the public.

Instead, the antenna configurations were simple, and the types of equipment reduced. People signed up for short shifts of radio operation so no one sat side-by-side. Everybody wore masks, sanitized their stations often, and brought their own food and water. The public visited the site via a Zoom conJohn Sisler (KJ6ZL) adjusts antenna for radio communi ference tour. cation using satellites.