Community Calendar • Arts & Entertainment – Pages 28

Thursday September 16 thru Sunday September 19

FESTIVAL OF LIGHT, SOUND, DIGITAL CULTURE 5-10 p.m., Downtown Santa Cruz The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH) will debut Frequency, a new biennial festival of light, sound, and digital culture. Featured artworks include: Ocean of Light: Submergence and Orbital Phasing by Squidsoup (U.K.); Silver Lining by Sujin Lim (South Korea); Poems of Positivity by Orlosky Studio (Richmond, Va); Quilt City by Office Kovacs (Los Angeles), Entanglement by The Epicenter (Santa Cruz); Zoom Meeting by Visual Endeavors, Inc. (Santa Cruz); Quantum Elders’ Consciousness Vaccine by Karlton Hester (Santa Cruz); The Trellis Project by M. James Becker (Santa Cruz); CUBEISM 2: Baroque Edition by Patrick Stefaniak (Santa Cruz); Lite Sprites by David Crellin (Santa Cruz); and The Choose Your Own Adventure Show by Stellaria Creative Co. (Santa Cruz).

There will be pop-up performances, artist talks, workshops, and late-night experiments. All outdoor attractions can be seen at no charge. Admission to the museum, hosting some indoor festival programs, is: $10 adults, $5 children 12 and under, and free for MAH members.

Photo: Submergence by Squidsoup (UK)

Friday September 17

CELEBRANDO LA CULTURA: FREE OUTDOOR CONCERT 6 p.m., Watsonville City Plaza The Watsonville Film Festival is thrilled to celebrate Mexican Independence Day and our local community of essential farmworkers with CELEBRANDO LA CULTURA, a hybrid program of film, music and dance!

This special program includes a free Outdoor Concert in Watsonville City Plaza as well as a Virtual Showcase of Los Cenzontles’ Films, including the screening of the award-winning documentary Linda (Ronstadt!) and the Mockingbirds from September 15 through 18 at watsonvillefilmfest.org (watch the trailer here: www. youtube.com/watch?v=i89XDw91GRk)

There will also be a Zoom Panel on Thursday, Sept.16 at 6 p.m. with Los Cenzontles and award-winning filmmakers. Info for the panel can also be found at watsonvillefilmfest.org ••• Celebrando La Cultura is co-presented by Los Cenzontles Cultural Academy and the McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, with additional support is provided by the City of Watsonville and the Watsonville Campesino Appreciation Caravan. We have also partnered with the nonprofit healthcare organization Salud Para La Gente to provide a mobile vaccination clinic for concert attendees.

Saturday September 18

FLORAL PARK CAMPAIGN LAUNCH PARTY 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Floral Park, 656 38th Ave., Santa Cruz Bring kids, dogs, friends, family, and join County Park Friends to get started on fixing up Floral Park. Attendees will meet, greet, learn and plan.

Thanks to the generosity of folks like Roland and Pat Rebele, Bud and Rebecca Colligan, Derek Draper and many many more, more than $150,000 has been raised toward the community’s vision for an upgraded Floral Park.

Now community members are invited to get involved. County Park Friends is the team that brought you LEO’s Haven inclusive playground at Chanticleer Park, created the Cement Ship Skate feature at Seacliff Village, and are breaking ground on a new playground at Hidden Beach.

GREY BEARS ANNUAL HARVEST GALA

Saturday September 25

9 a.m.-1 p.m., 2710 Chanticleer Ave., Santa Cruz Eat, learn, move and shop at this year’s Harvest Celebration 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, outside Grey Bears in Santa Cruz.

Enjoy appetizers and savory barbecue lunch (veggie options), music, live comedy, free classes including chair yoga, auction and storewide 50% off sale. 10:30 am – 11:30 am: 15-min. free chair yoga classes with Suzi 11:30 am – BBQ lunch 11:45 am – Comedy with DNA and friends 12:15 pm – Keynote speaker, Supervisor Manu Koenig 1 pm – Recycling tour 1:30 pm – Auction To donate products or services to the auction, call 831-479-1055 ext 223. To donate cash see https://www.greybears.org/ support/ n

LAVENDER SALE 9 a.m.-2 p.m., 829 Bay Ave., Capitola (behind Woodworm) The Mid County Senior Center Garden will host a parking lot sale.

The Mid County Senior Center Lavender Ladies will be selling their homemade masks, bowl cozies, eye pillows, sachets, and other items. The gardeners will sell in-season organic produce and fresh cut flower arrangements. The MCSC Craft Ladies and Book Club will sell hand made hats, scarfs, and blankets. All proceeds benefit Mid County Senior Center.

SAVE OUR SHORES COASTAL CLEANUP 9 a.m.-Noon, Natrual Bridges State Beach The Santa Cruz County Office of Education Tobacco Use Prevention Education program, is joining forces with Save Our Shores, the Marine Mammal Center, and the Santa Cruz County Tobacco Education Coalition, to participate in the 2021 Annual Coastal Cleanup Day 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept.18. Volunteers will meet at Natural Bridges State Beach and also be involved with a special tobacco waste data collection. Register at https://saveourshores.org/coastal-cleanup/.

During September, download the Clean Swell App at https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/ international-coastal-cleanup/cleanswell/ to collect data on the types of trash you find on the beach.

The Santa Cruz County Office of Education Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) program, is joining forces with Save Our Shores, the Marine Mammal Center, and the Santa Cruz County Tobacco Education Coalition, to participate in the 2021 Annual Coastal Cleanup Day event held on September 18th from 9am-12pm. Participating volunteers will meet us at Natural Bridges State beach and will also be involved with our special tobacco waste data collection effort. (All materials will be provided.) invites you to bring your Aloha spirit and register for the 29th Annual Aloha Outrigger Race.

The short-course Outrigger Races are designed especially for the new or novice paddlers. Enter a four-person crew 12 years of age and older and the rec department will provide a stroker, steer-person and all necessary equipment with enough instruction to get you racing. Entry fee is $125.

Sponsored by the Pu Pu O-Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Club, O’Neill, The California Outrigger Canoe Association and the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department. Register at www.santacruzparksandrec.com.

Tuesday September 21 Wednesday September 29

UC MASTERS GARDENING CLASSES 5-6:30 p.m., UCSC UC Master Gardeners of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties offers free online gardening classes:

Sept. 21: Drought-Tolerant Perennials — Fall is the best time to plant these perennials. UC Master Gardener Scott Adams will discuss plants from Mediterranean and desert ecosystems around the globe that perform well in this area.

Sept. 29: Child-Friendly Garden Playground — Learn how to construct a green bean playhouse, which plants attract swallowtail butterflies and caterpillars, how to grow edible flowers year-round, and how to make a mud kitchen. UC Master Gardener Anne Jensen, a mother of 2 children (ages 4 & 7), turned a grassy lawn into an edible oasis where the children play and explore every day. Donations are appreciated. To register, visit mbmg.ucanr.edu.

Wednesday September 22

NAMI HOSTS SUICIDE PREVENTION TALK 6-7:30 p.m., Online Zoom Meeting NAMI Santa Cruz County, a local group affiliated with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will host a free presentation on Zoom featuring Carly Memoli and Celeste Cisneros of the Suicide Prevention Service of the Central Coast.

This talk is part of Suicide Prevention Month activities.

The link to join is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84234842877

The meeting ID is 842 3484 2877. For information about NAMI, visit www.namiscc.org, call 831-824-0406 or email anastasia@namiscc.org.

Friday September 24

SECOND HARVEST FOOD DISTRIBUTION 9 a.m.-Noon, SC County Fairgrounds This will be the final scheduled Second Harvest Food Bank’s drive-through food distribution at the fairgrounds. For more information, call the food hotline: 831-662-0991.

ELKHORN SLOUGH VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Online This event will include nature craft tutorials, a behind the scenes look at the reserve’s nursery and researchers talking about the science of the slough. Visit the online calendar at http://www.elkhornslough.org/ calendar/

Saturday September 25 Saturday September 26

CAPITOLA BEACH FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Saturday

Little Wharf 3 MILER Fun Run 8 – 11 AM Must preregister. Shuttles available.

Sand Sculpture Contest 8 AM – Noon; Registration online or on Capitola Beach at 8 AM. Trophy judging at 12:30 PM. Award at 1 PM

Children’s Art 11 AM – 2 PM Sign up at Esplanade Park. Children pre-school age and above can create their own masterpiece atop the seawall on the Esplanade. Art chalk provided.

Music at the Beach 4 – 6 PM Houserockers sponsored by Strock Real Estate. Music and dancing in Esplanade Park.

Lighted Nautical Parade on Soquel Creek approximately 7 – 8 pm View a parade of lighted barges will travel down Soquel Creek to the Lagoon — no access to the trestle allowed.

Sunday

Fishing Derby 7 – 11:30 AM Registration begins at 7 AM near the end of the Capitola Wharf. Bring your own fishing poles. Open to all ages. Final tally at 11 AM.

Horseshoes on the Sand 7 AM - Finish Doubles tournament at Capitola Beach in front of Zelda’s Restaurant. Teams will be chosen by drawing names from a hat. Must pre-register or call (831) 419-6399. Check-in time 7 - 8 am.

Chalk Art on the Seawall 10 AM -1 PM Sign up at Esplanade Park. Children pre-school age and above can create their own masterpiece atop the seawall on the Esplanade. Art chalk provided.

Rowboat Races 1 PM - Finish Registration at the pathway by the Stockton Bridge from Noon until 1 PM. Timed heats on Soquel Creek with two people per boat – boats supplied. Registration is at: Capitolabeachfestival.com n