Capitola Beach Festival Moves to 2021

COMMUNITY NEWS Capitola Beach Festival Moves to 2021

The Capitola Beach Festival committee decided, like so many other large community gatherings, to move the 2020 Festival plans to 2021.

“I am disappointed. We all wanted this festival to boost our spirits,” said Acting President Mary Beth Cahalen . “We searched for ways to present even a portion of the Festival this September. In the end, the team expressed concerns about safely conducting our events in such uncertain times and preferred to return the full Festival in 2021.”

Many committee members voiced their desires to help the Capitola Village businessesinthisdifficultyear,andsupport our community with our family-oriented events. In the final analysis, it came down to preserving the health and safety of our children and the community at large.

The Capitola Beach Festival Committee is much the same team that led the Capitola Begonia Festival until 2017 used his downtime to test every recipe on the menu, tweaking, and upgrading when necessary. Sous chef Oscar de la Rosa is a skilled and creative chef who has been a valuable asset to the team by training the cooks in the culinary arts. The menu has been shortened by less than 20 percent and efforts were made to keep guest favorites. Bilingual menus have been printed and as always, care is taken to offer alternates for customers who request vegan or gluten-free options. This carries over to the dessert menu, fashioned by pastry chef Linda Estrada, whose scrumptious glutenfree Chocolate Molten Cake remains a popular favorite. She has served the restaurant for seven years. when the Brown Ranch family retired from growing begonias.

These volunteers regrouped in 2018 couldn’t qualify for unemployment were hired to improve the property by repainting, polishing and repaving the parking lot.

“The place is sparkling!” Burke said.

Burke, Skinner and Fyock shared they are looking forward to more days of customers sharing food, stories, and gathering to celebrate life.

Waiters won’t be able to greet customers with their usual smiles because they will be wearing masks but they plan to do the next best thing: Their masks will have the word “Shadowbrook” shaped in a smile!

Burke admits it will be impossible to

as the Capitola Beach Festival with many of the Begonia Festival favorites: sand sculptures, rowboat races, fishing derby, horseshoes, concerts, and chalk art. The Lighted Boat parade at night on Soquel Creek replaced the Begonia Nautical Parade, and a family-friendly “Lil’ Wharf” foot race rounded out the new festival.

Laurie Hill, committee member, said, “Last year’s Lighted Boat Parade was stunning and we anticipated the momentum of our third year. We will return with greater confidence and renewed enthusiasm for a safe festival for all.“

Join in the Capitola Beach Festival as a volunteer, a sponsor, and by participating in the events on the last weekend of Sep

“Shadowbrook” from page 6 time they wash their hands. The 2-second scan gives instant results and if contami

Almost all of the waiters and busboys nation is detected, team members must have returned to work after receiving rewash and rescan. Dining menus are disCOVID-19 testing and online training to posable, but a ultraviolet sterilizer wand assist with service skills. They regularly sanitizes the plastic bar menu each time it receive a state-regulated certification on is used. If a customer pays with cash, the food handling. servers will wash and sanitize their hands

More changes: Up-to-date detection after handling. technology. A hand hygiene scanner for Burke praises “bright and eneremployees gives real-time feedback every getic” chef Michael Cameron, who Photo courtesy of Shadowbrook Another inspired The famous cable car ride at Shadowbrook Restaurant provides views plan took place during the of the beautifully landscaped gardens. closure. Employees who

tember 2021. n make up for the lost time and his hope is simply to break even.

Reservations are accepted 30 days in advance and there were already many on the books when we spoke.

Hours have been adjusted. The Bar and the Rock Room open at noon every day and the bar menu is available until 10 p.m. Dining Room hours are Monday through Friday, 4-8:45 p.m., Saturday 2-9:15 p.m., and Sunday 2-8:45 p.m. New specials are listed daily. n •••

Shadowbrook Restaurant is at 1750 Wharf Road, Capitola. Call 831-475-1511 or visit www.shadowbrook-capitola.com/

COMMUNITY NEWS New Moms Get Diapers For Baby

The Santa Cruz County Public Health Division Family Health Unit has received $9,000 from the Central California Alliance for Health to purchase and distribute diapers and baby wipes to Medi-Cal families in need.

“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the families we serve with children ages 0-5, as well as our community partners

have been reaching out to us for support, and reporting not only a decline in income for families, but also increased difficulty accessing the most basic of necessities, diapers being at the top of the list,” said Susan Paradise, manager of family health. “Many new parents are not leaving the house for safety reasons, and do not have the financial or technological resources to order diapers online. We have found that right now, one of the best ways we increase the wellbeing of families is through the distribution of these basic resources to help parents provide for their infants and young children.”

Diapers and baby wipes will be distributed to families through Thrive by Three Initiative partners including Encompass Early Head Start, Families Together, Salud Para La Gente, Santa Cruz Community Health Centers, and the Santa Cruz County Public Health Nursing Home “Memorial” from page 8

“I only hope our children will grow up to just like their father,” she said.

Lisa Andersen, accompanied by Kid Andersen on guitar, sang the Jenn Bostic song, “It’s not my place to question. Only God knows why … I’m just jealous of the angels around the throne tonight.”

Singer Mira Goto sang the Jo Dee Messina song: “Heaven was needing a hero, brave enough to stand up for what you believe and follow through.”

The memorial included bagpipers, a wall of honor formed by law enforcementofficers salutingthe casket, and a flyover by helicopters.

Schlaepfer urged those attending to share stories about Gutzwiller with his children and follow his example: “Seek to multiply the good in Damon’s life into your own.” n •••

If you’re interested in helping support Sgt. Gutzwiller’s family in their time of need, visit https://www.scsheriff.com and click on the Memorial Fund button to learn more. Visiting Programs as well as the Dominican Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Birth Network.

The grant from the Alliance gave a significant jumpstart to the diaper drive initiated by the Perinatal Mental Health Coalition of Santa Cruz County, which has a mission to improve awareness of mood disorders during pregnancy and postpartum and aims to expand resources and support systems, provide education and encourage early recognition and treatment.

“Depression and anxiety during pregnancy or postpartum impacts one in five women in Santa Cruz County. Diaper drives are one of many ways to lessen stress placed on families, especially right now,” said Dominique Teaford, the public health nurse who facilitates the Coalition.

Tiny Tots Diaper Service and Parent Resource Center and the California Breastfeeding Coalition have promoted the drive The earlier deaths occurred in March and April. Newel said COVID-19 was a contributing factor in the June 15 death, but not the primary cause so she wasn’t sure if it should be listed. “We went back and forth with the state,” she said. In the end, she followed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control standards thatdefine a COVID-19 deathas one

and brought in thousands of dollars and diaper donations from caring community

Santa Cruz County Health Department Announces Third COVID-19 Death

The County of Santa Cruz announced Thursday that a third county resident has died after experiencing complications from COVID-19.

The man, in his mid-90s, lived in MidCounty, had other health conditions and was in hospice care, according to Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel. He died June 15.

The method of transmission is under investigation, but is thought to be person-to-person from a close contact, likely a caregiver or family member, Newel said.

“Our hearts go out to those whose lives were touched by this individual,” Newel added. “We at County Public Health continue to do all we can to assure that these occasions are as few as possible, and want to remind everyone that COVID-19 remains a significant threat to all Santa Cruz County residents, but especially the elderly and medically vulnerable among us.” members. n

caused by COVID-19 or where COVID-19 is a contributing factor.

She reminded county residents that social distancing protocols — including maintaining physical distancing and wearing a face covering — are more important than ever. n •••

For local information on COVID-19, go to www.santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus, call 211 or text “COVID19” to 211211.

Residents can call (831) 454-4242 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through

Friday.