The Biggest Collection of Photos from the Aptos Fourth of July Parade 2019 …Aptos World’s Shortest Parade 2019The largest collection of photos from the world’s shortest 4th of July paradeAptos Fourth of July Parade 2019originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 682height 485Aptos Fourth of July Parade 2019originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 381height 507Aptos Fourth of July Parade 2019originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 673height 497Aptos Fourth of July Parade 2019originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 701height 495Aptos Fourth of July Parade 2019originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 376height 377Aptos Fourth of July Parade 2019originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 672height 501Aptos Fourth of July Parade 2019originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 666height 463Aptos Fourth of July Parade 2019originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 675height 506Aptos…
-
-
Shelter Dogs and Other Blessings
Shelter Dogs and Other Blessings By Sheila Borgman On a Sunday morning in May, my 14-year-old daughter Eva sulked as we drove to the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter (SCCAS). The night before I’d told her she couldn’t go to a bonfire with older kids and she’d been giving me the silent treatment ever since. We were headed to our weekly volunteer shift at SCCAS, something we’d been doing since Eva turned 13. Looking back on our eight years at the Shelter, I realize now that our time together went far beyond hanging out with dogs once a week. It was a way to connect during the spooky teenage years…
-
Summer School of Rock
Summer School of Rock Local music school offers kids a chance to join a band and play gigs By Nik Jones Bathed in colorful stage lights and shrouded in a dense, milky cloud from a fog machine, the six members of Full Disclosure rocked the stage of the Rio Theatre in June. They were one of four bands recording an original song written during Be Natural Music’s weeklong summer band camp. “There’s something about having that opportunity to be on stage at a really good gig, and not having to stress about all the issues that come with being in a band,” said Emily Marschall-Niswonger, 15, who played saxophone and…
-
Navigating the Ups and Downs of Friendships: Ask Nicole July 2019
Navigating the Ups and Downs of Friendships: Ask Nicole July 2019 By Nicole M. Young, MSW When my kids were little, their closest friends were the children of my closest friends. Life was simple when I knew and trusted their friends and their friends’ parents. Now, my kids mention friends I’ve never met before, and I know that friendships can begin and end on social media without ever having any face-to-face interactions. It almost makes me miss the “simpler” days of my childhood when social groups changed only as fast as you could dial the phone or write a note on paper. Although life feels more complicated these days, I…
-
New, Technologically Advanced Coaster Opens in Vallejo: Always Amused July 2019
New, Technologically Advanced Coaster Opens in Vallejo: Always Amused July 2019 By Erik Chalhoub With theme parks in Southern California getting all the hype this year — Star Wars: Galaxy Edge recently opened at Disneyland, a new quadruple-launching coaster is being built at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Universal Studios Hollywood is about to debut its re-imagined Jurassic World attraction — parks in Northern California have been relatively quiet in 2019. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk added two new family rides — Twirlin’ Teacups and Crazy Surf — while California’s Great America is prepping for a yet-to-be-announced water park expansion. Gilroy Gardens, meanwhile, is still riding high with its 2018…
-
She Catches Fish to Save Them: Santa Cruz has its First Fish Veterinarian
She Catches Fish to Save Them: Santa Cruz has its First Fish Veterinarian By Susan Landry If you’ve ever wondered about that quirky clownfish car driving around town, you’ll be even more fascinated by the woman inside it. Dr. Jessie Sanders is the first of her kind – a fully trained veterinarian who focuses her practice exclusively on pet fish. The Soquel-based clinic treats more than 30,000 different species of fish. “If it swims, we’ll see it,” Sanders says, though much of her client base consists of koi and goldfish. Sanders pioneered her field shortly after graduating veterinary school, when she realized the dearth of care available to aquatic animals.…
-
Cabrillo Festival Family Days Coming Up in Downtown Santa Cruz
Cabrillo Festival Family Days Coming Up in Downtown Santa Cruz Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music is coming up in August with something for everyone in the community. This highly respected cultural organization has strived to include more and more free family programming to its already brimming two weeks of activities built around new music for orchestra. Beginning on Sunday evening, July 28, the downtown Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium becomes the hub of festivities that include free Open Orchestra Rehearsals, conducted by Music Director Cristian Măcelaru. The rehearsals provide a fascinating opportunity to watch the creative process as 70 orchestra musicians, composers-in-residence, and conductor bring the works to life. Visitors are…
-
Our Pet Cover Photo Contest!
Our Pet Cover Photo Contest! When Bella Herrera was a toddler, she suffered from allergies and her doctor suggested that she eat local honey to try and combat them. She liked honey in tea and her mom, Veronica, made a daily tea party a ritual. It stuck. Bella, then 5, loved tea and she shared her party with her English Bulldog, Bubba, shown here without his pinky finger raised in proper English etiquette. At 12, she still loves tea and her dog. The votes were close for our pet and kid photo of the year. All entrants will get two free passes to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and stay…
-
Apply for College…Without Paying $450,000!
Apply for College…Without Paying $450,000! Local college and admissions specialists discuss the scandal, our local concerns, and what students facing college applications should do By Suki Wessling The recent college admissions scandal comes just as I am writing my last in a series of three articles for GUiSC about preparing for and applying to college. The first article (November) explored “finding your passion” and considering different life paths. The second article (March) explored the idea of “college fit” and how students are often surprised that a less exclusive college might be a better fit for them. This final article was supposed to be about the application process, but we can’t…
-
Join Plastic Free July: Green Living July 2019
Join Plastic Free July: Green Living July 2019 By Meredith Keet of The Zero Shop Join the millions of individuals and families worldwide in cutting your plastic use for Plastic Free July! This campaign, started by the non-profit, Plastic Free Foundation, has become a global movement that is both decreasing plastic use as well as increasing awareness around plastic pollution. What can you do? Challenge yourself, your family, friends and coworkers to use as little plastic as possible for the month of July. Get started by taking a look at where most of your plastic use come from, then brainstorm ways you might be able to avoid producing that waste. …
-
Have you Heard about the Terrible Bacteria Affecting our Sea Lion Population? Did you Know that Same Bacteria are Attacking our Dogs!
Have you Heard about the Terrible Bacteria Affecting our Sea Lion Population? Did you Know that Same Bacteria are Attacking our Dogs! By Dr. Nichole Brooks, DVM Have you heard about the terrible bacteria affecting our Sea Lion Population? Did you know that same bacteria are attacking our dogs! The bacteria is called Leptospirosa, and we often refer to it as lepto or leptospirosis. This is a contagious and life threatening bacteria that causes a severe infection and has also been called “Weil’s disease.” It is considered zoonotic which means it’s contagious to people! The vaccine for this bacteria has been available for many decades, however it has evolved and…
-
Families Grow Healthy with WIC: Birth Matters July 2019
Families Grow Healthy with WIC: Birth Matters July 2019 By Dana Wagner, MS RD IBCLC, Assistant Director, Community Bridges WIC Program This is not just WIC’s motto, it is backed by research. Recent studies highlight how participation in the (WIC) Program is associated with healthier outcomes and cost savings1,2. The 2009 changes to the WIC Food Package, which added more fruits and vegetables and whole grains and tailored infant formula amounts based on age and need, have resulted in healthier growth trajectories and are associated with improved childhood obesity outcomes at age 4. These findings were consistent in two recent studies, one of over 180,000 children served by WIC in…
-
Packaged Snack Bars: What Are We Really Serving our Kids?
Packaged Snack Bars: What Are We Really Serving our Kids? By Kris Holden I remember when my mom used to pack me a granola bar in my lunch. I think that was the only type of “bar,” back in the 70’s, made by Nature Valley. It was hard, crumbly and sweet. Looking at the same brand of bars today, I counted 11 ingredients listed and 3 are different sources of sugar. I wonder if the original bars had “natural flavor” as the current ones do now? Nowadays, bars go by many different names: Cereal bars, Granola bars, Energy bars, Protein bars, Snack bars, and the list goes on. There are…
-
Embers, Sparks, and Fireworks…What You Can Do to Improve Your Home’s Safety
Embers, Sparks, and Fireworks…What You Can Do to Improve Your Home’s Safety Contributed by Fire Safe Santa Cruz County A fire in the wild land creates it’s own local weather conditions. Depending on the fire’s size and intensity, these increased wind velocities and unusual directions can send burning fragments of burning material swirling far and wide, resulting in embers raining down nearly a mile away from the actual fire itself. These embers can and often do cause additional spot fires, depending on the nature and condition of the vegetation in the area, which has often become further dried and flammable by the winds associated with the fire. In the recent…
-
How to Get Back in the Saddle and Get Fired Up for Longer Rides
How to Get Back in the Saddle and Get Fired Up for Longer Rides Join groups, train together and step up for the Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge By Karen Kefauver Last month, on the Girls Rock mountain bike ride, I had quite an ego jolt. On a beautiful, sunny Saturday, I joined a dozen gals for a mellow, social ride that started near downtown Santa Cruz. We rolled out slowly and started riding up, up, up towards the university on a combination of dirt and paved paths. It had been several weeks since my last ride, I told my pal. Within a few minutes, I had to stop talking because…
-
Your Letters and Thoughts: July 2019
Your Letters and Thoughts: July 2019 Denied Heaven or Saved from Hell? My daughter’s lottery number appeared on the screen! She had gotten one of the 12 spots available in the kindergarten class at the Tierra Pacifica Charter school lottery. There had been 350 applicants to the school! “Welcome to our school, you will love it here, congratulations!” I was assured by a school administrator as I left the room where the lottery was held. They had told me to prepare vaccination reports to send in and proof of living in Live Oak. I bolted out of the school and into the parking lot and staggered to my car. It…
-
July 2019-From the Editors
From the Editors: July 2019 Dear Readers, We’re here to help. That could be Growing Up in Santa Cruz’s motto. We want to be a resource for local families to find the things they need to improve life for their kids right on up to adulthood—not just toddlers and below. Take a look at Suki Wessling’s heavily researched story about how to get into great colleges without breaking the law and resorting to bribery. This is the third part of a series Suki has written about the best ways to get your kids into the colleges they want. She will continue to focus on higher education and training programs for…
-
Preventing Dog Bites in Children
Preventing Dog Bites in Children How do we keep dogs and children safe together? By Dr. Gabrielle Ravina According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 800,000 people require medical attention for dog bites each year. Of those victims, children are bitten at a rate almost twice that of adults. For this reason, as both a veterinarian and a mother, I often cringe at those “cute” photos and videos on social media, depicting young children hobnobbing with dogs. While I hate to be a “Debbie Downer,” these photos too often depict children in potentially compromised positions, and in the eyes of a trained professional, are bites waiting to happen. You…
-
The Answer to “I’m Bored”
The Answer to “I’m Bored” By Mary Gaukel Opportunities for career exploration are abundant in our county and summer is a perfect time to connect your young person with some career exploration. In this month’s article, and in next month’s, I will share examples, from throughout the county, of short-term and ongoing activities with related jobs. Connecting students with experiences that are linked to specific careers help youth become self-aware and real-world aware. Teen Kitchen Project – Culinary, Dietician The Teen Kitchen program offers an excellent opportunity for growth & team building while developing valuable hands-on skills. Together youth prepare meals that are delivered to those in the community who…
