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The SLV Music & Art Festival
The 3rd annual SLV Music & Art Festival is an outdoor, community event that features performances by: SLVHS choir and bands, SLVMS bands, SLV Nature Academy Band, SLVE and BCE 5th grade bands, and the SLV Community Band! There is an art show and sale (by donation) put on by the SLVHS Art Department! There will be multiple food trucks and also silent and live auctions that support the SLV Music Boosters. Please come and celebrate community while supporting our growing student musicians and artists!
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Jazz Isn’t Dead; It’s Alive and Well in SLV
Jazz Isn’t Dead; It’s Alive and Well in SLV By Christina Wise Boulder Creek’s Vincent Bottini, comes from a family where musical talent runs deep. Vincent’s mom, Celina, is the lead singer for a Santa Cruz punk rock band called SA90; dad Steve spent years playing Latin percussion, but has picked up the guitar; Vincent’s grandfather plays trumpet, and helped found the Saratoga Big Band, and now 14-year-old Vincent is following in his family’s footsteps. The San Lorenzo Valley High School freshman is finding his stride with jazz piano, and learning a lot along the way. “I enjoy listening to other musicians who inspire me,” says Bottini. Influencers include Thelonious…
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Doing It All (Even When You Can’t): Foster Parenting
Doing It All (Even When You Can’t) Foster Parenting By Amanda Firth This is part of a short series about Foster Parenting and Adoption in Santa Cruz County. Proper names in the story have been changed for the privacy and protection of the children involved. The doctor was looking mostly at his computer screen, throwing me information while typing. “You’ve missed her last two appointments at the High Risk clinic. That is where you need to go if you want her to get more services.” I wasn’t there to get services. My diaper bag is from Kmart because I’m frugal and my clothes were a little dirty from a busy…
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Local Photos of the Month
Local Photos of the Month Mount Madonna’s Production of Seussical Eighth grader Sophia Manzur as the flamboyant and colorful Mayzie le Bird. Photo by Sara Sobkoviak Bea Miller as the whimsical prankster The Cat in the Hat, Photo by Sara Sobkoviak Early to Rise Winter is the best time of year for sky photos. This is looking at Monterey from Pajaro Dunes. Photo by Brad Kava How many counties the size of Santa Cruz have three Nutcrackers? These two are from the Santa Cruz City Ballet’s performance at Cabrillo’s Crocker Theater. Photos by Brad Kava. Tara Redwood Watercolor and marker on watercolor paper. Josie Odom-Knight Age 8 Third Grade Faith…
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What is Cabrillo Planning to do with $274.1 Million?
What is Cabrillo Planning to do with $274.1 Million? Great Things! By Suki Wessling Local voters haven’t been fond of passing bonds lately, and Cabrillo hasn’t had one in sixteen years. The college was turned down by voters the last time they asked, so President Matthew Wetstein is trying to make sure this time that it’s clear that this upgrade of Cabrillo’s facilities is a sound investment for our county. Here are some highlights of where the money will go. Sammy the Seahawk giving out high-fives at the fourth grade experience. Photo by Christy Shults New Science Building – $84 Million When Cabrillo College was founded in 1959, the personal…
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How I Learned to Make Money Playing Video Games
How I Learned to Make Money Playing Video Games By Ricky Chavez Many people grew up idolizing movie stars, rock stars and super heroes, but kids today are idolizing an entirely different group of people: gamers. Because of the outstanding success of a video game streaming website called Twitch, watching people play video games has never been easier and it’s inspired many people, including myself, to play video games for the people to watch, and even make money doing it. The superstars of Twitch like Ninja average around 30,000 viewers per stream, making a full time job out of streaming usually streaming longer than eight hours a day. Ninja has…
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Shop Local, Give Local
Shop Local, Give Local By Natalya Dreszer The Holiday Season is just around the corner, and just because we’re going through a cultural shift trying to question our relationship with excess material possessions doesn’t mean that we can’t indulge in the joy of gift giving! Here are 9 holiday gift ideas that support local artists, local businesses, and sustainability: Pacific Edge Looking for the perfect gift to tire out a ball of energy for a day? Pacific Edge is a rock climbing gym that is fun and safe for any rock climbing levels, from first timers to world-class professionals (Chris Sharma started at Pacific Edge)! A day pass, 10-time pass,…
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Yes, Virginia, There are Faeries and They are Magic
Yes, Virginia, There are Faeries and They are Magic By Natalya Dreszer Faerie Cricket brings face painting, giant bubbles, and general whimsy to events of all kinds. She is a “Ground Faerie,” brought to life by Santa Cruzan Haley Brown, 29, a visual and performing artist who addresses disability with her work with children. “I imagine a ground faerie is any faerie that can’t fly for whatever reason,” Haley says. “It’s an allegory for disability or difference or limitation of any kind.” Haley has finished the text of her first children’s book, The Ground Faerie. It’s written as a letter from an older ground fairie to a child ground fairie.…
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Forget Broadway, Catch Some School Plays
Forget Broadway, Catch Some School Plays By Brad Kava We used to think that you had to handicap school plays, measure them on a different standard, then, say, something you would see in a professional theater. These are just students, after all. Well, two plays we caught last month in Aptos changed our minds about that. When we saw “Carrie” at Cabrillo College, all through the play we assumed it was done by the professionals at Cabrillo Stage. Camrynn Ford as Dora Bailey in “Singin’ in the Rain.” Not so. Most of the actors were students, and we only found that out at the end. It was as tight and…
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Kids Navigate the Rails During Winter Break
Kids Navigate the Rails During Winter Break By Suki Wessling One of the highlights of Santa Cruz holiday season is the ginormous train set at the Museum of Art & History, where kids can run the trains themselves. The set has been put up for 15 years by a group of devoted train lovers, the Golden State Toy Train Operators. “I’ve always enjoyed trains,” says Eric Child, 75, one of the group’s founders. “When I was about 6 or 7, I got my first toy train set. As a very small child in San Anselmo I can remember taking the train to catch a ferry over to San Francisco. I…
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Jacob’s Heart Beats for Santa Cruz
Jacob’s Heart Beats for Santa Cruz “You Can Handle Anything if you Don’t Have to Handle it Alone” by Kevin Painchaud Every parent’s worst nightmare is finding out that your child has a life-threatening illness. Your entire world is turned upside down. Where do you turn? What do you do? Your child becomes the only thing that matters. Things like food and bills become secondary. And for those thousands of residents in our community that do not have the financial means to take time off work to focus on their child, life seems insurmountable. Teacher T. Jesse Rile. Photo by Jules Holdsworth. This is the reality for many folks in…
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The First Placement for our First Foster Child
The First Placement for our First Foster Child By Amanda Firth This is part of a short series about Foster Parenting and Adoption in Santa Cruz County. Proper names in the story have been changed for the privacy and protection of the children involved. We were ready for a new baby. There was a half size crib in our bedroom with green and yellow sheets and baby blankets, a few baby outfits, and a toy. That was it. Oh, and a new credit card that was only usable at Babies-R-Us. Honestly, we did not believe this was really going to happen. We had trained, interviewed, and been thoroughly prepared and…
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Foster Parenting and Adopting is Like Crossing the Sea
Foster Parenting and Adopting is Like Crossing the Sea By Amanda Firth This is the introduction to a short series about Foster Parenting and Adoption in Santa Cruz County. Proper names in the story have been changed for the privacy and protection of the children involved. I’m drowning over and over again. First there was paperwork, miles of forms and visits to our apartment by person after person. This mother walks the walk, adopting and fostering kids and taking on the toughest challenges. They arrived with briefcases, clipboards, forms, and delved into every cupboard and cabinet, every bit of history, and every personal value we had. They rifled through our…
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Downtown Felton Frolic
Downtown Felton Frolic By Christina Wise The downtown Felton area has taken a decidedly decorative turn in recent years. The southern stretch of Highway 9 (from the Graham Hill intersection) is dotted with darling shops that call to the eye of stylish dressers and the spirit of gift-givers. From the crystals and gems at Mountain Spirit to the vintage and consignment items at Tomboy Outpost to the carefully curated collections at Simpatico, shoppers are drawn to the homespun charm of Felton anytime of year—but especially in November. On Saturday, November 30th, Felton celebrates Small Business Saturday (a national movement to promote local shopping) by rolling out the red carpet with…
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Cabrillo Returns to Voters for Support This Spring
Cabrillo Returns to Voters for Support This Spring By Suki Wessling In 2016, local voters narrowly rejected a bond to improve Cabrillo College’s infrastructure. The argument against the measure seemed to focus on what current Cabrillo President Matt Wetstein, hired in 2017, calls “our reverse curb appeal problem.” “The college looks great from Soquel Drive, but we have all these decaying infrastructure issues,” Wetstein explains. Brad Kava interviews Matt Wetstien on Talk of the Bay. Photo by Kristin Fabos As an example, he details the headache of last summer’s emergency repairs to the building that houses the cafeteria as well as a variety of student services. A major sewer pipe…
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Behind the Scenes at American Idol
Behind the Scenes at American Idol By Lindsey Wall Early last summer, I opened my email to find an unread message from a talent producer who works for ABC’s American Idol. When I first saw it, I was in disbelief. I thought maybe this was a scam. But I soon realized this was a personalized email written to me. She wrote about a song I had written that she heard on Spotify and said she was taken by the writing and artistry. Santa Cruz Idol Lindsey Wall, 26, still has a day job selling flowers in midtown, but still travels the country as a singer/songwriter. Photo by Brad Kava She…
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Shop Green and Small on Small Business Saturday!
Shop Green and Small on Small Business Saturday! By Dyani West and Brooke Wright The busiest shopping season is about to start when families and Santa Claus will spend billions of dollars on clothes, electronics, and gifts for the family and friends. As more and more consumers are choosing to shop online with big businesses, countless packages are shipped from across the world, oftentimes wrapped in plastic and Styrofoam packaging that will go straight to the landfill upon arrival. Fortunately, there are ways that families in Santa Cruz can make a difference to help their communities and environment while enjoying a day in their community. Shop at local Certified Green…
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Guide: Santa Cruz Holiday Gift and Events Guide
Santa Cruz Holiday Gift and Events Guide Shop Small Capulet Downtown Felton capuletshop.com A curated shop in the Santa Cruz mountains featuring new, used, and vintage clothing for women, men, and kids. Also stocking a variety of wares by local artists and makers, and an extensive CBD and natural apothecary selection. This holiday seasons we have gifts for everyone on your list and we are super excited about our build your own gift basket section! Tomboy Outpost Downtown Felton Western wear and vintage clothing for kids, men and women. Find one of a kind treasures from out selection of curated jewelery and local artist. CC Apothecary ccapothecary.net Handcrafted, Felton based…
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Letters October 2019
Letters October 2019 Hello, My name is Séverine. I’m French and few days ago I was in California for my summer holidays. During my trip, I made a stop at Santa Cruz and I ate at Charlie Hong Kong. There, I found your September magazine, and the cover photography was so cool that I took one to realize a poster for my home. I wanted to put it on a frame. Only for my personnal use, only to have a souvenir. I love the California light on it, the color and even the typography and what’s written, school, grand parents… Anyway, I lost it at the airport … So today…
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He Lights up the Skies for Kids: Marc Monte Honored for Donating $4 Million to Schools
He Lights up the Skies for Kids Marc Monte Honored for Donating $4 Million to Schools By Brad Kava Marc Monte loves fireworks. That’s one of the reasons he came up with a yearly show held in October that has raised $4 million for local schools, libraries, sports fields and boatloads of other charities. When his father, Rudolph Monte, opened the gourmet supermarket, Deluxe Foods in Aptos in 1977, they donated $150 to a charity golf tournament, the Little Helpers Tournament. But they wanted to do more. So, starting in 1996, Marc came up with the idea of a fireworks show held at Seacliff State Park for which kids would…
