🏄🎶 Over the weekend, I had a blast at the Pleasure Point Bike Race (mark your calendars for next year!), where the Surf Creeps reminded me how much I love that reverb-heavy guitar sound pioneered by Dick Dale. This evening, Monday, Sept. 14, we move from surf guitar to those famous vocal harmonies when Surf City All-Stars play the Audrey Stanley Grove at DeLaveaga Park. And these guys have some serious street cred: every member has actually played with The Beach Boys. The family-friendly show runs 7-9pm and tickets are $40.
🗳️ Tuesday, Sept. 15 is National Voter Registration Day, a good annual nudge to make sure you’re ready to vote in November’s important elections. Register for the first time, double-check your existing registration or update your address, name or party preference. Since its launch in 2012, the nonpartisan effort has helped more than 6 million Americans register or update their information. Santa Cruz County voters can also check or update their registration through the county Elections Department.
🎡 It’s time to break out the apple pie! The Santa Cruz County Fair runs Wednesday through Sunday (Sept. 16-20) with this year’s theme, “Apple Pies and Starry Skies.” Expect five days of carnival rides, livestock and exhibits, fair food, live entertainment, tractor parades and plenty more at the Watsonville fairgrounds. Opening-day admission Wednesday is just $2.50 cash at the gate. Parking is $10, but (safely) pack the car: vehicles with five or more people park free. METRO is also offering free rides to the Fair all five days, with discounted admission for riders.
🥾 Take a walk and leave the trail a little better than you found it Thursday, Sept. 17 at Hike & Help at Arana Gulch. The 9-11am outing combines an easy-to-moderate social hike with light trail maintenance as volunteers scout trails and lend a hand in one of Santa Cruz’s prettiest open spaces. No trail-work experience is necessary; the adults-only event meets at the Frederick Street entrance.
🍷🍺🎨 The Bonny Doon Art, Wine & Brew Festival is this Saturday, Sept. 19 at Crest Ranch, with local wine and beer, food, art, a silent auction and live music, all benefiting arts and academics at Bonny Doon School. Santa Cruz favorites JAM and the Buttered Biscuits are among the bands playing throughout the fest. ⚠️ One important heads-up: this one is strictly 21 and over. The festival runs 2-7pm. General admission is $65 and includes tastings; non-alcoholic admission is $35.
🌺 Paddle – or just cheer from shore – on Saturday, Sept. 19 as the 2026 Aloha Outrigger Races bring the aloha spirit to Santa Cruz. Designed especially for new and novice paddlers, the short-course races begin at 9am, with four-person groups paired with experienced crews and all equipment provided. Racing wraps around noon, followed by awards, with hula performances adding to the festivities. Check-in begins at 8am and the event runs until 2pm.
🎸 From a small Santa Cruz workshop to the hands of musicians around the world, Santa Cruz Guitar Company has spent half a century making some seriously beautiful instruments. The company celebrates its 50th anniversary Saturday, Sept. 19 with a concert at the Rio Theatre featuring The Brothers Comatose, James Nash, Hustle Souls, Ron Artis II and Catfish Keith. Hot Rize multi-instrumentalist and eTown host Nick Forster emcees the celebration of the company Richard Hoover founded in 1976. Doors: 4:30pm; Show: 5:30pm. Tickets range from $50-$100. There’s also a free pre-show block party from noon to 4pm at Santa Cruz Barrios Unidos, 1817 Soquel Ave., featuring SambaDá, SONiA, Shane Hall, Steve Palazzo, Bill Coulter, Adam Traum, Diggin Trails, Colin Cotter and Sumaia Jackson, and Ben Torres, with Matt Weir as emcee.
🗳️ If you like your voting rights discussions with a side of electronic music, this one’s for you. Voting Rights in America comes to The 418 Project Saturday, Sept. 19 with a panel on voting rights, gerrymandering and the nationwide redistricting fight, including Santa Cruz mayoral runoff candidates Ryan Coonerty and Ami Chen Mills. At 9pm, the serious discussion shifts to danceable grooves, with electronic artist Random Rab and Santa Cruz Afrobeat artist Phreeborn and the Phreequencies. Doors 7pm; Panel at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door.
🥃 And if your Saturday isn’t already packed enough, Tequilaville adds another option on Sept. 19 in Watsonville. The 21-and-over fundraiser celebrates Mexican heritage, craftsmanship and community with guided premium tequila tastings, food from High End Comida, mariachi and trio performances along with DJ Cupid and cultural storytelling. Proceeds support recreational, cultural and educational programs for Watsonville residents. It runs noon-5pm at the YWCA on East Beach Street and tickets are $75.
🚗 On Sunday, Sept. 20 (9am-3pm), classic cars roll into the redwoods at Roaring Camp’s Roarin’ the Redwoods Car Show in Felton. The free, non-judged event features classic and muscle cars, hot rods, trucks and more, with food vendors on hand and Roaring Camp’s steam trains running if you want to make a day of it.
🎨🌲 For a more introspective time on Sunday, Sept. 20 (10am-12noon), slow down and look a little closer at the environment with Nature Journaling at Chaminade Resort & Spa. The guided outdoor workshop combines observation, sketching, watercolor and reflection beneath the redwoods, and no art experience is needed. Cost is $35. Advance sign-up is required.
🛍️ Looking for yet another option for Sunday? More than 40 local artists and makers set up shop on Pacific Avenue for the Downtown Santa Cruz Makers Market. Browse locally made art, jewelry, ceramics, clothing and other handmade goods along the 1100 block of Pacific Avenue from 10am-5pm. Friendly leashed dogs are welcome.
Ok, now that we have your social calendar locked, let’s look at what’s happening in the news.
News Highlights:
New Fireproofing Rules
Capitola Approves Short-Term Repairs for Stockton Avenue Bridge
Watsonville Airport Dispute Threatens Hotel and Shopping Center Projects
PVUSD Teachers Ratify Three-Year Contract
Scotts Valley Town Center Moves Forward With New Developer
Felton Bridge to Close for Nearly a Month
Invasive Beetle Threatens Santa Cruz County Trees
Highway 1 to Close Overnight in Aptos
Also…the 25th anniversary of The Corrections, Kentucky Mule comes to town, Private Lives and public capers, a twist on pasta, a gifted winemaker and what do dragonflies and great white sharks have in common?....plus much more!
Proposed Fireproofing Rules Move Closer to Approval
California is moving closer to adopting “Zone Zero” wildfire rules that would require an ember-resistant buffer within five feet of homes in high-risk areas. New construction would be affected first, with existing homes phased in later.
Capitola Approves Short-Term Repairs for Stockton Avenue Bridge
Capitola will spend about $410,000 on a protective concrete overlay expected to extend the 93-year-old bridge’s life by 10 to 15 years while the city considers a long-term retrofit or replacement.
Watsonville Airport Dispute Threatens Hotel and Shopping Center Projects
A court order has blocked new permits in Watsonville Municipal Airport safety zones covering more than 4,500 acres. The ruling could jeopardize a proposed five-story hotel and future uses at the Freedom Shopping Centre while the city updates its General Plan.
PVUSD Teachers Ratify Three-Year Contract
Pajaro Valley teachers overwhelmingly approved a three-year agreement that preserves their existing health benefits and provides three salary increases. The contract now heads to the PVUSD Board of Trustees for final approval.
Scotts Valley Town Center Moves Forward With New Developer
Scotts Valley is negotiating with San Jose-based developer Swenson on a long-delayed Town Center planned for 58 acres in the heart of the city. The proposal must include at least 300 homes, with a significant share offered below market rate, along with shops and other commercial uses.
Felton Bridge to Close for Nearly a Month
The San Lorenzo Way Bridge in Felton will close to all traffic around the clock from Tuesday, Sept. 15 through Friday, Oct. 9 while crews remove trees in preparation for the bridge’s replacement.
Invasive Beetle Threatens Santa Cruz County Trees
County agriculture officials are warning residents about an invasive shothole borer that can kill native, ornamental and agricultural trees. Public meetings are scheduled Tuesday, Sept. 15 at the Felton Branch Library and Friday, Sept. 18 at London Nelson Community Center in Santa Cruz.
Highway 1 to Close Overnight in Aptos
Southbound Highway 1 will close completely between Park Avenue and State Park Drive from 11pm Sunday, Sept. 20 until 6am Monday for work on the Mar Vista bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing. Traffic will be detoured onto Soquel Drive.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
A life-changing novel – ranked #5 on the New York Times list of the Top 100 Best Books of the 21st Century – celebrates its 25th year.
Santa Cruz band Kentucky Mule blends country, Americana and bluegrass with a little punk spirit, led by songwriter Coleton Joe Tidwell. The band plays The Crepe Place Friday, Sept. 18.
Santa Cruz Shakespeare keeps the laughs coming with Noël Coward’s Private Lives, a sparkling comedy about divorced lovers who rekindle their combustible romance while honeymooning with new spouses. The show runs at The Grove in DeLaveaga Park through Oct. 4.
Food writer Mark C. Anderson tells us about the deal to sell Santa Cruz-born Goodles to Barilla, the world’s largest pasta company. While Goodles is expected to keep its recipes, quirky identity, Santa Cruz headquarters and 73-person team, Anderson looks at what the acquisition could mean for the homegrown brand.
Wine writer Josie Cowden finds plenty to toast at Jack O’Neill’s, pairing winemaker Ian Brand’s 2023 Escolle Vineyard Chardonnay with new executive chef Michelle Gomez’s inventive menu. Standouts include tuna tataki, pan-seared scallops and a locally grown lion’s mane mushroom “steak.”
Large dragonfly blooms are making people take notice while helping control local mosquito populations this summer.
Read your Free Will Astrology horoscope from Rob Brezny here.
WAIT, WHAT?! 🌊💨🏠
Free rent at a California lighthouse? The National Park Service is looking for someone to spend nearly three months this winter volunteering at the historic Point Reyes Lighthouse, with a rent-free apartment, utilities and internet included. The catch? You’ll work about 30 hours a week, need your own car, can’t bring pets and may share your digs with mice. Oh, and Point Reyes is the windiest spot on the Pacific Coast and the second-foggiest place in North America. Applications are open now for the Nov. 6–Feb. 1 stint. 🐭🌫️🔦🥶