Sharks, Solstice & Soccer Fever Hit Santa Cruz 🦈⚽☀️
Hi Santa Cruz Friends!
⚽🏀 Maybe it was just me, but Santa Cruz felt a bit like a sports town over the weekend.
Fans had plenty to cheer for as World Cup soccer events, kids tournaments and watch parties kicked off across the county, while the New York Knicks finally ended their NBA basketball championship drought. If you got up to watch the Spain vs. Cape Verde match at the MAH this morning, let us know what you thought!
Around Santa Cruz, the soccer tournament is quickly becoming part of our summer backdrop, with bars, breweries, galleries, beaches and community spaces all getting in on the action. This week’s Good Times cover story has all the details about when and where to find the best celebrations and watch parties — because this is only the beginning…World Cup action runs through July 19. 🌊
🎪 The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s “Evenings on the Colonnade” summer series is back this week with free nightly entertainment overlooking the beach from 8:30–9:30pm. Highlights include circus comedy duo Coventry & Kaluza on Monday and Wednesday, magician Kris Bentz throughout the week, live music from Fire Peach on Thursday night and a Friday night beach screening of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – which celebrates its 40th anniversary! – at 9pm. The weekend wraps up with DJ dance parties Saturday and Sunday nights on the Plaza Stage.
☘️ The Ugly Mug in Soquel hosts an impressive night of traditional Irish music Tues., June 16 (7pm) with acclaimed musicians Seán Gavin and Colm Gannon. Gavin is considered one of the top Irish musicians of his generation and is the only American-born winner of the prestigious Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal, while accordion master Colm Gannon has toured with Riverdance, Dervish and DeDannan. For fans of Celtic music, this is a hidden gem of a show in an intimate local setting.
For back-to-back music midweek, on Weds., June 17, check out Cocktail Monkeys at the Capitola Twilight Concert Series and on Thurs., June 18, the Beach BBQ Series at the Crow’s Nest returns with Jive Machine. At the Crow’s Nest on Weds., June 17, “exciting guitar dude” Yuji Tojo performs, as he does every third Weds. of the month. Avoid street traffic and parking hassles by taking advantage of the Harbor’s free water taxi, which typically runs Thurs-Sun and picks up at X-1 Gate, AA Dock and the Launch Ramp. Check the website and review the map for more details.
🎶 Hopefully you were lucky enough to get tickets for one of the biggest musical acts hitting Santa Cruz this week. Lucinda Williams brings her band to the Rio Theatre Thurs., June 18 at 8pm. The three-time Grammy winner and Americana icon — widely considered one of the most influential songwriters of her generation — is touring behind her new album World’s Gone Wrong. While the show appears close to sold out, a handful of aftermarket tickets were still floating around as of Monday morning.
As is the weekly summer ritual, the Midtown Summer Block Party rolls in on Friday, June 19 featuring Ribsys Nickel.
🌞 Summer solstice officially arrives on Sun., June 21 (at 1:24am, to be exact), marking the longest day of the year — which, let’s be honest, feels like kind of a major holiday in our town. Celebrate by joining the Summer Solstice Pop-Up on Sat., June 20 at the Westside Water Store, which will feature flower crown making and local artists. Meanwhile, beaches, breweries, decks and patios across the county will be buzzing with sunset hangs, drum circles, beach yoga, chanting and late-night howling, even without a full moon.
👔 Father’s Day is Sun., June 21, and Santa Cruz County is offering dads far more than the standard backyard BBQ. Roaring Camp in Felton hosts its annual Father’s Day BBQ with steam train rides through the redwoods, live music, bounce houses and local beer.
Nicholson Vineyards in Aptos offers a more relaxed wine-country option on Sat., June 20 with its “Father’s Day Patio Classic,” featuring cornhole, giant Jenga, horseshoes and vineyard lounging from 12–2pm.
Chaminade Resort & Spa is going upscale with special Father’s Day brunch and steakhouse dinner menus with its always-stunning views, while the Zayante Fire Department’s 39th annual pancake breakfast returns Sunday morning (7am-noon) with raffles, live music and mountain-town charm.
And for dads who prefer their Father’s Day with a side of oddball local history, Davenport’s tiny two-cell jailhouse — built in 1914 — will open Sunday afternoon for its wonderfully quirky “Go To Jail” event. Because apparently nothing says “Happy Father’s Day” quite like voluntarily locking yourself in a historic jail cell. 😆
Now let’s get into the news… Have a great week and thanks for reading! 💛
News Highlights:
Santa Cruz Born Singer Oliver Tree Killed in Helicopter Crash
Weather Service Warns of Coastal Flooding, Beach Hazards
Santa Cruz County to Support Lawsuit Over Planned ICE Facility Near Gilroy
Santa Cruz County Crash Kills 2 Teens, Injures 2 Others
The Latest Santa Cruz County Election Results
Pajaro Middle School Teachers Pass No-Confidence Vote Against Principal
Si Se Puede Opens New 30-Bed Facility
Video Shows Shark Circling Surfer in Aptos
Plus World Cup Fever Hits Santa Cruz, Guitar Power, Shifting Hormones, a “Space Potato with Fish Scales”…and Much More!
TOP STORIES
Santa Cruz Born Singer Oliver Tree Killed in Helicopter Crash
Oliver Tree, 32, reportedly died Sunday in a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro while on tour in Brazil. Multiple major outlets are reporting that he was aboard one of two helicopters involved in a mid-air collision.
Weather Service Warns of Coastal Flooding, Beach Hazards
The National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flooding Advisory through June 17 and a Beach Hazards Statement through June 18. Following multiple rescues along the Santa Cruz County coastline last week, officials are warning residents and visitors about sneaker waves, rip currents and unstable cliff areas heading into another busy beach week.
Santa Cruz County to Support Lawsuit Over Planned ICE Facility Near Gilroy
Local leaders announced they’re joining a lawsuit against a planned federal immigration enforcement facility near Gilroy.
Santa Cruz County Crash Kills 2 Teens, Injures 2 Others
Two people were killed, and two others were seriously injured in a crash Sunday night at the intersection of State Route 152 and Casserly Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The Latest Santa Cruz County Election Results
Friday’s ballot update by the Santa Cruz County Clerk’s office – which added 6,865 ballots, bringing the total number to 86,438 – added clarity to county races.
Pajaro Middle School Teachers Pass No-Confidence Vote Against Principal
The staff of Pajaro Middle School formally declared a vote of no confidence in Principal Nicole Killian in a letter to Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) Superintendent Heather Contreras.
Si Se Puede Opens New 30-Bed Facility
Encompass Community Services recently celebrated the opening of a new Si Se Puede behavioral health campus on Miles Lane, an $18 million investment aimed at expanding addiction treatment and recovery services in South Santa Cruz County.
Video Shows Shark Circling Surfer in Aptos
A drone video captured near Seascape Beach in Aptos appears to show a shark circling a surfer in the water.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
World Cup Kicks Off in Santa Cruz
Even if your sports loyalties lean more toward surfing and skateboarding than soccer, FIFA World Cup 2026 will soon be nearly impossible to miss in Santa Cruz.
When Santa Cruz Guitar Company owner Richard Hoover started playing guitar, his only motivations were to impress a girl and later write a song that would change the world.
Wellness columnist Elizabeth Borelli tells us that menopause is having its moment.
New Santa Cruz resident and new mom Jessie Curran, formerly of the Atomic Workshop Group – as in Michelin-starred State Bird Provisions, fellow repeat star winner The Progress and cult hit The Anchovy Bar – is now lead chef at The Davenport Roadhouse.
Longstanding local heritage business Stagnaro Brothers Seafood Restaurant was founded in 1947 by Darlene Dyer’s dad and uncle, Ernie and John Stagnaro.
WAIT, WHAT?! 🥔👽🐟
🛸 UFO believers, this one’s for you. The Pentagon released 72 new files Friday detailing recent sightings of mysterious objects in the sky — including a rotating disc that reportedly shot out beams of light, a glowing red orb “unlike any color” the witness had ever seen and one object described as both a potato and a bean… but covered in shimmering fish-like scales.
Before anyone starts building a bunker in Bonny Doon, the government says there’s still no conclusive evidence of alien life or giant cover-ups. Still, the newly released files offer a fascinating glimpse into the strange things people continue reporting in the skies above Earth. Honestly, “space potato with fish scales” feels exactly like the kind of extraterrestrial Santa Cruz would immediately put on a mural, sticker or craft IPA label.