Arts & Culture

The annual “Mi Casa es Tu Casa” exhibit, centered around Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a traditional holiday in Mexico, has opened at Pajaro Valley Arts in Watsonville. “Mi Casa es Tu Casa: Honoring Our Ancestors” features a range of participants, including...

A weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like.

Every year, local arts organization Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) hosts an annual Members Exhibit, where its members have the chance to showcase their artwork to the community. This year’s show, dubbed “New Beginnings,” opens on Jan. 18 and will include the work of 95 local...

Do you have a recent photo you’d like to share? Send it to us for consideration by emailing it to [email protected] or mailing it to 21 Brennan St., Suite 14, Watsonville, CA 95076. Please include a brief description of the photo as well as the...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Strawberry Festival will return on Aug. 8, a year after the pandemic forced the cancelation of the event in 2020. With it comes all the usual excitement—strawberry treats, live entertainment, vendors and more—as well as the selection of this year’s official poster...

Six decorated wooden frames were installed around Watsonville Saturday in the city’s grand opening of “Outside the Frame,” an effort from the county’s four mayors, County Parks Friends and Santa Cruz County Parks. Watsonville Mayor Jimmy Dutra led a group of three dozen people...

Forty-eight paintings by artist Erika Perloff depicting a string of northern Santa Cruz beaches are on display at Hotel Paradox in Santa Cruz.

WATSONVILLE—When Covid-19 shelter-in-place restrictions hit Santa Cruz County in March, the Eighth Annual Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) was one of the first large events to be shut down. Executive Director Consuelo Alba and her team were forced to cancel the multiple film screenings, activities and...

A weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like.

Author Olga Rosales Salinas remembers clearly the folklore and myths she heard growing up in Watsonville. The Mexican legends of La Llorona and El Cucuy in particular stuck with her; stories themed around fear and often used to teach difficult lessons.  “I’ve often thought about what...