Arts & Culture

Last week my friend and I saw “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” at Watsonville’s Green Valley Cinema.

Artwork by more than 130 local artists has filled the walls of the Pajaro Valley Gallery in Watsonville with Pajaro Valley Arts’ first show of the year. “2024, Pajaro Valley Arts: 40 Years of Inspired Expression,” which runs Jan. 17–Feb. 25, spans a wealth of...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Every spring, Cabrillo Gallery’s Student Exhibition highlights the work being done within the college’s art departments. Teachers and classmates choose who will be featured in the show, which is meant as a send-off at the end of the school year. But with the...

WATSONVILLE—For the past eight years, Nikki Lewen has been writing and releasing a trilogy of novels—all the while being a full-time teacher and coach at Watsonville High School. This year, all that hard work has paid off as Lewen celebrates not only the release of...

“Big Trees,” an art exhibit assembled by the San Lorenzo Valley Museum, is now showing at the Santa Cruz County Building.

Todd Guild FOOD: Freedom Bakery I had a sweet tooth one morning, so I thought I’d check out Freedom Bakery.  Tucked incongruously into a strip of industrially-zoned businesses, the place is not easy to find. But it’s worth checking out, if only to see what this unique...

WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville is currently holding a special art contest for local youth, and there is still a week left for pieces to be submitted. The “Thankful Youth Art Contest” aims to inspire young people in the Pajaro Valley to share their creativity through...

WATSONVILLE—In 2018, the inaugural Wine, Beer & Art Walk was held in downtown Watsonville. The event was a big success, selling out and seeing hundreds of people strolling along the downtown corridor, checking out local businesses while sampling local wine and brews and viewing local...

For the final concert of the season on Thursday, the city is partnering with the Santa Cruz Symphony and the Pajaro Valley Unified School District for a special performance. “Music for the Heart” invites the community to a free concert featuring members of the symphony along with students from PVUSD schools and dancers from local folklórico group Esperanza Del Valle.

WATSONVILLE—A large gathering of people celebrated the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe the Virgin Mary Sunday at Pinto Lake County Park. Based on Catholic tradition, the virgin appeared to a young boy, Juan Diego, in Mexico in 1531. Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe...