Arts & Culture

Tarmo Hannula Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf and Beach Boardwalk While the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the Municipal Wharf are mainstays of summer fun and typically mobbed with tourists and locals during the hot months, I'm drawn to them with equal fervor when storms come through....

WATSONVILLE—Lizz Weihrauch knows firsthand the transformative power of music. Twenty-three years ago, Weihrauch was a single mother looking for a way to introduce her son, who was born with Down syndrome, to music. They tried out a number of programs and classes, searching for the...

Todd Guild California State Parks The best investment we make every year is our annual Golden Poppy pass, which allows entry to more than 100 of California’s state parks. With numerous parks within a short drive in Santa Cruz County – featuring mountains, deserts and beaches, to...

APTOS—The Aptos High School and Aptos Junior High School choir departments have been hard at work for the past few months, preparing for their upcoming “Sounds of the Season” holiday concert. Along the way, they dealt with some bumps in the road—most notably the power...

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 name of...

Johanna Miller Food: Savory crepes from Mr. Z’s Mr. Z’s Crepes and Teas is one of a handful of businesses to recently arrive at The Hanger, a new complex near Watsonville Airport. I’ve already been out to grab one of their tasty bubble teas. This week...

WATSONVILLE—During a recent cleaning of her house, Aromas author and artist Joyce Oroz discovered a set of acrylic paintings tucked away in a corner of her attic.  She had painted the pieces about 20 years prior and almost forgotten about them.  “I knew I couldn’t just...

WATSONVILLE—Wherever he is touring in the world, Santana lead singer Andy Vargas makes sure to let everyone know about his hometown of Watsonville. “I’ve always been proud to be from Watsonville,” Vargas said.  “I tell people that they’ve probably ate our berries or drank our...

Todd Guild Freedom Meat Lockers One of my favorite things to do for lunch in Watsonville is head over to Freedom Meat Lockers, which in addition to its high-quality selection of carnivores’ delights, also offers a deli counter. Normally when I hear the word ‘deli’ I cringe,...

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...