Arts & Culture

Hollywood actor Edward James Olmos poses with Michelle Rodriguez (right), Superintendent of Pajaro Valley Unified School District and Brenda Avila of the Watsonville Film Festival Friday in front of the Mello Center in Watsonville. Olmos, founder of the Latino Film Institute, made the special...

Gabe Medina and Marcus Cisneros had no idea how quickly their new media company, Calavera Media, would take off during the pandemic. Having started as a loose collective of creators, working with colleagues from Digital NEST and the greater filmmaking community of Watsonville, they officially...

WATSONVILLE—A new exhibit will soon open at Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA), aiming to explore people’s relationship with their ancestors, the natural world and themselves.  “Alma Sagrada: Cultivando Ritmos Naturales” (Sacred Soul: Cultivating Natural Rhythms) opens on April 6 in partnership with the Amah Mutsun Tribal...

A weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like. Tony Nuñez Food: The Farm House: Dino’s Stuffed Burger The Farm House restaurant has been open for some time now, but because our offices are downtown I have not had...

The artwork of women over 60 years old has been collected into a new exhibit at the R. Blitzer Gallery on the west side of Santa Cruz.

WATSONVILLE—Author Stephanie Sabatinelli was inspired to write her first children’s book, “The Spittle Spattle Bug,” by her aunt’s enthusiasm for science and the environment.  The book features a spittlebug, a type of hemipteran insect best known for sucking moisture out of plants and encasing themselves...

With the pandemic outbreak, most of us heard this warning many times: Stay at home. But that could have been softened a little bit with: “Stay at home and in the garden.” Because, for many of us, that’s what happened: People started plowing deep...

WATSONVILLE—This Friday the Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) will present its Fifth Annual Día de Muertos celebration at Watsonville City Plaza.  The event will feature a screening of the Disney/Pixar animated movie “Coco,” as well as music, dance and artwork inspired by the traditional Mexican holiday,...

Try this is a weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like. Tarmo Hannula Food Kiantis Pizza & Pasta Bar I love almost all Italian food. A long-time staple in this category, and consistently good, is Kiantis Pizza & Pasta...

WATSONVILLE—Music concerts and other live events might not be happening this holiday season, but the Watsonville Community Band (WCB) hopes it can still bring a little joy into people’s homes. On Monday WCB released a new music video, dubbing it their Christmas “concert” for the...