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We crossed 5,000 readers this weekend! When we started Low Tide Local a few months ago, a few hundred neighbors felt like a lot. Five thousand of you now open this every Tuesday, and that still feels a little unreal.
Like we promised, and to say thanks, we're giving away a $100 gift card to Companion Bakeshop on the Westside, a local favorite. Details are right below.
Also as a HUGE apology and correction from last week, I had issues with the referral codes AGAIN. I thought it was fixed last week, but it wasn't. If you referred friends the last 4 weeks, unfortunately you didn't get credit. IF you're sure you have referred 7+ friends, email us for a free coffee....scout's honor.
From now on those referrals will catch, I've triple checked it!
Now let's get into it.
Either answer enters you.
Enter the $100 Companion giveaway. What are you getting first?
Companion Bakeshop | forward this to a friend who would like to enter :)
CONDITIONS · WEDNESDAY, JULY 29
SUNRISE 6:09 AM
SUNSET 8:19 PM
WATER 62°F · full 3/2
SURF 4 to 5 ft · both sides
LOW TIDE −0.5 ft · 5:28 AM
FOG patchy AM, then sunny
AQI 47 · good
UV 8 · high, midday
Gray mornings again, the marine layer burning off around 9 into blue skies and low 80s Thursday and Friday, then mid-70s by Sunday. Water is holding at 62, so keep the full suit. A long-period south swell filled in overnight, and both Steamer Lane and Pleasure Point are running about 4 to 5 feet today, which is a rare week when both sides of town work at once. Wind comes up hard by mid-afternoon, so paddle out early, and skip the tidepools, the only minus tide is before sunrise.
The orcas came back. A pod of six, the group researchers call the CA140Bs plus a lone male named Jimmy, worked the bay on July 19 and 20, one group caught hunting common dolphins. The same weekend brought a humpback blowout, more than 40 on a single morning trip, alongside dolphin megapods 500 to 600 strong. Photos are on Facebook, and the boats were still logging double-digit humpbacks through the weekend.
The markets are deep into stone fruit, peaches and nectarines and pluots next to the first figs, heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn, and Padrón peppers. Strawberries are past their best.
For something you take home in a vase instead of a bag, dahlia season is just opening. Dynomite Farm on Mattison Lane in Live Oak grows 500-plus plants across 100-plus varieties, and you cut your own by appointment. They hand you the snips and a bucket, and August is peak, so weekend slots fill fast.
A 16-year-old lifeguard saved a boy in the Seabright shorebreak
Ryder, a 16-year-old lifeguard, swam into the pounding shorebreak at Seabright on Saturday to reach a boy caught in the waves, and would not let go until a second guard reached them. A bystander's video of him gulping air under each set went national. City guards pulled at least 29 people out of the water between Friday and Sunday as swells from Hurricanes Fausto and Genevieve stacked up on the coast, and the boy went home fine.
Downtown's newest affordable apartments opened their waitlist
The Cedar Street Family Apartments at 525 Cedar St, 64 units all income-restricted, opened its waitlist with four two- and three-bedrooms in this round. Preference goes to people who live or work in the city, Section 8 is accepted, and a two-bedroom runs about $2,193 at the 50 percent income level. Apply at 525cedar.com, with a lottery the first week of November.
A first-ever Aloha Festival lands at the Fairgrounds this weekend
The first Aloha Music and Arts Festival brings Hawaiian and Polynesian music, hula, and food to the County Fairgrounds in Watsonville, Friday and Saturday, free. Grammy-winning slack-key guitarist George Kahumoku Jr. headlines.
For the visual folks, we put l.t.l. on a map. View Mo's Map to see what's happening near you, plus the markets and the weekend's sales.
Garage sales get refreshed every Friday. Know of one? Submit it here.
★ = family-friendly
TUESDAY, JULY 28
★ Tuesday Night Live on the Wharf: The Lost Boys · 6 PM · Santa Cruz Wharf · Free
James Durbin, our own American Idol finalist, fronts a set of '70s and '80s dance-rock covers out over the water. Two hours of free parking with validation. Have a listen ↗
Cabrillo Festival: In the Works · 7 PM · Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St, Downtown · Free
The Festival Orchestra reads brand-new pieces by four composers under 30, with the workshop's young conductors trading the baton. A free listen to orchestral music before it exists anywhere else.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29
★ Capitola Twilight Concerts: Santa Cruz Latin Collective · 6 PM · Esplanade Park, Capitola Village · Free
A 10-piece Latin rock and salsa outfit on the beachfront bandstand. Bring low chairs and a picnic supper. Unfortunately, it's best to leave the dog at home, no pets or booze in the park.
THURSDAY, JULY 30
★ Seabright Summer Movie Nights: Shrek · 8 PM · Murray St and Seabright Ave, Seabright · Free
The Seabright Collective closes off the block and screens the ogre on a big inflatable. Bring chairs, blankets, and something warm for when the fog rolls back in.
Far West Fungi Myco-Mixer · 2 PM · 224 Laurel St, Downtown · Free
The downtown mushroom shop throws a free social with house-made mushroom tacos, samples, and discounted drinks.
Colonnade Free Live Music: The Deadlies · Evening · Boardwalk Colonnade Stage, 400 Beach St · Free
Reverb-soaked surf instrumentals with the ocean right there behind the band. Have a listen ↗
FRIDAY, JULY 31
★ Skypark Food Truck Friday · 5–8 PM · Skypark, 361 Kings Village Rd, Scotts Valley · Free entry
A fleet of trucks, a beer and wine garden, face painting for the kids, and cover band Identity Problem on the stage. Come hungry.
★ Boardwalk Summer Luau · 6–8:30 PM · The Grove at the Boardwalk, 400 Beach St · Ticketed
A tropical buffet with hula dancers and island music steps from the sand. Hawaiian shirts encouraged, and yes, that means you.
Absent Minds · 6 PM · Cork and Fork, 1955 41st Ave, Capitola · Free
Bob O'Neill's new band runs through his own catalog of originals in the wine bar. A reader sent us this one.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 1
★ Watsonville Strawberry Festival · 11 AM–8 PM · Downtown Watsonville · Free
Strawberry everything, from shortcake to churros, down a closed-off Main Street, with carnival rides, artisans, and live music. It runs Sunday too, 11 to 7.
★ Aloha Music and Arts Festival · 12–6 PM · County Fairgrounds, Watsonville · Free
Hawaiian and Polynesian music, hula, food, and artisans, headlined by Grammy-winning slack-key guitarist George Kahumoku Jr. Runs Friday and Saturday both. More on it in Local News above.
★ La Selva Beach Books and Brews · 10 AM–4 PM · La Selva Beach Clubhouse, 314 Estrella Ave · Free
Fifty craft booths, a big used-book sale, food trucks, and local beer on the clubhouse lawn. Small-town summer at its most pleasant.
Santa Cruz Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing · 2 PM matinee · Audrey Stanley Grove, DeLaveaga Park · $25 to $98
Beatrice and Benedick trade insults in a redwood grove, which is about the best room in the county for it. In repertory through the end of August if this date doesn't work.
Roaring Camp Brewgrass Festival · 1–8 PM · Roaring Camp, 5400 Graham Hill Rd, Felton · $25 to $85
Craft breweries, bluegrass, and food trucks in the redwoods, with an optional tasting train up from the beach. Kids under 11 free.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 2
★ Scotts Valley 60th Birthday Bash · 10:30 AM–3 PM · Skypark, Scotts Valley · Free
The city turns 60 with roller skating, food trucks, and cake from New Leaf. Full plan in the Weekend Pick below.
★ Castro Adobe Anza 250th Open House · 10:30 AM–3 PM · 184 Old Adobe Rd, Watsonville · Free
Tours of the restored 1840s hacienda, a talk on the De Anza expedition's 250th, garden music, and kids' crafts. RSVP, and pack a picnic.
★ Cabrillo Festival Free Family Concert · 1 PM · Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St · Free
The festival's all-ages show, The Conductor's Spellbook, with a hands-on tour of the orchestra. A good first concert for the kids.
Nicholson Vineyards Summer Series: Half Pass · 1 PM · 2800 Pleasant Valley Rd, Aptos · $25 to $50
Afternoon wine flights and live music from Half Pass at a family-run estate up in the Aptos hills.
Jenny O'Leary Quartet at Woodhouse · 4–7 PM · Woodhouse Blending and Brewing, 119 Madrone St, Westside · Free
Jazz standards and bossa nova over a fog beer on the Westside. Easy Sunday.
MONDAY, AUGUST 3
Resilient Coast: Community Conversation · 5:30–7:30 PM · London Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St · Free
The city wants your read on what happens to Main, Cowell, Seabright, and East Cliff over the next 30 years of erosion and sea level rise. It's a hands-on tabletop session, not a lecture, and after a weekend of hurricane swell and 29 rescues the timing lands. Registration encouraged, refreshments provided. West Cliff gets its own session Saturday, August 8.
Gran Gelato Caffè · 525 Cedar St, Downtown
Luciana and Sandro Costanza ran Pizzeria La Bufala in Abbott Square before opening this gelateria in March. A dozen house-made flavors rotate through the case, pistachio, salted caramel, panna cotta with Amarena cherry, plus real sfogliatelle and espresso. Sandro says good gelato should taste warm and creamy, not cold, which sounds like nonsense until you try the pistachio. Open 10 to 8, Tuesday through Sunday.
Scotts Valley's 60th Birthday Bash · Sunday, August 2
Scotts Valley incorporated on August 2, 1966, so Sunday is its 60th birthday to the day, and the city is throwing itself a party at Skypark from 10:30 to 3. Roller skating, food trucks, kids' activities, live music from Vintage Point, and cake from New Leaf. Residents can sign up for a five-minute slot to share a memory of the town, which is either lovely or a liability depending on the resident.
Free and outdoors. Bring the grandkids, park off Kings Village Road, and stay for the cake.
The markets and standing plans that run every week.
Tuesday: Felton Farmers Market · 1:30 to 5:30 PM · 120 Russell Ave, Felton
Wednesday: Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market · 12:30 to 5 PM · Cedar and Church, Downtown
Friday: Watsonville Farmers Market · 2 to 9 PM · Peck and Union, Downtown Watsonville
Saturday: Westside Farmers Market · 9 AM to 1 PM · Mission St Ext and Western Dr
Saturday: Aptos Farmers Market · 8 AM to Noon · Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Dr
Saturday: Scotts Valley Farmers Market · 8 AM to Noon · Graham Plaza, 219 Mount Hermon Rd
Sunday: Live Oak Farmers Market · 9 AM to 1 PM · 15th and East Cliff Dr
Sunday: Humble Sea Brewing · 11 AM to 9 PM · 820 Swift St, Westside · Free entry
Fog beer and fish and chips in the beer garden. Dog and kid friendly, Saturdays too.
If you know someone who would like this, send them your referral link below. Refer 7 friends and we will buy you a coffee at Verve. A referral counts once your friend confirms their spot from the email we send them, so tell them to watch for it.
If you heard about something we should cover, hit reply or send it here.
See you next Tuesday. 🌊
Low Tide Local