THE TIDE REPORT
The wharf’s south end is back. Beer Run opens Friday. Three farmers markets kick off their seasons in a single Saturday. After a slow stretch, a lot of doors are opening at the same time.
LOCAL NEWS
The Wharf’s South End Is Back — Yesterday — Wednesday, April 29 — the south end of the wharf reopened to the public after a long closure. We previewed this in #002 and now it’s actually here. Expect a crowd through the weekend. Park up by the lighthouse and walk in.
Watsonville Community Hospital Is Running on Loans — Santa Cruz Local is reporting the hospital is staying open on short-term loans while leadership searches for a long-term partner. No clear timeline, no obvious answer. It’s the only acute-care hospital in South County and it serves a region that doesn’t have a backup plan, so this is the story to keep watching this year.
Downtown’s Restaurant Wave Keeps Rolling — Mane Kitchen, Luna’s Borikén Bites, India Gourmet, and Campus Burgers have all opened recently downtown — Good Times had the rundown. Pacific Ave hasn’t seen this much new food at once in years. Luna’s is the one we’d try first.
HAPPENINGS
★ = family-friendly
THURSDAY, APRIL 30
Far West Fungi: Myco Mixer · 2–5 PM · 224 Laurel St, Downtown · Free — The standing Thursday mushroom-shop happy hour. Free bites, cafe specials, lion’s mane kits in the back.
FRIDAY, MAY 1
Beer Run Grand Opening · All day · 800 Soquel Ave, Midtown · Free entry — Kym DeWitt’s new sausage house, tap house, and bottle shop in the old Wienerschnitzel. We’ve been waiting for this one since #002. See the spotlight below.
★ Skypark Food Truck Friday · 5–8 PM · 361 Kings Village Rd, Scotts Valley · Free — The biggest food truck gathering in the county. Park up by the dog park.
Kuumbwa Jazz: Scottish Fish · 7 PM · 320 Cedar St, Downtown · ~$30–$45 — Young Scottish trad band — fiddles, guitar, harmony singing. Kuumbwa’s a small room and this one will sell.
Kat Moss at Hwy17 Studios · Evening · Hwy17 Studios, Soquel · Check venue — Kat Moss (of Scowl) solo. Smaller, weirder, closer in than the Catalyst version.
SATURDAY, MAY 2
★ Kids Day Downtown · All day · Pacific Ave, Downtown Santa Cruz · Free — The annual Pacific Avenue takeover for families — face painting, music, activities up and down the street. Park on Cedar and walk in.
★ Westside Farmers Market · 9 AM–1 PM · Mission St Ext & Western Dr · Free — The standing Westside Saturday.
★ Aptos Farmers Market · 8 AM–Noon · Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Dr · Free — Year-round, nearly 90 vendors.
★ Scotts Valley Farmers Market — Season Opener · 8 AM–Noon · Boys & Girls Club, 5060 Scotts Valley Dr · Free — First Saturday of the season. Runs through November 21.
Peach Pit at the Quarry Amphitheater · Evening · UCSC Campus · Check venue — The Quarry’s first big spring show. Outdoor, redwoods, the band that wrote “Peach Pit.”
Santa Cruz Symphony: Beethoven’s 9th · Evening · Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St · Check venue — Season finale. The big one — full chorus, full orchestra. Daniel Stewart’s last subscription program of the year.
Karla Bonoff at Felton Music Hall · Evening · 6275 Hwy 9, Felton · Check venue — Singer-songwriter, ran with Linda Ronstadt’s crew in the ’70s. Felton Music Hall is the right size room for it.
SUNDAY, MAY 3
Pat Metheny Solo at the Rio · Evening · 1205 Soquel Ave · Check venue — Just Metheny and his guitars for the whole show. The Rio’s a good room for this kind of thing.
★ Live Oak Farmers Market · 9 AM–1 PM · 15th & East Cliff Dr · Free — The quiet neighborhood version of Downtown. Go before brunch.
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
Beer Run — Midtown
Kym DeWitt’s been quietly building a small empire on the east side of town — Beer Mule on 41st, Beer Thirty in Soquel, and now Beer Run in the old Wienerschnitzel at 800 Soquel Ave. The pitch is sausage house, tap house, bottle shop, all in one. We previewed it in #002 with a maybe-May-1 opening date, and that date held. Soquel Ave between Ocean and Morrissey keeps getting more interesting — Charlie Hong Kong is a block away, the Rio is two blocks down. Friday’s the grand opening.
WEEKEND PICK
Peach Pit at the Quarry Amphitheater — Saturday, May 2
The Quarry is one of the best outdoor venues anywhere — old rock walls, redwoods at the rim, capacity around two thousand. Peach Pit’s the kind of band that does well in that room: melodic, easy, sing-along-ready. Show starts in the evening, parking on the UCSC main lots, free shuttle up to the venue. Bring a layer — the Quarry gets cold after sundown even in May. Tickets and details.
WEEKLY
The stuff that’s on every week — markets, music, standing plans.
Monday — Comedy Night at Abbott Square · 7–9 PM · 725 Front St, Downtown · Free — Bay Area comics rotate in. Find a table, order a drink, settle in.
Tuesday — Felton Farmers Market · 1:30–5:30 PM · 120 Russell Ave, Felton · Seasonal, opens May 5 — Mountain market under the big trees. Runs through October 27.
Tuesday — Salsa Social at Abbott Square · 7–10 PM · 725 Front St, Downtown · Free — Salsa, cumbia, merengue, bachata. All levels.
Wednesday — Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market · 12:30–5 PM · Cedar & Church, Downtown — The big one. Show up around 3 when the crowds thin out.
Wednesday — Trivia at Front & Cooper · 6:30–8 PM · Abbott Square, 725 Front St, Downtown · Free — Hugging Porcupines hosts. Cocktails and prizes.
Friday — Watsonville Farmers Market · 2–9 PM · Peck & Union, Downtown Watsonville — The prepared food vendors are the move — come hungry.
Friday & Saturday — Live Band at Abbott Square · 7–10 PM · 725 Front St, Downtown · Free — Rotating lineup, open garden, no cover.
Saturday — Westside Farmers Market · 9 AM–1 PM · Mission St Ext & Western Dr — Runs rain or shine. The one with the coffee line.
Saturday — Aptos Farmers Market · 8 AM–Noon · Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Dr — Year-round, nearly 90 vendors. Park in the upper lots.
Saturday — Scotts Valley Farmers Market · 8 AM–Noon · Boys & Girls Club, 5060 Scotts Valley Dr · Opens May 2 — Runs through Nov 21.
Sunday — Live Oak Farmers Market · 9 AM–1 PM · 15th & East Cliff Dr — Quiet neighborhood version of the Downtown market. Go before brunch.
BEFORE YOU GO
That’s #005. If something’s happening in Santa Cruz County that we should know about, tell us here or just reply to this email.
See you next Thursday.
— Low Tide Local