Surf & Whales

The fog keeps parking over town until mid-morning, then Friday burns off warm, pushing close to 80 once you get behind the marine layer. Friday is also the surf day. A west-northwest swell fills in overnight Thursday and stacks overhead-plus sets at Steamer Lane, the biggest window in two weeks, before it eases back to fun-size for the weekend. The water is holding around 55 degrees, still 4/3 weather, and the bay is loud with humpbacks right now. One pack of about fifteen was lunge-feeding on anchovy bait balls offshore last week. The strawberries are peaking, and summer is settling in for real.

Martinelli’s is winding down its Watsonville apple contracts
S. Martinelli and Co., the 158-year-old cider maker on the hill above Watsonville, is phasing out its contracts with local apple growers through the 2027 season. For Pajaro Valley families who have farmed the same orchards for four and five generations, Martinelli’s was the last big buyer. Peter Knego pulled more than 100 acres of trees in May. Local cider apples bring about $400 a ton against $135 for Washington seconds, which is the whole story in two numbers.

Watsonville Community Hospital lands $10.6 million in state aid
The hospital secured $10.6 million from California’s Distressed Hospital grant program, money its CEO called a bridge through a hard financial stretch. Watsonville Community has been community-owned since the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District bought it out of bankruptcy in 2022, and it serves a patient base that is mostly on government insurance or none at all. Keeping its doors open matters for the whole south county.

The county is gearing up for a World Cup summer
Tourism leaders, business owners, and event organizers met downtown Monday to lay out the watch parties, tournaments, and soccer events planned across the county as the 2026 World Cup draws crowds to the Bay Area this summer. Visit Santa Cruz County chief Terence Concannon led the kickoff. Expect a busy, soccer-flavored stretch once the matches begin.

★ = family-friendly

THURSDAY, JUNE 4

Crow’s Nest Beach BBQ: James Durbin and the Lost Boys · 5:30 PM · Santa Cruz Harbor Beach, Seabright · Free
The free Thursday beach concert, with Santa Cruz’s own James Durbin and the Lost Boys on the sand. Grab a burger off the Crow’s Nest deck and find a spot before they start. Have a listen ↗

Bargetto Winery Music in the Courtyard · 6 PM · 3535 N Main St, Soquel · Free, reservation 831-475-2258 x114
Live music in the creekside courtyard, wine and snacks for purchase. Reserve a table and settle in.

FRIDAY, JUNE 5

★ Midtown Fridays Block Party · 5 to 8:30 PM · 1111 Soquel Ave, Midtown · Free
The summer block party rolls on with a local band, food trucks, and makers in the lot. Park in the neighborhood and walk over.

★ Skypark Food Truck Friday · 5 to 8 PM · 361 Kings Village Rd, Scotts Valley · Free
The county’s biggest weekly food truck gathering, with live music and room for the kids to run. Park near the dog park.

Carmina Burana at the Quarry · 7:30 PM · Quarry Amphitheater, UCSC · $10 to $57
I Cantori di Carmel sing Orff’s big choral piece, the “O Fortuna” one you know from every movie trailer, in the open-air stone bowl up at UCSC. Bring a layer for after dark.

Agent Orange at Moe’s Alley · 8:30 PM · 1535 Commercial Way, Live Oak · $22 advance, $27 door
Orange County surf-punk veterans, still loud after four decades, with The Drowns and Enemy of My Enemy opening.

The HU with The Rasmus at The Catalyst · 9 PM · 1011 Pacific Ave, Downtown · $61.47
Mongolian “hunnu rock,” throat singing and horsehead fiddle pushed through a wall of amps. A big, strange, loud headliner for a room this size. Have a listen ↗

SATURDAY, JUNE 6

★ Santa Cruz County VegFest · 11 AM to 5 PM · County Fairgrounds, Watsonville · $5 advance
Plant-based food vendors, cooking demos, and exhibitors fill the Watsonville fairgrounds. Come hungry, it is mostly an eating event.

★ Wilder Ranch Guided Coastal Nature Walk · 11 AM to 1:30 PM · Wilder Ranch State Park, North Coast · Free (day-use parking)
Ranger-led walk along the bluff-top terrace. With humpbacks feeding close in right now, the odds of catching a spout offshore are good, so bring binoculars.

People’s Disco at Moe’s Alley · 8 PM · 1535 Commercial Way, Live Oak · No cover (21+)
DJ Duckcomb spins a free disco night. Just a dance floor and no cover.

SUNDAY, JUNE 7

Santa Cruz Pride Parade and Festival · Parade 11 AM · Pacific Ave, Downtown · Free
The 51st Pride, the third-oldest in California, rolls down Pacific Avenue at 11, then runs as a festival around the MAH and Abbott Square until 4. Two stages, a beer garden, and a hundred-plus booths.

The Alex Lucero Band at Moe’s Alley · 8 PM · 1535 Commercial Way, Live Oak · $20 advance, $25 door
Santa Cruz’s own soul-and-Americana outfit, fronted by Alex and Justina Lucero, on their Heavy and Unkind tour with Jimmy Gordon opening. Have a listen ↗

1 Umbrella with ALLBLACK at The Catalyst · 9 PM · 1011 Pacific Ave, Downtown · $31 to $41 (16+)
A Bay Area hip-hop showcase headlined by ALLBLACK, with 22nd Jim, Lil Bean, Lil Yee, and ZayBang.

TUESDAY, JUNE 9

Mihali at Felton Music Hall · 8 PM · 6275 Highway 9, Felton · check ticket page
The Twiddle frontman brings his melodic solo jam set up to the redwoods for a weeknight show.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10

★ Capitola Twilight Concerts: Trestles · 6 PM · Esplanade bandstand, Capitola Village · Free
Week two of the free Wednesday series brings Trestles, the local beach-rock band that took Santa Cruz’s Band of the Year in 2024. Surf-garage over the sand at sunset. Bring a low chair, no dogs or alcohol in the park. Have a listen ↗

Soul Brass Band at Moe’s Alley · 8 PM · 1535 Commercial Way, Live Oak · $20 advance, $25 door
New Orleans second-line brass, horns up and built for dancing.

The Penny Ice Creamery

Kendra Baker and Zachary Davis opened the Penny on Cedar Street in 2010, on what they swear was the hottest day of the year, making everything from scratch in the back. The story got out. A year later they were guests at the State of the Union, seated near the First Lady, the small-business success the speech wanted to point at. Fifteen years on it is still a downtown ritual. Right now the boards are all strawberry, a Straight Up Strawberry and a Strawberry Pink Peppercorn, made with Pajaro Valley berries at their peak. Get a scoop in a hand-rolled waffle cone at the original at 913 Cedar Street, open every day from noon to 11. If downtown is a haul, there are scoop shops on 41st Avenue near Pleasure Point, on Beach Street by the Boardwalk, in Aptos Village, and in Scotts Valley.

Whale Watching on Monterey Bay

The Tide Report is not exaggerating about the whales. The humpbacks are in close and feeding hard right now, working through anchovy bait balls, and the boats out of the Santa Cruz Wharf have been finding them most days. Stagnaro’s Santa Cruz Whale Watching runs three-to-four-hour cruises on the bay, $66 for adults and $48 for kids 4 to 13, with a $2 port fee on top. Book ahead online or at 831-427-0230, dress in layers because it runs colder on the water, and sit toward the middle of the boat if you get queasy. Dolphins and sea lions come with the deal. If you would rather stay dry, the Wilder Ranch bluff walk on Saturday or the West Cliff railings give you a real shot at a spout from land.

The markets and standing plans that are on every week, year round.

Tuesday: Felton Farmers Market · 1:30 to 5:30 PM · 120 Russell Ave, Felton
Mountain market under the big trees.

Wednesday: Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market · 12:30 to 5 PM · Cedar & Church, Downtown
The big one. Show up around 3 when the crowds thin out.

Friday: Watsonville Farmers Market · 2 to 9 PM · Peck & Union, Downtown Watsonville
The prepared-food vendors are the move. Come hungry.

Friday & Saturday: Live Band at Abbott Square · 7 to 10 PM · 725 Front St, Downtown · Free
Rotating lineup in the open garden, no cover.

Saturday: Westside Farmers Market · 9 AM to 1 PM · Mission St Ext & Western Dr
Runs rain or shine. The one with the coffee line.

Saturday: Aptos Farmers Market · 8 AM to Noon · Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Dr
Year-round, nearly 90 vendors. Park in the upper lots.

Saturday: Scotts Valley Farmers Market · 8 AM to Noon · Boys & Girls Club, 5060 Scotts Valley Dr
Seasonal through November.

Sunday: Live Oak Farmers Market · 9 AM to 1 PM · 15th & East Cliff Dr
Quiet neighborhood version of the Downtown market. Go before brunch.

Sunday: Humble Sea + Scrumptious Fish & Chips · Noon to 6:30 PM · 820 Swift St, Westside · Free entry
Fog beer in the Westside beer garden with a fish-and-chips trailer parked out front. Dog- and kid-friendly. Saturdays too.

That’s #010. 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