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We spent the weekend camping with the kids at Kirby Cove in SF, where we fended off raccoons chasing leftover s'mores and hunted for sea glass under the Golden Gate Bridge. It was our baby's first time camping and let's just say she needs some practice.
We also had the privilege of drawing the winner of the $100 Companion Bakeshop gift card.
524 of you entered the poll, and we did a random drawing for the winner. Congrats to Kelly B. in Santa Cruz, whose poll pick was a loaf to take home. Kelly, go get that loaf!
Thank you all for entering, and for the notes so many of you left with your votes. We read every one. More giveaways are coming. First, meet our newest partner below.
Now let's get into it.
TOGETHER WITH POINTSIDE MEAT SHOP
This deli earns the detour. Maddy Feduk runs the woman-owned meat shop and deli at 915 41st Ave near Pleasure Point. The counter carries Freedom Meat Locker cuts from Watsonville, local beer and wine, and truly mouth-watering sandwiches. My personal go-to is the classic Italian, but favorites include the smoked Tri-Tip & Chimi and the Hot Bird, a hot turkey number that is worth planning a surf around.
For Low Tide readers, mention us this week for a free drink with any sandwich, plus 15% off Freedom Meat Locker cuts.
Want your business in this spot? Partner with us →
CONDITIONS · TUESDAY, AUGUST 4
SUNRISE 6:15 AM
SUNSET 8:13 PM
WATER 62°F · full 3/2
SURF 2 to 3 ft · town spots
LOW TIDE 1.5 ft · 8:20 AM
FOG night patches only
AQI 51 · moderate
UV 8 · very high, midday
The marine layer is down to a night shift. Patchy fog after midnight, mostly sunny days, and Friday is the heater at 85. Surf backed off from last week's hurricane swell to a short-period northwest windswell, 2 to 3 feet at the Lane and the Point, near flat inside Capitola, and 3 to 4 if you drive north past Waddell. Water is sitting in the low 60s. No usable minus tides this week, so the tidepools get a rest.
A blue whale on Friday. The Sea Wolf II found the largest animal on Earth off Monterey Bay on the morning of August 1, sharing the water with two humpbacks and about 500 common dolphins. By Monday the bay was showing off, 14 humpbacks, a couple thousand dolphins, and 30 Risso's on a single trip. The sightings log has the photos, including the blue whale's fluke on its way down.
Berry math for August. Gizdich Ranch's u-pick berries are done for 2026, but the pie shop at 55 Peckham Rd in Watsonville bakes every day, 9 to 5, and a slice of olallieberry counts as produce if you squint. Apple u-pick opens there in September.
Still picking? Crystal Bay Farm in Watsonville runs strawberry u-pick Wednesdays and Sundays, 12 to 5, $8 a pound plus $2 to get in. And Live Earth Farm just opened its dry-farmed Early Girl tomato rows, $3 a pound on weekends alongside $3 strawberries, with u-pick running through late October.
We finally made it to social media. We'll be sharing extra events and local highlights between Tuesdays. Come say hi and follow along.
School starts this week for thousands of county kids
Soquel Union goes back Wednesday, most mid-county districts follow Thursday, and Pajaro Valley gets one more week. KSBW has every district's first day. Expect school-zone traffic to return and the beaches to quiet down on weekday mornings.
Santa Cruz is the most expensive place in America to rent, again
The National Low Income Housing Coalition's annual report keeps the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro at #1 in the country, the fourth year in a row. Affording a modest apartment here takes an $81.04-an-hour wage, and $83.85 in Capitola, ahead of San Francisco at $69.31. California minimum wage is $16.90.
A strong El Niño is likely this winter, and nobody knows what that means for us
Forecasters give better-than-70-percent odds of a very strong El Niño by winter, which would be the biggest since 2015-16. The Central Coast sits right on the dividing line, with equal odds of a wetter or drier winter, so hold off on both the sandbags and the drought panic for now.
MBARI came back with a new deep-sea species
Scientists sailing out of Moss Landing ran a 10-day jelly expedition from Monterey Bay down to the Channel Islands and came back with a new species of Erenna siphonophore, a drifting colonial jelly that hunts with elaborate lures, on the deepest dive yet for their robot sub. Steven Haddock's team launches from our bay.
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, AUGUST 4
Santa Cruz Shakespeare: Fences · 7 PM · Audrey Stanley Grove, DeLaveaga Park · $25 to $98
August Wilson's Fences under the redwoods, with an optional wine-club tasting at 5:30 before the show. Bring layers, the grove cools fast after sunset.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5
★ Capitola Twilight Concerts: The Joint Chiefs Band · 6 PM · Esplanade Park, Capitola Village · Free
R&B, soul, and funk on the beachfront bandstand. Low chairs and a picnic supper, but no pets or booze at the concert.
★ Shakespeare Family Day: Much Ado About Nothing · Gates 10 AM, show noon · Audrey Stanley Grove, DeLaveaga Park · Kids 12 and under free with a paid adult
Pack a picnic and let the kids watch Beatrice and Benedick fight it out in the redwoods.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6
★ Crow's Nest Beach BBQ: The Houserockers · 5:30 PM · Harbor Beach at the Crow's Nest · Free
Blues-rock on the sand with the BBQ going and Walton Lighthouse behind the stage. The free harbor water taxi runs Thursdays.
★ Last Colonnade Concert: Anthony Arya · 8:30 PM · Boardwalk Colonnade Stage, 400 Beach St · Free
The Thursday series closes with a Santa Cruz local, Americana from The Voice alum Anthony Arya. Have a listen ↗
★ Seabright Summer Movie Nights: Hoppers · 8 PM · Murray St and Seabright Ave, Seabright · Free
The block closes off for the inflatable screen. The series wraps August 13.
★ Offshore Pilates Grand Opening · 5 to 7 PM · 105 Post Office Dr, Aptos Village · Free
Ribbon cutting with the Aptos Chamber for the new locally owned reformer studio, open since July 8.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7
★ Last Movie on the Beach: The Goonies · 9 PM · The beach at the Boardwalk · Free
The movie series goes out on the right note. Bring blankets. The crowd will say the lines along with Chunk.
First Friday Santa Cruz · 5 to 8 PM · Galleries countywide · Free
August's art walk. Radius Gallery at the Tannery opens The Art of Flowers, 30 local artists working in and around fresh blooms.
★ Midtown Fridays Block Party · 5 PM · 1111 Soquel Ave, Midtown · Free
Food trucks and a band on the midtown lot.
★ Boulder Creek Summer Carnival · 5 to 8 PM · Downtown Boulder Creek · Free
Carnival games with prizes, a kid zone, and a photo booth along Highway 9.
ALO at Felton Music Hall · 8 PM, doors 7 · 6275 Hwy 9, Felton · 21+
The Bay Area jam institution plays the mountains. Have a listen ↗
SATURDAY, AUGUST 8
★ Jug Band Festival at Abbott Square · Sets from midday into the evening · Abbott Square, 725 Front St, Downtown · Free
Washboards, kazoos, and stand-up basses take over the courtyard for the big Saturday block of a festival that runs Thursday through Sunday.
Local Wild King Salmon off the boat · 8 AM · Santa Cruz Salmon Boat Yard, 3085 Carriker Ln, Soquel · $16/lb, whole fish
Reserve ahead and buy king salmon straight from the fisherman, whole fish running 8 to 14 pounds. A reader sent us this one.
Cayuga Jazz Band at the Crepe Place · 5 to 7 PM · Garden Stage, 1134 Soquel Ave · Free
Trad jazz on the garden stage behind the crepes.
Cabrillo Festival: Music Exploring Control · 7 PM · Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St · $26 to $96
World premiere of Clarice Assad's Kontrol with violinist Philippe Quint. The festival's free Youth Ensemble concert runs the same afternoon at 3:30.
Shawn Colvin at the Rio · 8 PM, doors 7 · 1205 Soquel Ave · From $40
Three Grammys and Sunny Came Home, solo acoustic. Have a listen ↗
★ National BBQ Cook-Off at Roaring Camp · Noon to 3:30 PM · 5401 Graham Hill Rd, Felton · Free entry
Day one of the pit-master showdown in the redwoods, and our Weekend Pick. Full plan below.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 9
★ Dip and Drip by Perch Sauna · 11 AM · Davenport Roadhouse · $25
Ocean cold plunge at Davenport Beach, then a cedar sauna and a non-alcoholic beer to land it. Bring a towel. This one will be fun!
★ The Magical Baker Pop-Up · 9 AM · Verve, 816 41st Ave, Capitola · Pastries priced individually
A monthly gluten-free, fully vegan bake case that runs 9 to 1 or until it sells out. Go early.
★ Sunday Assembly: Open Your Door to the World · 10:30 AM · Capitola Branch Library · Free
Longtime Workaway hosts on opening their home to travelers, plus songs and a potluck. Bring a dish.
Downtown Antiques Faire · 9 AM to 5 PM · Lincoln St between Pacific and Cedar · Free
The monthly hunt for the thing you didn't know you needed.
Cabrillo Festival Grand Finale: Hope As Our Banner · 7 PM · Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St · $26 to $96
The season closer, with former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove joining the orchestra for Barber's Adagio and a street party after. Drinks allowed at your seat.
The Beat Farmers at Moe's Alley · 8 PM, doors 7 · 1535 Commercial Way · $25 advance
San Diego cowpunk legends. Have a listen ↗
★ National BBQ Cook-Off at Roaring Camp, day two · Noon to 3:30 PM · 5401 Graham Hill Rd, Felton · Free entry
Sunday's round of the cook-off. Full plan in the Weekend Pick below.
Tri Santa Cruz · 8 AM · Cowell Beach and Depot Park · Free to watch
Sprint and Olympic triathletes hit the water at 8, so expect closures and slow going around West Cliff and the wharf until early afternoon.
MONDAY, AUGUST 10
Board Game Night at The Cruz Room · 5 to 10 PM · 1520 Mission St, Westside · Free
The Game Night Collective hosts every Monday with a 30-plus game library and guided teaching, so nobody spends an hour learning rules.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11
★ Tuesday Night Live on the Wharf: Santa Cruda · 6 to 8 PM · Wharf Commons · Free
Soul-reggae from a Santa Cruz trio out over the water.
LOOKING AHEAD
The ones to grab tickets for now.
Art à la Carte: Beach Treasures · Thursday, August 13 · 5:30 to 7:30 PM · Another Banger, 8040 Soquel Dr, Aptos · $60
Paint a seashell trinket dish while Sandra Martinelli plates vegan caviar on blinis and mocktails. The monthly workshop is small, so book a seat before Thursday.
Club Day by Club Aligne · Saturday, August 29 · 11 AM to 4 PM · Santa Cruz
A day of Pilates, pickleball, and a recovery suite from a crew of local wellness vendors. Presale pricing is live now and goes up soon, so lock in early if you're going.
The Alley-Oop · 320 Cedar St, Suite D, Downtown
Max Turigliatto runs the jazz speakeasy tucked off Cedar Street, with live jazz Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and never a cover. This week alone brings the Brian Fitzgerald Duo tonight and vocalist REIJA on Thursday, both 6-ish to 9. The move for locals runs 5 to 6 every evening, the Burgers, Bubbles and Bumps happy hour: the Alley-Oop burger, real champagne, and a bump of premium caviar for $25.
National BBQ Cook-Off at Roaring Camp · Saturday, August 8 and Sunday, August 9
Nationally ranked pit-masters set up in the redwoods at Roaring Camp in Felton and compete for cash while you eat the evidence. Full BBQ plates, local breweries, live music, lawn games, bounce houses, and gold panning for the kids, with the Forest and Beach trains running all weekend.
Free to walk in, food and train rides extra, and parking has a fee. It runs noon to 3:30 both days. Go hungry, leave slow.
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
Thursday: Boulder Creek Farmers Market · 1:30 to 6:30 PM · Junction Park, Boulder Creek
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.
Did we miss something? Submit it here.
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. One thing we learned running the giveaway, a referral only counts after your friend clicks "Count me in" on 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