Mayor hosting family-friendly bike ride
WATSONVILLE — Watsonville Mayor Francisco Estrada will hold a short, family-friendly bike ride that follows the Pajaro River levee on Saturday from 10-11:30 a.m.
The ride starts at the parking lot across from the Watsonville Buddhist Temple, 423 Bridge St.
Warm up stretches will be lead by Watsonville Yoga.
Helmets are required for this ride.
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Castro Adobe holding open house
WATSONVILLE — The Castro Adobe State Historic Park will be open to the public on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Guided tours will be offered at 11:15 a.m., noon and 1 p.m., with a presentation on the Women of the Castro Adobe at 2 p.m. Attendees will also have the chance to make green tortillas in the cocina and children can decorate cookies.
The Castro Adobe, located at 184 Old Adobe Road in Watsonville, is currently an active construction site as the adobe building is being repaired and is open only during scheduled events. The event is free, and carpooling is encouraged, as parking is limited.
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Wetlands Watch hosts talk on Elkhorn Slough
WATSONVILLE — Watsonville Wetlands Watch will present a talk titled “From Oysters to Otters: Elkhorn Slough Ecology and How Estuarine Ecosystems are Changing” on March 14.
The talk, taking place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Patrick J. Fitz Wetlands Education Resource Center, 500 Harkins Slough Road, will be led by Kerstin Wasson, research coordinator at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. The presentation provides an introduction to estuaries and Elkhorn Slough, highlighting the habitats and biodiversity.
Admission is free, but seating is limited. To reserve a seat, visit watsonvillewetlandswatch.org.
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Congressman’s staff to hold office hours
WATSONVILLE — Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s (CA-20) staff will hold mobile office hours on March 20 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Santa Cruz County Immigration Project, 406 Main St. in Watsonville.
Staff members will assist with issues concerning Social Security, Medicare, federal employee retirement, immigration services, veterans’ services, passports, searching for military records, and any other federal matters.
To schedule a meeting, call Panetta’s Salinas office at 424-2229.
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Co-op preschool holding open house
WATSONVILLE — Watsonville Cooperative Preschool will hold an open house on April 10 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 220 Elm St.
The open house will be an opportunity for parents to learn about the school.
For information, call 761-6647, email
wa*****************************@ya***.com
or find @watsonvillecooperativepreschool on Facebook.
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Children’s museum holding free day
CAPITOLA — The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery will hold a Community Free Day on March 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This event is free to the public and allows attendees to visit MOD admission-free for the duration of the day. This Community Free Day is sponsored by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education.
The museum is located in the Capitola Mall.
For information, visit www.sccmod.org.
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New Capitola library the subject of lunch
SOQUEL — The Capitola-Soquel Chamber of Commerce will hold a networking lunch at Bargetto Winery, 3535 N. Main St. in Soquel, on Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Gayle Ortiz, co-owner of Gayle’s Bakery and Rosticceria in Capitola and the capital campaign chairperson for the new Capitola Branch Library, will be the guest speaker.
Lunch will be catered by Whole Foods Market, with coffee from Zizzo’s Coffeehouse. A raffle will also be held.
Admission is $20 for chamber members, or $25 for non-members. To register, visit capitolachamber.com.
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Animal shelter celebrating pit bulls
SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter (SCCAS) will host a Saint Pittie’s Day Weekend Celebration March 16-17 to highlight pit bulls and proper training.
The shelter will be offering gifts to people who adopt pit bulls and pit bull mixes, such as one-on-one training, T-shirts and more.
The third annual Pit Stop Pub Crawl for a Cause will be held on March 16. Those who purchase a Saint Pittie’s Day T-shirt ($25) or hoodie ($40) and wear it will receive $1 off all pints at breweries such as Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, Beer Thirty, East Cliff Brewing Co. and others.
Registration funds support the programs and services provided by the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter.
On Sunday from noon to 3 p.m., photographer Tom Burke will offer free professional pet portraits for all county owners of pit bulls and pit bull mixes.
For information, visit www.scanimalshelter.org.
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Scrabble Tournament benefits Teen Peer Court
SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz County Law Library is hosting its 10th annual Scrabble Tournament on March 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 701 Ocean St., room 070 in Santa Cruz.
Participants play three 30-minute games. After each game, scores are tabulated and players are matched up for the next round.
Students play free. Adults suggested donation is $25. All donations benefit Teen Peer Court and the Santa Cruz County Law Library.
To register, email
sc*******@ya***.com
or
Ja********@ic****.com
or call 420-2205.
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Gala supports symphony
SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz Symphony League will hold its annual gala party event, this year called the Beach Ball Gala, on March 30 from 5:30-10 p.m. at Holy Cross Hall, 170 High St. in Santa Cruz.
The gala will include a gourmet surf and turf dinner, band, dancing and an auction including tours, holiday vacations, wine and art.
Tickets are $150, and proceeds support the Santa Cruz Symphony. For information and tickets, visit www.santacruzsymphonyleague.org or call Cheryl or 475-9482.
