Summer is here and just in time. We are coming out of a pandemic that has affected our lives for more than a year. So many of us were confined to our houses as we continued to live our daily lives. In-person engagement was cut out. This created so many challenges, physically and mentally. Though the pandemic is not completely behind us, there is some good news. Things are changing and we are beginning to inch back to some sort of normality.
As we are coming out of the pandemic, the city of Watsonville has taken steps toward safely opening up activities that were previously provided throughout the year. We hope our residents will take advantage of the many different opportunities we have to offer our community.
Recently, we celebrated the Fourth of July in a new and healthy way. I held a Mayor’s Bike Ride, where we toured neighborhoods that decorated their homes for the Fourth of July home decorating contest that was put on by the city. There was a contest for the best decorated residential house, nonprofit and business. We had more than 100 people participate in the bike ride. The parade of bikes was accompanied by our first electric bus filled with community members.
As we move toward a greener and clean-energy way of life, we will be changing out our old bus fleet with new gas alternative buses. Our first electric bus will go into service in September. Residents were able to tour the decorated houses on this state-of-the-art bus. Upon returning from touring the decorated houses, participants arrived to the music of our very own Watsonville Community Band. It was refreshing to see our band perform again. The event exceeded expectations. This event was a clear example that people are ready to enjoy life again with their peers.
We are thrilled to see the community come together, once again. With that said, we have several other activities planned this summer for community engagement. We hope to see you at one of our exciting events here in the city of Watsonville.
- Music in the Plaza Concert Series (Performances start at 6pm)
- Aug. 26 – Selena Tribute
- Sept. 9 – Monterey Bay Sound Machine
- Sept. 17 – Los Cenzontles
- Sept. 23 – The Chicano All Stars
- Sept. 29 – Dia de los Muertos Performances & Film Screening
- Watsonville Strawberry Festival 2021: Aug. 8, 11am-5pm
- Airport Open House/Fire in the Sky: Sept. 4, 6:30pm
- Watsonville Wine, Beer and Art Walk: t.b.d. (Fall)
All details for the events can be found at cityofwatsonville.org and find us on Instagram and Facebook.
We recognize the impact this past year has had on so many people. It is imperative to add some normalcy back into our lives. Though we are not back to life as we knew it, we are excited to start bringing back some of our past traditions, as well as creating some new ones.
There have been some amazing inaugural events that were created during the pandemic that will be with us for a long time to come. We are always trying to expand community opportunities for our families and residents of the Pajaro Valley. Our residents have shown resilience during these difficult times. It was not easy, but we seem to be coming out of an unforgettable point in history. It is our hope that with these events, we can start to add some joy to our lives.
I wish you all a wonderful summer. Thank you for being symbols of strength and resilience. I look forward to seeing you this summer at one or more of the events we have planned in the city of Watsonville.
Mayor’s Update is a recurring column from Watsonville’s mayor, Jimmy Dutra. His opinions are his own and not necessarily those of the Pajaronian. Contact Dutra at ji*********@ci***************.org .
