Art workshop part of exhibit reception
WATSONVILLE — Pajaro Valley Arts will hold a workshop on Sunday from 2-4 p.m. during the reception for its latest exhibit, “What Nourishes Us.”
Kathleen Crocetti will lead the workshop, guiding attendees on up-cycling food packaging material which would otherwise be either recycled or put in the trash. She will show how to make embellishments from packaging waste and how to affix it to clothing in a group participatory fashion project.
The workshop will be held at the Pajaro Valley Gallery, 37 Sudden St. in Watsonville.
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Toastmasters holding open house
WATSONVILLE — Pajaro Valley Toastmasters will be hosting an open house at the old City Council Chambers, 250 Main St., on Monday from 6-7 p.m.
The Pajaro Valley Toastmasters club has been functioning for more than 50 years.
At Toastmasters, members learn how to become more confident in front of an audience by speaking to groups and working with others in a supportive environment. Members learn how to hone their management skills and learn to give and receive constructive feedback.
At Monday’s open house, attendees will hear from others on how they have used their new communication skills at their workplace.
The open house is free to attend. For information, call 663-1628.
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Pearl Harbor Survivors Group to hold planning meeting
WATSONVILLE — The Pearl Harbor Survivors Group will meet on Wednesday at the California Grill, 40 Penny Lane in Watsonville, from 9:30-11:30 a.m.
The group will be meeting to plan for its annual gathering on Dec. 7.
Anyone interested is welcome to attend.
For information, call Frank at 722-1234.
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‘Artichoke Woman’ model in attendance at this weekend’s Artichoke Festival
MONTEREY — Joanne Gallaher, model for the “Artichoke Woman” poster for the 1988 Castroville Artichoke Festival, will attend and sign posters at the 2018 Castroville Artichoke Food & Wine Festival, set for Saturday and Sunday at the Monterey County Fair & Event Center in Monterey.
The image was inspired by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz’s 1979 photo of Bette Midler for Rolling Stone magazine to promote her film “The Rose,” as well as Marilyn Monroe’s 1948 status as Castroville’s first-ever honorary Artichoke Queen and later Monroe’s first Playboy centerfold image in 1953.
In 1986, photographer Sue Bennett and long-time friend Gallaher collaborated on the image, which shows Gallaher, much like Midler and in a similar pose, lying on a “bed” of artichokes. The image first appeared on a postcard in 1987 and sold at the Giant Artichoke restaurant and store in Castroville and in 1988 became the image for that year’s Artichoke Festival official poster.
Festival attendees will enjoy dozens of fresh artichoke food delicacies, a beer, wine and spirits garden, chef demos, live entertainment, field tours and more during the two-day festival.
General admission is $15 for those 13 and older; seniors 62 and older and military personnel with ID are $10; children ages 6-12 are $5; general admission for one adult, with wine tasting pass, is $45 (must be 21 years or older); wine tasting alone is $30; and field tours are $10 (daily tour schedules to be announced at the festival), good for adult or child 5-12.
For information, visit artichokefestival.org.
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Family night at mall benefits Jacob’s Heart
CAPITOLA — Capitola Mall’s Family Fun Night will kick off on Wednesday from 3-5 p.m.
The all-ages Summer Kick-Off will feature Happily Ever Laughter’s Miss Ruby. Learn how to hula dance and speak a few Hawaiian words, make summertime crafts to take home, enter a raffle to win a family membership to Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery and more.
Tickets for Family Fun Night — Summer Kick-Off benefit Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services. For information and to purchase tickets, visit jacobsheart.org/summer-kick-off.
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Santa Cruz Pride Parade this Sunday
SANTA CRUZ — The 44th annual Pride Parade will be held Sunday in downtown Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz Pride celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning community of Santa Cruz County.
Marching are 2018 Grand Marshals Deb Abbot, Joe Cosentino and Mia Duquet, as well as a variety of local organizations and business.
Beginning at 11 a.m., the family-friendly parade will travel from Church Street and down Pacific Avenue toward Ocean Street. A festival featuring LGBTQ musicians, spoken word artists and other performers, as well as kids activities will be held immediately following the event between Cathcart and Cedar streets.
Admission to the parade and festival is free. The event is alcohol- and tobacco-free, and only service animals are allowed.
For information, visit santacruzpride.org.
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Monarch Services hosts benefit yoga session
SANTA CRUZ — An expected 200 people will be practicing asanas (yoga postures) in the sand at the first annual “Yoga With Us” event on June 24.
Registration is $50 per person and begins at 7:45 a.m., with yoga beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Capitola Beach.
All proceeds support Monarch Services’ direct service programs, including providing crisis response, emergency shelter, peer counseling, support groups and legal assistance to domestic violence and sexual assault survivors.
Executive director and co-founder of the Mini Mermaid Running Club Heidi Boynton will be the emcee.
To register and for information, visit monarchscc.org.
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Encompass receives grant from Kaiser Permanente
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY — Kaiser Permanente announced a $89,985 grant to Encompass Community Services of Santa Cruz County, part of a $2 million investment in Northern California to support community organizations in their work to reduce the stigma around mental illness.
Encompass will be able to fund a youth peer outreach intervention and a public education campaign that aims to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and substance use disorders.
“May is Mental Health Awareness Month,” said Irene Chavez, senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser Permanente San Jose, which oversees the Santa Cruz County area. “Only by getting young people and adults to talk about mental health issues will we overcome the stigma that allows it to continue.”
Encompass of Santa Cruz County and 24 other Northern California organizations were awarded community health grants.
“Stigma is influenced by our cultural belief systems and it impacts our decisions to seek care, even in times of crisis,” said Yener Balan, MD, FAPA, executive director of Behavioral Health for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. “Kaiser Permanente believes that a person’s culture should be at the center of their health care experience, not a barrier to getting the care they need.”
The $2 million anti-stigma investment will support community organizations in developing trainings, public forums and awareness campaigns that are customized for specific populations. This is the first part of a three-year initiative.
