Arts & Culture

SANTA CRUZ—As a crane hoisted four sections of a large mosaic-covered water dragon into place Sunday atop a colorful concrete gateway at an entryway to San Lorenzo Park, new life was pumped into a forgotten chapter of Santa Cruz history. Renamed the Chinatown Bridge by...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Daniel J. Story was a second-grader living in the Midwest when the Loma Prieta Earthquake struck California on Oct. 17, 1989. He recalls it flashing on the news, and his teacher being worried about people she knew in the area. But Story admits...

Japanese director Makoto Shinkai made a name for himself when he released “Your Name” in 2016. The fantasy-drama about two teenagers who swap bodies achieved global critical acclaim and became the highest-grossing Japanese animated film of all time. Shinkai followed this success with “Weathering With...

Todd Guild Freedom Meat Lockers One of my favorite things to do for lunch in Watsonville is head over to Freedom Meat Lockers, which in addition to its high-quality selection of carnivores’ delights, also offers a deli counter. Normally when I hear the word ‘deli’ I cringe,...

For rapper and singer Kabwasa, staying connected to his hometown of Watsonville is a priority—even as he makes waves in the music scene in Los Angeles. Raised in a house just off Rodriguez Street, Kabwasa was surrounded by music from an early age. He attended...

WATSONVILLE—For the second year running, a group from Watsonville’s Filipino community is releasing a calendar highlighting family histories.  The “Watsonville is in the Heart” calendar is part of the Tobera Project, an ongoing project aiming to preserve, honor and celebrate that history, especially those of...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville artist Augie WK for two years has dreamt of bringing a humpback whale to life at the Marinovich Community Center. It was 2019 when the upstart muralist was approached by Watsonville Environmental Science Workshop coordinator Darren Gertler and asked if he’d be interested in...

WATSONVILLE—Juan Carlos Pozo Block has spent the past two decades teaching in Watsonville, working with students from various backgrounds and levels of education. This year, that experience culminated in a new book in which the author, who goes by the pen name JC Pozo, shares...

WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville Parks and Community Services Department and the County of Santa Cruz will host a Drive-Thru Trunk-or-Treat event Friday between 4:30-7:30pm, or until supplies last. Families are invited to drive their vehicles through Ramsay Park, 1301 Main St., starting at the Main...

George Couch was an ambitious 25-year-old when he came to Watsonville in 1973 and negotiated a deal to purchase a small Anheuser-Busch distributorship. It would not stay small for long. His company Couch Distributing, which he runs with his brother Geoff, has since 1973 delivered...