Arts & Culture

WATSONVILLE—Two local arts organizations are hosting a four-day Holiday Boutique this week at the historic Porter Building in downtown Watsonville. Arte Del Corazón (ADC), a group that has been staging open-air art shows, markets and events throughout Watsonville since 2019, is organizing the boutique with...

Rapper and songwriter Kabwassa has released a new single entitled “In My Head.”  Born and raised in Watsonville, Kabwassa now lives in Los Angeles and has steadily gained a following in California. Much of his music features his hometown, and he often writes about issues...

WATSONVILLE—Mexican Independence Day is Sept. 16, and the Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) is teaming up with two Bay Area organizations to bring a celebratory event to the community. Celebrando La Cultura, to be held Sept. 15-18, will include film, music and dance. It begins with...

Local artist Kathleen Crocetti says she feels a tremendous weight has been lifted from her shoulders. The first phase of her five-year mosaic project, “Watsonville Brillante,” was installed last week: a 1,200-square-foot section of a large mural on the six-story Civic Plaza parking garage...

Colin Disheroon would like to “change the story around cannabis” in any way he can.

"Try This" is a weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like. • FOOD: Slice Project's White Bugatti It seems like each time I’ve visited the Slice Project, 300 Main St., their pizza has improved. I’ve been a big...

Todd Guild FOOD: Freedom Bakery I had a sweet tooth one morning, so I thought I’d check out Freedom Bakery.  Tucked incongruously into a strip of industrially-zoned businesses, the place is not easy to find. But it’s worth checking out, if only to see what this unique...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Every spring, Cabrillo Gallery’s Student Exhibition highlights the work being done within the college’s art departments. Teachers and classmates choose who will be featured in the show, which is meant as a send-off at the end of the school year. But with the...

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—A large gathering of people celebrated the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe the Virgin Mary Sunday at Pinto Lake County Park. Based on Catholic tradition, the virgin appeared to a young boy, Juan Diego, in Mexico in 1531. Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe...