Caput to take oath of office
WATSONVILLE — Santa Cruz County Fourth District Supervisor Greg Caput will be taking the oath of office for his third term in office on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the American Legion, 214 Center St. in Watsonville.
Retired Watsonville Police Chief Manny Solano will administer the oath.
The event is free to attend and open to all.
For information, call 724-5524.
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Triple P holding Family Literacy Fun Day
WATSONVILLE — In honor of Positive Parenting Awareness Month, Triple P Santa Cruz and the Watsonville Public Library are co-hosting a free Family Literacy Fun Day on Jan. 19 from noon to 2 p.m. at the library, 275 Main St., suite 100.
The event will include arts and crafts, story time with the librarians, activities and information about the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program and other local services for children and families.
Every family gets a free book provided by First 5 Santa Cruz County and a chance to win prizes.
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Concert benefits scholarship fund
WATSONVILLE — The California Association of Bilingual Education of the Pajaro Valley is sponsoring a student scholarship benefit concert by Grammy-nominated, award-winning bilingual singer-songwriter, Jose-Luis Orozco.
The concert will be held on Jan. 19 from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Henry J. Mello Center, 250 East Beach St. in Watsonville.
In addition, Pajaro Valley’s own folkloric dance group Estrellas de Esperanza will perform.
The concert is a benefit for the C.A.B.E. scholarship fund for high school students of the Pajaro Valley.
Tickets are $10 per person and $20 per family. To pre-purchase tickets, contact Amie Tsang at am***********@ro*******.com or 332-6037.
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Escuela Quetzal School receives donation of planter boxes
WATSONVILLE — Recently, Nico Cianciarulo, principal of Cianciarulo Construction in Scotts Valley, donated multiple planter boxes and barrels to Escuela Quetzal School in Watsonville for its Agriculture Production Program.
The planter boxes and barrels material costs and labor were provided by Cianciarulo’s construction company.
When asked how he came across this school’s agricultural production needs, Cianciarulo said, “When I heard that the Santa Cruz County Office of Education’s Career Technical Education Partnership Program had this shortfall of planter boxes and barrels, specifically, they did not have the monies for the materials and labor to assemble them, I knew that my company had to jump in and help out. I know that vocational education helped me get through some of the toughest years of my young adult life, helping me learn critical thinking skills to gain someone’s faith and belief in me to give me the chance. It is all about paying it forward in any way possible.”
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Rare fruit growers to distribute fruit varieties to gardeners
APTOS — On Jan. 13, the Monterey Bay Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers will hold its annual winter Scion Exchange at the Cabrillo College Horticulture Center in Aptos from noon to 3 p.m.
At this event, in coordination with fruit-growing enthusiasts around the state, local organizers will freely distribute cloneable cuttings (scions) from hundreds of common, rare, heirloom and experimental varieties of fruit.
Experienced local growers will be available to answer questions about fruit growing. Grafting demonstrations will provide an introduction for new growers to propagate their own unusual fruit trees.
Attendees are advised to come prepared with freezer bags, markers and masking tape to store and label their scions. Those who’d like to share their own disease-free plant material should bring it pre-cut, bagged, and labelled.
California Rare Fruit Growers has been operating locally via the Monterey Bay chapter since the 1980s.
Admission to the event is free for members or $5 for non-members. For information, visit mbcrfg.org.
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Village Fitness Center hosts fundraiser
APTOS — On Dec. 16, Seascape Village Fitness partnered with Santa Cruz Children’s Charities to host the 10th Annual Beauty Bash Fundraiser to benefit local families in need.
This year they raised more than $16,000, which is being distributed to CASA of Santa Cruz County, The Good Dogs Foundation, and two families who where victims of the Camp Fire in Paradise.
Santa Cruz Children’s Charities is a nonprofit organization which was started in 2003 by nine local women. Their mission is to help children and families of the community who are in need.
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‘Dine for the Red Cross’
CAPITOLA — The Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola is hosting its annual “Dine for the Red Cross” fundraiser on Jan. 15.
To support the organization’s local programs and services, make a reservation to dine at the Shadowbrook that night between 5-10 p.m. If you mention that you want your bill to support the Red Cross, the Shadowbrook will donate one-third of it to the Central Coast Chapter.
To make a reservation, call 475-1222 or visit shadowbrook-capitola.com.
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Boating courses offered
SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz and Capitola Flotillas of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary are offering three boating safety courses to the general public.
Recreational boaters, commercial vessel operators, and others are invited to attend the courses, which will be offered at the conference room downstairs at 365A Lake Ave. at the Santa Cruz Harbor near the Harbor Marine boat yard.
Registration for all three courses will be held at 365A Lake Ave. at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
The courses are “Boating Skills and Seamanship” (BS&S), “Sailing Skills and Seamanship” (SS&S) and “Coastal Navigation” (CN). The three courses will run 13 to 15 weeks. The weekly evening classes are two hours long.
Course fees for BS&S and SS&S are $60 including textbook and course materials. Course fee for CN is $70 including two textbooks and course materials.
BS&S and SS&S courses prepare students for the exam required to qualify for the new California Boating Card. Students will learn the fundamentals of safely operating boats on inland waters and at sea.
Students taking the Coastal Navigation course will learn all aspects of coastal navigation including traditional navigation using coastal charts and electronic navigation including use of GPS, coastal navigation software and Radar.
There are no prerequisites of the Sailing Skills and Seamanship or Boating Skills and Seamanship courses. Students registering for Coastal Navigation must have completed either Sailing Skills and Seamanship, Boating Skills and Seamanship, or an equivalent course.
Students who are not able to attend the registration session on Wednesday may be admitted on the first day of class if space is available.
The classes begin on:
• CN — Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m. (Classes will be held each Monday for 14 weeks)
• BS&S — Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. (Classes will be held each Wednesday for 13 weeks)
• SS&S — Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. (Classes will be held each Thursday for 15 weeks)
