Pearl Harbor Survivors Group meets
WATSONVILLE — The Pearl Harbor Survivors Group will meet Dec. 7 at the California Grill, 40 Penny Lane, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. for breakfast.
The meeting begins at 11 a.m. Attendees are invited to bring photos from the era.
For information, call Frank at 722-1234.
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Student-organized leadership conference set
WATSONVILLE — Empower Watsonville, A Youth Lead Leadership Conference will take place on Dec. 8 at the Henry J. Mello Center, 250 East Beach St. in Watsonville.
The event will include a keynote speech by boxing champion Carina Moreno, with a musical performance by Kabwasa.
Informational sessions will be held throughout the day.
High school students are encouraged to attend the event, which includes a free breakfast and lunch.
Registration and breakfast begins at 8 a.m., with the conference being held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
To RSVP, visit www.eventbrite.com and search for “Empower Watsonville Leadership Conference.”
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Sister City Association holds fundraiser
WATSONVILLE — The Kawakami Watsonville Sister City Association will hold a breakfast fundraiser at Applebee’s, 1105 South Green Valley Road in Watsonville, on Dec. 16 from 8-9:45 a.m.
Proceeds will benefit the association’s general fund that is used to assist the chaperones and host the visitors from Kawakami.
The breakfast tickets are $10, and the breakfast includes flapjacks, juice, eggs, bacon and coffee.
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Food for Fines campaign kicks off
WATSONVILLE — The Watsonville Public Library has kicked off its annual Food for Fines campaign to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank.
Through Dec. 15, community members can bring in one can of food for each dollar of overdue fines at either the Main Library or Freedom Branch Library. All food donations will be given to Second Harvest Food Bank for distribution.
In 2017, about $1,000 in fines were forgiven, resulting in 2,500 pounds of food.
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Meetings scheduled for Pajaro to Prunedale Corridor Study
PAJARO — The Transportation Agency for Monterey County is seeking the public’s input on a recently released report for the Pajaro to Prunedale Corridor Study.
Based on input from community meetings held in May, alternative concepts for the corridor have been developed. The concepts aim to make the corridor safer for not only vehicles, but for pedestrians and cyclists.
The 10.5-mile Pajaro to Prunedale corridor, known as County Road G-12, consists of San Miguel Canyon Road, Hall Road, Elkhorn Road and Salinas Road, between Highways 1 and 101.
Three public meetings are scheduled:
• Dec. 3, 6-7:30 p.m.: Prunedale Grange Hall, 17890 Moro Road
• Dec. 5, 6-7:30 p.m.: Hall District Elementary School, 300 Sill Road in Las Lomas
• Dec. 6, 6-7:30 p.m.: Pajaro Middle School, 250 Salinas Road.
For information, visit www.pajarotoprunedalestudy.org.
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Music for the Feast of Christmas
SANTA CRUZ — The 36th annual Music for the Feast of Christmas will be held at Holy Cross Church in Santa Cruz today, Saturday and Sunday.
Under the direction of Cheryl Anderson, the 2018 Santa Cruz Artist of the year, the performance features the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus performing Franz Josef Haydn’s “Nelson Mass” #11 and additional music of the holiday season.
Ensemble Monterey and accompanist Vlada Volkova-Moran will join the choir. The audience is encouraged to participate during the carol sing-along.
Tickets are $25 for general admission, $23 for students and $21 for seniors and are available at cabrillovapa.com or by calling 479-6154. Proceeds of this concert help to support the chorus’ scholarship program.
For information, visit feastofchristmas.com.
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Holiday events on tap at the Boardwalk
SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s Holiday Ice has returned for its second year of ice skating and other festive activities in the Boardwalk’s Main Plaza through Jan. 6.
A covered skating rink, display of holiday lights and decorations, fire pits, holiday photo ops, a kids’ craft corner, classic holiday movies, photos with Santa, seasonal games and treats, and hourly snow flurries are all in the forecast.
“This year’s Holiday Ice event is bigger and better than last year,” said event director Karley Pope. “The rink is a little larger and we’ve added more decorations, more fire pits, new fun photo ops, and more games and activities for kids. Even if you don’t skate, it’s exciting to check out all the festivities.”
Boardwalk Arcades including Mini Golf are open daily.
Admission to Holiday Ice and some activities, such as movies, crafts and photo ops, are free. Skating is $14.95 an hour, with skates included. Skating reservations are recommended because sessions fill up during popular times.
For information and online skating reservations, visit beachboardwalk.com/Boardwalk-Holiday-Ice.
Roaring Camp’s Holiday Lights Train offers festive train rides through Dec. 23. The lighted train makes a round-trip journey from the Boardwalk through the streets of Santa Cruz while passengers sing carols with Santa and Mrs. Claus and sip cider.
The Chanukah Train makes a one-night journey on Dec. 3 as families gather to light the menorah, listen to stories, play dreidel and enjoy kosher refreshments.
For Holiday Lights and Chanukah Train schedule and reservations, visit beachboardwalk.com/Holiday-Train-Rides.
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Santa Cruz METRO adds single-ride tickets
SANTA CRUZ — Santa Cruz METRO recently announced that riders can now purchase single-ride tickets in advance to expedite bus boarding for passengers to help keep buses on time, and reduce the need for bus riders to carry cash.
The single-ride tickets can be purchased at any METRO customer service booth, as well as ticket vending machines located at METRO transit centers and Cabrillo College. Single-ride tickets are $2 each for local Santa Cruz County service and $7 for the Highway 17 Express bus.
Previously, METRO riders had to have a bus pass or pay with exact cash when boarding a bus as the fare boxes do not give change.
“We want to make METRO as accessible as possible for riders,” said Alex Clifford, CEO of Santa Cruz METRO. “Making it possible for people to purchase ride tickets in advance with a credit or debit card is one small way to reduce barriers to transit.”
Single-ride tickets can be purchased individually, or loaded onto a Cruz Pass for use by families, groups or to be ready for future trips. METRO Customer Service booths are located at the Pacific Station in Santa Cruz and Watsonville Transit Center. Ticket vending machines are also located at those facilities as well as Scotts Valley Transit Center and Cabrillo College.
METRO operates 26 year-round routes throughout Santa Cruz County. Local fares are $1-2 with day passes available for $6 or less. Highway 17 fares are $3.50-7 with Day Passes available for $14.
