Juneteenth is an occasion to celebrate Black culture. The holiday memorializes parties in Galveston, Texas after the Emancipation Proclamation was finally enforced. Above is a scene from a previous Juneteenth in Seaside.
Thursday, June 12
An Artist’s Dozen
Open Ground Studios is an artist collective and a space where budding and experienced artists can take classes with Denese Sanders or Paul Richmond. Currently the space – that can be easily spotted thanks to a mural adorning the facade – serves 12 artists. The collective is celebrating its 12th anniversary with a pop-up exhibition and fundraiser titled Belonging & Threads Between. Viewers will have a chance to see 12-by-12-inch artworks created by both members of the OGS artist collective and their students, bringing the public into the mix. “Artmaking itself provides a unique and powerful path to belonging to the self and beyond,” Sanders wrote. “The act of creating, sharing and interpreting each other’s art fosters empathy, understanding and an expanded sense of shared humanity.” [AP]
5:30-7:30pm Thursday, June 12. Open Ground Studios, 1230 Fremont Blvd., Seaside. Free. 236-8636, info@opengroundstudios.com, opengroundstudios.com.
Fade In
FolkYeah presents vinyl sessions at Bud’s. The performances come as part of Fadeaway Sessions, a live music series created to support environmentally focused nonprofits. Performances are relaxed, stripped back and intimate, akin to a living room jam session. Chris Jordan of Flamin’ Groovies will play on June 12, followed by Daniel T. on June 19 and Tylawave and James Wavey on June 26. [AP]
6pm Thursday, June 12. Bud’s at La Playa, Camino Real and 8th, Carmel. Free. 293-6100, budscarmel.com.
Friday, June 13
Coastal Tunes
This summer night tradition at the Asilomar Conference Grounds is a great recipe for a Friday night. A free concert with spectacular coastal views cannot go wrong. The sunset music series offers an experience each week, with special performances on June 20, July 4, Aug. 15 and Aug. 29. In addition to music, seasonal small bites, local craft beer, wine and s’mores are available for purchase. When it comes to musicians, Meredith McHenry plays on June 13, The Rudians on June 20 and Shawn Yanez on June 27. Feel free to bring your own chair. [AP]
6-9pm every Friday until Aug. 29. Asilomar Conference Grounds, 800 Asilomar Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. 372-8016, visitasilomar.com.
Summer Time
All-art King City hub Sol Treasures is back with its backyard concert series. Every other Friday night, a band will play in the backyard of Sol Treasures. This is the second event in the series and the band playing is Paradise Road, a five-piece classic rock and country rock band from northern San Luis Obispo County. Singer-songwriter Sarah Canet, part of the Sarah Canet and Casey Frazier duo, will play on July 11. Peter Barnes Martin from Monterey will perform on Aug. 15 and Los Vaqueros Hunting Club Traveling Band, who play “campfire music,” ends the series on Sept. 5. The concerts are open to all ages. [AP]
6-8pm Friday, June 13. Sol Treasures, 519 Broadway St., King City. Free. 386-1381, celebrate@soltreasures.com, soltreasures.com.
Rise of the Harmony
Harmony Rising is a women’s trio that will play in Carmel. From left to right, members are Anne Sibley, Beth Anne Vattuone and Julie Capili.
What happens when you take three accomplished singer/songwriters and put a microphone in front of them? As many who have witnessed this have described: magic. Harmony Rising is a trio consisting of Monterey Peninsula-based Anne Sibley, Julie Capili and Beth Anne Vattuone. Expect powerful lyrics in a soothing acoustic manner, all tied together by seamless harmonies. The trio performs in the next installment of Sunset Cultural Center’s annual outdoor concert series, Terrace Hour. Grab a drink, bring a meal and listen to some of the finest local talent around. [EC]
6pm Friday, June 13. Sunset Cultural Center, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel. Free. 620-2048, sunsetcenter.org.
Saturday, June 14
Chalk Block
Get ready to try your hand at making temporary art – or just join in the fun spirit of Chalk the Block in Pacific Grove and watch others get colorful on the pavement.
When’s the last time you sat outside and competed in a drawing competition – in chalk? Probably not in a while, or maybe never? On Saturday, June 14, come solo or as part of a team of up to four and chalk the block with your best artwork and sidewalk skills, all in line with this year’s theme: “Love Is… ” It’s the third annual event in downtown Pacific Grove, presented by the Pacific Grove Downtown Business Improvement District. [KR]
10am-2pm Saturday, June 14. 561 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove; check-in at Mechanics Bank Plaza on Lighthouse Avenue. Free. 373-3304, pacificgrove.org.
Jade Shades
Appearing in colors from white to lavender, jade is more than green. Gemstone hunters, jewelry fans and rock collectors can find magic in jewelry and decorative objects made of jade, which is part of China’s history and culture, as well as Big Sur’s. At the 2025 International Jade Summit, jade lovers will have an opportunity to expand their jade collection and choose from a variety of sizes, colors and objects during the Monterey Bay Jade Festival. They will also have the opportunity to listen to experts as they talk about an array of topics including natural versus treated jade, Canadian mining, nephrite jade formation and more. The summit includes breakfast and lunch in the ticket price. [CJ]
10am-5pm Saturday, June 14. Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center, 5 Custom House Plaza, Monterey. $66. montereybayjadefestival.org.
Public Thread
Yarn comes in different thicknesses, colors and materials, and there are many different ways to turn it into pieces of art or clothing. Thread crafters of all stripes will have a public space to share, work and hang out with fellow crafters on Worldwide Knit in Public Day. Put on your hard pants (or something you made), take your latest project out of the living room, and bring it out to the lawn to knit in public. To make it more fun, bring friends, snacks and something to sit on, either a chair or a blanket. [CJ]
Noon-4pm Saturday, June 14. Colton Hall lawn, 570 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. 431-0207, bit.ly/mryknitting2024.
Time for Tea
For the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, it is always time for tea – and riddles with no resolution and ramblings that make no sense. The mission at this Mad Hatter Tea Party makes a lot of sense: It’s a benefit for the nonprofit South County Animal Rescue, a chance to connect with fellow animal lovers and to partake in savory and sweet bites. Don’t forget to wear your most fabulous hat as you descend down this rabbit hole, because there are prizes for the best. [SR]
2-4pm Saturday, June 14. Salinas Valley Fairgrounds, Heritage Room, 625 Division St., King City. $25. 525-5160, samcolesberry@gmail.com, scar.pet.
Fruitful Folk
Multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Omar Velasco will play in Pacific Grove. This Los Angeles-based musician plays a mix of rock, Latin, folk and Afro-Cuban music.
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Omar Velasco has had a career as varied as the artists that inspire him. He has performances at places such as Red Rocks and The Fillmore on his resume, and cites artists such as Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan as his influences. But in early 2022, a series of events all within a few months of each other forever altered his life, and his music. Velasco became a father, at the same time he lost his own, and went through the breakup of his band – not to mention being in the midst of a pandemic. Velasco took a job with a fruit tree care company and found new meaning in his art while being surrounded by these trees. The result was a new album, and Velasco will share his journey with a performance at Pop and Hiss, joined by special guest Clay Finch. [EC]
7pm Saturday, June 14. Pop and Hiss, 215 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. $21. bit.ly/OmarVelascoJune14.
Plus Two
If you are thinking that a group called the Dan and Laurel Quartet somehow doesn’t add up, there are two possibilities. The first, that the group has two Dans and two Laurels, is wrong. Instead, the folk duo of Dan Frechette on guitar and fiddler Laurel Thomsen – known for contemporary lyrics set to vintage pickin’ and sawin’ with five albums out (and no, that’s not a mere violin; it’s a fiddle) – are joined this time by Dan Robbins on bass and Bruce Handloff on drums. That makes a quartet, and the four of them together can get you tapping and thinking at the same time. [DF]
7pm Saturday, June 14. Henry Miller Memorial Library, 48603 Highway 1, Big Sur. $20; $25/at the door. 667-2574, henrymiller.org.
Saturday-Sunday, June 14-15
You Belong
Inspiration for music comes in many forms. Take Miley Cyrus who covered Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers.” Even if you’re not musically inclined, we can agree that wildflowers are an inspiring thing. So with about two weeks left of spring, come be inspired at the 26th Annual Summer Wildflower Show. The sky’s the limit to what these flowers could inspire for you. Go utilitarian at a 3pm workshop on Saturday teaching participants how to make cordage from tule reeds. Learn how to identify more than 100 species of wildflowers on display, then consider hiking around to test your knowledge – you could even bring a fiddle to play among them. [SC]
10am-4pm Saturday-Sunday, June 14-15. Garland Park Visitor Center, 700 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. Free. 372-3196. mprpd.org.
Saturday, June 14-Wednesday, June 18
Let Freedom Ring
The Emancipation Proclamation took effect on Jan. 1, 1863, ending slavery in the United States of America 87 years after the nation’s founding. At least on paper. For some enslaved people in the South, chattel slavery continued – for two-and-a-half years, until June 19, 1865, when thousands of Union soldiers arrived in Texas to announce that all people were free. Juneteenth celebrates this jubilee for Black Americans, with multiple events local this year to honor and elevate Black excellence and culture. The Monterey County Black Caucus hosts Juneteenth in Seaside on June 14 with entertainment, a kids zone, a classic car show and live music, with hip-hop artist LaRussell headlining. On June 18, join the Salinas Juneteenth Celebration Association to celebrate the theme “Freedom is Beautiful” with live music by Etienne David Franc and the Griot Trio, plus African drumming and dancing; dinner is served to the first 200 guests at this celebration of past and present. And then set your mind to a future in which all people are free. [SR]
1-7pm Saturday, June 14 at Laguna Grande Park, 1249 Canyon Del Rey Blvd., Seaside. Free. juneteenth.montereycounty@gmail.com, instagram.com/juneteenth831. 4-7pm Wednesday, June 18 at Hartnell Student Center, 411 Central Ave., Salinas. Free. saliansjuneteenth.com.
Wednesday, June 18
Classical Gas
Classical guitarist Hao Yang is known for her range of musical interests and her technical skill, and brings both to the stage for an intimate show at SandBox in Sand City.
We could say that classical guitar player Hao Yang has taken top honors at multiple international competitions, but let’s just mention the Andrés Segovia International Guitar Competition and let that sink in. Really, the young Chinese artist is on Segovia’s level. She can take Bryan Johanson’s “Open Up Your Ears” and turn it into a powerful masterpiece. Or turn the intricate Op. 92, No. 12 “Torre Bermeja” by composer Isaac Albéniz and make jaws drop. [DF]
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