Hot Picks 02.02.23

Feb. 3

TGIFF

We’ve been cooped up for too long through a soggy January. Now is the time to get out and about and see what’s bumping downtown. First Friday events occurring each month are a prime opportunity to mix and mingle, enjoy live music and art while doing a little shopping, noshing and imbibing. Downtown Pacific Grove is launching its 2023 season of First Fridays, with live music up and down Lighthouse Avenue, along with artists, a gallery night at the P.G. Art Center and a chance to catch a free glimpse of the P.G. Museum of Natural History’s latest exhibit, Wonder. Or head over to Sand City for the 831 Night Market, a high-energy gathering featuring artisans, food booths, activities for families and a live band – this month it’s the reggae fusion band Sensory TRiBE. In Salinas, downtown transforms into a living art gallery for First Fridays Art Walk, with live music, art openings, kid art activities and more. For a quieter time among beautiful works of art, visit the Monterey Museum of Art, which opens its doors for free the first Friday of every month. [PM]

Friday, Feb. 3 and future first Fridays of the month. Pacific Grove: 6-9pm, Lighthouse Avenue and side streets; Sand City: 5-9pm, Sand City Art Park, 525 Ortiz Ave.; Salinas: 5-9pm, Main Street between San Luis Street and Central Avenue; Monterey Museum of Art, 5-7pm, 559 Pacific St., Monterey. Free.

Start Me Up

Startup Monterey Bay is back with its latest Startup Factory workshop for all you future unicorn founders out there (or people who want to hear about the next crop of big ideas). The weekend-long affair at CSU Monterey Bay is open to ventures of all stages and sizes; there will be ample food and networking opportunities, not to mention coaching and pitch practice, and it all culminates with team presentations and awards to the most promising presenters on hand. Show all those Silicon Valley blowhards up the road just what Monterey County has to offer. [RM]

5pm Friday, Feb. 3 to 6pm Sunday, Feb. 5. CSUMB Business & Information Technology Building, 3052 Divarty St., Seaside. $129; $79/students; free/students enrolled at CSUMB, Hartnell College or Cabrillo College. eventbrite.com.

Feb. 4

Sense of Purpose

Sol Treasures prides itself on nurturing an appreciation and passion for the arts. With a focus on community, the nonprofit offers an array of workshops, after-school sessions and performances geared towards creative outlets. Similarly, Blue Zones Project is also in the business of a better community through healthier living. Together, these two groups host a Purpose Workshop, hoping to “gift you the opportunity of finding or reinforcing your gifts and talents.” Open to anyone with a purpose or seeking one. Appropriate for ages 15 and older. [KH]

11am-1pm Saturday, Feb. 4. Sol Treasures, 519 Broadway St., King City. Free. 386-9809, melissa.alvarez@sharecare.com, soltreasures.com.

Trendy Stuffa

Arts Habitat of Monterey County presents Arts in Progress: Where Photography’s Past Meets Its Future, an event featuring an artists panel with The Weston Collective. Join local photographer Zach Weston and several of his colleagues, as well as students from the Weston Collective, for a discussion with the next generation of photographers. The event will be moderated by Jalena Jampolsky, the head curator and educator at the Weston Collective. She is also a Ph.D. student focusing on the history of photography and 19th – and early 20th-century American art at the University of Delaware, for those looking to get academic in addition to soaking in the art. [AP]

1-2pm Saturday, Feb. 4, Pacific Grove Art Center, 568 Lighthouse Ave, Pacific Grove. Free. 375-2208, eventbrite.com.

Circles and Squares

Contrary to what you might think, contra dancing is not for squares, although squares are formed. Nor is it like country line dancing, even though lines are an important part. To explain more clearly, dancers start in a longways set. A caller – in this case a contractor brought in for the occasion – lays out the figures… or steps? Something like that. Contrarians might think it sounds too difficult. But this is a community folk dance, adapted through the centuries, that can be taught in a matter of minutes, in contrast to most modern dance. Keen to give it a try? All ages and skill levels are welcome at Monterey Contra Dance gatherings. Lessons start at 6:40pm, dancing at 7pm. Bring water and some dancing shoes (and masks, which are required, along with proof of vaccination.) [DF]

6:30-10pm Saturday, Feb. 4. YMCA of the Monterey Peninsula, 600 Camino El Estero, Monterey. $12; $10 contra dance members; $5 students and military. monterecontradance.org.

Feb. 8

Rise Up

Black History Month movie nights continue. Each Wednesday in February, the nonprofit Black Leaders and Allies Collaborative (BLAAC) shows a movie that examines some element of race and racism in America. The screening is free (and so is the popcorn), but there is one contribution you’re expected to make. After the movie, BLAAC founder Dirrick Williams facilitates a brief conversation. What stood out to you in the movie? What scared you? Made you mad? Made you think? This Wednesday, Feb. 8, attendees will watch the first two parts of the series Black America Since MLK (And Still I Rise). Discussion will take place at intermission, and after part two. [TCL]

6pm Wednesday, Feb. 8. Lighthouse 4 Cinemas, 525 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. blaac.org.

Speak Up

Poetry Out Loud is a California-wide initiative that awakens poets in high schoolers in 46 counties and 261 schools, reaching nearly 73,000 students statewide. The students are encouraged to pick, commit to memory and present a poem of their choice, building self-confidence and public speaking skills while learning about literary history along the way. California’s Poetry Out Loud is the largest event of its kind in the U.S., and has grown steadily since its inception in 2005. The California state winner receives a $200 cash prize, an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., $500 for literary materials, and an opportunity to compete in the national finals. Eleven Monterey County high schools are participating in the 2023 edition and the space is limited to 65 guests, but the event will be streamed online. [AP]

1-2:30pm Saturday, February 4. CSUMB Alumni and Visitors Center, or via livestream on the Arts4MC YouTube channel. Free. 622-9060, arts4mc.org/services/poetry-out-loud.

HOT PICKS by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, Dave Faries, Kyarra Harris, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Rey Mashayekhi, Agata Popęda, Sara Rubin and David Schmalz.