Step Lively
The written language has existed since ancients in Mesopotamia began jotting down notes, oh, some 5,000 years ago. Words have been used to describe such wonders as space flight and the exotic creatures of the deep sea. And yet words cannot be pieced together to describe the sound of High Step Society. Yes, scribes have tried. Here’s a sample: “Electro bass jazz,” “a Cotton Club vibe that plunges the depths of the EDM trench,” “a blasting sexy horn section that soars over syncopated high hats.” Got it? Yeah, sure. A performance by High Step Society cannot be explained or imagined, as it mingles the known past of jazz with the unknown sounds of the future. You can experience jazz as it exists in their minds at Pearl Hour and then try to explain it all to friends the next day. It won’t be possible. The show is for ages 21 and up. [DF]
9pm Thursday, April 14. Pearl Hour, 214 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey. $10. pearlhour.com.
Pickleball Party
It’s hard to imagine a more wholesome Friday night activity than playing pickleball and making new friends, and to that end, the Monterey Bay Pickleball Club has you covered: On April 15 at the Hyatt Regency Monterey, the club is hosting a “Friday Night Lights Pickleball Social,” where both experienced players and newbies can mix it up and play what might is said to be America’s fastest-growing sport. Balls and paddles will be provided, but a word of advice to the newbies: when you get skunked – which happened to this reporter on the Wheeler Courts in Seaside – the proper term in the sport is getting “pickled.” But win or lose, it’s a great time, especially for those who enjoy paddlesports. [DS]
4:30-7:30pm Friday, April 15. Hyatt Regency Monterey, 15 Old Golf Course Road, Monterey. $12/online, $10/door (cash), MBPC members/free. bit.ly/PickleballNight.
Basket Ready
If you are looking for an opportunity to celebrate Easter with your kids, bring them to the annual Golden Egg Hunt in Seaside – one of the most popular yearly events in the city. Every year over 1,000 people show up to hunt for colorful Easter eggs and spend time with the Easter bunny. In addition to all that, kids can enjoy other activities such as arts and crafts, a petting zoo, bounce houses and pony rides. The area around Oldemeyer Center will be the site of over 18,000 eggs, ready to be found. And for the first time organizers will also host a low sensory egg hunt for kids with special needs so they can feel safe and be part of the hunt. [CJ]
11am-1pm Saturday, April 16. Oldemeyer Center, 986 Hilby Ave., Seaside. Free. 899-6800, ci.seaside.ca.us.
Write It Out
At the onset of the pandemic, writers, artists and creatives of all kinds, flush with indefinite free time, came under immense pressure to produce their masterpieces. Yet, despite the free time, many found it more difficult than ever to pick up the pen or paintbrush. Creative expression became a formidable task in such a dire moment. Poet Patrice Vecchione believes it’s during the most difficult times that writing and creativity is most important. As part of a series celebrating National Poetry Month, the Pacific Grove Public Library invites Vecchione for a discussion in the park on writing through turbulent times. [CN]
2-4pm Saturday, April 16. Jewell Park, next to the P.G. Library, 550 Central Ave, Pacific Grove. Free. 648-5760, pacificgrovelibrary.org.
Ladies Night
What do you think when you think of ladies’ night? Free drinks at a local bar maybe (though that practice is a little strange if we’re being honest) or free entry at the club. Try this Women’s Night Out on for size: a pre-concert party at Monterey Symphony, featuring drinks, small bites, a DJ, your favorite girlfriends and more. No, it’s not free. But there will be wine by the McBride Sisters Wine Company, desserts by Blue Aces Bake Shoppe and a shopping boutique featuring some local vendors. Plus, afterward, attendees get to take in the sweet sounds of the third concert in the Monterey Symphony’s 75th season (for more on that, see story p. 34). [TCL]
6-7:30pm party, symphony starts at 7:30pm Saturday, April 16. Sunset Center, San Carlos Ave & 9th Ave, Carmel. $40. montereysymphony.org.
Dancing Shoes
You don’t need to be the most coordinated or skilled dancer to learn some serious ballroom dancing moves. What you need is a good instructor who can help guide you. Sera Hirasuna leads lessons, before opening up the floor for everyone to put their new skills to use, with a live band offering up music. Besides an opportunity to utilize your fanciest footwork, ballroom dancing is a regular social event hosted by Active Seniors, Inc., which has a big mission: to provide seniors “a choice to participate in activities which are physically and mentally healthful according to their individual needs; to have a site of congregation for social communication with their peers, that they may enjoy a fruitful existence in their latter years and be given relief from an environment of the routine of mere existence.” Ballroom dancing is certainly a way to break out of the rut of mere existence. [SR]
6-7pm lessons, 7-9pm dance, on Tuesday, April 19. Active Seniors, Inc., 100 Harvest St., Salinas. $9/Active Seniors Inc. members; $10/nonmembers. Proof of vaccination required; masks are optional. 424-5066, activeseniorsinc.org.
Youth Speak
It seems that everybody’s in to celebrate this year’s National Poetry Month. A Carmel real estate company, The Heinrich Team, is calling “all local Monterey County poets” for the team’s 2022 poetry contest for school-age youth, now open for submissions. The leader of the team, Ben Heinrich, was on the judging and selection team for the Monterey County Poet Laureate; he supports the Harrison Memorial Library Association and loves reading and writing. The contest has four divisions: elementary school grades K-2, elementary school grades 3-5, middle school students grades 6-8, and high school students grades 9-12. Awards will include $250 Visa gifts cards and a $1,000 scholarship toward college or trade school for the high school division winner. One poem/entry per person. One winner from each of the four age divisions will be chosen, and winners will be notified by email or phone on April 30. [AP]