Hot Picks 05.09.24

Friday, May 10

Sunset Terrace

Sunset Cultural Center’s annual free outdoor concert series, Terrace Hour, returns with six concerts to take place between May 10 and June 21, featuring the best musicians the Monterey Peninsula has to offer. It kicks off with the concert by Wendi Kirby of Wendi Kirby Music in Monterey. Kirby is a pianist, composer and educator. She has received national recognition for her contributions to music education. She has released two albums of her own original music on Pastiche Records and performs on stages throughout the U.S. and Europe. Terrace Hour is free and open to the public; the bar opens at 5:30pm; the show starts at 6pm. All are welcome; no tickets or reservations are required. So bring your friends, family, dogs, cats and birds to the Sunset Center’s terrace this May and June. Outside food and drink are allowed, but alcohol must be purchased at the venue. Rain cancels. [AP]

6pm Friday, May 10. Sunset Center, San Carlos Street, Carmel. Free. 620-2048, sunsetcenter.org.

Saturday, May 11 – Sunday, May 12

Garden Party

Even if you only have a patio or don’t possess a green thumb, the beauty of gardens and the plants that grow within are enough to want to visit the 53rd Annual Carmel Valley Garden Show. Every year Carmel Valley Garden Club members lay out a big spread of plants for admiring, learning about and – if the spirit moves you – taking home. The two-day event includes a competitive flower and plant show, a kid-favorite activity area called Buzzy’s Garden, photo contest, silent auction, cafe and around 25 vendors of plants, garden art, wine, artwork and crafts. Besides getting a close-up view of the winning flowers and plants (after judging is completed at 11:30am Saturday), there’s the big “Plant Corral,” actually four sales tents each with a different theme: drought-tolerant plants and succulents; vegetables and edible plants; flowering plants; and garden art. Have questions about choosing the right plant and caring for it? Knowledgeable volunteers are ready with answers. All in all, it’s a blooming good time. [PM]

10am-4pm Saturday and Sunday, May 11-12, Hidden Valley Music Seminars, 104 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. Free; $1/parking. 277-2670, cvgc.clubexpress.com.

Saturday, May 11

Walk of Remembrance

In spring 2011, in collaboration with Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, Gerry Low Sabado and her husband Randy started the Walk of Remembrance. Sabado, a descendant of Quock Mui, the first Chinese-American woman born in California, began this annual event as a peaceful way to remember the residents of the fishing village at Point Alones who had been burned out of their homes and forced to flee the area in 1906. Prepare for a mile-long walk between the museum and the area where the village stood at the current Hopkins Marine Station. The event has come to symbolize Low Sabado’s message of changing minds through kindness, and has grown to reach a variety of communities in the ensuing years. The walk will be followed by a performance by the Monterey Bay Lion Dance Troupe. [AP]

11am activities begin; 1:15pm walk begins Saturday, May 11. Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, 165 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove, Free. 648-5760, tinyurl.com/yc7e57w8.

Where Art Meets Science

Young visual and performing artists converge in Monterey under one shared goal: to show how the arts can intersect with science to teach the broader public about the importance of ocean stewardship. SpectorDance’s fourth annual Ocean Arts Festival features work by artists under age 24. Ocean-themed pieces by a number of visual artists from local schools are on display, as well as a strong showing of creations from the Youth Arts Collective. On the performing side, the Greenfield High School Mariachi Band, Youth Music Monterey and many other groups bring their works to the stage. In addition, SpectorDance presents excerpts from “Ocean Trilogy,” part of a decade-long partnership between choreographer Fran Spector Atkins and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute that investigates how dance and science can work together to raise awareness of issues affecting the ocean. [EC]

1-4pm, Saturday, May 11. Monterey Museum of Art, 559 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. 601-8510, spectordance.org.

Sur House

One of the most important architects from Big Sur was born in Joplin, Missouri and schooled at the University of Oklahoma. Neither place is known for its untamed beauty, so it’s astounding that Mickey Muennig became an architect rather than, say, a linebacker. But he did. And he ended up in Big Sur, where he became known for organic architecture, building homes and venues such as Post Ranch Inn and the Hawthorne Gallery. And if you are still stuck on organic architecture, you’re in luck. Monterey Museum of Art and the American Institute of Architects Monterey Bay are hosting a lecture, presented by experts on the subject – namely Alan Hess, Herb Greene (a founder of the organic architecture movement), Daniel Piechota and Thomas Rettenwender. There’s a garden party afterward. So it’s alright now. You’ll learn your lesson well. [DF]

2-3pm lecture; 3:30-5pm garden party Saturday, May 11. Monterey Museum of Art – La Mirada. 720 La Via Mirada, Monterey. $25. aiamontereybay.org, eventbrite.com.

Laugh Lines

Lighten up – laughter is good for your health, science says. Besides, it’s fun. And the bonus in performances by Monterey County Improv is that every show is unique and the audience (that’s you!) plays a key role. Modeled after Whose Line Is It Anyway?, come ready to make requests, maybe even volunteer, and definitely to laugh out loud. This “P.G. Improv Invasion” is the group’s first-ever performance on a newly minted stage inside this old-school movie theater. That also means favorite movie snacks – popcorn, candy, beer, wine – are available for purchase. [SR]

7pm Saturday, May 11. Lighthouse Cinema & Event Center, 525 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. $20. 236-2032, lighthousecinema4events.com.

Sunday, May 12

Wines and Vines

The Blue Zones Project is all about facilitating healthy lifestyles, and part of that is community – it’s not just diet and exercise that matters, it’s also about fostering relationships, a sense of belonging and purpose for people in the absence of what used to be a town square. Social media, to the extent it’s replaced the town square in the digital age, can often be more divisive than inclusive. To that end, Blue Zones is hosting a series of hikes. This next outing pairs walking with wine at CRU Winery in Soledad. A 2 – to 4-mile stroll through the vineyards invites attendees to choose their own adventure. After the hikes wrap, attendees can get two-for-one tastings and 10-percent off bottle tastings. Also, everyone is welcome to bring snacks (healthy snacks, please) and picnic after they’re done walking through the vineyards. [DS]

10am-noon Sunday, May 12. CRU Winery, 37500 Foothill Road, Soledad. Free. bit.ly/BZPwinesandvines.

Monday, May 13

Life Lessons

What does it mean to be “healthy?” This seminar features three experts on women and health who offer some real talk and the latest research on relevant topics. Quinn Kennedy is the director of aging research at Stanford University and speaks about how to take control over your cognitive aging process. Jayme Lynn Rock-Willoughby of Montage Medical Cardiac Group presents on cardiovascular disease in women. And Sarah Payne, a licensed clinical professional counselor, speaks about mental health challenges as we age. Collectively, this is an opportunity (for all genders) to hear from leading women in the health field about the cutting edge in women’s health. [SR]

6-8pm Monday, May 13. Carmel Woman’s Club, 9th Avenue at San Carlos Street, Carmel. Free. montereycounty.jl.org.

HOT PICKS by Erik Chalhoub, Dave Faries, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Agata Popęda, Sara Rubin and David Schmalz.