Thursday, June 29
Visiting the Brutons
There were three of them – Margaret, Esther and Helen – the Bruton sisters, multimedia modernists from Monterey. They grew up in Alameda, but made Monterey their home. All born in the 1890s, the sisters were an important and recognized element of the California art scene. In 1939, they constructed an 8,000-square-foot mural for the Golden Gate International Exposition. Margaret was known for her portraits and landscapes (some of them perished in the Oakland Hills fire in 1991), Esther was known for her mosaics, and Helen was a printmaker – they all experimented with different media. Wendy Van Wyck Good is the author of a biography about the sisters and the main scholar on the subject. She’s also a librarian and archivist who is retired from Monterey Peninsula College. She is the best guide to the world of the Bruton sisters one can wish for, and she shares her expertise at this talk. [AP]
5:30-7pm Thursday, June 29. Monterey Museum of Art, 559 Pacific St., Monterey. $15-$25. 372-5477, montereyart.org.
Friday, June 30
Are You Ready, Kids?
The absorbent, yellow and porous icon known as SpongeBob SquarePants is gracing Cannery Row via The SpongeBob Musical, which runs for one month at Paper Wing Theatre & Supper Club. The family-friendly show sees SpongeBob and the rest of Bikini Bottom “face the total annihilation of their undersea world” – and surely there’s only one sponge up to the task of saving the day. The musical – which was a hit on Broadway and received 12 Tony Award nominations in 2018 – features original songs from the likes of Sara Bareilles, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, The Flaming Lips and T.I. [RM]
7pm Fridays and Saturdays, 2pm Sundays, from June 30 through July 29. Paper Wing Theatre & Supper Club, 711 Cannery Row, Suite I, Monterey. $29, $22/children ages 4-11, free/children 3 and under. 905-5684, paperwing.com.
Saturday, July 1
Trashy Dress
Trashion fashion takes what others might consider trash and upcycles it into beautiful and wearable design. For generations, frugal and crafty people have been repurposing cast-off bits and bobs into clothing and accessories, but since the 1990s it’s become a popular trend among design students, reality TV fashion competition shows, galleries and local fundraisers. The Alliance on Aging has leveraged the trend since 2014 with its own annual Trashion Show fundraiser in support of its mission to provide services and resources to the senior citizens of Monterey County. Organizers promise a unique and outrageous show, along with wine, dinner and dancing. [PM]
6pm Saturday, July 1. Monterey Conference Center, 1 Portola Plaza. $200/regular seat; $225/runway seat. 655-7564, allianceonaging.org.
Films al Fresco
Christine Raine is an explorer interested less in conquering big things like mountain summits and treacherous terrain than she is in making human connections. She is a self-described “empathy activist,” trained in nonviolent communication, whose travels to 45 countries on six continents resulted in lots of meaningful relationships, and inspired her to found the boutique travel company Wondermore. But then everything changed for Raine: Three months before her wedding, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her treatment continued into the pandemic. And while her pursuit of connection pushed her forward, she also set out another goal: to reach the summit of Mount Chirripó, the tallest mountain in her home country of Costa Rica. The result was a physically and mentally challenging trek, and a short, bilingual film documenting her journey – both up the mountain and through the medical system. The Henry Miller Library screens her film, Resilience, and hosts Raine, who speaks about her experience. [SR]
7-10pm Saturday, July 1. Henry Miller Memorial Library, 48603 Highway 1, Big Sur. Free; donation of $10-$20 suggested. 667-2574, henrymiller.org.
Tuesday, July 4
Red, White and Blue
Okay, so we’ve all done a bar crawl. Now, consider: The Fourth of July Crawl. The concept is simple, and the goal is to celebrate America’s Independence Day in as many places around Monterey County as possible. Suit up in red, white and blue (not required, just thematic) and be sure to get started early – Monterey’s big parade starts at 10am, but the Monterey Firefighters Association hosts its annual charity pancake breakfast earlier, starting at 7:30am at Fire Station #11, where you can fuel up for your day. From there you’ll wind your way through the county, enjoying food, music and fireworks shows. Or, just mix and match from the list of events below to craft the July Fourth of your liking. [TCL]
MONTEREY’S FOURTH OF JULY PARADE: 10am Tuesday, July 4. Alvarado Street and Calle Principal, Monterey. Free. 655-8070, oldmonterey.org.
KING CITY 4TH OF JULY PARADE: 10:30am Tuesday, July 4. 2nd Street and Broadway. Free. www.kingcity.com. (A fireworks show happens the night before, 9pm Monday, July 3 at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds.)
PACIFIC GROVE INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION: 11am-3pm Tuesday, July 4. Jewell Park, Pacific Grove. Free. 373-3304, pacificgrove.org.
SEASIDE FOURTH OF JULY FESTIVAL: 11am-4pm Tuesday, July 4. Seaside City Hall, 440 Harcourt Ave., Seaside. Free. 899-6800, ci.seaside.ca.us.
SOLEDAD 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION: noon-8:30pm Tuesday, July 4. Soledad Little League Park, Andalucia Drive and North Street, Soledad. Free. cityofsoledad.com.
MONTEREY COUNTY POPS! FOURTH OF JULY CONCERT: 1pm Tuesday, July 4. Devendorf Park, Carmel. Free. montereycountypops.org.
SALINAS FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION: 4-9pm Tuesday, July 4. Central Park, 420 Central Ave., Salinas. 751-7725, salinaschamber.com.
GREENFIELD 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION: 5-9pm Tuesday, July 4. Patriot Park, 1351 Oak Ave., Greenfield. ci.greenfield.ca.us.
The Word
It was a nice summer, but now the romance has soured. Tell me more, you say? Well, the time is 1958, the place is Rydell High School and the motion – well, that’s between the leather-clad, slicked-back studs from the T-Birds and those hot chicks, the Pink Ladies, particularly Sandy and Danny. The two were once hopelessly devoted, but now that summer is gone and everyone is back in school, well, the chills aren’t multiplying. It’s just not electrifying. Yes, we’re talking about the 1978 hit Grease. And by now you are probably losing control, belting out the string of top 40 singles from the film. Guess what? You can sing along with others during the Films in the Forest showing of the movie. [DF]
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