Dirty Cello performs at the Seaside Farmers Market with their signature blend of blues, bluegrass and rock. Live music is now becoming a regular feature of the Thursday market.
Thursday, July 17
Live at the Market
A visit to any farmers market is a treat for four senses: the sight of the bounty of produce, the feeling of grabbing a freshly picked tomato, the taste of a strawberry, the smell of roasted corn. But wait, what about the fifth sense? Everyone’s Harvest’s Seaside Farmers Market is giving visitors something to listen to with its new Seaside Summer Sessions, taking place every third Thursday through October. The series, which launched in May in partnership with Elevate 831, features bands, a beer and wine garden, and family friendly activities. This month, Dirty Cello, known for combining blues, bluegrass and rock, is the featured band. [EC]
3-7pm (live music at 5pm) Thursday, July 17. Seaside Farmers Market, 1259 Canyon Del Rey Blvd., Seaside. Free. 384-6961, everyonesharvest.org.
Green Witch
Enid Baxter Ryce loves doing all sorts of creative things with plants (beyond the obvious option of eating them). Learn how to identify which plants are best suited to make ink, do crafts or even cast a magic spell at a book talk with the author at El Gabilan Library.
You don’t need to be a trained biologist or a master gardener to appreciate plant life. Maybe you sip on a mug of herbal tea; maybe you pause to observe a wildflower emerging from a crack in the sidewalk; maybe you enjoy the shade of a tree. Enid Baxter Ryce is an author and artist who has built a body of work around the power of observation and appreciation, and her latest venture is a book (illustrated by Claire Harrup) called Plant Magic at Home: A Complete Guide to Harnessing the Power of Nature from Rituals to DIYs. This guide provides practical tips for foraging, growing and classifying plants – and then how to use those plants. It goes well beyond placing a leaf of lettuce on your sandwich – think recipes for natural inks and kid-friendly crafts, and a touch of magic with information about spells and healing properties. Ryce discusses all of that (and responds to audience questions) at an author talk. [SR]
5pm Thursday, July 17. El Gabilan Library, 1400 N. Main St., Salinas. Free. 758-7302, jisellad@ci.salinas.ca.us, salinaspubliclibrary.org.
Thursday, July 17-Saturday, July 19
Thrice Nice
Pascale Cheron has a new album. Critics trip over themselves describing Anna Called: soulful, immersive, dreamy, emotional. And you can experience this three times over. Cheron has joined with Sophia Eliana for the Experimental Bangs Tour (critics: DIY in its most charming form), which visits the Asilomar Social Hour, Fernwood Bar & Grill and the Captain+Stoker Birthday Festival in one amazing weekend. The Fernwood appearance is 21 and up. [DF]
4-9pm Thursday, July 17 at Asilomar Hotel & Conference Grounds, 800 Asilomar Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. visitasilomar.com; 8pm Friday, July 18 at Fernwood Bar & Grill, 47200 Highway 1, Big Sur. Free. 667-2422, fernwoodbigsur.com; 10am-5pm Saturday, July 19 at Jacks Park, 451 Adams St., Monterey. Free. captainandstoker.com.
Friday, July 18
Wine by the Wharf
Founded in 1966 but now in its 46th year – some years got missed here and there – the Monterey Wine Festival is a celebration of the remarkable wines produced not just in Monterey County, but throughout California. For one evening and two days at Monterey’s historic Custom House Plaza, wineries and vendors will be pouring their vintages, and it will be up to attendees to give their glasses a swirl to see how the legs shake out. [DS]
4-6pm Friday, July 18; Noon-4pm Saturday, July 19 and Sunday, July 20. Custom House Plaza, Monterey. $64/ Friday; $84/Saturday or Sunday (1pm start), $105/Saturday or Sunday VIP (noon start); $185/weekend pass. montereywine.com.
West Africa Calling
The people at Wave Street Studios have a knack of inviting unique musical acts to the Monterey Peninsula – this time they are welcoming the band Duniya (“The World”), composed of musicians from Mali and California who fuse together ancient and modern sounds and instruments. Lead singer Marian Diakate and percussionists Moussa Camara and Seydou Dante all come from Bamako, Mali’s capital and have mastered traditional Malian music and dance. Greg Fletcher, formerly of the band Soul Union, writes and arranges Duniya’s music and plays a 12-stringed harp/lute called the Kamelengoni. They describe their music as “highly rhythmic and extremely danceable, interspersed by moments of slower, deeply profound music.” [PM]
7pm Friday, July 18. Wave Street Studios, 774 Wave St., Monterey. $29. 655-2010, wavestreetstudios.com.
Friday, July 18-Saturday, July 19
Love for Learning
Milo (George Uhl) finds himself in The Doldrums surrounded by Lethargians (Bianca Arreola, Benjamin Gutshall, Vincent McGirr and Sam Powers) in ARIEL Theatrical’s production of The Phantom Tollbooth TYA.
At its core, Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth is about the importance of learning and how education is key to personal development. It’s a message that is just as important for children as it is for adults. ARIEL Theatrical brings the tale of Milo to the stage. He travels to a magical kingdom to save two princesses while learning life lessons along the way. With the exception of the two kings played by adults, all of the performers are children and teens. While the performance is geared toward children, all ages can benefit from its message. [EC]
7pm Fridays-Saturdays, July 18-26; 7pm Thursday, July 24; with 2pm performances Saturdays, July 19 and 26. Karen Wilson Children’s Theatre, 320 Main St., Salinas. $14-$18. 775-0976, arieltheatrical.org.
Saturday, July 19
Cup of Go
What should one expect at an event titled Cars & Coffee? Well, let’s see now. Cars could mean classics, rods and customs, American muscle, European style or – in this case – all of the above and more. People bring their favorite rides to show off. Car talk ensues. That sums up cars, how about the coffee bit? Look, 7:30am is pretty damn early. So you need a few cups. No sense in peering at a pristine ’70 Challenger through bleary eyes. The $5 donation goes to Friends of Laguna Seca, the nonprofit charged with improving WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, so that’s good, too. [DF]
7:30am Saturday, July 19. WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, 1021 Highway 68, Salinas. $5. 242-8201, weathertechraceway.com.
Get Stoked
One could call it a block party, because it takes over an entire city block. The folks at Captain+Stoker prefer to call it a Birthday Festival because, well, it’s the popular coffee shop’s seventh. And no one wants to cry. In fact, with something like five live bands, maybe 50 or so vendors, food and drink, art and vintage goods – probably a little coffee, too – it pretty much ranks up there with the county’s other big events (and there are some biggies). Best of all, it is fun for all. And no need to bring a gift. [DF]
10am-5pm Saturday, July 19. Jacks Park, 451 Adams St., Monterey. Free admission. captainandstoker.com.
Sparkle & Roar
The Enchanted Forest workshop is taking place Saturday, July 19 at the Marina library. Children will design their own fairy or dinosaur light for their art projects.
A library is more than just books. In the case of the Marina Library, it’s a community center. The Friends of the Marina Library are inviting all kids ages 6 and up to design their very own fairy or dinosaur light for an enchanted forest-themed arts and crafts day. Maybe you want to create a dinosaur that glitters, or a fairy that glows? With their self-serve photo booth, make sure whatever you create is ready to strike a pose. Marina Youth Arts and Friends of the Marina Library will provide all the glitter, glow and supplies, you bring the imagination and the creativity. [KR]
2-3:30pm Saturday, July 19. Marina branch library, 190 Seaside Circle, Marina. Free. To register text Coco at 204-0513, friendsofthemarinalibrary.org.
Hot Dog!
Lucy’s on Lighthouse in Pacific Grove has much to celebrate. The surf-and-skate-themed restaurant slinging hot dogs and loaded tater tots in a spot blocks away from downtown businesses opened in the midst of a global pandemic. Despite the challenges, Lucy’s quickly became a favorite hangout spot, with its beachy outdoor patio, live music on summer weekends, cold brews and ice cream treats made with Marianne’s ice cream. To mark the milestone Lucy’s is hosting a big party featuring punk bands Subatomix, Tremolos and Apricot Court. And what better way to celebrate the anniversary of a hot dog stand than with a hot dog eating contest. The winner gets free hot dogs for a year – if they can still stand them, that is. [PM]
2pm Saturday, July 19, Lucy’s on Lighthouse, 1120 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. 920-2006, lucyspg.com.
Tree Walk
Mission Trail Nature Preserve is a wooded oasis in Carmel. Friends of the Carmel Forest hosts a guided walk scheduled for Saturday, July 19, bringing attendees to newly planted redwood groves, followed by a lecture on California trees.
How about a walk with a botany expert? Professor Matt Ritter, author of newly-published California Tree: A Field Guide to the Native Species, leads a walk through the Mission Trail Nature Preserve in Carmel, focusing on newly planted redwood groves. The walk, organized by the Friends of the Carmel Forest, will be followed by a lecture and book signing. The goal is to highlight the importance of Carmel’s urban forest. “Carmel’s green spaces have challenges – development, climate change and fire safety,” said Ramie Allard, president of Friends of Carmel Forest, in a press release. “Dr. Ritter is excellent at conveying the importance of our forest and natural habitat in an entertaining and memorable way.” When making an email reservation, specify “tree walk” or “lecture.” [AP]
10am walk; noon lecture Saturday, July 19. Mission Trail Nature Preserve, Carmel (walk); Forest Theater, Santa Rita and Mountain View (lecture). $35/walk; $40/lecture; free/members. treewalk@carmelforest.org, carmelforest.org.
Relax Man
There’s something soothing about deep-dish pizza. You have to slow down to eat it, which beckons the command, “chill.” While enjoying some, take in something far from Salinas with the same amount of heat (and chill) – direct from Jamaica. The legendary harmony trio The Meditations pay a visit to Live@Heirloom Pizza in Salinas to share some of that groove. After all, if reggae was going to be personified with tomatoes, cheese and bread, it’d be a deep dive. Ages 21 and up. [SC]
9pm Saturday, July 19. Live@Heirloom Pizza Co., 344 Main St., Salinas. $20 in advance. 998-8824, heirloompizzapie.com.
Saturday, July 19- Sunday, July 20
Humble Boy
In the Humble household, all is not well. Felix Humble, a 35-year-old astrophysicist at Cambridge University, returns to his middle England home after the sudden death of his father, only to navigate both his grief and a fraught relationship with a difficult and domineering mother – now in a relationship with another man. Humble Boy, a comedic drama written by Charlotte Jones, is a study of grief and the complex dynamics between a mother and son. The story pairs Humble’s search for answers in his cosmic field of study mirrored by his search for unity in his home. [KR]
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