Hot Picks 08.10.23

Skating By

Roller derby is an amazing feat of athleticism. It’s a display of showmanship, on wheels. It’s also a full-contact sport. Have you ever been curious about any of these dimensions of the team sport? Or do you want to test your skills on skates to see if you’re coordinated enough to score (as a jammer) or protect the jammer (as a blocker)? Maybe you just want to test your ability to learn the language and rules of the game. Any which way, Monterey Bay Roller Derby invites you to a mini bootcamp in which coaches introduce you to the sport and give skating development tips. Safety gear is available for rent. [SR]

6:30-9:30pm Thursday, Aug. 10. Monterey County Fair and Event Center, 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey. $10/skaters; $3/non-skating guests. Ages 18 and up. montereybayrollerderby.org.

Star Bright

Never underestimate the power of the night sky to put things in perspective. It’s basically impossible not to feel a profound sense of awe when stargazing – and you don’t even have to know anything about astronomy to do it. That said, the night sky becomes more and more rich the more you know about stars and planets and constellations and the like. The Carmel Valley Association’s stargazing party features astronomy experts and amateurs – including students from Hartnell’s astronomy club – to fill you in on what the heck you’re looking at. So if you’re curious about stargazing, this is the event for you. (Foggy conditions will force a rescheduling.) [TCL]

8pm Thursday, Aug. 10. Hidden Valley Music Seminars, 104 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel. Free. 594-2130, carmelvalleyassociation.org.

Saturday, Aug. 12

History Hunt

Immerse yourself into Monterey’s rich history and test out your eye-spying skills during the Stanton Center’s photo scavenger hunt around the historic Custom House Plaza. Explore hidden corners, capture unique photos and compete for prizes donated by local businesses. Completing the scavenger hunt unlocks half-price admission to the museum where you can build upon your new knowledge. The event is perfect for families looking for a day of laughter and fun with a chance to create some sweet memories via photos. Pick up a card from the Stanton Center and set out on an adventure. [KH]

10am Saturday, Aug. 12. Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center, 5 Custom House Plaza, Monterey. Free. 372-2608. stantoncenter.org.

Student Snappers

The Monterey Museum of Art’s 2023 Weston Scholarship exhibition this summer has displayed award-winning photography by high school and college students from Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. Be sure to catch the exhibit, which runs through Aug. 20, but also drop by the museum on Saturday, Aug. 12, for a panel discussion featuring some of those talented student photographers. The conversation will be led by Zach Weston, executive director of the Weston Collective; the local nonprofit, run by the family of legendary Carmel-based photographer Edward Weston, has awarded around 450 scholarships totaling over $130,000 since 2004. [RM]

1-2:30pm Saturday, Aug. 12. Monterey Museum of Art, 559 Pacific St., Monterey. Free with museum admission ($15/adults; free/ages 18 and under, students, military with ID). 372-5477, montereyart.org.

Poetry at The Edge

“Poetry In Motion,” born on the cliffs of Big Sur during the pandemic, will bring its performance to the stage of the Henry Miller Memorial Library. It’s a dynamic pairing of Erin Carey, international aerial dance and cirque performer and world-renowned violinist, Edwin Huizinga. They invited Casey Cushing, a local Big Sur poet and educator, to read her evocative poetry alongside local ritualist and dancer Elsa Rivera. Jayson Fann, an interdisciplinary artist, musician, educator and producer, will be there on the drums, too. “We believe in shining a new light on how music, movement and spoken word can shape our subconscious,” Cushing says. “We want the audience to experience a fusion of the elements around us, while recognizing that humanity itself is an interdependent element of all the others.” [AP]

7-9pm Saturday, Aug. 12. Henry Miller Memorial Library, 48603 Highway 1, Big Sur. $15 and up; $40/general admission; $1,200/VIP package includes a table that can seat six people, a custom floral arrangement, two bottles of wine and a charcuterie plate. 667-2574, henrymiller.org.

Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 12-13

Pre For All

The after-party is a well established thing. But why is it that no one thought up the pre-party? Well, no one but the organizers of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. While the big event takes place Aug. 16-19, with Porsche 356s from the 1950s, the Ford GT40 of 1960s LeMans fame, a 1911 National that ran in the first-ever Indianapolis 500, Formula 1 cars from the ’80s – hundreds of vintage race cars from the familiar to the not-so-much (a 1958 Lister Knobbly) – return to competition at the iconic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. But get this: Many of those same cars will be on site a few days early for the Monterey Pre-Reunion, Aug. 12-13. It’s like they’ve flipped the tradition, with a smaller and more intimate gathering before the big bash. Hey… what if they added an After Reunion? Spoiler alert: They have. But more on that next time. (For more on Car Week events, see story, p. 32.) [DF]

8am-6pm Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 12-13. WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, 1021 Highway 68, Salinas. $45-$80/Pre-Reunion; free/children 15 and under (with paying adult). 242-8201, weathertechraceway.com.

Tuesday, Aug. 15

Flea, Fly, Find

There’s nothing quite like a good flea market, with the promise of finding valuable baubles hiding somewhere in a sea of used bric-a-brac. Those objects might not be valuable in terms of money, but they might have value to you – an old record you once owned in high school, a paperback book by a favorite author, a Star Wars action figure to add to your collection, a kitchen gadget that’s just what you need. The City of Seaside Older Adults Program is holding a Community Flea Market, where buyers get to browse and sellers age 60 and above get to display their wares for free. (Sellers under age 60 pay $10 for table space.) It’s a win-win situation for both buyers and sellers: Buyers might walk away with a prized object and sellers clear out a little clutter and earn a little money. [PM]

9:30am-1pm Tuesday, Aug. 15. Oldemeyer Center, 986 Hilby Ave., Seaside. Free admission; free/sellers age 60 and up; $10/other sellers. Sellers must register, either at the front desk or by calling 831-899-6800.

Royal Rumba

They say that music is a universal language. Take the Gipsy Kings, for example. That they sing in romance languages like Catalan hardly matters. Driven by strumming guitars and the lyrical quality of flamenco and rumba, audiences are quickly caught up in favorites like “Bamboléo,” “Un Amor” and “Djobi Djoba.” The band began in France and shattered the American pop charts with songs in Spanish – how’s that for a universal language? For their Monterey performance, those purchasing memoir bundle tickets will receive an autobiography signed by lead singer Nicolas Reyes. The band answers the eternal question raised by philosopher Ricky Bobby: What has France given us? Great music. [DF]

8pm Tuesday, Aug. 15. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $59-$149. 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com.

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