Hot Picks 10.28.21

Into the Woods

The forest is one of those settings that can be inviting or spooky, depending on your frame of mind. At Halloween time, maybe a little bit of both. Wonder Wood Ranch opens a half-mile Haunted Trail experience for all ages – emphasis on treat, not trick – for a hay ride tour plus pumpkin painting, hot cider, snacks, games and prizes. There’s also a chance to meet the resident horses that live and work here year-round as therapy animals and in service to kids in need. So giddy-up – preferably in costume – and soak in the Halloween spirit. [SR]

6-9pm Friday, Oct. 29. Wonder Wood Ranch, 8100 Wild Horse Road, Prunedale. $20/adults; $10/children. wonderwoodranch.org.

Rocky Horror

Cult classic musical The Rocky Horror Show made its American debut in Los Angeles in March of 1974 courtesy of Lou Adler, one of the founders of the Monterey Pop Festival. He saw the show in 1973 in London and made a bet – which paid off in the sense that the play was later adapted into the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and to this day has sustained cultural significance. For many fans, the show is a seasonal experience. And Paper Wing Theatre is here to deliver that experience, with a run of the rock musical hit that goes through the month of October. If you haven’t yet traipsed down to Cannery Row to get some dinner and take in the show (this is a full-on dinner theater experience), there is still time to do so – including at a midnight showing on Halloween. [TCL]

8pm Friday Oct. 29; 8pm and midnight Saturday, Oct. 30; 8pm and midnight Sunday, Oct. 31. Paper Wing Theatre and Supper Club, 711 Cannery Row, Monterey. $30-$75. 905-5684, paperwing.com.

Creative Women

The idea originated because so many local female artists were looking for representation, says Thomas Cushman, the owner and director of Gallery MAR in Carmel. That has been the case since the gallery opened in 2019. “I do have a limited space here and I can’t show everything,” Cushman said. Hence a separate show driven by two criteria: being a female artist and having some local connection. Also, you can’t show your art anywhere else in Carmel, with the exception of the Carmel Art Association, which is an artist cooperative, Cushman adds. “These are musician landscapes,” artist Robin Sawyer says about her works in the show. “I’m deeply interested in jazz music. This particular piece represents two notes tied together.” The show also includes one sculptor, Rose Hagan, who works with glass. [AP]

5-8pm Friday, Oct. 29. Gallery MAR, Dolores between Ocean and 7th, Carmel. 624-2000, gallerymarcarmel.com.

Miniature but mighty

For over a decade now, Monterey Museum of Art’s annual Miniatures exhibit and fundraiser has been the sign that the holiday season is around the corner. This community favorite event happens this year both virtually and in person. A diverse selection of hundreds of paintings, photographs, prints, sculpture and mixed media works will be available to view online and in the galleries, with the rule behind the exhibit being all about size – one original miniature per artist, and miniature is defined as no larger than 7-by-9 inches, including the frame. All pieces are for sale. [AP]

11am-5pm Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 28-Dec. 19. Monterey Museum of Art, 559 Pacific St., Monterey. $15. 372-5477, montereyart.org.

Venture It All

All Venture Gallery artists are showing their work throughout November at Venture Gallery in downtown Monterey, a venue that has been member-owned since 1989. Staffed by working artists, the gallery prides itself on providing both expert insight into the process of creating the art and assistance in choosing the right art to complete a collection. The November featured artist show is a collaboration of all the member artists, exhibiting works in a variety of sizes and prices. Over 25 local artists were chosen for quality work in all categories. [AP]

10am-6pm Nov. 1-30. Venture Gallery, 260 Alvarado St., Monterey. Free. 372-6279, venturegallery.com.

Boo-Yeah

Trick-or-treat stations? Check. Haunted house? Check. Arts and crafts and a costume parade? Check and check. The Central Coast YMCA’s Spooktacular 2021 will be happening at two locations in Salinas this Saturday for a great few hours of family fun, and it’s all free. [DS]

10am-noon Saturday, Oct. 30 at Sherwood Tennis Center, 930 N. Main St., Salinas. 758-7318. Also 2-4pm Saturday, Oct. 30 at Salinas Aquatic Center, 1 E. Bernal Drive, Salinas. Free. 758-7301, centralcoastymca.org/main/spooktacular-2021.

Play St. Andrews in Costume

Each of us has our ambitious dreams, but yours probably never included playing the legendary St. Andrews Golf Course while dressed up as Popeye and enjoying a cold draft beer. Not because you don’t want to but because it’s too ridiculous. Well, start dreaming, because Links Club in Carmel, the state-of-the-art virtual golf simulation facility and bar is hosting a few costume contests this holiday weekend – two for adults and one for families. Perhaps you’ll be able to accomplish another dream: breaking 90 at Bethpage Black, dressed as Tiger Woods in his Sunday red. [CN]

Adult costume contest is 7-11pm, Saturday Oct. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 31. Family costume contest is 4:30-6:30pm Sunday, Oct. 31. Links Club, Carmel Plaza, Suite 101 (Ocean Avenue and Mission Street) Carmel. 250-7816, linksclubgolf.com.

singer Sara Evans covers all

Missouri-born, Nashville-raised and now residing in Alabama, music star Sara Evans has been recording country music since she was 10 years old. Now she and her band are fixin’ to turn the Golden State Theatre into a honky tonk for a good ol’ hoedown. Evans has put out 11 albums to date, but her latest effort, Copy That from 2020, is an album of covers, kicking off with an impressive and funked-out rendition of the Bee Gees’ disco hit “If I Can’t Have You.” Our advice: be prepared for a diverse show. [CN]

7pm doors, 8pm show, Friday, Oct. 29. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $39-69. 649-1070, bit.ly/SaraEvansGST.

Sugar SKull decorating

While Halloween has its requisite pumpkins, skeletons and ghosts, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead – the Mexican holiday dedicated to remembering and celebrating those who have died; see story, p. 26) has calaveras. These are artistic representations of a human skull, made of clay, facepaint or, often, sugar. The sugar skulls are traditionally decorated with colorful icing, foil, beads and more, and then included as part of a family altar in memory of deceased loved ones. Whether this is a seasonal tradition for your family or not, the Salinas Public Library will offer a chance to try it out by hosting two sugar skull decorating events, at the El Gabilan Library on Nov. 1 and the Cesar Chavez Library on Nov. 2. [TCL]

1-4pm Monday, Nov 1 at El Gabilan Library, 1400 North Main St., Salinas. Tuesday, Nov. 2 at Cesar Chavez Library, 615 Williams Road, Salinas. Free. 758-7311. Register in advance at bit.ly/3nvFYy2.

Hot Picks by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Christopher Neely, Agata Popęda, Sara Rubin and David Schmalz.