Green Fix
Stand with Standing Rock Fundraiser
Chow down on some phenomenal noms and fundraise with friends at Midtown Cafe’s “Stand with Standing Rock” event. Chefs from Burn Hot Sauce, Assembly and Midtown Cafe will be collaborating on “Burn-style” beans and rice to the tunes of Spurs, Jessie Marks and Aliza Hava. Learn about the current situation on the ground from speakers who have spent time at Standing Rock—including a member of the Lakota People’s Law Project—take part in the raffle, and chow down. Proceeds will be sent directly to the Standing Rock camps’ fundraisers and the Standing Rock Legal Fund.
Info: 5-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16. Midtown Cafe, 1121 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. Free.
Art Seen
Oberufer Shepherd’s Play
Shakespeare is cool and all, but how often do you get to see a play that’s been performed since medieval times? Now, that’s old school. The Oberufer Shepherds Play is the Christmas story from the perspective of the shepherds in a humorous and heart-warming narrative. This year’s production will be performed by the Santa Cruz Waldorf School, Anthroposophical Branch, and the Camphill Communities California.
Info: 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17. Louden Nelson Center, 301 Center St., Santa Cruz. $8-$12.
Wednesday 12/14
Young Professionals Holiday Mixer
Who ever started this ugly holiday sweater thing? Really, a true ugly sweater would be something that was left out in the middle of the alley behind GT for a week, but that’s beside the point. This Wednesday, Dec. 14, young professionals are invited to mix and mingle with other young professionals from all career interests and backgrounds. Bring a stack of business cards, ID, and your favorite festive holiday sweater.
Info: 6-8:30 p.m. Kaiser Permanente Arena, 140 Front St., Santa Cruz. $12-$14.
Thursday 12/15
Kitka ‘Wintersongs Remixed’
For the past few years, the women’s powerhouse vocal ensemble Kitka has been amassing a collection of song remixes of their own works. They return to the Louden Nelson Center on Dec. 15 to debut their Wintersongs Remixed with an array of Eastern European folk songs. The Bay Area artists bridge cultures and genres, and will perform six concerts in Northern California. “Simply amazing harmonies … truly this is the most wonderful singing I have ever heard,” says David Crosby of Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Info: 7:30 p.m. Louden Nelson Center, 301 Center St., Santa Cruz. brownpapertickets.com. 800-838-3006. $15-$40.
Thursday 12/15 – Saturday 12/17
Stockings: A Holiday Cabaret
While it’s the time of year for holiday cheer and family fun, everybody’s got to let loose sometimes. For the adults who are in need of a hootin’ and hollerin’ good time with the best in burlesque, Motion Pacific offers their annual crowd favorite, the “Stockings” holiday cabaret. Marvel at professional dance moves to the tune of late-’20s New Orleans with Kim Doctor Luke, Eli Weinberg, the Wily Minxes, the Post Street Rhythm Peddlers and Frankie Simone and Che Che—all the way from Portland, Oregon, just for this debaucherous affair.
Info: 8 p.m. 131 Front St., Suite E, Santa Cruz. motionpacific.com. $28-$225.
Friday 12/16
Winterpalooza at the MAH
A winter wonderland for revelers young and old, the Museum of Art & History’s annual Winterpalooza is the family fun event of the season. Get cozy making crafts, watch the standard-gauge steam engine from the 1920s, create a community labyrinth, buy holiday gifts, and sing along to traditional and secular carols by the multigenerational choir Hark, the Family of Carolers from the Santa Cruz Performing Arts.
Info: 5-8 p.m. Museum of Art & History, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz. santacruzmah.org. $3-$5.
Sunday 12/18
Look Collective Art Show
These chilly nights call for a cozy evening of campfire with marshmallows and friends—but there’s still so much holiday shopping to do! Here comes the solution to this problem: the annual Look Collective art show on Dec. 18, in a funky farmhouse on the ocean side of Highway 1. There’ll be works by Bridget Henry, Dave Gardner, Nora Dougherty and more, with a mobile gallery and handmade cut paper, paintings on wood, vintage-inspired coats, bags, and more.
Info: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 5221 Coast Road, Santa Cruz. Free.
