Attention, Nashville: There’s going to be an assault on the way coming out of Texas.
It’s going to take the form of a 40-song album—that’s right, 40—from Aaron Watson, who, in 2015, became the first independent artist to have an album top the Billboard Country Album chart.
“We’re planning an invasion of mainstream country music,” Watson said in a September interview, refusing to provide the details of the assault for strategic reasons. “They won’t even see us coming. We’re gonna attack mainstream country music by air, land and sea.”
In truth, Nashville probably will have its eyes and ears on the music that’s going to be coming from Watson, another foray in a 25-year effort that’s seen the Texan hit the top 10 of the country album chart five times, including 2015, when his album The Underdog went to No. 1. In all, he’s released nearly 20 albums, the most recent of which was 2023’s Cover Girl.
Asked how he has been able to have that level of success without signing with a major label, seemingly a necessity to plug into the country industry’s formula of radio play and live performance, often opening for more established artists, Watson explains: “I’ve been lucky. I’ve been blessed. I think we’ve always tried to put out the best product we could, the best songs, the best merch, put on, the best show that we can.”
But then he immediately acknowledged that he’s followed in the footsteps of country legends from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, who, famously, after their shows, stood outside venues, met and talked with fans for hours.
“We’ve also taken the time after every show,” Watson says. “You know, handshakes and hugs, they go a long way, that’s how you earn the respect and the support of lifelong fans … you give them your time, and you show them that you care and that you appreciate them. And that’s what we’ve been doing for a long time.”
The Amarillo native, who played junior college baseball in New Mexico before returning to the Lone Star State to study at Abilene Christian University, began learning guitar during college.
Raised by a country-music-loving father, Watson grew up listening to Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings and he gradually built his career by, to paraphrase Ernest Tubb, walking across Texas.
So, is Watson as “Texas country” as he’s been tagged?
“You know, I don’t know,” Watson muses. “I grew up listening to Merle Haggard and Willie and Waylon and all that stuff. The Texas country music scene is what has given me a home. For the first, I don’t know, decade, I hardly left the state. We played shows and dance halls, honky tonks and rodeos right around Texas.
“Some people call it red dirt music. But you know, I’m a country artist that’s from Texas, and some of my stuff sounds like Texas and some of it, a lot of it’s just country music.”
One thing Watson is sure of is his live show, which has been honed through hundreds and hundreds of gigs over the last 25 years.
“We’ve got as much energy as any rock and roll band, but we don’t get up there and act like idiots, and we don’t get up there and cuss,” Watson asserts. “It’s a family show. It’s a show for everybody. If you want to have fun and get a little rowdy, you can. Or if you don’t, you don’t have to.
“We’re not all about the smoke and the lights. We love getting up there and it’s all about the music,” he says. “I feel like me and the band, we’re just getting better and better every day. And we should be, after all these years, but we’ve really been stepping it up a notch.”
And for now, those shows will be stalking horses for the coming assault on mainstream country, setting the stage for the new album, perhaps with some performances of new songs.
Aaron Watson plays at 8pm on Oct. 31 at Felton Music Hall, 6275 Highway 9, Felton. Tickets are $39.09 via Tixr.com
Late last week a double whammy hit our stretch of the West Coast. In the space of a couple of days, word landed that crab season won’t start until after Thanksgiving, and salmon hatchery numbers are dismal.
California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s announcement that the 2024-25 crab season will be “delayed” from Nov. 15 until at least Dec. 1 to prevent whale entanglements was reported widely. (I put “delayed” in quotes because this marks the seventh year in a row that’s happened. Delays are the not-so-new normal, so it feels disingenuous to call them that.)
Less broadcast was an update from Scott Artis, executive director of Golden State Salmon Association, who shared a statement titled, in part, “Upper Sacramento Fish Hatchery is a Salmon Ghost Town.”
“It’s not a good sign when the hardworking hatchery staff have only been able to procure less than 10% of the total egg take goal by this time of year. They’re using what they’ve been given as a result of failed state water policies,” said Artis, noting the Sacramento Valley provides nearly all of the salmon caught in California and coastal Oregon. “The fishing industry, conservationists, and entire fishing-based towns and communities have a right to be really worried.”
Communities also have a right—a duty, even—to do what they can to support local fishermen. The play there is to embrace the bounty beyond crab and salmon.
Two great strategies to do so would be 1) tapping local community-supported fisheries like Real Good Fish (realgoodfish.com), Ocean2Table (getocean2table.com) and H&H (hhfreshfish.com); and 2) workshopping memorable recipes around them—with help from the likes of Seafood Watch (seafoodwatch.org) and Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust (montereybayfisheriestrust.org).
Call them good tricks to turn haunting realities into seafood treats.
RISING DOUGH
A toast to Aptos-centered Cabrillo College, ranked best community college in California, according to SmartAsset, a financial technology company, which studied a cool 616 community colleges with at least 500 full-time students and awarded points for low tuition ($1,262 per year for CC), full-time retention rate (74%) and student-to-faculty ratio (16-to-1), and could’ve gotten additional props for a vigorous kitchen curriculum. A few upcoming extension classes to consider for November: “Tantalizing Thai Food” and “Knife Skills, Selection, and Care,” extension.cabrillo.edu/classes/culinary.
QUICK BISCUITS
Gov. Gavin Newsom just signed a bill to standardize food date labels and block the use of “sell by” dates, marking another moment California leads the nation on food-forward policy, in this instance targeting food waste. AB 660 helps consumers better understand the shelf life of their food by allowing two categories: “Best if used (or frozen) by” equals peak food quality, and “use (or freeze) by” notes food safety…Immediate action on that front, with flavor to spare (but not throw away) is possible via food-waste-warrior app Too Good to Go keeps on connecting area eaters with surplus—and tasty—food from participating restaurants like Original Ferrell’s Donuts, Pono Hawaiian Grill, Poke House and El Rosal Bakery, for around $5, toogoodtogo.com/en-us…Santa Cruz native, UCSC alum and longtime Ridge Vineyards collaborator Eric Baugher has a new wine label with fellow Ridge veteran Shun Ishikubo—learn more about Deauratus (Latin for “golden”) at deauratuswine.com… Taco Bell has a wedding chapel in its Las Vegas location, which just makes me happy…Harry Middleton, late, legendary American outdoorsy author, ground us on the way out: “Fishing is not an escape from life, but often a deeper immersion into it.”
Spanning several decades and two vastly different continents and cultures, Lance Haggard’s restaurant industry resumé is robust. He started in food service at 16, moving to China after college for 12 years, where he opened eight different restaurants. Haggard says he left when the environment there became increasingly unwelcome to foreigners.
He was tired of the big-city vibe, so he moved to Santa Cruz where he was hired as manager, and later partner, at Firefish Grill. The restaurant’s design is simple and light, with an open exhibition kitchen and floor-to-ceiling ocean view windows. Much of the upscale, mostly seafood menu is cooked over an open flame. Appetizers include calamari and large, tender crab cakes; entrées include a bountiful cioppino, a char-grilled pork chop and fresh, wild salmon.
What was your time in China like?
LANCE HAGGARD: During the 2000s, there were about 75,000 Western foreigners where I was based in Shanghai. So, there was a lot of Western influence, but it was challenging to teach Western-style service, the idea of greeting your tables more personably, coursing out a meal and learning so many different diverse dishes and cocktails. That experience helped me to have a more worldly approach and be able to connect with people from all over the globe.
Give me the details on your salmon sourcing.
We really try to respect the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s suggestions for sustainable seafood. Most farms have GMO-stocked salmon that are pumped full of antibiotics and fed an unnatural diet. But we get ours from Vancouver, where they use wild-stock indigenous salmon fed exactly what they eat in the wild, and are grown in huge open ocean pens. Short of a line-caught salmon, this is the best option.
Ten years ago, sick of struggling with unstable energy levels and worse, I signed up for an online course on plant-based nutrition through Cornell University. It was the spark I needed to dive headfirst into the world of plant-powered eating—and I’ve never felt better.
After learning all the ways a plant-forward diet can supercharge your health, I couldn’t keep it to myself. I wrote my first book, Beanalicious Living, and grabbed any chance to share my message, from yoga studios to local bookstores.
Before long, I was hosting talks and teaching workshops on how I transformed my health without counting calories or obsessing over weight. Instead, I focused on reducing my intake of animal products while increasing fiber-rich plant foods that I learned to prepare at home. The change left me feeling lighter and more energized.
But no matter where I spoke, one question always popped up: “But where do you get your protein?”
Protein! The obsession with this one nutrient is strong. I’d explain that most Americans aren’t lacking protein at all; in fact, they’re often over-consuming it while missing out on another critical nutrient—fiber.
Fun fact: The USDA says most people easily exceed their protein targets from meat, poultry and eggs, but they’re falling short on nuts, seeds, seafood and soy. And on average, American adults consume only half the fiber they need.
And where do you find fiber? Only in plants. Whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds are all high in fiber, with protein levels varying from slight to substantial.
While beans, lentils and tofu are star players in the vegan protein game, vegetarians can mix it up with eggs and cheese. But the myth lingers that without a steak or grilled chicken, you’ll be too weak to lift your fork. The truth? A plant-based diet can easily meet your protein needs. But getting people to let go of that meat-first mindset can be tougher than chewing through a charred ribeye.
To get more insight, I reached out to local experts. Beth Love, executive director of Eat for the Earth, has a practical response: “A variety of whole plant foods easily provides all the protein needed, no matter your age or activity level. Actually, most people, regardless of their diet, eat too much protein. If that protein is animal-based, it can lead to chronic health problems like cancer or kidney disease. And just look at elephants or giraffes—they’re plant-powered giants!”
Next I reached out to Dharma’s. The iconic vegetarian spot in Capitola has managed to keep not only the same décor but also the same toy dinosaurs that once entertained my now-grown kids. Owner Yogi Shapiro says his customers usually don’t ask about protein; instead, they want non-soy options: “We mostly use tofu, soy strips, and tempeh, but a lot of people, including myself, want other sources. We used to serve seitan, which has 25 grams of protein per 3.5 ounce—like a burger patty—but this question made me think about what else we could add to the menu.”
I also stopped by Pretty Good Advice, a local favorite vegetarian burger joint. When I asked the guy behind the counter, “But where do I get my protein?” he gave me a slightly confused smile before answering, “Well, our burgers are made with black beans, so that’s a good start.” A woman in line behind me piped up, “They’ve got plenty of egg sandwiches too!”
I ordered the BBQ jalapeño burger, which, by the way, was incredible. As we chatted, he even posed for a picture.
There’s a misconception that plant-based diets are bland and boring. Sure, plain steamed broccoli might not thrill your taste buds, but the world of plant-based cooking is vast and vibrant. Once you dive into this flavor-packed world, there’s no turning back.
At the end of the day, the answer to “But where do I get my protein?” is actually pretty simple: everywhere! Spicy lentil curries, hearty bean burritos, mushroom burgers packed with umami—you don’t need to rely on steak or pork to power up. So next time someone asks, just smile, point to your BBQ jalapeño burger, and say, “Right here, my friend. Right here!”
Nobody should be a one-issue voter in 2024 unless that one issue is preserving democracy and the rule of law (or, perhaps, destroying those things if that’s your bag). But even if you insist on voting solely on cannabis reform, you have to vote for Kamala Harris.
Last week, Harris included legalizing adult-use (she used the word “recreational”) weed in a statement right alongside her other top priorities, reiterating what she has said in recent interviews and signaling that she sees legalization as being right up there with clean-energy initiatives, expanding Medicare and protecting reproductive rights.
The list contains 14 items in all. In presenting it on social media, Harris said, “Trump has an enemies list. I have a to-do list.”
Advocates of cannabis reform had previously been nervous about Harris, given that she had prosecuted people for cannabis. On the other hand, most of those people had committed other crimes. And after all, weed was illegal, and her job was law enforcement.
She came out in favor of federal legalization when she became a U.S. senator, and that’s been her position ever since. But advocates’ nervousness returned when she became vice president, and basically clammed up about the issue, no doubt mainly because her boss, President Joe Biden, was ill-disposed to the idea. But as he has on several issues, Biden finally came around to favoring at least decriminalization, and indicating his openness to legalization.
Once she hit the campaign trail in July, she put pot reform back squarely on her agenda. About 70 percent of Americans now support legalization, and Harris knows that for a not-tiny number of them, it’s an important issue.
That’s particularly true of younger voters, who might look askance at Harris’s positions on issues like Israel’s war on Gaza or her conservative-leaning border policies. Championing pot reform is kind of a no-brainer, and Harris is the candidate in this race with a fully functioning brain.
But what does this mean for the chances of actual reform? That depends on the congressional races. If Democrats take both houses of Congress, it seems likely that weed will be legalized within a matter of months. But at the moment, that seems unlikely (though perhaps less so than many seem to think, now that “the Republican Party is fascist” has in recent weeks become something like conventional wisdom).
The consensus among election forecasters, many of whom like it when there’s a tight race (and some of whom are just downright goofy), say the Democrats’ chances of taking over the Senate are pretty low. And even if they win the Senate back, they almost certainly won’t have a filibuster-proof majority, which means the Republicans will get to put the kibosh on any legalization bill that comes before them, just as they’ve been doing throughout the Biden administration. Harris has talked about filibuster reform, but at this point, there’s nothing for anyone to hang their hopes on.
In the meantime, states across the land are continuing to legalize. If voters approve any of the legalization initiatives in North Dakota, South Dakota or Florida, at least half the states will have legal, adult-use weed next year (the count is currently 24), while 38 states (and possibly Nebraska, which has medical-pot measures on its ballot this year) will have legal medical marijuana. Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania state legislature is weighing a bill to legalize by statute.
The Florida measure is interesting for a couple of reasons. Foremost, it requires a “yes” vote of at least 60%. Recent polls indicate that the measure is likely to pass (one has 66% of respondents favoring it). Also, the measure, Amendment 13, is notable for inspiring Florida man Donald Trump to weigh in on cannabis policy. He says he’ll vote yes. Which, good, but Trump tends to capitulate to Republicans, so his vote will mean nothing if he wins the presidency and legalization lands on his desk.
We know for a fact, however, that President Harris would sign such a bill.
WriterRay Bradbury once said that evil only has the power we give it.
But admit it, no matter how skeptical you are, there are times you get chills and awe looking at things some people see as haunted and ghostly.
GT sent our writers out to find Santa Cruz’s most haunting places and we’ve come up with a fun list for you to check out this Halloween week. Some are mysterious and scary (not as scary as the upcoming election). Others are fun. We’d love to hear your reactions to the ones you venture to.
A few things of note in the story: Don’t underestimate the power of the Boardwalk’s Fright Walk. In other words, don’t be tempted, as I was, to bring a kid who was too young to handle it. I didn’t think anything at an amusement park could be that scary for him. It was.
And definitely check out the houses locals have decorated for the holiday. Our yearly tradition is to venture up to Chris Zephro’s place, which has inspired a whole neighborhood to up their game. We’ve written about Zephro before. He owns Trick or Treat Studios, which makes masks and props and has a big warehouse in Live Oak.
He is famous internationally but keeps a relatively low profile here. Except on Halloween!
With mysteries and suspense as our theme this week, you will want to check out the story about author Jen Ghastin, a UCSC grad who sets her new novel on the campus and explores secrets of the city on the hill.
Kudos to her for doing a reading Friday at the Homeless Garden Project, where she’ll also sign copies of her book, The Sun-Greeters.
Who knew Firefish Grill has roots in China? You’ll know when you read this week’s Foodie File, where chef and GM Lance Haggard talks about his dozen years in Asia and his experience starting restaurants there. Now’s a great time to check it out, as the seasonal tide of tourists recedes on the Wharf.
Have a great week, and let’s hope our biggest fears don’t come to be.
Thanks for reading.
Brad Kava | Editor
PHOTO CONTEST
HEAVENLY SKIES Included is a photo I took Oct. 14 at the Walton Lighthouse with Comet A3 in the night sky. Photograph by Dalas McCown
GOOD IDEA
Three finalist candidates for the executive director position at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH) will give community presentations via Zoom from 11am to noon on Nov. 12, 13 and 14. Each candidate will have one hour to share their vision for the museum and engage with community members. Join these sessions, and afterward provide your feedback on the candidates to the MAH’s Board of Trustees. Details on the MAH’s website: santacruzmah.org/events/2024/11.
GOOD WORK
Did you know that you can submit a complaint at any time asking the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury to explore your concerns?
Residents can ask the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury to investigate their questions about county or city departments, special districts (fire, water, road maintenance), or the officers and personnel within them. You may submit a Complaint Form describing incidents of governmental misconduct, inefficiency or perceived mistreatment. Search Santa Cruz Grand Jury complaint form.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.” —James Freeman Clarke
From the Victorian mansions of Beach Hill to film locations for Hollywood thrillers, Santa Cruz has long been a destination of paranormal possibilities and rich history.
CREATURE FEATURES Ghosts or not, Rispin Mansion would be a great site for a horror film. Photo: Kristen McLaughlin
RISPIN MANSION
2000 Wharf Road, Capitola
Is Capitola’s historic Rispin Mansion cursed? Located along Wharf Road high above Soquel Creek, the mansion was built between 1919 and 1921 by oil entrepreneur and developer Henry Allen Rispin with intentions to develop Capitola as a resort. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the mansion is a three-story, 9,000-square-foot, 22-room Spanish Colonial Revival/ Mediterranean-style estate. Rispin lost his investments to creditors by the end of the decade, and in 1941 the mansion was sold for $90,000 to St. Joseph’s Monastery for use by the Poor Clares, a cloistered order of nuns. The Poor Clares lived in the mansion until 1959, while Rispin lost all of his money and was eventually buried in a pauper’s grave.
Visitors to the mansion have reported eerie sensations and unexplained cold spots in its lower floors.
On a recent visit, construction crews noticed lights turning off and on for unknown reasons. “There were two caretakers who passed away there at different times,” said Deborah Osterberg, curator of Capitola Historical Museum for the past four years. Both were elderly men who died of natural causes, but the stories persist. Ghost Adventures on the Discovery Channel filmed at the mansion in August for an upcoming episode (expected to air in early 2025). “One lady dressed up as a nun,” Osterberg said. “They spent at least one night there.” (KM)
THE BIRDS OF CAPITOLA
Over Monterey Bay, from Santa Cruz to Watsonville
Famed horror-thriller author Alfred Hitchcock lived in Scotts Valley in the early 1960s and his film The Birds commemorated a real event in Capitola. In August 1961, a huge flock of sooty shearwaters ransacked Capitola Beach and Pleasure Point, allegedly biting people and crashing into cars and buildings. “It took them a decade until they figured out what it was, probably a toxic algae,” Osterberg said. Hitchcock combined the Capitola incident with an adaptation of a 1952 Daphne Du Maurier novel about killer birds to write the screenplay for The Birds, released on Universal Pictures in 1963. (KM)
HELLHOLE
UCSC campus
While the aptly named Hellhole appears like the entrance to a sewer, the entry slot actually leads a winding network of narrow caves and grottoes, some of which plunge 50 feet straight down, according to one anonymous spelunker. “You have to slide in a way,” said the source. “It’s a lot of work.”
If you can squeeze through “the mailbox” entrance slot and land the initial 5-foot drop, a subterranean labyrinth awaits, with tunnels and chambers such as the Birthing Canal, the Party Room and the eerie Hall of Faces. All who enter should have experience with basic caving and double rope techniques, bring two headlamps and water bottle. “The air is thick,” the source said.
Good Times does not endorse or recommend caving in Hell Hole; enter at your own risk. (KM)
EMPIRE CAVE aka PORTER CAVE
Behind Porter Dining Hall on UCSC campus
This cave was likely formed hundreds of thousands of years ago by geological forces. As of August 2023, it was closed to the public to protect its biodiversity, including rare spiders, scorpions and other non-human creatures. (KM)
POGONIP LIMEKILNS
Close to UCSC’s Stevenson College
They might look like strange little dungeons, but these cage-like structures are actually historic limekilns used in commercial production of lime, which began during the California Gold Rush. It is believed that lime first produced at the kilns in the 1850s was used to make mortar and plaster, which is more resistant to fire than wood. Today, Pogonip is one of 14 remaining kiln sites in Santa Cruz County. There are three ways to get there. Curious visitors can begin at Spring Street and follow the Spring trail up to the Spring Box trail, which leads into the mountains for a roughly four-mile round-trip trek. You can also hike from Stevenson College on the UCSC campus and cross the road to the Rincon trail for a roughly 1.5-mile round-trip excursion. Or start from Highway 9 and hike up the U-Conn trail to the lime kiln trail for a roughly 2.5 miles roundtrip. (KM)
MARK ABBOTT MEMORIAL LIGHTHOUSE
700 W Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz
Lighthouses are full of scary stories, and Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse is no exception. Originally built in 1948 and demolished that same year, the current lighthouse was built in 1964, and some say it is haunted by drowning victims. It’s located in northern Santa Cruz at Steamer Lane. (KM)
SUNSHINE VILLAS
80 Front St., Santa Cruz
Speaking of Hitchcock, 80 Front St. is the former McCray Hotel, whose 1910 façade supposedly inspired the Bates Mansion in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. It is now named Sunshine Villas Assisted Living and Memory Care. Over the years, employees are said to have reported inexplicable cold spots and ghostly voices, and the Hotel McCray was variously associated with hauntings, eerie lights and even Satanists. (KM)
THE MURDER HOUSE
999 Rodeo Gulch Rd., Soquel
In October 1970, this mid-century modernist estate in the hills above Soquel was the site of a five-person murder. Victims were wealthy Santa Cruz eye surgeon Dr. Victor M. Ohta, 45; his wife, Virginia, 43; their sons, Derrick, 12, and Taggart, 11, and the doctor’s secretary, Dorothy Cadwaller, 38.
After they were shot to death, their bodies were dumped into the swimming pool at the mansion. The home and its 11-acre hilltop estate were recently listed for $4 million, which includes the free-form salt-water pool on a stone terrace, a tennis court and impeccable gardens and glades, top-flight ocean views, a wine cellar and, of course, ghosts. (KM)
LIQUID COURAGE NEEDED Some say there’s a bartender’s ghost in the Jury Room. Photo: Mat Weir
THE JURY ROOM
712 Ocean St., Santa Cruz
The Jury Room is the home away from home for some, including the spirits. For well over half a century this local haunt has served as a hangout for regulars and a stopping point for tourists. However, bartenders have often experienced strange happenings.
Before he retired earlier this year, bartender Tim Hall would tell of the time he was closing by himself and walked to the front doors to lock up after everyone was gone. As he did, he heard three distinct—loud—knocks on the bar as if someone was slamming down a shot glass, asking for another round.
More recently, barkeep Megan Arnett was opening up in the morning when the lights began to flicker individually. By the time the doors opened, the flickering stopped and hasn’t happened since. “It was maybe a week and a half after (bartender) Marv Easterby passed,” she says. “So I’ve always thought it was him.” The local watering hole was also a favorite of infamous serial killer Edmund “Big Ed” Kemper, which adds to the macabre. (MW)
BOCCI’S CELLAR
140 Encinal St., Santa Cruz
Although the business that bore the name Bocci’s Cellar has closed, the building itself still stands and has since about 1888—and is thought to be the oldest restaurant in the city. In 1933 then-owners the Urbani family raised their home and built the floor room underneath as a local restaurant, hangout and illegal wine cellar (during Prohibition) for Santa Cruz’s Italian community.
Longtime bartenders and staff reported many spooky sightings over the years, such as phantom shadows passing through or hanging pictures falling off the wall or going askew for no reason. Several ex-employees even recall multiple times when single glasses would fall off the backstock rack or sometimes even appear to be thrown when no one else was around. (MW)
BROOKDALE LODGE
11570 Hwy. 9, Brookdale
The historic haunted Brookdale Lodge has numerous, deliriously scary tales. “One of our guests came down to talk to me early one morning about something that happened to her the night before,” recalled the old manager. “She said that she woke up at 3:33am and there was a young girl sitting on her bed, playing with her hair. The girl kept saying ‘Have you seen my dog?’” The GM looked at his nearby Ring home camera and scanned back to 3:33am, and a dog ran past the house, but turned to look at the camera before disappearing from view. (DNA)
EL VAQUERO WINERY
2901 Freedom Blvd., Corralitos
Vintner Bob Prikazsky named his winery for a ghost. He mentioned to a Cabrillo classmate that he was looking for a house on Hazel Dell Road. The classmate said he used to live in that house and recounted seeing a vaquero, dressed in black leather from head to toe, with steely blue eyes.
The classmate, Mike Lefevre, attended a gathering at an estate that used to own the whole Spanish land grant that included Hazel Dell. Above the fireplace there was a portrait of that same vaquero, steely blue eyes and all. Lefevre’s host said that was his great-great-grandfather, the vaquero who had originally owned it all.
The Prikazskys bought the house and moved in. One day Bob had his back to the garage and felt someone behind him. Thinking it was his wife, Dean, Bob turned around to see a figure in a shimmering blue-black veil. He knew it was the vaquero. Others would hear whistling at night where they could see no one. Bob’s daughter Alex said she saw a shadowy, human-sized figure and could feel its presence. (RS)
GOLDEN GATE VILLA
599-501 Cliff St., Santa Cruz
Towering over the heart of Santa Cruz atop Beach Hill stands the Golden Gate Villa, a grand Victorian mansion with a peculiar feature: a “door to nowhere” appearing on the cliffside that hints at a darker history beyond its mundane purpose—originally for removing manure from the stables. Built by Major Frank McLaughlin in 1891, the Villa once played host to Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Edison. But it’s the mysterious door at that dizzying height that has sparked intrigue in addition to whispers of haunting.
In 1907, Agnes McLaughlin died at the hands of her father, who was suffering from severe depression at the time. The major murdered his adopted daughter with a revolver before poisoning himself with cyanide. According to local legend, Agnes’s ghostly figure has been seen roaming the halls, and visitors have reported unexplained noises and eerie sensations of being watched. (JK)
FRIGHT FLIGHT You won’t get a refund if you leave the Boardwalk’s Fright Walk early. Photo: John Koenig
FRIGHT WALK
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The Boardwalk has been creating dark and scary places to thrill and chill for over 80 years. It all began in 1932 with a spooky ride called “Dante’s Inferno—A Trip to Hades.” In the 1950s, the ride became Pirate’s Cove, until ghosts and ghoulies returned to inhabit the Haunted Castle we know today, a kid-friendly attraction. Fright-making got serious from 1996 to 2001 with a Halloween season walkthrough called “Terror on Beach Street.” Erected in the parking lot, it featured zombies emerging from graves and enacted executions by decapitation and electric chair. It featured live actors as the monsters, and fewer mechanical effects, creating more eeriness and jolts, with no blood and less gore.
The Boardwalk’s “Fright Walk” opened in 2004. It’s a walk-through journey into darkness with jump-scares, mazes, and shocking scenes throughout. Lurking near the entrance to the park and guarded by menacing gargoyles, it moved in 2017 into the larger subterranean dungeon it occupies today. Be forewarned not to walk face-first into a wall! You might be grateful for a smartphone flashlight app, or even bring a mini flashlight to dispel the gloom. (But do you really want to?) No costumed “Fright Walk” workers will scare the jeepers out of you—it’s all effects and animatronics.
But make no mistake; the Fright Walk is not recommended for pre-teens. If your monster-loving middle-schooler can’t be talked out of entering, be warned: there’s no refund for the faint of heart. The Boardwalk dark rides are open on Saturday and Sunday, admission is $8. Check beachboardwalk.com for hours. (JK)
DEM BONES No bones about it, these skeletons and their spooky house are dressed to impress! Photo: John Koenig
GETTING INTO THE SPIRIT
2320 West Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz
East Cliff Drive at 33rd Avenue, Pleasure Point
At the lonely corner where West Cliff Drive meets Natural Bridges, frightening figures fill the yard. Find the Wicked Witch of West Cliff clinging to her broom, the Headless Horseman with his Jack-o’-Lantern, a Skeletal Scarecrow and more, with eerie lighting and sounds for a blood-chilling tableau.
A special treat for the kids is the Skeleton House, where an ever-growing, bony brood celebrates Halloween in style, costumed as children’s favorites, including Spiderman, Beetlejuice, Chewbacca and dozens more. “Ghost hosts” Susan and Roy display their creepy collection to delight the little ones, while welcoming trick-or-treaters.
Mask maker Chris Zephro’s Aptos home becomes a really scary graveyard on Halloween, maybe a bit too frightening for little ones. Creatures rise up from the tombs, and you can’t tell which is real. There’s an amazing array of haunting, from someone who has worked on Hollywood movies and has designed costumes for the likes of Ozzy Osbourne. His neighbors have followed suit making Vienna Woods a must-see that night. Start at 3823 Vienna Dr., Aptos.(JK)
DNA, John Koenig, Richard Stockton and Mat Weir contributed to this article.
Kristen Brown has the experience and heart to represent We The People of the Second District of Santa Cruz County. Kristen has a wealth of on-the-job experience as well as a long list of credible endorsements from working people, unions, fire, police, sheriff’s departments and many, many others. There are Santa Cruz county commissioners who ignore the will of the voters and cater to the whims of wealthy benefactors who back their campaigns. They care little for the working citizens of this county and for the critical needs of the working people of this area. As Second District Supervisor, Kristen will bring her wealth of experience, honesty and ability to get things done to the job. She will honestly represent the working people of Santa Cruz County.
Don Redmon | Watsonville
ONLINE COMMENTS
RE: MONSTERS AMONG US
Thank you, Mat Weir, for your brilliant Good Times cover story “Monsters Among Us,” Oct. 15, 2024. Your preview of Dr. Michael Chemers’ Festival of Monsters presents tools for self-discovery in the freshest way. What a fascinating idea that matting a monster onto others will lead to atrocities, but “if you look at the monster and see yourself, then you are on the threshold of some really powerful self-discovery.” You got me wondering, how much of the monster I fear is actually a reflection of me? Great article.
Richard Stockton
RE: BAN ON CIGARETTE FILTERS
First I read this sentence early on in the article, “ban the sale of filtered cigarettes in unincorporated areas of the county.” Later on, there is a comment in opposition by Sherry Dang, who owns stores in Santa Cruz and Watsonville, not in unincorporated areas. Supervisor Koenig says all county residents should celebrate, but a limited ban means very little, except maybe a bit of discrimination to the unincorporated residents who favor smoking. Was that first line correct, the ban is only in unincorporated areas of the county? What am I missing?
Connie FIsh
EDITOR: Yes, the ban is just for the unincorporated areas, governed by the Board of Supervisors. The individual cities make their own laws.
RE: REVIEW OF “A TWISTED TALE”
Such excellence in acting from both Andrew Davids and Martin Sampad Kulchek! Tour de force performances! As a writer, guessing the outcome was actually a fun experience for me even when the play was on a very serious note. I won’t say more. A riveting evening. I recommend.
I love Ghostbusters. It’s classic and I love the acting in it and it’s nostalgic of the movies that were made in that time period. And I like Poltergeist. I watched it when I was nine, and it scared me.
Ace Meyer, 20, Disability Resources, UCSC
JUN
I really like the Annabelle series with the creepy, possessed doll—or The Conjuring movies—or The Babadook, that’s the most disturbed I’ve been after a movie.
Jun Qin, 19, Ecology and Evolution Major, UCSC
JASMINE
My favorite is the Casper the Friendly Ghost movie. I like how there were different kinds of ghosts—like, there was a bully ghost—and they are all animated differently.
Jasmine Rocha, 20, Radiology Major, Cabrillo College
TIM
What comes to mind is Coraline, like more of a kids’ Halloween movie. Maybe not exactly the scariest movie, but it’s quirky. It’s a little unsettling and they did that well. I liked that.
Tim Johnstone, 37, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry, UCSC
CHLOE
I like Ghost—it’s the ’90s one. The guy dies, he gets stabbed, and he turns into a ghost. I like that it was so intense, how his friend was two-faced and tried to steal his girl, and how the ghosts come and get him.
Chloe Perez, 20, Surgical Tech Student, Carrington College
CASEY
I’ll go with The Others. I liked the fact that it was a twist. It’s always a good time when a movie’s got a good twist.
With mail-in ballots already sent out by the Santa Cruz County Clerk, early voting for the Nov. 5 election has begun. Included in the mail-in voting kits are a sample ballot, an official ballot and a voter guide. There are 22 ballot drop box locations across the county where you can leave your ballot if you don’t want to mail it.
Aptos
Aptos Branch Library, 7695 Soquel Dr.
Polo Grounds near the dog park, 2255 Huntington Dr.
Cabrillo College Parking lot R by the stadium, 2372 Cabrillo College Dr.
Capitola
420 Capitola Ave., City Hall parking lot
Mall near the old Sears, 1855 41st Ave.
Public Library, 2005 Wharf Rd.
Corralitos
Corralitos Women’s Club, 33 Browns Valley Rd.
Davenport
Fire Station, 75 Marine View Ave.
Santa Cruz Mountains
Highlands Park, 8500 Highway 9, Ben Lomond
Boulder Creek Community Church, 12465 Highway 9, Boulder Creek
Covered Bridge Park, at Mt. Hermon and Graham Hill roads, Felton
Summit Store, 24197 Summit Rd., Los Gatos
Santa Cruz
701 Ocean St. in front of the County Government Center
Sheriff’s Crisis Center, 5300 Soquel Ave.
212 Church St. in the public parking lot
UCSC Quarry Plaza
Trescony Park, end of Trescony Street
Scotts Valley
1 Civic Center Dr. in the City Hall parking lot
Watsonville
316 Rodriguez St., municipal public parking lot 14
County Health Center, 1430 Freedom Blvd.
County Building at Westridge, 500 Westridge Dr.
Additionally, early voting centers are open 8am–5pm Mon.–Fri. at the following locations:
● Santa Cruz—Santa Cruz County Clerk/Elections, 701 Ocean St., Room 310
● Watsonville—Watsonville City Clerk’s Office, 275 Main St., 4th Floor
● Watsonville—Westridge County Building, 500 Westridge Dr.
Due to Santa Cruz’s status as a vote center county, you can cast your vote at any of the 24 locations open from Nov. 1–5 listed on the map at votescount.gov, meaning you don’t have to go to a specific site to cast your ballot.
Though online registration closed Oct. 21, you can register on or before election day at any of the previously listed polling sites by filling out a yellow same-day registration form.
If you are a student at UCSC and received a ballot from your home county anywhere across the state, you can drop it off at any Santa Cruz drop box and it will be safely transported to its county of origin.
As concerns over voter fraud have increased in recent years, the voter hotline remains open at 800-345-8683.
Lance Haggard’s restaurant industry resumé is robust. He started in food service at 16, moving to China after college for 12 years, where he opened eight different restaurants.
A plant-based diet can easily meet your protein needs. But getting people to let go of that meat-first mindset can be tougher than chewing through a charred ribeye.
From the Victorian mansions of Beach Hill to film locations for Hollywood thrillers, Santa Cruz has long been a destination of paranormal possibilities and rich history.
