I thought the subheading for your Student Supplement was in extremely poor taste. “Dilated Pupils”?? C’mon, man! Unless, of course, you’re suggesting that the supplements students should be looking for in its pages is some sort of drug or another. I saw the half-page ad for pot, and the list of 22 beer joints, but missed the ads for Methamphetamines. I’ll look again…
Dag Weiser | Santa Cruz
SURFERS’ CODE
Do not publicize all the surf spots, especially remote ones. Good Times has been around long enough to know the code. Shame on you.
Tory Wilson | Santa Cruz
NO ROOM FOR COMICS
A friend of mine was a Marine Corps lawyer during World War II. He participated in the Nuremberg Trials—which sentenced many Nazi leaders to death after the war was over. He sent me a copy of a news article from the New York Times, dated February 4, 1939, just before the war started.
Hitler was just beginning to crush dissent, and the article describes how Hitler’s Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels destroyed the careers of five comedians because they criticized Nazis.
The Headline: “Goebbels Ends Careers of Five ‘Aryan’ Actors Who Made Witticisms About the Nazi Regime”
The lead: “Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels today ended the professional careers of five ‘Aryan’ comedians by expelling them from the Reich’s Chamber of Culture on the grounds that “in their public appearances they displayed a lack of any positive attitude toward National Socialism and therewith caused grave annoyance to party comrades.”
Sound familiar?
Don Eggleston | Aptos
NOT IN FAVOR OF THESE MEASURES
Santa Cruz is already an expensive place to live, and Measures B and C would only make life harder. These proposals add new parcel and transfer taxes that hit regular people the most. Families, renters, and seniors are already stretched thin—more taxes aren’t the answer.
Supporters say this money will go to housing and community programs, but there’s no clear guarantee it will solve the real problems we face. What we do know is that residents will be paying more at a time when so many can barely keep up.
I love this community and want to see it thrive, but putting more financial pressure on locals is not the way forward. Please join me in voting no on Measures B and C.
Gayle Bradshaw | Santa Cruz
IN LOVING MEMORY
In memory of my husband, Bill Nadeau, I am sponsoring free jazz concerts at the downtown branch of the Santa Cruz Library the first Friday of every month.
The concert on Friday, Oct. 3 features violinist Mads Tolling and his Mads Men on piano and bass. The electrifying and nostalgic performance will pay tribute to famous jazz violinists. The shows are from noon to 1pm.
Thank you for supporting live music!
B. J. Nadeau | The William H. Nadeau Fund Promoting and Rewarding Excellence in Jazz Performance | Scotts Valley
In Zen Buddhism, satoris are sudden flashes of illumination that are fun and clarifying. I’m happy to tell you that you’re in a phase when these sweet breakthroughs are extra likely to visit you. They may barge in while you’re washing dishes, in the grocery store check-out line, or during your fantasies before sleep. Be on high alert for intimations from the Great Mystery. PS: Some satoris could be gems you already half-knew.
TAURUS April 20-May 20
You are eligible to be named “The Most Brilliant and Effective Complainer” for October. If you want to secure this prestigious award, spend time organizing plans for changing what’s amiss or awry. Decide which irritating off-kilter situations are most worthy of your thoughtful attention. Figure out how to express your critiques in ways that will engage the constructive help of others. And then implement a detailed strategy to compassionately achieve the intriguing transformations.
GEMINI May 21-June 20
On certain medieval maps, an island paradise known as Hy-Brasil had a fuzzy presence west of Ireland. Did it truly exist? If so, it was said to be a blessed land that could restore lost youth and offer extravagant happiness. The place was thought to be rarely visible, and only under certain magical or auspicious conditions. I suspect you Geminis are within range of an experience like this. It won’t appear in a specific location but as a state of mind that settles over you. Don’t chase it. Allow it to find you.
CANCER June 21-July 22
A stalactite is a stony formation that hangs like an icicle from the ceiling of a cave. It forms over long periods as mineral-rich water drips down and incrementally deposits hard calcium carbonate through precipitation. This marvel is an example of earth’s creativity at its most leisurely. A four-inch-long stalactite might take a thousand years to make. With that as your seed thought, Cancerian, I invite you to attune yourself to the slowest, deepest, most ancient parts of your soul. Important developments are unfolding there. A wound that’s ripening into wisdom? A mysterious yearning that’s finally speaking in your native tongue? Be patient and vigilant with it. Don’t demand clarity all at once. Your transformation is tectonic, not flashy. Your assignment is to listen and be receptive.
LEO July 23-Aug. 22
When bilingual speakers engage in the behavior known as “code-switching,” they may begin a sentence in one language and finish it in another. Or they may move back and forth between two different languages as they deliver a discourse. Why do they do it? To enrich their meaning, to dazzle their audience, to play and experiment. In a larger sense, we could say that code-switching happens anytime we swivel between different styles of presenting ourselves: from formal to casual, serious to humorous, cheerful to skeptical. I bring this up, Leo, because you are in the heart of the code-switching season. Have fun!
VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22
In the Arctic, polar bears move through the world not by sight alone, but through scent trails that stretch miles across the ice. Their sense of direction is olfactory, intuitive and primal. If I’m reading the omens correctly, Virgo, your navigation system will also be more animal than logical in the coming weeks. I advise you to trust subtle cues—like goosebumps, a sweet or sour taste in your mouth, or an uncanny pull toward or away from things. Your rational mind might not be fully helpful, but your body will know the way. Sniff the trail. Access your instincts.
LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22
In ancient Egyptian myth, the goddess Maat ruled truth, divine law, harmony and moral order. After death, each person’s heart was weighed against Maat’s feather of truth on a scale in the Hall of Judgment. If the heart, which embodied the essence of a person’s actions in life, was equal in weight to the feather, the deceased was assessed as virtuous and cleared to continue to the glorious afterlife. If it was heavier … well, I’ll spare you the details. Maat’s scales were not symbols of punishment, but of fairness and justice. That’s also your special power right now, Libra. You have subtle insight into every choice. You understand that your wisdom is best used to bless, not censure. My hope is that you will foster gentle clarity and offer forgiveness to all, including yourself. Lay down the old guilt! Let grace be the law!
SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21
The I Ching is an ancient divinatory book compiled in China over 2,500 years ago, Amazingly, it’s still quite useful. In accordance with astrological omens, I call your attention to one of its oracles: “Work on What Has Been Spoiled.” It tenderly counsels us to be brave as we repair what’s broken. But it’s crucial that we make the correction with patient grace, not blame and anger. The good news, Scorpio, is that you now have an uncanny ability to discern what’s out of tune, what’s crooked, what has been wrongfully abandoned. I hope you will offer your genius for re-weaving. A frayed friendship? A neglected dream? A forgotten promise? You can play the role of restorer: not to make things as they were, but to render them better than they’ve ever been.
SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21
In ancient Egypt, the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet wielded both intense heat and nourishing warmth. She had the power to destroy and heal. When outbreaks of chaos threatened, she incinerated them. Once order and balance returned, she served as a physician. I dare you to summon your inner Sekhmet, Sagittarius. Give your bold attention to an obstacle that needs to be crushed or an injustice that needs to be erased. If necessary, invoke sacred rage on behalf of sacred order. But remember that the goal is not merely combustion. It’s transmutation. Once the fire has cleared the way, unleash your gorgeous cure.
CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19
In Nepal, there’s a tradition among Sherpa mountaineers. Before ascending Mt. Everest, they perform a ceremony led by a Buddhist monk or Lama. It’s a way to honor the sacredness of the mountain, ask for grace during their climb, and return from the journey in good health. As you eye the peak ahead of you, Capricorn, consider making similar preparation. Ritualize your intention. Direct it with clarity and care. Bless your journey before you surge forward.
AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18
When people call something “glamorous,” they usually mean it has an elegant, captivating style. Its beauty is sophisticated and luxurious. But the original meaning of “glamour” was different. It referred to a deceptive magical enchantment designed to disguise the truth, whipped up by a conjurer or supernatural being. That’s the sense I want to invoke now, Aquarius. You have been seeing through the glamour lately—of the media, of consensus reality, of false stories. Now it’s time to go even further: to actively tear down illusions and dismantle pretense, preferably with tact. When you see through the spell, don’t just call it out—transmute it into clarity.
PISCES Feb. 19-March 20
Pisces-born Nina Simone (1933–2003) started playing piano when she was three years old. At age 12, her debut concert was a classical recital. She developed a yearning to become the first Black female classical concert pianist. But her dream collapsed when the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music refused to let her study there. Then came the plot twist. She redirected her disappointment ingeniously, launching a brilliant career as a singer, composer and pianist that won her global fame. The rebuff from the Curtis Institute was ultimately a stroke of good luck! It became a catalyst for her greatness. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to designate a frustration that you will use to fuel future success.
Wasilla, Alaska, native and jazz vocalist Hilary Gardner established her career in New York City. In the early 2000s, Gardner charted an eclectic path, guesting on albums by jazz pianist Mike Longo and electronica artist Moby. By 2010, she was a member of the cast of Twyla Tharp’s Frank Sinatra musical on Broadway, Come Fly Away. Gardner launched her solo recording career with 2014’s The Great City, founding vocal trio Duchess around the same time. Bridging her jazz background and country roots, her latest project is 2024’s On the Trail with The Lonesome Pines. BILL KOPP
INFO: 7pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $34-$36. 427-2227.
FRIDAY 10/3
SINGER-SONGWRITER
CASS MCCOMBS
Born in Concord, California, but getting his solo career underway in New York City, indie singer-songwriter Cass McCombs released his debut EP, Not the Way, in 2002. Four full-length albums followed, along with a 2012 tour with Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale. His original songs have been featured in documentaries, dramatic films, and skate videos, and in 2014, McCombs toured with the Meat Puppets. But while critical praise has been a feature of his work, McCombs has remained a largely underground sensation. Today, he has more than a dozen albums to his credit. 2025’s Interior Live Oak is his latest. BK
The band doesn’t consider themselves the originator of blackgaze (a combination of black metal and shoegaze), but fans and critics generally acknowledge Deafheaven as the definitive band in the genre, which makes sense because prior to their 2013 full-length, Sunbather, the genre was generally looked down upon. That album found huge commercial success and earned respect from the toughest of critics: metalheads. Founded as a duo in 2010, this San Francisco band has expanded over the years into a quintet, growing their sound in the process. Earlier this year, they released their sixth album, Lonely People With Power, a great way to describe the current political state of the US and much of the world. MAT WEIR
INFO: 7:30pm, Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $39. 713-5492.
SATURDAY 10/4
HISTORY
ANTOINETTE SWAN GRAVESITE TOUR
Antoinette Swan was a surfer who moved to Santa Cruz during the 19th century. In doing so, she also helped bring the now-popular pastime to the United States. Santa Cruz, being nicknamed “Surf City,” is linked to her, but she is often overlooked when discussing the history of surfing. Join local historians, Geoffrey Dunn and Kim Stoner, and collaborators for the exhibition Princes of Surf 2025: He’e Nalu Santa Cruz for a tour of Antoinette Swan’s final resting place right here in Surf City. This tour honors her legacy, as well as connecting attendees to a special piece of local history. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: 11am, Santa Cruz Memorial Cemetery, 1927 Ocean St Ext, Santa Cruz. $25. 429-1964.
COMEDY
MYQ KAPLAN
Comedian Myq Kaplan’s brain is an amazing and unique machine that processes philosophy, word play, setups and punchlines at breakneck speed. It’s great that he puts out so much content, as his jokes reward repeated listening, but it is a delightful endurance test for your brain trying to keep up with him. If you catch even half of the jokes in his act, you’ll be getting more laughs per minute than previously thought possible, and all of it delivered in a gentle voice full of positivity, love, and a spirit of intellectual playfulness. The $40 ticket covers Valerie Tosi on Friday night as well. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN
Performed by world-class dancers, including World Irish dance champions and performers from the acclaimed shows Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, A Taste of Ireland transports audiences through the dramatic tapestry of historical Ireland. The show takes the athleticism and finesse of traditional Irish dance alongside the heart and wit of classic Irish folk songs, and infuses them with contemporary flair. Blending explosive tap-battles, melodic folk mashups, and audacious Irish wit, this engaging production chronicles the birth of a nation through captivating performance. This spectacular showcase demonstrates the evolution of Irish performance while honoring its deep cultural roots and enduring traditions. SHELLY NOVO
INFO: 6pm, Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St., Santa Cruz. $40-$80. 420-5030.
PSYCH-ROCK
ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE
Acid Mothers Temple have come from Japan to poke local audience members in the third eye as they twist their way into the listeners’ brains with an onslaught of noise, psychedelic rock, what they’ve called “extreme trip music”. This is the antithesis of sensory deprivation—overstimulating the senses to great extremes with flashing, flowing, melting lights, and music that fractalizes into seeming chaos, only to suddenly spring back into logical, driving, thumping shape again. Use with caution; co-pilots recommended. KLJ
WEDNESDAY10/8
AFRO-JAZZ
JEMBAA GROOVE
Jembaa Groove stands at the forefront of the emerging Afro-Jazz movement, blending West African Highlife traditions with contemporary soul and jazz sensibilities. Founded in 2020 by bass player and composer Yannick Nolting and singer-percussionist Eric Owusu, this Berlin-based ensemble creates fresh Afro-Soul music. Acclaimed albums Susuma and Ye Ankasa/We Ourselves have earned international media coverage. The band’s expanded lineup features collaborations with The Cavemen, legendary Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara, and Nigerian sensation Tim Lyre. SN
For 25 years, the Santa Cruz Film Festival has promoted and celebrated local, independent films. Since its inception, it has showcased over 2,000 movies. Curated under the leadership of Programming Director Logan Walker, winners are chosen by a panel of judges consisting of film educators, local community leaders and, of course, filmmakers. This year, over the course of Oct. 8–12, the spotlight shines on several eclectic films ranging from curses (F*cktoys), to making ends meet in San Francisco (Outerlands) and even the invention of the Santa Cruz Skateboards infamous Screaming Hand (Art and Life: The Story of Jim Phillips), each with Q&A panels featuring each film’s writers, directors and actors. MW
INFO: 7pm, Landmark’s Del Mar Theater, 1124 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $18. 359-4447.
In 2014, Santa Cruz native and visionary organizer Shandara Gill had an idea that seemed unlikely at the time: bringing yoga into jails. Not as a trendy workout, but as a healing practice for some of the most marginalized people in our community—incarcerated citizens.
That idea laid the groundwork for Yoga for All Movement (YFAM), a nonprofit dedicated to making yoga accessible to people who need it most. Rooted in the principles of restorative and transformational justice, YFAM set out to use yoga not just as exercise, but as a tool for resilience, connection and healing.
Fast forward to today, and YFAM is thriving. The organization now offers more than 26 weekly classes across Santa Cruz County, reaching jails, juvenile halls, mental health facilities, schools and senior centers, as well as holding public community classes at the London Nelson Center. On Oct. 11, YFAM invites the community to experience its mission firsthand at Yoga for All Day, a free celebration of practice, connection and healing.
A Radical Beginning
When Gill and her team of volunteers first reached out to local jails about bringing in yoga classes, the response was lukewarm at best. “It wasn’t exactly a hard yes,” laughs Executive Director Katie Davidson, the organization’s second paid staff member. “Some administrators were skeptical—what did yoga have to do with rehabilitation? But because we offered it at no cost, a few institutions agreed to give it a try.”
The impact was immediate. For those in the system, yoga provided more than physical movement—it offered space to breathe, regulate and connect with themselves and others in a setting often defined by disconnection.
It’s easy to think of offering these special services as rewarding bad behavior, but the reality is that most incarcerated citizens arrive with histories of trauma, abuse and marginalization. Restorative justice is about holding people accountable, while also allowing them to attempt to make amends. Transformative justice goes even deeper, looking at the root causes and systemic issues that lead people into incarceration in the first place.
In the West, yoga often gets packaged as a boutique fitness class for the flexible and the fit. YFAM works to dismantle those barriers.
“People say all the time, ‘I can’t do yoga because I can’t touch my toes,’” Davidson says. “But yoga can be done in a chair. It can be just breathing, or meditating for a few minutes. It’s not about the poses—it’s about connection.”
That connection—mind, body, spirit and community—is what Davidson calls truly transformative. “When you practice, you start to realize we’re not separate. Someone else’s suffering is not separate from ours. That awareness changes how we treat people, whether they’re our neighbors, our students, or strangers on the street.”
For Davidson, that lesson is personal. Before joining YFAM, she had a successful career in New York journalism. On paper, she had made it—interviewing celebrities, reporting from red carpets—but her sense of fulfillment came not from her career, but from her yoga practice. “When I left a yoga class, I felt most alive, most myself. That’s what drew me deeper.” Eventually, her path led her back home to Santa Cruz, and to YFAM.
One of the organization’s founding board members, renowned Santa Cruz yoga teacher Hannah Muse, has been teaching in jails and schools since before YFAM became a nonprofit. She emphasizes that the work has always been community-centered.
“For nine years we’ve been quietly doing this work, often without resources or staff,” Muse says. “Now it’s time to celebrate and share it more widely.”
Part of that growth has included moving from an all-volunteer base to hiring staff and compensating teachers. “If equity is one of our principles, we need to pay our teachers equitably too,” Muse explains. “We now have over 50 trauma-informed teachers in our network, and every one of them is paid for their work.”
This shift has allowed YFAM to deepen its impact, bringing resilience-informed yoga into spaces where trauma runs deep. “Yes, our work is trauma-informed,” Muse says, “but it’s also resilience-informed. We focus not just on what’s broken, but on what’s possible.”
YFAM’s offerings go far beyond the walls of correctional facilities. Public classes at the London Nelson Community Center welcome students from all walks of life. Recently, occupational therapists from Santa Cruz County Mental Health began bringing clients—some struggling with severe trauma and even agoraphobia—to these open classes.
“To see those students walk in, participate, and leave smiling is powerful,” Davidson says. “It shows how universal this practice really is.”
Yoga, she emphasizes, is not about silencing the mind or achieving a perfect pose. “Meditation isn’t about stopping your thoughts. Our minds produce thoughts just like our mouths produce saliva. The practice is about being with whatever arises and creating more space around it.”
Behind YFAM’s programs lies a web of community support. Early on, teachers knocked on the doors of jails and schools, offering free classes. Now, institutions are reaching out to YFAM, eager to bring the benefits of yoga to their clients—and willing to pay for it.
Funding still remains precarious, with much of it tied to grants and contracts vulnerable to cuts. Private donors and community partners play a crucial role in keeping the movement alive. “In a world where there’s so much to complain about, people want to know they’re contributing to something positive,” Muse says.
FITS TO HERE
That positivity is exactly what YFAM hopes to share on Yoga for All Day. The free Oct. 11 event will feature a community yoga class, live music, kirtan, sound healing, mindfulness moments, and a panel discussion with people who have experienced firsthand the impact of YFAM’s programs—whether through incarceration, recovery, or mental health challenges.
“It’s really a day of healing and connection,” Davidson says. “A chance for people to take a break from the noise of daily life and experience community in its truest sense.”
Rooted in Compassion
From two classes a week in county jails to more than two dozen classes across Santa Cruz today, YFAM has grown into a movement that embodies its name.
“We’re not just teaching yoga or meditation,” Muse says. “We’re building a movement rooted in compassion and dignity.”
For Davidson, the work is about giving others what yoga gave her: tools for peace, connection, and resilience. “I know what it’s like to feel disconnected and to find healing through this practice. That’s why we do what we do—because everyone deserves access to that possibility.”
On Oct. 11, the doors are open wide to everyone—a celebration of resilience, equity and the power of community to transform lives, one breath at a time.
Yoga for All Day takes place noon–4pm on Oct. 11 at Pacific Avenue and Cooper Street in downtown Santa Cruz. yogaforallmovement.org
They’re back! Those insanely popular weekends of October when everyone is invited to free, self-guided tours through the handiwork of hundreds of artists.
Open Studios marks its 40th year of inviting the public to a hands-on arts crawl. An offer we can’t refuse. And if you require a bit of nudging, some additional temptation, don’t miss the preview exhibits now running at the Santa Cruz Art League and Pajaro Valley Arts through Oct. 19.
Launched in 1985, Open Studios is a feast for the eyes, a chance to treat yourself and/or plan ahead for holiday gifting. But it also generates over $1 million annually in direct sales to artists, local shops, restaurants and hotels. Participants look forward to earning a large portion of their annual incomes during those three busy weekends.
Newly at the helm this year, Program Manager Bree Karpavage welcomes everyone to Open Studios. “We are excited to support over 340 artists this year from Watsonville to Davenport. Come discover where the magic of artistic inspiration happens and take home something special that speaks to you!”
Many of those showing their handmade arts and crafts return to this art crawl year after year. There’s wearable art by Christina MacColl (#184), whose colorful must-have designer coats, dresses and jackets show off a bold sense of color and cut under her Grant Designs label (showing with the whimsical sculptures by clay artist Brooke Matteson).
FIELD OF VISION In addition to seeing work at artists’ studios, many pieces—including Mac McWilliams’ ‘Strawberry Pickers’—are on view through Oct. 19 at the Pajaro Valley Arts Gallery, 280 Main St., Watsonville. Photo: Tarmo Hannula
Printmaker Bridget Henry (#336) has been brightening interiors all over the country with her woodblock prints highlighting compelling themes and compositions peppered with spiritual and environmental imagery. Charles Prentiss (#18) is an icon of Open Studios, showing new and renewed views of his immediate La Selva landscape in robust oil paintings that reawaken the spirit of the Golden State. Also returning are the poetic color field dreamscapes painted by the tireless imagination of Hildy Bernstein (#327). And of course it’s impossible to imagine Open Studios without a chance to check out the mesmerizing blown glass works from Peter Vizzusi (#27).
And ah, the jewelry! The sophisticated collectibles from OS veteran Ann Wasserman (#137), the grand bejeweled statements by Andrea Mekkoudi (#142) and Musi Hunt (#156), sensuous pearl designs from Elizabeth Clar (#153). But I digress. The moody abstractions from Janet Trenchard show the range of acrylic painting in skilled hands (#166). Collectors of innovative photo and mixed-media visual statements will want to stop by the incredible studio of Sara Friedlander (#167). And on and on.
Ann Ostermann, who began producing the program in 2004, knows all about how Open Studios became such a beloved fixture of our yearly celebrations.
SHAPING UP Coeleen Kiebert is among more than 340 artists whose work will be on view during Open Studios. Photo: Crystal Birns
“The tour started out in 1986, one weekend featuring 86 artists,” Ostermann recalls. “It grew over the years and went from that one weekend to two and then to three weekends, one for North, one for South, and the last weekend where artists from throughout the county could participate. The tour is special because the public visits the artists in their working studios. This separates it from other festivals where artists simply present their work. The artists are asked to show process so the public learns more about how the art is made. People who don’t have an accessible studio, or have limited parking or aren’t able to invite the public into their space have the option of being hosted by other Open Studios artists. This helps them and it keeps the ‘studio’ in the Open Studios tour!”
Ostermann stepped down last year, passing on the torch, but the memories are vivid.
“Many participants confessed to me over the years,” she says, “that Open Studios represented up to 80 percent of their annual income. Some artists really built their business through Open Studios—the first that comes to mind is Marie Gabrielle. A supremely talented watercolor artist whose art really resonates with the public.”
Tessa Hope Hasty of Santa Cruz has work on view at the Open Studios Art Tour Preview Exhibit in the Pajaro Valley Arts Porter Building. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
What worked best, Ostermann believes, was keeping it to the first three weekends in October. “It makes it easy for artists to know what other months and events they can enter, and the public knows when the tour will take place. I think the public just loves seeing actual studio spaces, seeing pieces that aren’t yet complete, seeing pieces that have failed. It’s truly fascinating! And even if you just leave with a greeting card or some small item, you have met the person who made it.”
Asked what she doesn’t miss about running the show, Ostermann admits she doesn’t miss the deadlines “and the physicality of that last month of the prep, September, when we moved thousands of guides to outlets, set up and took down the booth at the Capitola Art & Wine Festival, did the staging, and installation of the Preview Exhibit and held the big public reception at the Art League. I had it all down to a science so it wasn’t stressful, but it was exhausting! Right now, this is the mellowest September I’ve had in 20 years!
“I am filled with pride for the job I did producing Open Studios. By the way, I inherited a wonderfully run program. Buff McKinley produced it before me and she had done a great job. But eventually we really did have to make some adjustments: When I started, artists filled out a four-page paper application and turned in slides for the screening. All the data from the applications had to be entered into a database. The slides had to be loaded in trays for the screening. It was terribly laborious.
“In 2012 we switched from the committee screening the applications to an online jury system,” Ostermann explains. “That was a good shift for transparency. The only hitch was artists had to apply online. The first year of the Guide it sold for $6. Starting in 1999 the Guide was an Artist Guide/Calendar that cost $20. It stayed that way through 2013. In 2014 we published an Artist Guide without the calendar, still selling it for $20.
“Finally we reached out to Jeanne Howard at Good Times to see about printing and distributing an Open Studios Guide for free. They agreed and the change transformed the tour. No one has to have $20 to go see the artists. It is truly an art-for-all event!”
Open Studios Tour Dates
Oct. 4–5: South County artists (south of SC Yacht Harbor)
Oct. 11–12: North County artists (north of SC Yacht Harbor)
Oct. 18–19: All County, featuring 250+ artists across the region
When comedian and Good Times contributor DNA left Santa Cruz for his second hometown of Chico after nearly 20 years locally, many hailed it as the death of his long-running Santa Cruz Comedy Festival.
Which it was, and that’s the end of that.
OK, just kidding. Kind of. While the Santa Cruz Comedy Festival as we once knew it might not be returning for its 12th year, this weekend DNA and fellow local comedian Michael Booth will host the inaugural Laughtopus at Woodhouse Brewery.
“It’s fun to be able to create a community,” Booth explains. “I’m lucky to be connected and have access to a network of comedians.”
A rebranding of sorts, the Laughtopus is presented by the Santa Cruz Comedy Festival as a smaller, more condensed way for Santa Cruzans to get their yearly festy laughs.
Along with the hosts, each night will feature a different group of local and Bay Area comedians: Megan Kellie, Ryan Holloway, Colin Cosados and Rea Kapur are on the bill Oct. 4; BJ Rankin, Avery Harmon, Emily Rudolph and Ashley Monique perform Oct. 4. Headlining the nights are two returning favorites from previous DNA shows, Valerie Tosi and Myq Kaplan.
VALERIE TOSI MYQ KAPLAN photo: Mindy Tucker
Kaplan has played Santa Cruz on several occasions, including DNA’s Vegan Comedy show.
Prior to the 2020 lockdowns, Tosi headlined DNA’s ill-fated Comedy Lab. A veteran to the comedy scene, Tosi is a graduate from the Los Angeles chapter of the Second City improv comedy troupe. Her 2022 debut special, Beach Trash, reached number one on the iTunes charts, and she’s made appearances on other shows, including Peacock’s Based on a True Story and IFC’s Stan Against Evil. Tosi has been featured on a number of podcasts and her voice can be heard narrating online shows like Weird Food History on YouTube.
She is also the host of the Mermaid Comedy Hour, the longest-running, all-female comedy show at the Hollywood Improv.
“For the last couple of years people have asked if there’s a need for an all-female show anymore,” she says. “But looking around at the current political climate I think it’s needed now more than ever.”
More than just empty platitudes, Tosi stands up for the causes she believes in. Scanning her social media, there’s plenty of photos of her protesting at various causes, from standing up against ICE to recently marching outside Walt Disney Studios to reinstate Jimmy Kimmel. In her own words it’s something she “can’t not do.”
“We use humor as a tool to move through different emotions,” she says. “Not just anger and fear, but grief. I think we’re all grieving a country that we didn’t know was capable of getting to the point where it is and we’re not even at rock bottom yet.”
Which is one of the reasons why DNA says Santa Cruz needed to have a new comedy fest.
“Besides the name, I wanted Laughtopus to be different,” he explains. “I wanted to go small this year. One thing I tell all new producers in the region is that putting on shows is gambling. You’re putting money up and you might not get that money back.”
So instead of curating Laughtopus himself, DNA instead chose the headliners and gave the task of filling the other slots to his co-host, who also runs regular shows throughout the area.
“Michael is still in that world of new comedians and he puts them on regularly,” DNA says. “He knows how to build a good show. You can’t be a better comic unless you’re on stage, and he’s on stage as much as he can be.”
It’s a role Booth took on voluntarily.
“With DNA moving away and things being uncertain, a couple of us have taken on the tradition [of producing local shows] and kept the vibe,” he says, speaking of the Santa Cruz comedy scene.
“That’s how all this exists. We all either started it or took it over,” he continues. “It’s all people getting events started or keeping them going with quality so they can last for years like the Blue Lagoon or Mountain Brewery shows.”
So while this might be the inaugural Laughtopus event, if all goes well it most certainly won’t be the last. But that all depends on whether or not Santa Cruz comes out to support it.
“I have this ember of an idea for the festival,” DNA says. “And last year—for me—that ember really dimmed. Now it’s a quest for fire. I have some brush, I have this ember and I’m blowing on it to start this fire again.”
Laughtopus begins at 7pm on Oct. 3–4 at Woodhouse Blending and Brewing, 119 Madrone St., Santa Cruz. $25 adv/$30 door. 831-313-9461.
Set to open this weekend, Santa Cruz Symphony’s 2025-26 season offers temptation aplenty for music lovers of every stripe. From the smoldering Scheherazade Suite, with its ear-candy tales of One Thousand and One Nights, to the soaring soundtrack classics of modern movie masterworks, the season is programmed for maximum appeal. Exactly as Maestro Daniel Stewart has planned.
Guest artists such as Jonah Kim and Emad Zolfaghari join Santa Cruz Symphony’s tenured performers, such as first violinist Nancy Zhou, in bringing to life work from orchestral giants Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Paul Hindemith and Gustav Holst.
The fifth concert of the season shines a spotlight on Amadeus, with a blend of Mozart’s music, the sublime choral sections performed by the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus, led by new director Carlin Truong, interwoven with live dramatic narration by Santa Cruz Shakespeare actors adapted from Peter Shaffer’s celebrated play.
“I am beyond excited about the collaboration between the Cabrillo College Choirs and the Symphony,” Truong says. “The Symphonic Chorus is slated to perform with the Symphony for Gustav Holst’s The Planets in early November, Amadeus in March, and Beethoven’s Ninth in May. Our Cabrillo Youth Chorus is slated to perform with the Symphony for the Family Concert in March,” the new director revealed.
“I’m a sucker for collaboration,” Truong admits. “I love meeting other people who are as excited about the performing arts as I am, whether it be performers, support staff, or audience members. And I am particularly excited to work with Danny.”
STAGING A SYMPHONY Charles Pasternak takes on Amadeus. PHOTO: Kevin Monahan
Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus imagines a passionate rivalry between two Viennese Baroque-era composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, each vying for lucrative commissions—and fame—at the court of Emperor Joseph II roughly 1783–1825. Winning a 1981 Tony Award for Best Play, Amadeus was adapted by Shaffer for the Oscar-winning film in 1984. The play is organized into flashbacks, narrated by the now-elderly, forgotten Salieri, who recounts his admiration for Mozart’s genius and disgust for the celebrity’s childish behavior.
The third concert on this season’s program, March 28–29, takes a deep dive into a dramatic presentation of Peter Shaffer’s play, interweaving an adapted script by maestro Daniel Stewart—crafted to bring this smoldering tale of Baroque rivalry to life—in league with actors from Santa Cruz Shakespeare and powerful choral selections performed by the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus. Musical excerpts include the overtures to Don Giovanni and the Marriage Figaro, as well as the Requiem’s thundering Rex Tremende, Confutatis and the gorgeously tragic Lacrimosa, all featured in the movie Amadeus, so well known to symphony-goers.
SPOTLIGHT ON ‘AMADEUS’
Maestro Daniel Stewart recalls how the exciting concert emerged. “Quite literally, it occurred to me during the drive home following last season’s Symphonic Shakespeare concerts. There was such an electrifying synergy between our orchestra, actors, featuring the brilliance of Charles Pasternak and Allie Pratt, and similarly wild reactions from our audiences that when I found myself making a short list of subjects for another collaboration for our Symphony, I very quickly set my sights on Amadeus. I set to work reviewing every word of the original play and movie, and confirming the availability of Charles, as well as the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus under their new director Carlin Truong.”
“I loved working with the Symphony last year,” recalls Charles Pasternak, Artistic Director of Santa Cruz Shakespeare. “I think Danny is such a wonderful cultural leader for Santa Cruz. And after our Romeo and Juliet program, I realized that he was also a wonderful collaborator. He empowered me to take ownership as a collaborator, rather than as the hired hand. So that was a real joy. My hat’s off to Danny and how he manages collaboration.”
Stewart maintains that what most excited and motivated him was “the possibility of presenting a uniquely immersive and comprehensive selection of Mozart’s music within the context of this beloved and amazingly entertaining story.”
After Stewart’s passionate ideas poured forth, Pasternak asked, “Well, where do you see me? I’m certainly a little old for Mozart, but I may be a little young for Salieri, but he said, No, no, I see you as Salieri—you’re Salieri.’ But we want to hire some other artists, right?”
And there will be four actors involved in the intriguing musical narrative, but Pasternak didn’t want to provide names yet, “because this could really change, but I’ll just say the plan is to hire a few other artists.”
“My aim was to enhance the total experience by increasing the musical presence and content while distilling the plot down to four actors,” says Stewart, “actors who could bring the most famous scenes to life in a kind of symphonic/theatrical hybrid of the play and movie.”
Pasternak continues, “With Danny’s incredible leadership of the symphony, I’m sure that we will find within Shaffer, an incredible framework to transplant into an orchestral evening so that the audience, while not getting the full Amadeus play, will get snatches of it. Snippets of the play to drive us to fuller performances of Mozart’s work. I think the evening will probably be either more 50/50 or even more symphonic than it is performative.”
The performative aspects will be able to act as a gateway to the audience, to engaging with the work. “And who doesn’t love Mozart? We’re talking about one of the masters, in the way that Shakespeare is,” Pasternak says.
And maestro Stewart agrees. “Ultimately, I would love nothing more than for the audience to vividly experience the profound love, unique genius, and overwhelming humanity that Mozart shared with the world. And discover anew why he, along with Shakespeare, endlessly inspire us as one of those supremely creative forces of nature.”
Pasternak couldn’t help adding. “I think the more that our art, artistic and cultural institutions can collaborate and throw focus to each other through events like this, I think it benefits not only the organizations themselves, but the cultural fabric of Santa Cruz itself. And I’m passionate about that. I’m really excited to do this with Danny, and I think that any and all collaborations that we can find in future between both Santa Cruz, Shakespeare and symphony, but also with other organizations, will be all to the good for everyone. So I feel passionately about that. I just want to add that as a thought.”
NEW MAESTRO IN TOWN Carlin Truong leads choral classics. PHOTO: Kevin Monahan
MORE MUSIC!
More surprises this coming season include Concert 2’s world premiere, Voices by local composing prodigy and violinist Benjamin Goodwin. Making music since the age of four, Goodwin studied chamber music composition with renowned Bay Area composer Chris Pratorius. In his senior year of high school, his The Middle of Nowhere, was premiered by the Santa Cruz Youth Symphony in 2023.
As violinist Goodwin was Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony concertmaster. He enjoys video game music and has also written electronic music. He attends the Oberlin Conservatory as a composition major, studying with Jesse Jones, Michael Frazier, Stephen Hartke, and Soomin Kim.
Another influential figure in local arts and tech culture, Jaron Lanier will premiere a very new Piano Concerto, joined by guest artist Serene to perform the new work. Lanier’s dreadlocks are almost as legendary as his eclectic résumé, which includes computer scientist and philosopher of AI technology.
A pioneer in developing software for virtual reality, Lanier has combined his ethnomusicology interests with his role as a Microsoft researcher. Lanier both collects and plays hundreds of instruments from diverse worldwide cultures. Lanier, whose oeuvre eludes any single category, was the subject of a 2023 New Yorker profile in which he confessed that he’s become a compulsive explorer of new instruments.
His upcoming piano concerto was written for, and will be performed by Serene, with whom Lanier has collaborated in the past. But don’t expect straightforward classical concerto from Lanier. Expect innovations in his score for the Symphony’s 2025-26 season.
And for those passionate about the classics, almost nothing succeeds like Gustav Holst’s boundary-pushing The Planets, created in the early 20th century before the term “science fiction” was popularized. The suite, illustrating in musical terms the astrological personality of each one of our familiar planets, reached ahead into the future literally creating a soundtrack of the solar system.
Each planet is given a unique aural signature, invoking the classical gods for whom they were named. The threatening aspect of Mars, Jupiter’s triumphs, each planet fills the listener’s cinematic consciousness with richly detailed imagery. Holst’s music gives us the feeling of cosmic unity, making us feel at home in the universe.
What to expect from the upcoming Santa Cruz Symphony 2025-26 season:
* Season opener Oct. 4 & 5, the ultra-romantic suite Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov featuring Concertmaster/Artist in Residence Nancy Zhou portraying the storyteller Scheherazade on her violin
* Deep roots in local collaboration: Santa Cruz Shakespeare actors join orchestra for Amadeus; world premiere of Benjamin Goodwin’s Voices; a new piano concerto from Santa-Cruz based tech pioneer Jaron Lanier
* The Symphony debut of Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus director Carlin Truong
* Three programs featuring collaboration with the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus including image-laden space voyage The Planets by Gustav Holst; an evening of Amadeus showcasing soaring selections from Requiem, The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, and The Marriage of Figaro, and Beethoven’s unparalleled Symphony No. 9, featuring soloists from the Metropolitan Opera
* Cabrillo Youth Chorus performing for the Family Concert March 1
* Movie Night with Oscar-winning favorites from Titanic, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean and many more
* Finale Street Party – June 13, at 5pm before Movie Night
Think of it as the most ambitious Santa Cruz Symphony season ever!
Published in cooperation between Cardstudios and Good Times Santa Cruz
When the U.S. Department of the Interior signed off on the Tejon Indian Tribe’s long-awaited casino project in July of this year, it marked the beginning of a new chapter for Kern County. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon was approved, bringing with it the commitment of jobs and income, and a cultural centerpiece that tribal leaders have been trying to secure for over a decade. Now, just months later, the project is rapidly moving forward with slot machines arriving on-site and a projected late-2025 opening for the gaming floor.
The story arrives during a year already rich in gambling news. Alongside approvals for new tribal projects, online gambling continues to flourish. Reviews of safe no KYC casinos at ESI stand out as an example of how digital platforms are reshaping access for players. These sites give people the ability to start playing without long verification waits, offering quicker access to games and fewer hurdles for those who simply want entertainment without delays. Together, developments like these and the Tejon project show how gambling in 2025 is broadening both online and on the ground.
For the Tejon Indian Tribe, the July approval capped off years of work. Federal recognition of the tribe had been restored in 2012 after decades of legal battles, and leaders quickly identified a major economic project as essential for building long-term stability. In 2018, the Bureau of Indian Affairs published a draft statement on environmental impact, which examined traffic patterns, land use and ecological effects for a proposed casino site near Mettler (just south of Bakersfield). Negotiations with the state of California followed, resulting in a gaming compact signed in 2021 and later ratified by the legislature. By the time the Department of the Interior issued its ruling in July, the foundation had been set for construction to move quickly.
And, move quickly, it has. By the end of August, less than two months after the green light, the first delivery of slot machines rolled into the site, which is an unmistakable sign that the gaming floor is taking shape. Just days earlier, Hard Rock had hosted a Dealer School and Job Fair to begin recruiting the workforce needed to operate the casino. Positions in table games, slots, hospitality, food service and management were advertised, with hundreds of jobs expected to be filled in the coming months.
A day after the hiring fair, more equipment shipments were reported, and Hard Rock has continued to push forward with hiring events throughout late summer. Community engagement is a priority, and Hard Rock emphasizes opportunities for local vendors to connect with the project, as well as programs intended to ensure the surrounding region will benefit from the influx of visitors.
The economic ripple effects are expected to be substantial. Kern County, long reliant on agriculture and oil, has seen its traditional industries face increased volatility in recent years. A major casino destination under the internationally recognized Hard Rock brand provides a new revenue stream and a significant way of combating the state’s unemployment problem. By situating the project near both Interstate 5 and Highway 99, it captures traffic moving north-south through California while also drawing from Los Angeles. For travelers accustomed to driving long distances between Southern and Northern California, the Tejon site could soon serve as a natural stopover destination.
The project itself spans 320 acres of tribal land placed in trust by the federal government. Phase One includes the casino floor, restaurants, bars and initial amenities. Phase Two will bring a hotel, spa, convention space and a live entertainment venue, though Hard Rock has kept details about its timeline closely held. For now, representatives continue to state that the casino floor remains on track to open in December of this year, although a precise opening date has not yet been announced.
For the tribe, the project’s benefits extend further beyond economic development. The Hard Rock Tejon will serve as a hub for visitors, but also as a foundation for increased tribal self-sufficiency and stability. Federal recognition in 2012 restored the Tejon Indian Tribe’s sovereignty, and now, this 2025 project is viewed as the next step in exercising that sovereignty and ensuring a secure future for years and generations to come.
The significance of the Hard Rock partnership also can’t be understated. Hard Rock International brings many years of experience in the operation of casinos, hotels and entertainment venues. Its global brand recognition is expected to help the Tejon casino swiftly establish itself as a destination within the highly competitive gaming market in the state.
Community response has been largely optimistic since the casino provides more things to do for locals. Local businesses have already attended Hard Rock’s vendor events to learn how they can partner with the project, and officials have noted the positive long-term prospects for tax revenues and secondary growth. For the Tejon Indian Tribe, the excitement felt by the community is a testament to the decades of effort the Tribe put into taking the vision of the project and making it a reality.As the end of 2025 draws closer, the milestones keep stacking up: federal approval in July, job fairs and slot deliveries in August and ongoing construction visible to anyone passing through Kern County. The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon is no longer just a plan; it is on its way to becoming a landmark. If all stays on schedule, December will not only mark the grand opening of a new entertainment venue but also a turning point in the story of the Tejon Indian Tribe.
As Autumn arrives, what are you looking forward to?
FEATHER
I love Halloween, dressing up and seeing all the costumes. I love the weather—cold days and cozy drinks, spending time with family and loved ones.
Feather Roberto, 31, @Camouflage, costumes and pleasure accessories, Downtown
JEREMY
What I’m looking forward to the most is some awesome sunsets. We’re finally going to get some clouds. The best view is the lookout at Seymour Center, it’s breathtaking and there’s bunnies!
Jeremy True, 52, @Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting, Downtown
LUCCIONNA
Shopping for fresh autumn fruits and veggies and cooking with them.
The costumes, the time of year, and people decorating their houses. I used to have time to dress up for Halloween, but now you have to work a lot to make rent in this town.
Matt Cavalli , 44, @Moon Kissed, a spiritual and metaphysical shop, Downtown
FERNANDA
The warm sweaters that I get to bring out — and how you can hear the raindrops in Bookshop’s Skylight Room when it rains.
Fernanda Torres, 23, @Bookshop Santa Cruz, Downtown
JOE
I’m excited for holiday time, we get lots of families exploring Downtown and taking their time. Everybody’s super nice to talk to, talking about plants all day,
Joe Covey, 28, @Leaf and Vine, an urban plant shop, Downtown.
Every day, roughly 100,000 vehicles travel along Highway 1 through Santa Cruz County, a staggering number that is evidenced by daily rush-hour backups that can last for hours.
That’s to say nothing of the often packed surface roads.
That contributes to air pollution and global warming, in addition to taking a bite out of commuters’ budgets and increasing their stress levels.
A coalition of county officials and transportation experts are hoping to change that with the first-of-its-kind “Week Without Driving,” a campaign that aims to get people to rethink the way they traverse the county’s roadways.
Organizers hope the event—which runs from Sept. 29 through Oct. 5—will be a chance for residents to walk, take a bike or hop on a bus for their daily commute and gain a new perspective on their transportation options.
In doing so, they’ll be joining 30% of Americans who walk, roll, bike, carpool or rely on public transit.
The event is hosted by the County of Santa Cruz Community Development & Infrastructure Department, the Santa Cruz County Community Traffic Safety Coalition and Santa Cruz METRO.
“We can all join in during this week by walking, riding a bike, sharing a ride, or hopping on a bus,” said METRO Board Chair Rebecca Downing. “Every time we choose to get out of our car, we gain a new perspective that helps us create a community that’s truly accessible to all.”
The campaign will kick off at Capitola Mall on Sept. 30 at 11am and will include informational booths from county agencies, cycling groups, and accessibility advocates, stories from residents who navigate Santa Cruz County without a car and an opportunity to connect with and hear from local officials and transportation planners.
There will also be raffles, games and food trucks.
In support of Week Without Driving—and California Clean Air Day—Santa Cruz METRO will be offering free fares countywide on Oct. 1.
Locally, transportation improvement efforts have included the Soquel Drive Buffered Bike Lane & Congestion Mitigation Project, and the Reimagine METRO initiative, which aims to increase ridership.
The organization currently operates a fleet of 104 buses on 20 routes and 32 paratransit vehicles.
Officials hope to increase transit ridership to 7 million trips annually within the next five years, and to transition to a zero-emissions fleet with a mix of hydrogen and electric vehicles.
To join Week Without Driving, register online to receive a toolkit with tips and resources and log your daily transportation habits using #SCWeekWithoutDriving or visit gosantacruzcounty.org.
Set to open this weekend, Santa Cruz Symphony’s 2025-26 season offers temptation aplenty for music lovers of every stripe. From the smoldering Scheherazade Suite, with its ear-candy tales of One Thousand and One Nights, to the soaring soundtrack classics of modern movie masterworks, the season is programmed for maximum appeal. Exactly as Maestro Daniel Stewart has planned.
Guest artists such...
Published in cooperation between Cardstudios and Good Times Santa Cruz
When the U.S. Department of the Interior signed off on the Tejon Indian Tribe’s long-awaited casino project in July of this year, it marked the beginning of a new chapter for Kern County. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon was approved, bringing with it the commitment of jobs and income,...
