Page 374 – Good Times

Specialty Coffee Shop Joins Watsonville Hangar Complex

-

October 28, 2021

Specialty Coffee Shop Joins Watsonville Hangar Complex

WATSONVILLE—A new coffee shop has opened on Aviation Way, rounding out the Watsonville Hangar business complex that has been growing steadily the past couple of years.

Honeylux Coffee is a specialty coffeehouse offering its own signature blend of java, as well as espresso drinks, teas, pastries and more.

Married couple Ashley Malone and Travis Nelson had just lost their jobs due to the pandemic when they began exploring new career paths.

“I think a lot of people went through this,” Malone said. “Asking, ‘Is this the time to change course, find a new career? What do we really want to do?’”

Nelson’s father, knowing his son’s passion for coffee, was the one who planted the seed of the idea. He had heard there was space at the Hangar and that the owners wanted it to be filled with a coffee shop, so he encouraged the young couple.

“We were hesitant at first,” Malone said. “It seemed like a really bold move. We didn’t have any idea what we were doing. But the more we talked about it, and actually came to look at the space … the vision came to life.”

Nelson had gained knowledge and experience in the field working at a restaurant in Florida, where he and Malone attended college together, and then at Verve Coffee Roasters in Capitola when they moved back to California.

“[Verve] is where I really got into specialty coffee,” Nelson said. “I learned a lot, working there.”

Honeylux sources its coffee from Santa Cruz roaster 11th Hour. Malone knew owner Brayden Estby, who had started up the venture with his brother Joel, from middle school. Together they created a signature Honeylux coffee, made from a blend of Columbia and Guatemalan beans.

“It’s a 50/50 blend,” Nelson said. “The Costa Rican is a bit lighter, floral and fruity. The Guatemalan is more traditional. When you put them together it creates a really nice balanced coffee. It’s something traditional and specialty coffee drinkers alike can enjoy.”

Honeylux is located at the end of the Watsonville Hangar complex, which also includes Beer Mule, Zameen at the Hangar, Mr. Z’s Crepes and Teas, Aloha Hola and Ritual Ride Cycle Studio. Malone said they have been welcomed with open arms by the burgeoning hub.

“We have to give credit to the people who have been here in this space before us, [they] made it what it is,” she said. “This has already cultivated such a great community. For us to be part of that, and the fact that everybody’s been so welcoming, [they] embraced us … We, hopefully, can build on that rapport with everyone, and keep building onto that community, that trust.”

Nelson said they wanted to bring “a different type” of coffee shop to Watsonville, where people can have an experience beyond just picking up a cup on the go.

“You want to be excited about the place you’re in,” Nelson said. “A place you want to stay and hang out.”

As for its name, Malone says they were looking for something “ethereal” and unique. Both ‘Honey’ and ‘Lux’ were potential names, before they chose to just put them together.

“‘Lux’ means ‘light in Latin.’ So basically it means ‘sweet light,’” Malone said. “The color and feel of that … it just ties into everything.”

Added Nelson: “I thought it would be a good idea to have something that no one else had. We could stand out a bit more.”

Honeylux Coffee, 45 Aviation Way Ste. 4B, officially opened on Oct. 15 with a special Grand Opening celebration. The shop has been attracting more customers each day, Malone said, many who have heard about it by word of mouth.

“I want people to come and enjoy themselves, let this be a place of meeting and celebrating,” Malone said. “We’ve already had so many people who have brought back their friends and family.”

Nelson said he was excited to further specialty coffee in Watsonville.

“A lot of people grab a coffee and say ‘Oh this is good! It tastes so different!’” he said. “That’s really cool to hear.”

For regular updates follow Honeylux on Instagram @honeyluxcoffee.

Many Americans Say They Believe in Ghosts. Do You?

The New York Times and GT Staff

-

October 28, 2021

0

Many Americans Say They Believe in Ghosts. Do You?

By Anna P. Kambhampaty, The New York Times

There are a number of different ways to quantify belief among Americans in so-called paranormal phenomena. One way is to ask a selection of people representative of the population if they believe in ghosts. In a 2019 Ipsos poll, 46% of respondents said they did.

Another is to ask what they fear. This year, according to the Chapman University Survey of American Fears, about 9% of 1,035 adults surveyed said they feared ghosts, and the same amount said they feared zombies; many more people said they were afraid of government corruption, the coronavirus or widespread civil unrest.

The last time Gallup surveyed people about ghosts, in 2005, 32% of respondents said they believed in “ghosts or that spirits of dead people can come back in certain places and situations.” When Gallup asked the same question in 1990, the result was 25%.

Such beliefs have pervaded U.S. culture and media for centuries. But some researchers are now studying whether their rise may be tied, in part, to the rise over the past few decades of Americans claiming no religious preference.

“People are looking to other things or nontraditional things to answer life’s big questions that don’t necessarily include religion,” said Thomas Mowen, a sociologist at Bowling Green State University.

For a continuing study on religion and paranormal belief, for example, Mowen said he was finding that “atheists tend to report higher belief in the paranormal than religious folk.”

‘This Supernatural Interest’

Last year, the share of Americans who belong to religious congregations fell below 50% for the first time in more than 80 years, according to a Gallup poll released in March. And the percentage of people claiming no religion nearly tripled from 1978 to 2018, according to the General Social Survey.

Still, even as religious frameworks for thinking about the meaning of life and death have become less popular in the United States, the big existential questions inevitably remain.

The General Social Survey found that as religious affiliation declined over four decades, belief in the afterlife remained relatively steady: In 1978, about 70% of those surveyed believed in the afterlife, and about 74% reported the same in 2018.

As Joseph Baker, co-author of the book “American Secularism: Cultural Contours of Nonreligious Belief Systems,” put it: “People are outside of organized religions, but they still have this supernatural interest.”

Paranormal television, film and media of all sorts also play a significant role in the perpetuation of belief in the supernatural. Sharon Hill, author of the 2017 book “Scientifical Americans: The Culture of Amateur Paranormal Researchers,” sees the rise of nonfiction paranormal television shows like Syfy’s “Ghost Hunters” — which averaged about 3 million viewers per episode at its peak — as particularly influential in the culture.

“Ghost Hunters,” which premiered in 2004 and originally ran for 11 seasons, portrayed the search for paranormal activity as a discipline. “They had gadgets, they talked in jargon, it sounded professional,” Hill said. “It was convincing to the person at home that this was a serious thing going on in the world.”

And then, Hill said, “because of the rise of the interest in the paranormal, it was really, really easy for these tabloids to pick up cheap stories of people saying that they have demons in their house or they’ve seen a ghost or they got something creepy on their video cam.”

The internet allowed for people across the globe to connect with each other over paranormal interests, Hill added. Reddit became a popular forum to discuss unexplainable mysteries, such as an eerie experience at a rest stop or claims of a demonic run-in at a hospital unit. The site added a new element to these stories by making them interactive, with readers going back and forth in the comments, joining and adding to the narrative themselves.

Pandemic-Fueled Paranormal

Some paranormal investigation groups in the United States say they have received more requests than usual during the pandemic.

Don Collins, a director at Fringe Paranormal, a group in Toledo, Ohio, that investigates claims of unexplained happenings, said his team has been contacted for residential investigations or information on a weekly basis this year, as opposed to the typical one or two requests per month they got before the pandemic.

“I think part of it is that since a lot of people are at home due to COVID, if there is something paranormal going on, they’re actually home to notice it,” Collins said.

“People try to explain things happening through paranormal means when they can’t find an explanation for things that are going on,” he continued. “Negative things are happening around them, they may tend to attribute it to paranormal activity.”

Baker put it another way. “Religion and supernatural belief tend to go up in times of what we would call existential crisis or more existential perils,” he said.

“The increased suffering and death” caused by the pandemic means that people are “more likely to have experiences with death recently,” he said. “That may bring up these sorts of issues of wondering about spirits of loved ones.”

Believing in the supernatural can even be a source of solace. Emily Midorikawa, a biographer of Victorian-era women, provided a historical parallel. “There was certainly a real spike in people who sought the services of mediums, sought comfort in spiritualism about the time of the American Civil War,” she said.

Then as now, the paranormal was fodder for connection. In the Victorian era, seances were gathering places where social structures were less rigid, Midorikawa said.

“It wasn’t unusual, for instance, to have a female medium leading a seance, talking to groups of men and women,” she said. “There was an appeal to women who just went to seances as participants, perhaps it was a chance to get out and mix with people in that setting that was a little bit unusual — and one where perhaps there was a little bit more freedom.”

Today, believing in some form of the paranormal may represent freedom in another way, perhaps as an avenue to conceptualize other possibilities. After all, there are plenty of everyday mysteries we simply accept as part of modern life.

“A belief in the paranormal maybe doesn’t seem as much of a stretch,” Midorikawa said, “when we think about all the things we’re interacting with all the time that might as well be a kind of magic for all the understanding we have of them.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Youth Activists Plan Climate Strike

Erin Malsbury

-

October 28, 2021

0

Flyers? Check. Safety guards? Check. Sound systems? Maybe one or two more bullhorns … Speeches? In progress. Signs and banners? Route maps? Permits? Radio announcements? Conversations with school administrators?

On Sunday, a group of about 10 local activists met at a coffee shop downtown to review final logistics for an upcoming climate strike. Tamarah Minami, a sophomore at Santa Cruz High School and organizer for Youth for Climate Justice, led the group through the agenda.

They discussed where to walk, safety, funding, outreach and details of the event down to what music to play. The organizers have met weekly for more than a month to plan a walk-out scheduled for Friday, Oct. 29. On that day, groups around the country will strike in support of the organization Fossil Free Futures’ day of action.

Getting the word out has proven extra challenging this year. The recent rain delayed putting up flyers, and virtual lectures prevent speakers from showing up to talk with students before or after classes. One UCSC student suggested putting flyers up in bathroom stalls. “It’s a great way to get a captive audience,” she chuckled.

Despite the challenges, the young organizers feel optimistic about the turnout. They plan to lead students from UCSC and seven local middle and high schools to the Wells Fargo bank and the farmers’ market downtown. In addition to signs and banners, the protesters will have speakers, music and an open mic.

They want to draw attention to a list of six local demands:

1. The City and County of Santa Cruz implements a plan to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.

2. The City of Santa Cruz stops subsidizing automobile emissions by discontinuing plans to use public land and money to build a large parking garage on the site of the Farmer’s Market.
3. The California Teachers Union divests retirement funds from fossil fuels.
4. Santa Cruz City Schools implements a Greenhouse Gas inventory and Climate Action plan
5. Local Schools and Universities mandate climate curriculum at all grade levels.
6. UCSC adopts the UC Green New Deal put forward by the UC GND Coalition

“I’m really excited that we have these concrete demands,” says Minami. “This is a chance for us to actually get some of those done.”

Things To Do in Santa Cruz: Oct. 27-Nov. 2

GT Staff

-

October 27, 2021

0

Things To Do in Santa Cruz: Oct. 27-Nov. 2

A weekly guide to what’s happening.

ARTS AND MUSIC

PAULA POUNDSTONE Paula Poundstone is one of our country’s preeminent comedians, known for her smart, observational humor and spontaneous wit that has become the stuff of legend. She tours regularly performing over 85 shows a year. Friday, Oct. 29, 8pm. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz.

CELTIC TEEN BAND PROGRAM Teenage musicians ages 12-19 play in an ensemble, developing musicianship, flexibility, and musical creativity. Participants work on music from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, Norway, Sweden, and the United States, in addition to modern and more quirky pieces. Instruments welcomed include fiddle, viola, flute, tin whistle, pipes, cello, upright bass, guitar, mandolin, banjo, dulcimer, autoharp, ukulele, Celtic harp, accordion and percussion. Students must have at least two years experience on their instrument, and must be able to read sheet music and chord symbols. The group meets twice a month Wednesday afternoons from 3:30-5pm at the London Nelson Center with fiddle teacher John Weed. Cost is $0-$10 per session on a sliding scale. Potential students are welcome to come for a session and see if they like it—no obligation! More information and registration at CommunityMusicSchool.org/teenband. Wednesday, Oct. 27, 3:30pm. London Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St., Santa Cruz.

FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY – HALLOWEEN STYLE It’s our annual Halloween Food Truck Friday! Everyone dressed in a costume gets a treat from the food trucks! Cringe is performing live and is flying band members in for this spooktacular Halloween Food Truck Friday! SVEF is hosting the fa-boo-lous Beer & Wine Garden filled with local brews from Steel Bonnet—a great way to support our schools! Check out this boo-tiful food truck line-up: Pana, Saucey’z, Taquizas Gabriel, Scrumptious Fish & Chips, Aunt LaLi’s. You might even find some sandwitches, booritos, horrors d’oeuvres & terrormisu on the menu tonight…bone appetit & we’ll see you there!. Friday, Oct. 29, 4:30-7:30pm. Skypark, 361 Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley.

COMMUNITY

FELTON TODDLER TIME Join Librarian Julie on our beautiful Felton patio for Toddler Time. Toddler Time is a weekly early literacy program for families with children ages 0-3 years old. Music, movement, stories, fingerplays, rhymes, and songs are a fun way for your child to learn. Let’s play and learn together! Make sure to bring something to sit on. We ask that adults please wear a mask. Repeats weekly. Wednesday, Oct. 27, 11am. Felton Branch Library, 6121 Gushee St., Felton.

GREY BEARS BROWN BAG LINE Grey Bears are looking for help with their brown bag production line on Thursday and Friday mornings. Volunteers will receive breakfast and a bag of food if wanted. Be at the warehouse with a mask and gloves at 7am. Call ahead for more information: 831-479-1055, greybears.org. Thursday, Oct. 28, 7am. California Grey Bears, 2710 Chanticleer Ave., Santa Cruz.

KNITTING AT THE FELTON LIBRARY Join us every Monday afternoon at the Felton Branch for a knitting party. All you need to do is bring some yarn and knitting needles. All ages are welcome. Monday, Nov. 1, 12:30pm. Felton Branch Library, 6121 Gushee St., Felton.

LA SELVA BEACH PRESCHOOL STORYTIME Join us for a fun interactive storytime. We’ll read books, sing songs and use rhythm and movement. This event is suitable for children ages 3-6 years. There will be an arts and crafts project to take home. This event will be held outside on the back patio. Please bring something to sit on and dress for the weather. Masks will be required. Repeats weekly. Tuesday, Nov. 2, 11am. La Selva Beach Branch Library, 316 Estrella Ave., La Selva Beach.

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME IN THE SECRET GARDEN Join us in the Secret Garden in Abbott Square at the MAH for storytime! We’ll share stories, songs and rhymes in a safe environment! This 30-40 minute program is intended for children aged 2-6. Do it yourself craft kits will be provided every week. Every other week we will feature STEM-related stories and concepts. Tuesday, Nov. 2, 11am. Abbott Square, 118 Cooper St., Santa Cruz.

R.E.A.D.: REACH EVERY AMAZING DETAIL R.E.A.D. is one-on-one reading comprehension instruction for readers second-12th grade. Instructors are California credentialed teachers. Sessions are 25 minutes long. By appointment only. Contact SCPL Telephone Information if you have any questions: 831-427-7713. Wednesday, Oct. 27, 3pm. Capitola Library A Santa Cruz City County Public Library Branch, 2005 Wharf Road, Capitola.

R.E.A.D.: REACH EVERY AMAZING DETAIL @ DOWNTOWN R.E.A.D. is one-on-one reading comprehension instruction for readers second-12th grade. Instructors are California credentialed teachers. Sessions are 25 minutes long. By appointment only. Contact SCPL Telephone Information if you have any questions: 831-427-7713. Thursday, Oct. 28, 3pm. Santa Cruz Public Libraries: Downtown, 240 Church St., Santa Cruz.

R.E.A.D.: REACH EVERY AMAZING DETAIL @ LA SELVA BEACH R.E.A.D. is one-on-one reading comprehension instruction for readers second-12th grade. Instructors are California credentialed teachers. Sessions are 25 minutes long. By appointment only. Contact SCPL Telephone Information if you have any questions: 831-427-7713. Wednesday, Oct. 27, 3pm. La Selva Beach Branch Library, 316 Estrella Ave., La Selva Beach.

GROUPS

COMMUNITY PILATES MAT CLASS Come build strength with us. This very popular in-person community Pilates Mat Class in the big auditorium at Temple Beth El in Aptos is in session once again. Please bring your own mat, small Pilates ball and theraband if you have one. You must be vaccinated for this indoor class. Suggested donation of $10/class is welcome. Thursday, Oct. 28, 10am. Tuesday, Nov. 2, 10am. Temple Beth El, 3055 Porter Gulch Road, Aptos.

CUÉNTAME UN CUENTO Acompáñanos para una hora de cuentos, actividades y canciones en español. Este programa es para niños de 0-8 y sus familias. La hora será miércoles a las 4:30pm. Nos reuniremos en el porche exterior. Cuéntame un Cuento se llevará a cabo en Capitola durante el período de construcción de Live Oak. En caso de mal clima, se cancelará la hora de cuentos. Join us for Spanish Storytime, activities, and music! This program is best suited for kids ages 0-8 and their families. Storytime takes place on Wednesday at 4:30pm. We will meet on the outside porch. Storytime will take place at Capitola during Live Oak’s construction period. In the event of bad weather, storytime will be cancelled. Wednesday, Oct. 27, 4:30pm. Capitola Library A Santa Cruz City County Public Library Branch, 2005 Wharf Road, Capitola.

ENTRE NOSOTRAS GRUPO DE APOYO Entre Nosotras support group for Spanish speaking women with a cancer diagnosis. Meets twice monthly. Registration required, please call Entre Nosotras 831-761-3973. Friday, Oct. 29, 6pm. WomenCARE, 2901 Park Ave., Suite A1, Soquel.

S+LAA MENS’ MEETING Having trouble with compulsive sexual or emotional behavior? Recovery is possible. Our small 12-step group meets Saturday evenings. Enter through the front entrance, go straight down the hallway to the last door on the right. Thursday, Oct. 28, 6pm. Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center, 2900 Chanticleer Ave., Santa Cruz.

WOMENCARE ARM-IN-ARM WomenCARE Arm-in-Arm Cancer support group for women with advanced, recurrent, or metastatic cancer. Meets every Monday, currently on Zoom. Registration is required, call WomenCARE at 831-457-2273. All services are free. For more information visit womencaresantacruz.org. Monday, Nov. 1, 12:30pm.

WOMENCARE MEDITATION GROUP WomenCARE’s meditation group for women with a cancer diagnosis meets the first and third Friday from 11am-noon. For more information and location call 831-457-2273. Monday, Nov. 1, 11am-noon.

WOMENCARE TUESDAY SUPPORT GROUP WomenCARE Tuesday Cancer support group for women newly diagnosed and through their treatment. Meets every Tuesday currently on Zoom. Registration required, call WomenCARE 831-457-2273. Tuesday, Nov. 2, 12:30-2pm.

WOMENCARE: LAUGHTER YOGA Laughter yoga for women with a cancer diagnosis. Meets every Wednesday, currently via Zoom. Registration is required, please call WomenCARE at 831-457-2273. Wednesday, Oct. 27, 3:30-4:30pm. WomenCARE, 2901 Park Ave., Suite A1, Soquel.

OUTDOOR

CASFS FARMSTAND Organic vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers are sold weekly at the CASFS Farmstand, starting June 15 and continuing through Nov. 23. Proceeds support experiential education programs at the UCSC Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems. Friday, Oct. 29, Noon-6pm. Tuesday, Nov. 2, Noon-6pm. Cowell Ranch Historic Hay Barn, Ranch View Road, Santa Cruz.

FREE TUESDAY AT UCSC ARBORETUM Community Day at the UCSC Arboretum, free admission on the first Tuesday of every month 9am-5pm. Come explore the biodiversity of our gardens, great birdwatching or simply come relax on a bench in the shade. Tuesday, Nov. 2, 9am. UCSC Arboretum & Botanic Garden, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz.

HISTORIC RANCH GROUND TOUR Discover what life was like a century ago on this innovative dairy ranch. This hour-long tour includes the 1896 water-powered machine shop, barns and other historic buildings. The vehicle day-use fee is $10. For more information, call 831-426-0505. Spaces are limited and early pre-registration is recommended. Attendees are required to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms when pre-registering. Masks and social distancing are also required at all programs. Saturday, Oct. 30, 1-2pm. Sunday, Oct. 31, 1-2pm. Wilder Ranch State Park, 1401 Coast Road, Santa Cruz.

SUNSET BEACH BOWLS Experience the tranquility, peace and calmness as the ocean waves harmonize with the sound of crystal bowls raising vibration and energy levels. Every Tuesday one hour before sunset at Moran Lake Beach. Call 831-333-6736 for more details. Tuesday, Nov. 2, 6:30-7:30pm. Moran Lake Park & Beach, East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz.

YOU PICK ROSES We are growing over 300 roses, deeply fragrant, lush and in every color, and we want to share them with you! Get out of the house and enjoy cutting a bucket of roses for your pleasure or to share with family and friends. Visit birdsongorchards.com to make a reservation. Once you have made a purchase, you will be sent a calendar link to pick a time for your reservation and directions to our farm in Watsonville. Friday, Oct. 29, 11am. Sunday, Oct. 31, 11am.

AJ Lee and Blue Summit Unleash a Cornucopia of Bluegrass, Folk, Jazz and Rock

Aaron Carnes

-

October 27, 2021

0

AJ Lee and Blue Summit Unleash a Cornucopia of Bluegrass, Folk, Jazz and Rock

AJ Lee has been writing and performing music since she was a kid. Steeped in bluegrass, she’d always had a particular fondness for acoustic music.

By the time she assembled AJ Lee and Blue Summit in 2015, which was based out of Santa Cruz at the time, she and her band were broadening their influences to also include blues, folk-rock, soul and jazz. Their 2019 debut album Like I Used To showcases this, and even incorporates some rock instrumentation not part of the live band.

“We didn’t have a full-time fiddle player. We had some electric guitar on a few tracks. We were thinking maybe we could add electric guitar to live shows. Maybe we could have a drummer part-time,” Lee says. “I still really like the old album. It’s just such a different sound.”

With the members now spread out all over the Bay Area, the group is releasing its sophomore album I’ll Come Back, which they’ll showcase at Felton Music Hall on Saturday, Oct. 30. While it is experimental in parts, the new record is very much a return to Lee’s acoustic, bluegrass roots. Many of its songs were written by Lee back when she was 15 years old, and have never been released.

Fiddle player Jan Purat accompanied the band on one song for Like I Used To, and joined the band full time shortly after.

“When Jan joined the band, it was like a no-brainer. We should do what we do best, which is acoustic music. We’ve all been playing it for years,” Lee says. “With the fiddle, not saying it pinpoints to one genre over another, but it was just like, ‘This feels right. We should do this more.’”

Having the bluegrass elements more prominently on display has brought out the improvisational elements of the group.

“It’s always fun playing these songs, especially when you play them as much as we do on tour. Sometimes maybe 10 days in a row you’ll be playing the same song, but it’s always fun to play because of the bluegrass influence. We like improvising and freshening things up, making it interesting not just for the audience, but for ourselves as well,” Lee says.

Going into 2020, the group had momentum as a touring act until the pandemic hit. They stayed engaged with their fanbase by doing virtual “Sofa Sessions” concerts. And the audience they built online seems to have translated to the post-Covid touring world—on a recent East Coast tour, they sold out several shows.

“With the livestreams, me, Sully and Jesse, almost every Sunday or Monday would stream about an hour, just kind of jamming. Going through a bluegrass jam book and interacting with fans,” Lee says. “We’re really happy that we have lots of dedicated fans all over.”

When they got together in January to track I’ll Come Back, the challenge was to make sure they could pull off everything on the album live. For instance, the title track opens with a weird looping, almost psychedelic sound effect, which blends nicely with the roots elements of the song—and it can be done at their shows.

“We’re trying to experiment with the limits of what we can do with our acoustic instruments,” Lee says. “I think it gives the acoustic sound a cooler feel. The thing that we’re doing with the new album is a true organic sound, so if you listen to the album, you know you’re going to get basically the same thing at the live show.”

AJ Lee and Blue Summit performs at 8pm on Saturday, Oct 30 at Felton Music Hall, 6275 Highway 9, Felton, $20. 831-704-7113.

Letter to the Editor: Hooray for the Symphony

Letters to the Editor

-

October 27, 2021

0

Letter to the Editor: Hooray for the Symphony

Re: “Climbing Back” (GT, 9/1): Bravo, bravo, bravo to Daniel Stewart and the amazing return of the Symphony! Especially bravo to the women who gifted me a ticket in the Orchestra section. My heart is full, and I truly feel like the richest person in all of Santa Cruz! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your gracious and beautiful gift!

Debbie Morton

Santa Cruz

This letter does not necessarily reflect the views of Good Times.To submit a letter to the editor of Good Times: Letters should be originals—not copies of letters sent to other publications. Please include your name and email address to help us verify your submission (email address will not be published). Please be brief. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Send letters to le*****@*******es.sc.

Letter to the Editor: Santa Cruz Parody

Letters to the Editor

-

October 27, 2021

1

There could not be a better (or worse) parody of Santa Cruz then what I witnessed last week while dropping my kids off at school:

With climate change, fires, drought, a global pandemic and Republican-led voter suppression closing in, a white man with a clipboard stands outside a Santa Cruz elementary school explaining to a group of white parents that the South county Latino population won’t use the trains in the future, and that we need to stop trains from coming to Santa Cruz County.

Isn’t there something more important to fight for in these hard times than trying to stop a train?

Jacob Sackin

Santa Cruz

This letter does not necessarily reflect the views of Good Times.To submit a letter to the editor of Good Times: Letters should be originals—not copies of letters sent to other publications. Please include your name and email address to help us verify your submission (email address will not be published). Please be brief. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Send letters to le*****@*******es.sc.

Letter to the Editor: Police on Campus Not the Solution

Letters to the Editor

-

October 27, 2021

0

Letter to the Editor: Police on Campus Not the Solution

Re: “Aptos in Shock” (GT, 9/8): The tragedy that is the murder of the youth at Aptos High is huge. It will be embedded in our community’s consciousness for a long time. It is deeply sad and heartbreaking for everyone involved, including those who caused the harm, families, students, teachers—the whole community.

I commend and fully support the decision to keep police off our school campuses. While the police would have you believe their presence would have stopped the violence, data and research have proven time and time again that police do not make communities safer.

Danielle Sered, author and leader in researching true solutions to violence, sums it up when she says: “Safety is not produced primarily by force. Safety is produced by resources, by connection, by equity, and by reciprocal accountability among neighbors.” As she sees it, the vision of a society that does not rely on policing or on prisons as its primary response to harm is not mostly a vision of less, but a vision of more. It is a vision where the space freed up by the staged withdrawal of the criminal legal system is filled instead with what has been available all along but rarely invested in.

In Sered’s view, “This vision of safety, to be fully realized, includes and requires the redistribution of resources from the criminal penal methods to more productive, reliable measures of producing safety: investments in health care, in education, in housing, in living wages, in violence interrupters and intergenerational interventions that draw on the moral authority of those most respected by their neighbors, in conflict resolution and restorative and transformative justice, and in a social service infrastructure and safety net that in time will render enforcement not just less dominant, but obsolete.”

We need to create stronger communities and show up collectively for our young people rather than continue to rely on weaponized responses to violence. Police do not create trusting, cohesive environments—social workers do, community organizers do, youth allies do, caring teachers do.

Let’s keep focused on true solutions to violence and avoid knee-jerk responses to bring in more armed police to our schools.

Alan Z.

Santa Cruz

This letter does not necessarily reflect the views of Good Times.To submit a letter to the editor of Good Times: Letters should be originals—not copies of letters sent to other publications. Please include your name and email address to help us verify your submission (email address will not be published). Please be brief. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Send letters to le*****@*******es.sc.

Opinion: Santa Cruz and Scary Movies

GT Staff

-

October 27, 2021

0

EDITOR’S NOTE

Adam Roche’s Secret History of Hollywood podcasts have kept me entertained over many a long run in the last couple of years. Each episode is generally two or three hours long, and while he’s gotten flamed on social media for his ultra-long releases, they’re actually really perfect when you’re looking for something to stay engaged with over 19 or 20 miles. While sweating through some ridiculous slog in the Santa Cruz Mountains back in March, I was listening to his mini-series The Adventures of Alfred Hitchcock, and he mentioned Hitchcock’s second home in Scotts Valley. I’d read about that estate (which is now home to Armitage Wines) before, and it got me wondering why Hitchcock and his wife Alma Reville chose this area in the first place—a question I’d never seen anyone even attempt to answer.

Months later, I was talking to GT’s Managing Editor Adam Joseph about how the only contribution to scary movies Santa Cruz ever really gets credit for is The Lost Boys. I love that movie, don’t get me wrong—the poster is hanging in my office—but there are other Santa Cruz connections to scary-movie history that are interesting, too. Adam mentioned his own fascination with Killer Klowns From Outer Space, the 1988 cult classic that was filmed in this area. We decided to team up for this Halloween Issue double-feature that explores a couple of Santa Cruz County’s contributions to horror movies, Non-Lost-Boys-Division. We hope you enjoy it, and happy Halloween!

STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

Submit to ph****@*******es.sc. Include information (location, etc.) and your name. Photos may be cropped. Preferably, photos should be 4 inches by 4 inches and minimum 250dpi.

GOOD IDEA

DEAD MAN’S PARTY

Looking for a way to celebrate Día de los Muertos? The Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) is putting on a free event honoring Día de los Muertos that will include music, dance performances, mosaic making, Watsonville Library’s BiblioVan and more.

The celebration will be at the downtown Watsonville plaza, and will also include a screening of the movie Coco. The annual event went virtual last year, but organizers are excited to be in-person again, as the lively event usually draws thousands.

Learn more at: https://watsonvillefilmfest.org/dia-de-muertos.

GOOD WORK

DOING THE RIDE THING

A group of cyclists rode from Healdsburg to Santa Cruz, over 200 miles, and raised more than $200,000 to support local youth organizations, putting us couch potatoes to shame. Over 80 bikers and crew participated in the fundraising ride, which lasted three days and was organized by the Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary. The money raised went to Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery, Teen Kitchen Project and Second Harvest Food Bank Food. Always good to remember to always share the road.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“A mask tells us more than a face.”
-Oscar Wilde

Why Alfred Hitchcock Chose Scotts Valley

Steve Palopoli

-

October 26, 2021

7

Why Alfred Hitchcock Chose Scotts Valley

There are countless Alfred Hitchcock biographies, and many of them mention that he had an estate in the Santa Cruz area. But they never seem very interested in why he chose Scotts Valley as his home away from home—which is curious, since a sense of place was extremely important to the legendary director. He rose up through the ranks of a very regimented film industry in his native Britain, and was stung by accusations that he’d forgotten his roots after moving to the U.S. He found his lifelong love of “pure cinema” working in Germany early in his career, observing experimental film geniuses like F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang. And he worked hard to fit into Hollywood, hosting dinner parties and becoming close friends with the likes of Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and Cary Grant, among others.

The details of how Hitchcock and his wife Alma Reville came to adopt Scotts Valley as their second home are well documented. In 1940, they purchased the 200-acre “Heart o’ the Mountains” estate there for $40,000, building onto the ranch house on the property. They had recently moved to Hollywood from Britain after Hitchcock signed a seven-year contract with producer David O. Selznick.

His first film for Selznick was to be Rebecca, an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s creepy thriller. Some of the location shooting was done at Point Lobos, which gave him his first taste of the Northern California landscape that he would go on to use in several films. One of the stars of Rebecca was Joan Fontaine, who was from Los Gatos, and when he expressed interest in buying land in the area, she is said to be the one who pointed him to Santa Cruz County (Highway 17, it should be noted, had just been finished that year, making it easy to travel from her hometown to the coast).

But even if we know how the Hitchcocks got to Scotts Valley, there’s still the question, as in any of the legendary director’s mysteries, of motive. What would make the couple, who had lived in a flat in London for the previous 13 years of their marriage, and spent most of their California time in Bel Air, choose what 80 years ago was a very rural community, to say the least? Why was Hitchcock—even by this time the epitome of a cosmopolitan director of blockbuster films—suddenly interested in a life of growing grapes and keeping horses in the mountains?

Adam Roche, who wrote and produced the exhaustively researched, 30-hour podcast The Adventures of Alfred Hitchcock, has a theory about this, and it stretches back nearly a century, to when Hitchcock and Reville first visited the mountain resort town of St. Moritz in Switzerland in 1924. Two years later, on Dec. 2, 1926, they married, and returned there for their honeymoon.

“They spent every anniversary in St. Moritz after doing some filming location work there, and they set The Man Who Knew Too Much—the original one—there. And they fell in love with the mountains, I think. So every year, they would go back there for their anniversary.”

While the snowy winters of St. Moritz and the semi-permanent sun of Scotts Valley are opposites in many ways, Roche can imagine the similarities that drew in Hitchcock.

“I think he was just attracted to that kind of rugged piece of the world,” he says. “And I think he did like the fact that he could go and escape and be away from the chaos of a city. And having seen his home now in Scotts Valley, you can really see it. He just liked to garden, he liked to walk out and have a coffee on the terrace in the mornings. It was very remote, but for him to have a home in one of those locations, and then always make a yearly pilgrimage to another one of those locations, I think that must have spoken to him.”

Roche, a Brit himself, released the Adventures of Alfred Hitchcock podcast as part of his ongoing series The Secret History of Hollywood, which has also explored Universal’s classic monster films (A Universe of Horrors), gangster films (Bullets and Blood), and several other corners of moviemaking history. An independent podcaster who has built a bit of a mini-empire with a huge Patreon following—“someone said to me the other day, ‘It’s almost like the MCU of Old Hollywood,’” he says—Roche formerly worked as a driver and chef before he turned his love of old-time radio shows and films into a weekly podcast called Attaboy Clarence.

These short stories, though, were nothing compared to the complexity of his Secret History series, and his original documentary-like writing has evolved over the last decade into an engaging and literary narrative style that combines thorough research with real character development and dramatically recreated scenes from the lives of his subjects. That storytelling flair has become his signature, and recently New Republic Pictures optioned the film and television rights to his entire series. The first project to come out of the deal will be a feature film based on the life of 1940s RKO producer Val Lewton—responsible for such atmospheric horror classics as Cat People, I Walked With a Zombie and The Body Snatcher—which Roche documented over 32 hours of his Secret History series Shadows. The idea for that series was suggested to him by Mark Gatiss, who wrote for Doctor Who before co-creating the Benedict Cumberbatch series Sherlock. Roche was frustrated with the lack of information about Lewton, until a woman working for the Library of Congress contacted him out of the blue on social media.

“She said, ‘I heard you’re doing a series about Val Lewton. We have cartons and cartons of his correspondence, his diaries, stuff that’s never been seen, not even by people who’ve written about him before. Would you like it for this show?’ And I was like, ‘Yes!’” he remembers. “So she went and scanned just hundreds and hundreds of sonnets he wrote to his wife, poetry, full diary entries for a whole year, scrapbooks he had. All of the eulogies read at his funeral. I mean, the stuff that was in those cartons—basically his soul was in there, and no one had seen it before.”

*Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma Reville*

Capitola’s ‘The Birds’

Roche is currently in the midst of a Secret History series on Cary Grant, called Cary, and he continues to present his weekly virtual film club (drawn from an extensive classic-movie library) for his Patreon members. And he recently returned to Hitchcock, as well; he’s featured (along with directors like John Landis, Edgar Wright and Eli Roth) in the newly released documentary I Am Alfred Hitchcock.

When he started his Hitchcock series, he explains, he knew very little about the director, but was a big fan of his films. And the first one he ever saw was a late-night TV showing of The Birds—a movie which also has a connection to the Santa Cruz area.

Though that film is, like Rebecca, based on a story by Daphne du Maurier, those who go back and read the source material might feel a bit confused.

“It is nothing like the film at all,” says Roche. “It’s just about a man in a house, and suddenly birds start attacking.”

The missing piece, so the legend goes, is a news item Hitchcock saw about a bizarre incident on Aug. 18, 1961, when thousands of birds infected with the neurotoxin domoic acid went crazy in Capitola. They hurdled into buildings and cars, and even attacked people. What killed them was a mystery until many years later, giving the story an especially sinister edge at the time.

Since Hitchcock was already working on The Birds, which was released in 1963, no one really knows how much he was influenced by coverage of the incident in his depiction of the harrowing attacks in the film. But we do know that Hitchcock read about it—he even called into the Santa Cruz Sentinel to inquire further—and Roche calls it “serendipity” that the director had something on which to model his vision for a grittier, modernized update of the original story.

Interestingly, the biggest surprise for Roche in doing the Hitchcock series wasn’t about the man himself, but his wife.

“Alma’s story, for me, was the real revelation. Alma Reville is such an unsung hero—she had far more of an influence over the way the films came out than people give her credit for,” he says. “I’m so glad when people get to the end of that thing and they go, ‘God, Alma Reville, wasn’t she marvelous?’ Whenever I get an email like that, I’m like, ‘I’ve succeeded.’”

Find Adam Roche online at attaboyclarence.com. Armitage Wines goes a “Tiny Winery Concerts” series on the former Hitchcock property, go to armitagewines.com.

LATEST ARTICLES

LATEST ARTICLES

LATEST ARTICLES

LATEST ARTICLES

ARTS AND MUSIC

COMMUNITY

GROUPS

OUTDOOR

EDITOR’S NOTE

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

GOOD IDEA

GOOD WORK

QUOTE OF THE WEEK