Who has two thumbs, pedals beneath his feet and thinks every month is Bike Month? (Points thumbs at self then puts hands back on handlebars.) This guy!
So I was stoked to hear Biketober 2025 is a thing, and rolling on with its month-long, free and fun challenge to get Surf City souls aboard, connecting with their community and treading lighter on the climate.
Prizes for logging rides include happiness, health, grocery gift cards and cash (up to $1,000 for an individual and $2,000 for a workplace), and neighborhood events include group rides, e-bike demos and repair opportunities.
The same organizers behind Biketober, namely Modo and its nonprofit parent Ecology Action, are also celebrating the completion of the Santa Cruz Bikeway.
SCB traces an 11-mile bike route through five Santa Cruz districts designed to minimize exposure to traffic and maximize enjoyment, scenery, safety, flow and efficiency, and shares the glory with walkers, skaters, bladers and scooters.
As the Bikeway website puts it, “Less stressed, more connected, less road noise, more bird songs, less honking, more waving.” letsmodo.org
KEEP ’EM COOKING
Efforts are ongoing to mitigate effects of the Murray Street Bridge closure for repairs.Free two-hour parking is in play at Seabright metered spaces, and a free water taxi traverses the waterway 5–9pm Thursdays, 3–8pm Fridays and 11am–6pm Saturdays and Sundays. Speaking on the condition of anonymity after Seabright Social shuttered, one restaurant veteran told me, “They were the first [bridge area] business to go because of the closure, and they won’t be the last.” It would be awesome if we could prove that prediction wrong, santacruzharbor.org.
PLEASING CHEESE
The 10th Annual San Francisco Cheese Fest did its sublime stinky thing this time last month and this curd bird was there to volunteer, an awesome way to get a peek behind the curtain, meet cheese legends, and gain free entry. The world debuts included several revelations: Petite Breakfast Chive, Petite Breakfast Everything, and 8 oz Big Breakfast by Marin French Cheese Co. (Petaluma); Princess Pride (cream cheese style), Rocky (Esrom semi-soft style), Heritage (gouda style) and Heiress (hoop style) by Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery (Clovis); Triple Cream Brie by Cowgirl Creamery (Petaluma); and fresh sheep cheese, farmer cheese, Portuguese topo cheese and goat cheese by JUSTCreamery (Saratoga). Next up: The 20th Annual California Artisan Cheese Festival March 20-22, 2026 in Sonoma County. (Volunteer with me!) Meanwhile, current Executive Director Valerie Miller is resigning her post to start her own business, so the California Cheese Guild is looking for a chief cheesehead, cacheeseguild.org.
FLEET FIXINGS
Fieldworker justice superhero Dolores Huerta returns to Watsonville to speak at a “No Kings” rally and march starting 10am Saturday, Oct. 18, at San Lorenzo Park. I was there for her last area appearance in the spring and at 95 she’s still exuding energy, heart, advocacy and action, indivisiblesantacruzcounty.com…“An Evening with Alice Waters,” presented by Bookshop Santa Cruz and The Humanities Institute, happens Oct. 30 at Rio Theatre and hinges on her new cookbook, A School Lunch Revolution, thi.ucsc.edu/event/an-evening-with-alice-waters…The Michelin Guide has announced it will introduce a world-wide wine-ranking system, the latest frontier beyond its noted restaurant ratings, guide.michelin.com…From The-Future-Is-Now Files: Some dairy cows in the Central Valley now wear high-tech collars with sensors and WiFi that track biometric health, milk load and location…Huerta, please march us out: “If people don’t vote, everything stays the same. You can protest until the sky turns yellow or the moon turns blue, and it’s not going to change anything if you don’t vote.”
Born in North Carolina, Becca Stevens graduated from New York’s New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music with a degree in vocal jazz and composition. These are two talents she’s applied to her solo music, which incorporates jazz, pop, folk and elements of indie rock melodies under songs that bare her soul and welcome the listener into her head while still maintaining creative wordplay that lacks pretension. Along with singing, playing and writing music, Stevens can also put “actor” on her resume as last summer she also starred in Illinoise the musical based on the Sufjan Stevens’ (no relation) album of the same name. MAT WEIR
INFO: 7pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $19-$37. 427-2227.
REGGAE
BLAKKAMOORE
Georgetown is the capital, and largest, city of Guyana in South America. It’s also the hometown and launching pad of the eclectic reggae artist Blakkamoore. His star has been rising, slow and steady since his debut album dropped in 2009. He was invited to guest on Reincarnated, Snoop Dogg’s grammy nominated 2013 foray into reggae. In 2020 The Doggfather returned the favor appearing on Blakkamoore’s Upward Spiral. 2024 brought Full Spectrum, a collaboration with Yungg Trip. He continues to stay busy, touring and bringing his music and message to the masses. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN
Info: 8pm, Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $13-$29. 423-7117.
FRIDAY 10/17
INDIE-POP
CALVIN LOVE
Writing love songs for the wallflowers, poetic crooner Calvin Love sings the things most are too shy to say. His dark, lingering voice weaves together stories of hopes and dreams from yesteryear. Nods to classic singers of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s and a blend of modern electric guitar, lo-fi indie, and romantic pop give Calvin Love’s music a uniquely lush and synthetic feel. Love’s mix of spooky, psychedelic frequencies and earnest lyrics give just the right tug on the heartstrings. Synths, layered vocals, and a sprinkle of saxophone create a nostalgic intimacy for romantics of any age. SHELLY NOVO
With a rich, soulful voice, a bright smile, and an impassioned message, Carsie Blanton comes ready to fight—not with a sword, but with a song. Her humor, political wit, and experiences from 15 years on the road make for poetic yet poignant lyrics, encouraging audiences to be good to each other, and fight against fascism. Inspired by Nina Simone and Woody Guthrie, her activist anthems are fiery, but the melodies and rhythms are delightful enough to get dissenters dancing. Accompanied by her four-piece “handsome band,” Carsie delivers hooks with chutzpah to what she’s determined is “a world worth saving.” SN
Sometimes Santa Cruz still knows how to have fun. Last year the city got Evil Dead the Musical and this year The Addams Family musical. Now, Santa Cruz gets another horrifically fun production just in time for Halloween: Stephen King’s Misery. When romance novelist Paul Sheldon has a car accident in the snow, he’s rescued by Annie Wilkes who—as luck would have it—just happens to be his biggest fan. As she nurses him back to health Sheldon begins to notice certain, disturbing things about Annie. This classic horror story opens on Friday and continues every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until Nov. 1. MW
INFO: 8pm, Santa Cruz County Actors’ Theatre, 1001 Center St., Santa Cruz. $35. 431-8666.
SATURDAY 10/18
EDM
THE POLISH AMBASSADOR
The man we call The Polish Ambassador may or may not be wearing his trademark jumpsuit when he takes the stage at Felton Music Hall this week, but he will most definitely be sharing the rump shaking beats he is known for. Live electronic music combined with a captivating and exciting stage presence has made TPA a fixture at music festivals around the globe. This San Francisco native works hard to keep his tour’s carbon footprint small, he creates music in a solar-powered studio, and his label, Jumpsuit Records, donates generously to various nonprofit organizations and charities that fans help choose. KLJ
Halloween season is here again. The annual challenge of finding the perfect costume is upon us. Why go store-bought when a one-of-a-kind handmade mask is within reach? The City of Santa Cruz’s Halloween Mask Making Festival features mask making, of course, but so much more. Dancers have been rehearsing for a month to nail the Thriller dance, and there’ll be a theatrical performance of Nightmares—a Stage Spooktacular. The dance and play will both take place twice during the day. The full schedule is on the website for the London Nelson Community Center. KLJ
Info: Noon, London Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St., Santa Cruz. Free. 420-5591.
MONDAY10/20
LITERATURE
JEFF VANDERMEER
Jeff Vandermeer, author of the Southern Reach series, will be at Bookshop Santa Cruz for a reading and signing of the surprise fourth volume of the series, Absolution. The bestselling author travels back to Area X searching for answers and untold stories not touched by the first three books (Annihilation, Authority, and Acceptance). Divided into three parts, Vandermeer explores the first mission into the forgotten coast, how did Area X take hold, and could someone know what would happen after the events in Acceptance. Even after a decade and three books, Absolution provides a terrifying, fresh, and unique look into Area X. Absolution will be available in paperback during the event. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: 7pm, Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free. 423-0900.
WEDNESDAY 10/22
ROCK
EARTHLESS
Let the heavens shake! For soon we shall be Earthless! Or, we’ll be at the Earthless show at the Vets Hall this week. Yes, our favorite out-of-town psych rock trio (don’t call them stoner rock!) returns to Santa Cruz and this time they’re making another notch in their Santa Cruz Hall of Venues belt. For those who have never experienced an Earthless gig, be prepared for a sonic exploration of the inner mind across different dimensions, planes of existence and perceived boundaries between space and time. Unfortunately, it’s been four years since their last release Night Parade of One Hundred Demons begging the question, “What have we done to not deserve a new Earthless album?” MW
INFO: 8pm, Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building, 846 Front St., Santa Cruz. $43-$48. 454-0478.
The notion that what is happening at our federal government level mirrors Germany in 1933 is not far-fetched. The blatant intimidation and control of the media has happened. A personal presidential army of thugs created under the guise of border enforcement is in place. The guardrails of judicial restraint have been removed. Congress has been built to rubber-stamp whatever the president wants. And most of all, Trump has stated many times that he desires to stay in power and will do so at any cost to our democracy.
This story is about California State Senator John Laird’s plea for Proposition 50 and the critically important Latino community’s view of it.
“We have to fight fire with fire. This is an existential crisis for democracy and the rule of law,” Laird believes.
What’s on the ballot: Whether California should adopt the one-time congressional map through 2030 described by Prop. 50, then automatically revert to the state’s independent redistricting commission for future cycles.
Framing it as a defense of democracy and the Central Coast, State Senator John Laird urged voters to back the Proposition 50 November ballot measure, saying it’s a direct response to congressional map changes in Texas that tilt the playing field ahead of the 2026 congressional elections.
Addressing the Democratic Women’s Club of Santa Cruz County, Laird sketched a picture of an existential crisis for the region “getting hit hard by the current administration,” as Medicaid cuts threaten the viability of Watsonville Community Hospital, while promised federal dollars for the Pajaro levee project could also be at risk. Labor shortages tied to immigration enforcement are straining farms “that bring us food,” and the Central Coast’s agricultural sector “is endangered.” At the same time, the speaker argued, the nation is “walking away” from climate action, and potential federal reductions of “$4 to $5 billion” to the University of California research would ripple across local campuses and communities.
“Taken together, the Central Coast is really threatened,” Laird said. “Our only option is to make sure the U.S. House reflects where the people are on these issues.” That’s where Prop. 50 comes in.
What Prop 50 Would Do
Called the Election Rigging Response Act, Proposition 50 would adopt one-time congressional maps by statewide vote, to counter a partisan redistricting pushed by President Trump, to tilt the outcome of the 2026 congressional midterm election to the Republican Party. The measure would replace California’s current U.S. House districts with a new map, only through the 2030 election. It would keep the California Citizen Redistricting Commission intact for the State Assembly and State Senate and return congressional map-drawing to the commission after 2030. Laird also says that Prop 50 would prioritize keeping communities of color whole, that the ballot map aims to avoid splitting those communities.
Laird says the proposed map would create five new opportunities for Democrats, roughly offsetting changes elsewhere in the country. He points to the far northern district now held by a Republican, the Sierra foothills near Sacramento, southern San Joaquin County, the east of Riverside and northern San Diego County. Laird says the Central Coast would see minimal change. Districts represented by Congressmen Jimmy Panetta and Salud Carbajal would largely remain as they are, while Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren’s seat would trade a bit of San Jose for territory moving toward Coalinga.
Laird warns that without a California response, even a national Democratic edge of three percentage points in the popular vote could still produce a tied House. “We have to fight fire with fire, this is an existential crisis for democracy and the rule of law. Prop. 50 places a temporary congressional map before the voters through 2030 and then returns power to the citizen commission. It doesn’t touch state legislative maps. It’s about protecting good government, protecting the rule of law, and protecting the Central Coast from federal policies hurting our communities.”
Latinos: Economic and Immigration Anxiety, Prop 50 Uncertainty
The Latino vote is widely viewed as critical to the passage of Proposition 50. A new statewide poll of Latino voters paints a sobering picture of economic dissatisfaction, deep concerns over immigration enforcement, but a limited awareness of Proposition 50.
The survey, conducted Sept. 8–16 for the Latino Community Foundation, questioned 1,200 registered Latino voters across California. Foundation CEO Julián Castro said, “What Latino voters are thinking in California right now is going to be tremendously important to what happens in November on items like Prop. 50, and also ultimately to what happens in the midterm elections in 2026,” Castro said.
Nearly half of Latino voters (47%) reported their personal economic situation had worsened under the Trump administration. Gary Segura of BSP Research described the results as unprecedented: “We found a 35-point turnaround in a negative direction. Latinos are a remarkably optimistic community, but this is the most pessimistic finding we’ve ever seen.”
Immigration remains a defining political fault line. Three out of four respondents said President Trump broke his pledge to deport only violent offenders. “Half report that they’re worried for themselves or a family member or other loved one who is at risk,” Segura said. “And by a 3-to-1 margin, Latino voters believe the president is deporting people who are simply going about their lives without documentation.”
That anxiety carried into related policy questions. By a 3-to-1 margin, voters supported Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new law banning federal agents from wearing masks, citing safety and transparency. Trump’s approval rating among California Latinos was just 31%, with 67% disapproving, while 65% said Governor Newsom was handling his job well. On Proposition 50, awareness remains low. Only 29% said they had heard much about Texas’s redistricting moves, even as 54% expressed general support for redistricting reforms.
For many who were polled, the biggest question was whether new maps would improve Latino representation. Eighty-five percent said it was important to create districts where Latino candidates could fairly compete for Congress. “Latinos are the largest group in California now, and Democratic priorities are not winnable without Latino votes,” Segura said. “Control of the House of Representatives will have a big Latino component a year from now.”
John Freeman, author of just-released , has an ask for his East Coast friends. “Picture the entire length of the East Coast as one state,” he says. That might give them an idea of the multi-habitat, multicultural, multi-political jigsaw puzzle that is California.
This concept is reflected in the 51 essays that make up California Rewritten, covering work from living California writers from Deborah A. Miranda (Bad Indians) to Amy Tan (The Backyard Bird Chronicles). Multiple Bay Area authors are part of the mix, including Rebecca Solnit (A Paradise Built in Hell), Elaine Castillo (America Is Not the Heart), Karen Tei Yamashita (I Hotel), Tommy Orange (There There) and Maxine Hong Kingston (The Woman Warrior) along with others.
The idea for the book first came up in 2019, when Freeman was having dinner in Berkeley with a group of people associated with his magazine, Freeman’s. It evolved as he hosted Zoom conversations with Alta Journal’s California Book Club. One of the first discussions kickstarting the idea was of C Pam Zhang’s How Much of These Hills Is Gold, Freeman said in a phone interview. The story about a Chinese family moving to California during the Gold Rush is “a story distorted by time,” he said.
In the essay on this book, he writes, “It might be a stretch to call it California’s Beloved, but [the writing] moves with the same rough magic and has a similar relationship to America’s radicalized indentured labor as Toni Morrison’s haunted masterpiece.”
That California is the source of so much contemporary literature, fiction, poetry and nonfiction—“more Californians have won Pulitzers in literature in the past decade than writers from any other region in America,” Freeman writes in the book’s introduction—made selections for California Rewritten difficult, he said. But two parameters made it a little easier. He wanted the authors to be alive, and he wanted to cover the gamut of California, not just LA and San Francisco. And themes arose, which seemed to naturally create sections.
So the book is divided into 12 sections, beginning with “Early Myths.” The first essay delves into Deborah A. Miranda’s Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir.
Myths, Landscapes, Sounds, Ruptures
The essay on Bad Indians begins with Freeman’s own memories of being taught about the California missions as a school kid. “It is astounding how long this destructive and delusional fantasy of benign coexistence sold by ‘the mission project’ has remained a core part of the California curriculum,” Freeman writes, despite the reality being genocide of the state’s indigenous peoples.
Miranda’s book, which includes poems, narratives, oral histories, field notes, “pseudo phrenological data” and other forms, is “a dazzling array of storytelling modes,” he writes. It delivers “vivid portraits of people,” her own people, the Ohlone—Costaloan Esselen.
Freeman quotes Miranda: “Maybe, like a basket that has huge holes where pieces were ripped out and is crumbling to dust and can’t be reclaimed, my tribe must reinvent itself—rather than try and copy what isn’t there in the first place.”
In section seven, “How We Sound,” one of the selections is Jaime Cortez’s Gordo. The short story collection is set in a farmworkers’ camp in Watsonville, and is based on Cortez’s own childhood. “To read this book is to feel part of a neighborhood, a place, one Cortez invites you into and allows you to watch as it asserts its boundaries through the eyes of a young, probably queer, slightly husky kid named Gordo. … That the sweat and labor of working happens off-screen, so to speak, speaks volumes.”
From Gordo, quoted by Freeman: “Primi loved a party. He splurged and rented maroon Bostonian lace-up shoes and a matching tuxedo with ruffles that made him look like a downwardly mobile rain forest rooster puffing up his plumes for one last mating dance.”
In the section “The State of Poetry,” Freeman includes musings on Lawrence Ferlinghetti and other poets. “On Gary Snyder” illuminates the poet’s very long life and literary odyssey, his “sensitivity to geography and our connection to land,” his many decades of studying Zen.
In section twelve, “Ruptures,” the reader finds Hua Hsu’s Stay True. “It begins,” Freeman writes, “as so many California stories do, in the car.” The book is about Hsu’s real relationship with his best friend, Ken, who is murdered. There are many references to books and songs of the times. “The songs, through their repetition, take on the power of a soundscape,” Freeman writes. “Of all these, the Beach Boys’ ‘God Only Knows,’ is the most lasting, with its repeated phrase, ‘God only knows what I’d be without you.’”
The Book as a Map
Freeman is aware that California Rewritten isn’t the kind of book most people will sit down and read cover-to-cover. It requires time to think about each book discussed, time to absorb what each one is saying about California, its myths, its deceptions, its beauty, its constant reinvention.
“The book is like a map,” said Freeman. “There’s no right way to read it.” But it wasn’t written for academics, he emphasized, but for “delight and engagement.” California has always been a place where “oddballs are welcome,” he said, “and I hope readers [find the book] as openhearted as California at its best. I’m just trying to help that along…it’s part of a conversation that began with a conversation.”
John Freeman speaks with Karen Tei Yamashita at 7pm on Oct. 16 at Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. bookshopsantacruz.com
Santa Cruz may not be the movie capital of California, but it could be in the running as the B-movie capital.
Us, The Tripper, The Lost Boys, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Bumblebee, Sudden Impact and Chasing Mavericks come to mind immediately.
But there’s also a wave of low-budget films that put us on the map. The current project, Poultrygeist 2, at a budget of $9,000, is the topic for Mat Weir’s latest article, for which he jumped all the way into the deep water, acting and helping to film.
He reports firsthand from the blood-stained set, bringing us into a story that many Santa Cruzans missed, from right in our own backyard.
You’ll be the hit of trivia contests reading his article about the movie and Troma films. You’ll also be happy to see just how much varied culture we have in our county, which is the second smallest by size in the state. By culture, I’d put us toward the top. (Trivia contest: what’s the smallest county in the state? Answer next week.)
We’ve got plenty of Halloween-themed stories this week, in print and online at goodtimes.sc, helping you prepare for the most fun holiday. You can read about surfing witches, a remade spooky Nutcracker, and the Festival of Monsters.
And in keeping with the holiday theme, our Foodie File focuses on a great local candy company.
On the news front, you will want to check out Richard Stockton’s reporting on Proposition 50, which is making national news for responding to Donald Trump’s efforts to remake the state districts to help him get more seats in the House of Representatives. His first sentence should draw you in and scare you as much as any costume you’ll see Oct. 31: “The notion that what is happening at our federal government level mirrors Germany in 1933 is not far-fetched.”
I’ll look for the positive in that one: we can do something about this. It’s simple. Fill out the ballot you got in the mail and send it in.
Have a great week!
Brad Kava | Editor
PHOTO CONTEST
BUTTERFLY KING Hitchhiker on Western Drive near UCSC. Photograph by Bellamy Seirios
GOOD IDEA
The Live Oak Refillery and sustainable goods store is celebrating its one-year anniversary and the staff is inviting you to join them. Come celebrate a year of successes, partnerships, community and reducing plastic waste! On Saturday, Oct. 18 from noon to 5pm they will have food, demonstrations, partners, fun community and a raffle for some cool prizes. Location: 1135 17th Ave., #103, Santa Cruz.
GOOD WORK
The streets of Santa Cruz will come alive with music, precision and pageantry on Saturday, Oct. 18, as the Santa Cruz Band Review celebrates its long-standing tradition as the largest parade competition in California.
Founded in 1971, the Santa Cruz Band Review draws thousands of spectators and performers. This year’s event will feature 55 marching bands from across Northern California, all competing in a day of music, marching excellence and community spirit.
The competition zone will be located on 2nd Street in front of the Aqua Breeze Hotel, with the percussion competition staged under the log ride at Beach and 3rd Street.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
‘The best music is essentially there to provide you something to face the world with.’ –Bruce Springsteen
Whoever was driving the No.2 bus on Monday Sept. 15 at 2:30pm chose to save a person apparently breaking down on the street. He stopped the bus on 41st Avenue about a mile from the Mall. He got out of the bus to see about the man, went back and forth a couple of times, then told us to get off and wait for another bus, which he had called because he had to wait for the paramedics to arrive.
He was not rattled, apologetic or heroic, so neither were we. Everybody just got off the bus.
I’m telling you guys because I trust and like you and figured you could know what do do with this info.
PS: My point is people are OK at heart.
Peggy | Santa Cruz
ONLINE COMMENTS
WHARF TO WHARF
Wow, talk about resilience! Change is the only constant, eh? I bet juggling those last-minute hurdles was a wild ride for them. Seems like keeping the Wharf to Wharf Race afloat involved some serious maneuvering. Prize money took a hit but runners weren’t forgotten, kudos for that. Years ago, our local fair almost got rained out but volunteers pulled through with an indoor venue and saved the day, a bit like playing Slither io with unexpected obstacles popping up everywhere, but we survived!
I was the sun letter carrier at La Bahia in the early ’80s before the yuppies destroyed the soul of Santa Cruz. I was happy to deliver the tiny boxes for the people who would await their checks, love letters and the like. Many were dirt poor but they had solace that was affordable! The Del Rey was another place that had the old souls of Santa Cruz old with soul. Now the beach area lacks heart and soul and the poor are there no more. Capitalism sucks!
The most beautiful Spanish woman arrived at my apartment in La Bahia, 7am, surfboard in hand. At the end of the party the previous evening I’d offered to take her surfing any time she liked and gave her my room number.
I quickly donned my wetsuit and we drove to Four-Mile Beach.
Beyond just performance, she has helped build the choral community in Santa Cruz: training teaching assistants, mentoring younger directors, building programs that include youth (Cabrillo Youth Choruses), bringing people together through high-quality choral music.
In the late ’70s, I worked for a local moving company. La Bahia’s sister old building was the Casa Del Rey, which was a decrepit retirement home.
One day we were moving a person into a second-story apartment. We had the elevator crammed full when an ambulance showed up to transport somebody from the second floor. I was freaking out, knowing the other elevator was broken and thinking this was an emergency. I offered to yank everything out of the elevator, but the ambulance guy just laughed, told me they arrive there almost every day, his transport was not really an emergency and that he was going to run over to the La Bahia for a minute.
He comes back five minutes later (to a now empty and ready elevator) reeking of pot.
Years before, late ’60s I used to stay at a friend’s house that was just up from the bowling alley. That neighborhood was crazy then and never stopped being crazy!
David Hoyle | Goodtimes.sc
CORRECTION
In the Oct. 1 issue, the article about Santa Cruz Open Studios contained a misspelling of Ann Ostermann’s name and some incorrect titles. Jim Brown is the executive director and Bree Karpavage has taken on the role of Open Studios and Tannery Arts Center Manager. Open Studios continues Oct. 18–19 with All County Weekend, featuring 250+ artists across the region. Visit santacruzopenstudios.com.
There I was, sitting on the restaurant bench in a pool of my own cold blood. My body twitches as I try to scream out, but nothing rises up as the chef maniacally stuffs food into a funnel leading down my throat.
You might be wondering how I got here. I know I am.
Suddenly, the unthinkable happens.
My stomach begins to slowly inflate, filled with the pureed hamburgers that continue to be fed in the funnel. Buttons are launched from my shirt as my stomach grows to comical proportions.
“Ah hahahahah!” screams the chef as he pulls out a safety pin and rams it into my stomach. With a mighty burst it explodes, unleashing six gallons of blood and guts.
A round of cheers and encouraging expletives are unleashed from the crew as I pause to question my choice in wearing jeans that day. I should’ve known better as this wasn’t anywhere close to my first day on the set of Poultrygeist 2, a new film from Troma Entertainment.
Shot in Santa Cruz for a dozen days over the course of two months, it’s the highly anticipated sequel to the cult movie company’s 2006 musical horror comedy. It joins the ranks of other beloved horror films shot in town, like Us, The Tripper and—of course—The Lost Boys.
“A lot of the special effects have been learned in real time,” explains Max Rock, actor and special effects lead.
Given a budget of only $9,000, everyone on the set of the film works multiple jobs on and off the camera. Rock and partner Layla Kaufman (no relation to Troma head Lloyd Kaufman) already knew how to create some of the special effects thanks to her working at a haunted house maze in San Francisco years prior to filming.
“We learned how to do mold making through that, which is how we knew how to make the beaks, pus packages as well as the masks and puppets in the background,” he continues.
Thankfully, this isn’t anyone’s first rodeo. Or run through the chicken coop, as it were. Out of the two dozen or so cast and crew members, only three of us have never worked on a Troma film.
Mercedes the Muse has written and directed several films produced or distributed by Troma—such as Rise of the Super Tromettes, Divide & Conquer and Gasmask Girl—that have featured actors and crew involved with Poultrygeist 2. It’s all part of the collective ethos she shares with Moses, her husband, cameraman and co-writer.
“Everyone puts in ideas,” she says. “I’m not a dictator. I take everybody’s creative impetus into consideration. That keeps it punk rock and chaotic.”
For those of us who are new to the Troma world, it was a bloody, gore-filled, offensive dream come true. Even if it meant flying out halfway across the country.
“I started watching Troma films when I used to sneak into this bar that would play them on their tiny TV,” Kitty Dearing says.
After seeing cast and crew member Jesse Kenneth Cotu Williams post a flier about needing extras, Dearing flew out from Memphis, Tennessee, knowing the gig was pro bono. For horror fans, it’s all about the street cred.
“I love Troma because you never know what to expect,” she continues. “It’s going to be really weird and gory and strange and you’re going to leave wondering, ‘What the fuck did I just watch?’”
Case in point, Poultrygeist 2 is a satirical horror comedy about a ragtag group of fast food workers. When the food becomes contaminated and turns hungry patrons into a horde of mutated chicken zombies, the staff must fight to survive. Oh, and there’s a giant mutated rat, an egg with legs, a caveman in a tutu, and lots and lots of gratuitous nudity.
Let’s just say it’s not for the easily offended, squeamish or anyone without a deranged sense of humor. If all goes well, Poultrygeist 2 will make even the honorary Pope of Trash, John Waters, blush.
FAST FOOD Chicken zombies surround Kristi Wise and Mark Torgl. PHOTO: Mat Weir
We figured we were headed in the right direction the day we caused a traffic collision. One of the lead characters, Hen-rietta (who identifies as a chicken and is played by Santa Cruz local Sadie Satanas), basically has a chicken-style Las Vegas showgirl outfit complete with nipple pasties. While the crew was filming a scene inside the old Munch building (on the corner of Laurel Street and Pacific Avenue), Satanas stepped outside for a smoke. Two minutes later we all heard the familiar screeching of tires and CRASH! of metal and glass. We all rushed outside to find that one of the cars was distracted by her outfit and didn’t see where they were going (thankfully, everyone was OK and the damage to both cars appeared minor).
“I think the intestinal kill is my most favorite because it has Terrifier levels of gore,” Satanas says when asked about her favorite. She is also one of the lead special effects artists on set and has been working on everything from latex intestines, slime and exploding heads to exactly how to pull off the movie’s numerous kills. She says she’s spent 8–12 hours a day since April trying to figure out the film’s many effects.
“We made 80 feet of latex intestines and four different corpses,” she explains. “One of them had five sprayers attached to it. The rat suit took a month, which was a lot of refabricating. It also has 120 teeth and each one of those takes about three minutes [to install].”
Founded by “Uncle” Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974, Troma has specialized in underground cinema pushing the boundaries of horror, comedy and societal standards of taste. Such cult classics like The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke ’em High and Killer Condom have all come out of the entertainment company.
Sometimes there’s even crossover to the mainstream, like the remake of The Toxic Avenger starring Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage, which was released in theaters across the nation in August. There also have been a number of major celebrities who either started at Troma or have acted for them, such as Billy Bob Thornton, J.J. Abrams and Vanna White.
Superman and Guardians of the Galaxy writer and director James Gunn started his career at Troma with Tromeo & Juliette. South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone also were given a start when Troma produced and distributed their first film, Cannibal! The Musical.
And being on the set of Poultrygeist 2 I’ve learned a couple of important lessons about filming a Troma movie (and life).
First, which I already went over, if you’re gonna have a bloody scene, don’t wear jeans. In other words, make sure to always dress appropriately.
Which brings me to my second lesson (this one’s straight out of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy): always bring a towel. It’s dry. It’s soft and it’s like a warm hug after being drenched in countless gallons of gore. You’ll never know when you’ll need one, so carry that thing (or at least keep it in the car). Also, wear a pair of shoes with a good grip because, oh man, those floors get slippery quickly.
Be prepared for anything. Yes, it might be 10am. But you should still be prepared for 72 people dressed in full costumes—kinky goth, priest, clown, futuristic wasteland warrior, and not one but three Macho Man Randy Savages—ready to projectile-vomit a mix of water, green dye, Alka-Selter, oatmeal and corn all over the set booths, chairs and floor. Just like life, a Troma film hits you in the theater of the absurd and leaves you to clean up after. And just like Toxie from The Toxic Avenger knows, a mop is a hell of a useful tool.
Finally, have fun! Life is too short to take so seriously. Get dirty. Push your boundaries and don’t forget to laugh. With such a low budget, this project is entirely a labor of love for everyone from Mercedes, to the actors, effects and makeup people—and especially the extras.
“Holy balls,” Dearing says with a wide smile after shooting her scenes. “That was absolutely amazing. I got blood spurted in my face and I got to trample a chicken person. I had a wonderful time!”
Meet Mercedes the Muse, the cast of Poultrygeist 2 and Uncle Lloyd Kaufman himself at Streetlight Records at 5–6:30pm on Monday, Oct. 20. There will be exclusive Troma merch for sale to be signed by all featured guests.
The Festival of Monsters, presented Oct. 15–18 by the UC Santa Cruz Center for Monster Studies, is a fitting annual ritual for the spooky season.
On Oct. 18 at Atlantis Fantasyworld, local artist Cole Lemke will sign copies of his B-horror tome, Savior (2021), from 2–5pm. Think 336 pages of a thick-lined alternative universe, where aliens have invaded and the world gets not the hero it wants, but the hero it needs (and deserves). The Devil. Or, Satan. Or, Grump. He has many names.
Now before you run to your pastor to report a blasphemous crime, consider that Lemke might genuinely be one of the nicest humans you’ll ever get a chance to run into. A classic California kid who graduated from Aptos High and a devoted family man, Lemke might be best known in Santa Cruz for his Squid Banana stickers often seen plastered on the back of VWs.
Growing up in Santa Cruz County, Lemke was a natural-born artist who had alien worlds pouring out of his brain, down to his ink-stained fingers and out through his Micron pen. By a lightning stroke of luck, Lemke found a compadre early on in Shaun Logan, known for his work with the Expendables.
“We met in the third grade, and we’ve been buddies ever since,” Lemke says. “We’d hang out and draw side by side. We drew a lot together. I think one time we actually tried to work on a comic together that didn’t pan out. We had another friend color it. And he did a bad job on the colors. It crushed us and that kind of killed that project really quick. But we always just kind of had fun.”
Savior, on the other hand, is a black-and-white masterpiece in design and execution. For over five years, Lemke would trudge away at completing a page in pencil. Come back later to ink it. And finally return to add the dialog. Through jobs, a sabbatical and Covid, Lemke would return to Savior, working on weekends to finish his grand vision.
Currently Lemke has a job that allows him more time for illustration, band projects and running his own company, Chump Magic LLC, which handles all the design and production of his colorful assortment of stickers as well as sales for Savior: The Day the Devil Saved the World.
Savior is a sleek, shiny book, but it’s not for the swaddled or those with small brains. Why? This shouldn’t be a spoiler alert, but when you think of alien invasions, what do you think of? That’s right. Probes. In the butt. And in Savior, there is a lot of that. Plus at least one orgy scene. And a few curses. But Savior is closer to an R-rated Hello Kitty than R. Crumb.
The Festival of Monsters has other free events, including the keynote speech by David Livingstone Smith on Oct. 15 at 5:30pm at the Museum of Art & History. Taking place Oct. 18 at 11am at Bookshop Santa Cruz is a writers panel titled Oh! The Horror, and at 6pm at Game Santa Cruz attendees can play Blood on the Clocktower.
Meet Cole Lemke from 2–5pm on Oct. 18 at Atlantis Fantasyworld, 2020 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. For more information go to monsterstudies.ucsc.edu. To learn more about Lemke, visit colelemke.com or chumpmagic.com.
Next Saturday, a mysterious coven will rise up at the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor. Floating atop the waves in their conical hats, these paddling mavens will thrash their oars and sweep past the breakers toward a churning sea.
This Halloween invasion, which has taken place since 2015, will not be deterred by fog or rain, but participants will abide by the Harbormaster’s code.
Trudie Ransome is the owner of the SUP Shack, located across from the Crow’s Nest in the harbor. A native of Brighton, England, Ransome conjured up the Sea Witch Paddle as an informal event in 2011.
This is her 14th year planning the event, which grew from one lone paddler into an officially recognized annual event in 2023 after more than 100 witches showed up, according to Ransome. “For the first few years it was just me, myself and I,” she says. “Then two years ago, the world and his wife, the witches and their covens descended on the harbor.”
In 2024, the witch paddle was cancelled due to an anchovy die-off, explains Blake Anderson, harbormaster since February 2020 and a regular in various capacities at the harbor for the past 16 years. “It had been going a few years as kind of a more informal event. We wanted to have more structure to it to ensure that the channel is safe,” he says.
Ever since Covid, the spectacle has drawn a growing audience. “In the past couple of years, it’s become a new phenomenon,” Ransome says. “The witches want to cackle.”
Safety First
Harbor Patrol staff will observe the event and enforce any potential conflicts between paddle boards and boats. “If you get a channel full of boats trying to move in and out of the channel, it’s helpful to have some structure to it where people are staying off to the side and off the main channel,” Anderson says. “We will be working to ensure that everything goes safe and smooth and make sure everyone has a good time.”
Anderson compares the harbor to a roadway, where the channel is like a main road. Just as bikes and pedestrians use the sides of the road, he recommends paddle boarders stay as far over to the right as possible and and go in a circular motion. A 70-foot charter boat does not have great maneuverability, he notes. “Leaving from Crow’s Nest, stay to the right. And once you get in the channel, stay to the right again … so larger vessels can transit,” Anderson advises.
Additionally, Anderson suggests that paddlers avoid the entrance, which can become a problem area if paddleboarders congregate there. “We don’t want people in the center of the channel near the entrance,” he says. If there are waves, a boat might need to pick up speed to get in or out safely, he explains.
Last of all, if you plan to go, Anderson recommends all paddlers consult advancing weather updates as autumn is known for strong winds. Gusty north winds are conducive to rougher seas, while offshore winds are blown from land toward the open ocean. “Some people may elect to go outside the harbor,” Anderson says. “If you do have an offshore wind event, definitely stay inside [the channel].”
Support the Seabright Community
Facing the economic impacts of the Murray Street bridge closure, the harbor community is ready to welcome spectators who come out to enjoy the event. “I think we have a good plan, and it’s going to be a good, organized event,” Anderson says.
Taking place 10am to noon on Oct. 25, the Sea Witch Paddle is limited to 75 witches. Cost to participate is $15 per person, including wrist band, launch fees, snacks and free parking for witches. For more information, visit supshack.com or call 831-464-7467. The SUP Shack is located at 2214 East Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz.
All proceeds, including launch fees from the paddle, go back into the harbor’s general fund. Although the harbor is a public facility, it does not receive regular tax revenue. Instead, nearly its entire budget is funded by user fees, slip rent, parking, visitor services and rent for its buildings.
The same day as the Sea Witch Paddle, the area comes alive for Haunted Harbor, a trick-or-treat procession just for kids. From 4 to 7pm at the southeast harbor, participating businesses—including Crow’s Nest Restaurant, El Palomar, SUP Shack, Johnny’s Harborside, Kayak Connection and Nexus Wealth Advisors—will welcome trick-or-treaters. Meet at 135 5th Ave., Santa Cruz. For more information, call 831-475-6161.
A beloved sugarplum dream gets a mischievous twist this Halloween season in Nightmare Before Nutcracker, which reimagines the classic Christmas ballet as a spooky thriller.
This story begins not with a dream but with a nightmare. Nicknamed Spooky Nut, it’s fun, family-friendly, and filled with dancing in many styles, not just ballet.
This will be the second season that the International Academy of Dance in Santa Cruz has presented the Halloween-themed reimagining of Clara’s dream.
Unlike the Academy’s traditional Christmas production, which director Shannon Chipman and her dancers have presented since 2009, Nightmare Before Nutcracker gives the dancers a chance to let loose.
Expect to see rats making hip-hop moves and spiders dancing on pointe. The music promises to be just as creative, with modern interpretations of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker classics intermixed with some surprise song choices.
The spooky world of Clara’s dark dream will be illustrated with artful projections by local artist Cheyanne Donald-Diaz, and lighting effects are designed with strobe-sensitive audience members in mind.
Performances will include an intermission so guests can visit a Halloween “Boo-tique” and find home-made Halloween treats, with proceeds going to supporting the Academy’s teaching mission.
All are encouraged to dress up and join in a costume contest before each show. The evening is also interactive, with audience members invited to participate at times.
“It’s truly designed to bring families together and set a playful, festive tone for the season,” Chipman says.
Chipman has been a star in the local dance community since she performed as the Snow Queen in 1988. She left home to attend the Royal Academy of Ballet in London and the Juilliard School and spent 10 years as a professional dancer before training to become a commercial airline pilot.
Marriage and family led her to choose a career close to home over criss-crossing the skies, and an invitation to take ownership of a fledgling dance school proved to be a perfect chance to realize a longtime dream.
Chipman invites her dancers and volunteer stage crew to add their ideas to the choreography, costumes and story she has created, with inspiring joy always being most important goal in her productions.
“Dance has the power to bring people together across generations,” Chipman says. “It’s something we share, create and experience collectively.”
In December, look for the traditional Nutcracker at Cabrillo College. In June, the IAD and Santa Cruz City Ballet join together for the world premiere of Swan Lake: Wings of Stardust, a new take on the classic ballet that combines ballet with jazz, tap, hip-hop and more.
Asked what she hopes audiences will take away from their experience of the Spooky Nut, Chipman shares her belief in the power of dance—and the joy of sharing it.
“I want audiences to leave feeling full of fun and imagination and ready for Halloween. Our story reminds us that life is made of both battles and celebrations, and like the ebb and flow of any good tale, we can face challenges one step at a time. I hope people are reminded that it’s OK to ask for help when we need it, and that when we come together as a community, we can turn even the scariest nightmare into a dream.”
Nightmare Before Nutcracker runs Oct. 23–24 at 7pm and Oct. 25 at 1 and 4:30pm at The Landing, 251B Kings Village Rd., Scotts Valley. Tickets: $20.50–$25.50. iadance.com
Efforts are ongoing to mitigate effects of the Murray Street Bridge closure for repairs, with free two-hour parking and a free water taxi traverses the waterway.
Becca Stevens incorporates jazz, pop, folk and elements of indie rock melodies under songs that bare her soul while still maintaining creative wordplay that lacks pretension. Performing Thursday, 7pm at Kuumbwa
Picture the entire East Coast as one state, John Freeman says. That might give an idea of the multi-habitat, multicultural, multi-political jigsaw puzzle that is California.
For those of us who are new to the Troma world, it was a bloody, gore-filled, offensive dream come true. Even if it meant flying out halfway across the country.
Growing up in Santa Cruz County, Cole Lemke was a natural-born artist who had alien worlds pouring out of his brain, down to his ink-stained fingers and out through his Micron pen.
International Academy of Dance in Santa Cruz presents a Halloween-themed reimagining of Clara’s dream with the fun, family-friendly Nightmare Before Nutcracker.
