5 Things to Do in Santa Cruz September 19-25

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A weekly guide to whatโ€™s happening.

Green Fix

Banff Mountain Film Festival

Adventure sportsโ€™ larger-than-life stories are coming to the big screen yet again. The 42nd annual Banff Mountain Film Festival brings a selection of short films to about 400 communities around the world, including Santa Cruz. This yearโ€™s Santa Cruz list includes films about a one-armed, cupcake-loving climber, a cyclist whoโ€™s riding across 43 states and counting, and an American skier who sets out on a 2.5 million vertical foot route. Photo: Cedar Wright.

INFO: 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. 423-8209. riotheatre.com. $18.

Art Seen

Third Annual Coastal Belly Festival

No this is not a festival about belliesโ€”put the gut away unless you have mad belly dancing skills (or want to learn how to get them). Belly dancing is a great workout; itโ€™s no wonder belly dancers have fabulous abs. Move and groove your way to the hardest and most alluring core workout ever. For those taking a pass on workshops, there will be plenty of pro belly dancers showing off their skills in a gala show.

INFO: 10 a.m. start, gala at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22. Vets Hall, 846 Front St., Santa Cruz. coastalbellyfest.com. $5-$20, workshop pricing separate.

Thursday 9/20

Wild and Scenic Film Festival

Itโ€™s easy to get down about the environment these days, what with the political climate and diesel spills right in our backyard. Ventana Wilderness Alliance, a conservation group working to protect public lands in the Big Sur backcountry, is bringing the Wild and Scenic Film Festival from Nevada City to Santa Cruz to uplift and inspire change. Along with some picturesque scenery and stunning footage, a few lucky filmgoers will win raffle prizes from national and local sponsors like REI, Patagonia, and Alvarado Street Brewery. Canโ€™t make the Santa Cruz screening? Thereโ€™s also one in Monterey on Sept. 22. Check online for details.

INFO: 7 p.m. Del Mar Theatre. 1124 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. ventanawild.org. $25/$30.

Sunday 9/23

19th Annual Santa Cruz Oktoberfest

Itโ€™s not October yet, but itโ€™s never really too early for Oktoberfest. Enjoy some brews and brats at Santa Cruzโ€™s longest-running independent Oktoberfest celebration. There will be homemade authentic german food, a live German Polka band, and, of course, all of the German beer anyone could ever drink. There will also be a non-German jump house, petting zoo and face painting, because what would a German petting zoo look like anyway?

INFO: 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Messiah Lutheran Church. 801 High St., Santa Cruz. 423-8330. Free admission, $15 meal tickets. ย 

Sunday 9/23

Hearts for Hart Fundraiser

Local surfer Brian Hart was surfing at Steamer Lane back in July when he hit a cliff, broke his back and drowned. Though he has been paralyzed, heโ€™s breathing on his own and starting to regain some feeling in his body. He improves more every day, and is defying the odds, according to his doctors. To support his long-term recovery, friends and family are hosting a fundraiser. There will be food and drinks, entertainment, and a raffle featuring more than $5,000 worth of items from local businesses. All money collected will go directly to helping the Hart family rebuild their lives during Brianโ€™s recovery.

INFO: 2-7 p.m. Haut Surf Shop, 345 Swift St., Santa Cruz. heartsforhart.eventbrite.com. $15.

Friday 9/21-Sunday 9-23

Santa Cruz Mountain Sol Festival

Summer officially ends on Sept. 22, but thereโ€™s something about Santa Cruz Mountain Sol Festivalโ€”maybe the fresh mountain air or the grassy fieldโ€”that feels more summer-y than ever. Oteil and Friends, Lettuce, and Nahko and Medicine for the People headline this year’s Mountain Sol Festival in Felton. Grab a chair, blanket and sunscreen and get there early for the best spots. Parking will be limited and hard to find, so carpool if possible. Photo: Alex Varsa.

INFO: 2-7 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Roaring Camp Meadows, 5401 Graham Hill Road, Felton. santacruzmountainsol.com. $20-$135.

Sleight of Hand Pizza Tosses World-Champion Pies

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In a YouTube video from 2017, 12-time World Pizza Throwing Champion Justin Wadstein takes the stage at the Pizza Games in Las Vegas and immediately begins to energetically spin a lump of pizza dough into a flying saucer.

A pop song blares as Wadstein throws and catches the dough over and over again, rolling it along his shoulders, tossing it high into the air before it becomes a ring that he catches around his neck. The crowd whoops and applauds. This is just the beginning of a three-minute acrobatic act that concluded with Wadstein earning his 13th title.

Lately, though, Wadstein has stepped away from the competitive ring of dough spinning to pursue his passion for making pizza. At his pop-up Sleight of Hand Pizza, which he co-owns with his wife, Liza, Wadsteinโ€™s wood-fired pies are anything but gimmicky.

After spending about a minute and a half in their mobile oven, the pies emerge blistered, deep gold and bubbling. The aroma and texture of the dough is incredible. The thin, chewy crust is riddled with fragrant air pockets and is just structurally sound enough to support the toppingsโ€”some traditional, others more creative. While Iโ€™m always tempted by a classic Margherita, I loved the Beeโ€™s Knees, topped with crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and pepperoni, a generous amount of red pepper flakes and a drizzle of honey.

Sleight of Handโ€™s combinations endeavor to be high-quality, seasonal and sourced from local farms. โ€œWeโ€™re always tweaking our dough recipe and our menu. Weโ€™re trying to go as organic as possible and trying to involve local farms and companies,โ€ says Wadstein. โ€œI like to get as crazy as possible. I just think as big as I can, and my wife is the one to pull it back a little bit. Iโ€™ve been making pizza since I was 13, and Iโ€™ll be 33 this year. In 20 years, youโ€™ve done everything you can think of, so I like to push the limits a little bit.โ€

He mentions a pizza with octopus, cherry bomb peppers, mint and preserved lemon he made in Italy, and is working on a watermelon pizza, a sweet waffle cone-like dough, and using beer reductionsโ€”all of which sound delicious to me.

Look for Sleight of Hand at the farmers market in Felton on Tuesdays, at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing on Thursdays, and at breweries, wineries and festivals throughout the areaโ€”and watch out for flying saucers.

On Instagram at @sleightofhandpizza. sleightofhandpizza.com.

Opinion: September 19, 2018

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EDITOR’S NOTE

The unfortunate truth is that some pioneers donโ€™t get the recognition they deserve until theyโ€™re gone. Thatโ€™s because itโ€™s not until then that we realize how truly unique and significant they were. Especially in the arts, something thatโ€™s there year after year can make a big splash initially, and then start to be taken for granted over timeโ€”even though what itโ€™s doing, and what it stands for, remains as important as ever.

Iโ€™ve felt that way about a lot of music venues Santa Cruz has lost over the years, from Palookaville to Live Soup to What is Art? and on and on. And I certainly felt that way when we lost the Pacific Rim Film Festival. And Iโ€™m feeling it yet again with the end of the FashionArt show, a one-of-a-kind Santa Cruz event that regularly blew me away with its outrageous re-invention of the runway fashion show.

Luckily, you sometimes get a second chance to enjoy a one-of-a-kind phenomenon, and thatโ€™s what happening at Pivotโ€™s Hall of Fashion runway show this weekend. Take a look at Wallace Baineโ€™s cover story about the show, and youโ€™ll see Rose Sellery and Tina Brown, who had both partnered with Angelo Grova on FashionArt for years, are carrying on its tradition.

And speaking of second acts on the local arts scene, most Santa Cruz music fans probably know that former Palookaville founder Michael Horne continues to bring music here. His big music festival Mountain Sol is back Sept. 21-23 up at Roaring Camp (see page 34). Hereโ€™s to Santa Cruzโ€™s artistic spiritโ€”it canโ€™t be kept down.

STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

TALE OF TWO TRACKS

Last weekโ€™s letter (GT, 9/12) bemoaning the loss of the Santa Cruz-San Jose rail corridor has little relevance to the current rail vs. trail controversy. The over-the-hill route, once discontinued, did fall into private hands, but that fate will never befall the Watsonville-Davenport line. It will always be a transportation corridor. Sensible people want to see the tracks paved over and put to use as a wide, multi-use trail now, making it available for state-of-the-art, innovative e-travel and solar modes of transportation, thus removing gas- and diesel-powered vehicles from the highway and surface streets. If, in the coming decades, a train is determined to be the best viable option, then the county voters (not the RTC), can decide to build a modern, low emission, light-rail system. Railbanking does work. Letโ€™s move forward with that model.

Jennifer Harris-Anderson ย | Santa Cruz

TRAINS OF FUTURE/PAST

In his letter urging the preservation of the existing Santa Cruz-Watsonville rail line, Richard Hallett seems to be mistaking the future for the past. The only train using the current tracks that his great-grandson is likely to ride would be a nostalgic tourist attraction, not a viable passenger line. The future of mass transit is mostly modular, ride-sharing and self-driving vehicles. Any trains included in that picture (light rail, high-speed rail, maglevs, perhaps even hyperloops) will use a far different technology, calling for entirely different tracks than the ones we use today.

Mordecai Shapiro | Santa Cruz

SMACKS OF ENTITLEMENT

Re: โ€œControl Groupsโ€ (GT, 9/5): My wife and I own two homes in Santa Cruz. She took out student loans and put herself through college and then law school. She then worked 60-70 hours a week for 10 years at a law firm in Santa Clara. I did a five-year apprenticeship in the electricianโ€™s union and drove to work in Santa Clara getting up at 5 a.m. for 17 years. We saved and bought our homes on our own. We pay $23,000 a year in property taxes. Our rental house costs $3,500 a month, we rent it for $2,600 a month. A loss of $900 a month. To think that we canโ€™t raise that rent or use that property as we wish smacks of entitlement and frankly is communist. If someone wants to buy and live in a house in Santa Cruz, all they have to do is put in the years of hard work to make it happen.

Jonathan Guy |ย Santa Cruz

Re: Second Story Closure

As sad as the closing of this place is, whatโ€™s even more sadโ€”pathetic evenโ€”is the why. Sounds like the number-one reason is that Medi-Cal wonโ€™t reimburse for peer-run beds. Thatโ€™s a state government problem. And the county doesnโ€™t want a long-term commitment to fund? Are we to assume they are not also paying $$$ for that locked inpatient psych ward? Looks to me more like the Big Boys want to shut down the better-results competition, in favor of the fascist, coerced, forced-drugging psychiatric model. And Riera needs to decide if heโ€™s the director of โ€œmental healthโ€ or โ€œbehavioral health.โ€

โ€” Bill Bradford

Re: Santa Cruz Indivisible

Why donโ€™t people deal with who they have to elect rather than traveling to other districts? We know how much they would like outsiders coming here to try to sway our elections. But, being typical hypocrites, they will go and try to โ€œconvertโ€ people who donโ€™t live here.

โ€” Robyn Marx


PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

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GOOD IDEA

A report released last week highlights how Santa Cruz Countyโ€™s affordable housing needs have grown, amounting to a shortfall of 11,873 affordable homes. Key reasons include the axing of state housing money, low wages, and rapidly rising rents, according to the findings, which were compiled by the California Housing Partnership Corporation and the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California. The report expressed optimism that voters will consider a local housing bond, Measure H, this fall. It needs a two-thirds majority to pass.


GOOD WORK

Santa Cruz County has received the Program Excellence Award from the North American Hazardous Materials Management Association for its groundbreaking drug and sharps take-back program. The first of its kind in the nation, the program allows residents to bring used needles and leftover medicines to any pharmacy for free and safe disposal. Adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 2015, it was the first in the U.S. to require pharmacies to accept such materials.


QUOTE OF THE WEEK

โ€œFashion is about eventually becoming naked.โ€

-Vivienne Westwood

Love Your Local Band: Funky Joe and the Mofos

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People were calling Joe Neto Jr. โ€œFunky Joeโ€ before he started a band called Funky Joe and the Mofos. He kind of had a reputation for bringing the energy, as anyone who saw his band Funkranomicon can attest.

โ€œI donโ€™t know what happens to me. I blank over and start talking in tongues and start moving my feet. It takes over me,โ€ says Neto of being on stage. โ€œWhatever happens from that, if itโ€™s entertaining to the crowd, thatโ€™s awesome. Itโ€™s just me being me, doing what I do.โ€

Perhaps thatโ€™s why the members of the local band Mofongo invited Neto to sit in with them to jam for a couple songs at a show.

โ€œIt was supposed to be just two songs that I sat in on, then I ended up sitting there for two sets,โ€ Neto says. โ€œAfter the sets, we both looked at each other and said, โ€˜Well, whatโ€™s our next project? We gotta keep this momentum going.โ€

That was how Funky Joe and the Mofos was born, one year ago: members of Funkranomicon and Mofongo joined forces to create one massive super-group. (They also grabbed guys from Deep Pocket and Reactors) The funky seven-piece band plays a variety of dance tunes, but it tends to revolve around the Southern R&B Stax Records sound. The group plays mostly covers, with some originals mixed in. But regardless of the material they play, itโ€™s really fun dance music.

โ€œFor me, itโ€™s about a release from the work week. I want to come out and have fun, and I want to enjoy the time, and I want people to have fun with me,โ€ Neto says.ย 

INFO: 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22. Flynnโ€™s Cabaret & Steakhouse, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15. 335-2800.

Music Picks: September 19-25

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Live music highlights for the week of September 19, 2018.

WEDNESDAY 9/19

COUNTRY

MIRA GOTO

Singer-songwriter Miro Gota likes to tell stories, like the guitar-slingers of yesteryear used to do. But her music is fun, light-hearted and will hook your heart before you realize youโ€™ve been tapping your toe all along. โ€œCrazy Cat Ladyโ€ is a touching song about finding a stray cat and adopting him. โ€œNew Plaid Shirtโ€ is a self-empowering sing-along about finally getting over an ex-lover. Originally from Northern California, the young musician has since relocated to Nashville and has developed a touch of heartbroken twang to balance her penchant for bubblegum. AARON CARNES

INFO: 7:30 p.m. Michaelโ€™s On Main, 2591 S. Main, Soquel. $12/adv, $15/door. 479-9777.

WEDNESDAY, 9/19

ALTERNATIVE

DEAN WEEN GROUP

For almost 30 years, Ween waged an absolute war on the border between music and comedy. They would take every idea seriously, even if that idea was rambling about โ€œthe blood from the pantherโ€ over elevator music. Since breaking up in 2012, the burden of that mad dream has now fallen to frontman Dean Ween, who released Rock2 this March, his second full-length with the Dean Ween Group. Rock2 is as virtuosic and inane as youโ€™d expect from Deaner, proving that the borderlands between music and comedy arenโ€™t safe just yet. MIKE HUGUENOR

INFO: 8 p.m. The Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $25/adv, $30/door. 423-1338.

FRIDAY 9/21

INDIE

EMILY CAVANAGH

Emily Cavanagh has a sweet, slightly old-timey voice accented with a delicate Irish lilt. Itโ€™s the perfect vehicle to deliver her soft-pop folk songs. Cavanagh uses thoughtful storytelling to craft twinkling, effervescent tunes that speak on finding joy and seeking optimism in dire circumstances without diminishing the trauma people are going through. Born in Chicago to an Irish-American family, Cavanagh spent time in Dublin to hone her songwriting skills. Now she collaborates with renowned musicians far and wide, and spins her own tales into high-spirited melodies. AMY BEE

INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.

FRIDAY 9/21

CABARET

CAFร‰ MUSIQUE

Central Coast ensemble Cafรฉ Musique plays dance music for bibulous United Nations shindigs, the kind of parties where secrets are spilled, careers are ruined and diplomats let their hair down. The quintet combines an array of traditions, including tango, swing, blues and folk. They meld the disparate forms with instrumental bravado and emotional commitment. Featuring the fiery violinist and vocalist Brynn Albanese, string expert Eric Williams on guitar, ukulele, bouzouki and vocals, Duane Inglish on accordion, Craig Nuttycombe on guitar and vocals, and Fred Murray on bass and vocals. ANDREW GILBERT

INFO: 7:30 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320 Cedar St. #2, Santa Cruz. $25/adv, $32/door. 427-2227.

SATURDAY 9/22

SOFT-ROCK

AMO AMO

You gotta watch Amo Amoโ€™s performance on โ€œJam in the Van,โ€ just to see these guys. Most of the band members are sporting wacky heart-shaped sunglasses and the kind of thrift store hats youโ€™d wear on a Hawaiian vacation. What Iโ€™m saying is these guys are really, really laid back, and musically, they deliver the easy-breezy goods. Itโ€™s a healthy blend of Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac, alongside some dreamy, harmony-rich โ€™60s psych-pop. And even within the down-tempo, donโ€™t-move-too-much rock, the two singers unveil some seriously soulful vocals. AC

INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door. 429-6994.

SATURDAY 9/22

INDIE-FOLK

THE HEART AND THE HEAD

Indie folk band the Heart and the Head have matured since their mega-successful folk-rock debut album for Sub Pop in 2011. Theyโ€™ve maintained the acoustic intimacy and luscious, three-part harmony and bolstered it with almostโ€”but not quiteโ€”country-rock guitar bravado. The six-member troupe easily maneuvers from radio-ready arena rock to tender, heart-in-throat maudlin folk-pop, and back to a feel-good Americana. Traversing both big successes and personal setbacks have led the Heart and the Head to a sound full of heartache, but tempered with cautious optimism. AB

INFO: 8 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $42. 423-8209.

SUNDAY 9/23

ELECTRONIC

FLAMINGOSIS

Listening to DJ Flamingosis is like blasting a funky 1970s Hollywood soundtrack into your ears; the light-as-air beats flow through the music on a river of euphoric melodies. All this โ€™70s dance music love earned him a shocking 15 million combined plays on Soundcloud for his first two albums. But donโ€™t think heโ€™s a one-hitโ€”or twice-luckyโ€”artist, as his latest album, Flight Fantastic, already has half a million listensโ€”and itโ€™s barely a month old. MAT WEIR

INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $18/adv, $20/door. 423-1338.

SUNDAY 9/23

BLUES

SELWYN BIRCHWOOD BAND

Selwyn Birchwood has been playing the blues since he was 13, and was so good that by the age of 19, veteran bluesman Sonny Rhodes took him on tour. In 2010, Birchwood formed his current band and has since gone on to win a number of blues awards including the Albert King Guitarist of the Year Award in 2013 and the Blues Music Awardsโ€™ Best New Artist Album, for 2015โ€™s Donโ€™t Call No Ambulance. MW

INFO: 4 p.m. Moeโ€™s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door. 479-1854.

TUESDAY, 9/25

AFRO-POP

HAILU MERGIA

One of the founding voices in Ethiopian pop music, Hailu Mergia is a living legend. Going back to the โ€™70s with the Walias Band, Mergiaโ€™s organ and accordion playing have been a cultural sieve, transposing American jazz, soul, and funk into the harmonic register of Ethiopia. In the โ€™80s, he released his first solo record, Hailu Mergia and His Classical Instrument, a striking work of organ, accordion, Moog, and drum machine. This yearโ€™s Lala Belu finds the master once again playing with a full band, and includes some of his most assured compositions yet. MH

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Moeโ€™s Alley, 1535 Commercial Drive, Santa Cruz. $22/adv, $25/door. 479-1854.

A Superb Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 from Integrity Wines

Integrity Winesโ€™ 2014 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a dazzling display of all that a good Cabernet should beโ€“smoky, earthy and nutty, with a ton of up-front fruit.

Cabernet is known for its distinctive black currant, coffee, tobacco and mint notes, and this one shines like a star with all of these features and more. Gorgeous aromas of cedar, toast, coffee, and a smidgeon of spearmint highlight this superbly made Cabernet ($40) by Mark Hoover. A glass or two of this inky nectar will pair perfectly with a juicy steak and other hearty fare.

Hoover also makes a 2015 Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon for $24, which you will be able to sample at Gourmet Grazing on the Green, along with many other wines he produces. Integrity also participates in the quarterly Passport event organized by the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association (the next one is Nov. 17).

โ€œIntegrity is not just about the wine itself,โ€ says Hoover on his website. โ€œItโ€™s about everyone who helped create this wine experience.โ€

INFO: Integrity Wines, 135 Aviation Way, Suite 16, Watsonville. 322-4200. Integrity.wine. Tasting room open noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Gourmet Grazing on the Green

Gourmet Grazing on the Green is an annual food and wine extravaganza put on by the Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Groupโ€”with all proceeds going to local beneficiaries. Vendors number around 70โ€”with an abundance of local wineries and restaurants showcasing their wares.ย 

INFO: Noon-4 p.m. Oct. 6 in Aptos Village Park. Tickets are $65. Visit sccbg.org for more info.

Cafรฉ Bittersweet

Cafรฉ Bittersweet is a charming small-cafe offshoot of Bittersweet Bistro serving breakfast and lunch. I had breakfast with a friend there recently, and we shared a delicious Greek Goddess Omelet ($13)โ€”which was plenty for two. Two things to note are the reduced-price ($8.50) Breakfast Busters, served from 8-11 a.m., and that pooches are welcome on the shaded outdoor patio.

Cafรฉ Bittersweet is open for breakfast 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and for lunch 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday.

INFO: Cafรฉ Bittersweet, 787 Rio Del Mar Blvd., Aptos, 662-9899. cafebittersweet.com

Jacobโ€™s Heart Celebrates 20 Years of Community Support

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On a February day in 1998, local Lori Butterworthโ€™s life changed forever. Her friendโ€™s son, Jacob, was diagnosed with a deadly form of childhood cancer.

โ€œI called around, and there was no support available specifically for children, and that angered me,โ€ says Butterworth. She took matters into her own hands, and started a grassroots-style nonprofit right then and there.

Twenty years later, that nonprofit organization, named Jacobโ€™s Heart, is still beating strongly. โ€œOur mission statement is to improve the quality of life for children with cancer, and support their families in the challenges they face,โ€ says Butterworth, who is the groupโ€™s executive director. โ€œOur community should be really proud to have such an organization that helps families through one of lifeโ€™s most difficult imaginable situations.โ€

To say Jacobโ€™s Heart has accomplished a lot in 20 years would be an understatement. September is nationally recognized as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month because of Jacobโ€™s Heartโ€”and has been since 1999, when the organization originally advocated for its distinction to then-Gov. Gray Davis. That alone is incredible for a nonprofit that began as one womanโ€™s dream, but Jacobโ€™s Heart continues to have a huge impact in the lives of local families.

In the last year alone, Jacobโ€™s Heart has provided more than $360,000 in financial assistance to those families, including rent, bills, food, fuel, and funeral expenses. It has also donated more than 4,000 bags of nutritious groceries to homes and hospitals, nearly 1,000 hospital visits for children and families, and more than 2,500 hours of emotional support, including family and individual counseling.

Butterworth says she is particularly proud of creating an organization that has meant so much to children with cancer and their families. Stated perfectly by one child named Alex, who has since passed on: โ€œJacobโ€™s Heart will never go away, because that would mean that people didnโ€™t care about kids with cancer โ€ฆ and people will always care. If there wasnโ€™t a Jacobโ€™s Heart, that would mean there was no more love in the world, and thatโ€™s impossible because a world without love is impossible.โ€

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Jacobโ€™s Heart is planning a โ€œKid-rageousโ€ event on Sept. 23 from noon-5 p.m. at the Watsonville City Plaza. Butterworth says that one main feature of the event is honoring those children that have passed away by showcasing their favorite activities and hobbies for everyone to enjoy. There are also activities that teach compassionate actionโ€”which Butterworth calls a main tenet of the organizationโ€”such as decorating and filling grocery bags that will go to families dealing with the disease. โ€œThe event also raises funds, raises childhood cancer awareness, and reunites families that have been helped,โ€ says Butterworth. โ€œIt creates a community net, and helps achieve the vision of the organization.โ€

One local issue that Jacobโ€™s Heart has taken on is the disturbing frequency of childhood cancer here. โ€œThe rate of childhood cancer in Santa Cruz County is still higher than the state average,โ€ says Butterworth, citing the most recent available data that shows our county has 19.2 cases per 100,000 compared to the state average of 17.4.

There is also an ethnic disparity that Jacobโ€™s Heart hopes to have a positive impact upon. โ€œWhite children have the highest cancer rates among all ethnic groups, but Latino children are more likely to die from it,โ€ says Butterworth. โ€œThis is something weโ€™re definitely working on.โ€

Looking forward, Butterworth hopes that one day Jacobโ€™s Heart will go awayโ€”when itโ€™s no longer needed, because childhood cancer has ceased to exist. โ€œWe envision a community in which every child with a serious illness has a strongly informed family able to fully participate in their care,โ€ says Butterworth about Jacobโ€™s Heartโ€™s long-term mission. โ€œWe inspire compassionate action within our local community to create a safety net to meet the unique needs of every child.โ€

The Harden Foundation is matching funds during September, in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. โ€œEvery dollar is matched by a measure of love,โ€ says Butterworth. โ€œUntil thereโ€™s a cure, Jacobโ€™s Heart will be here.โ€

To donate, please visit the Jacobโ€™s Heart website at jacobsheart.org.

Pivot Runway Show Carries on Santa Cruz Fashion Tradition

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Maybe one day, every runway fashion show in New York, Paris and Milan will consist of smart, stylish collections of clothing punctuated by delightfully absurd and grotesque art pieces that happened to be draped on a human body. When that day comes, weโ€™ll all know that the Santa Cruz style of fashion has finally achieved true cultural dominance.

If that happens, then surely 2018 will be seen as a pivotal (or, shall we say, Pivotal) year for Santa Cruz fashion.

After 12 years, Santa Cruzโ€™s signature fashion eventโ€”the runway show FashionART that invented this mixture of the sublime and the ridiculousโ€”has closed up shop, leaving the Civic Auditorium silent and dramatically less colorful for the first September in more than a decade.

Photo: Hiram Chee / Designer: I.B. Bayo
Photo: Hiram Chee / Designer: I.B. Bayo

Into that vacuum roars another outfit of artists and fashion designers known as Pivot: The Art of Fashion, once an offshoot of FashionART that this year will take on the role of Santa Cruzโ€™s alpha cultural force in the world of fashion.

On Saturday, Sept. 22โ€”on a weekend that FashionART once ownedโ€”Pivot will continue pushing fashion forward with its new runway show called Hall of Fashion in the old Wrigley Building on the Westside of Santa Cruz.

Pivot is the brainchild of two energetic Santa Cruz women, artist and curator Rose Sellery and designer Tina Brown. Both women had partnered with artist Angelo Grova to produce the FashionART show for yearsโ€”Sellery was in fact one of the eventโ€™s foundersโ€”until in 2015, they decided to spin off with their own event.

Photo: Hiram Chee / Designer: Ellen Brook
Photo: Hiram Chee / Designer: Ellen Brook

Unlike FashionART, which presented a more-or-less traditional runway show at the Civic each year, Pivot has been more of a pop-up phenomenon, adapting its show to a variety of different venuesโ€”including the Rio Theatre, the R. Blitzer Gallery and Anne and Markโ€™s Art Party at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose.

This time, Pivot, in partnership with the Blitzer, is taking over the main corridor of the Wrigley, the one-time chewing-gum factory that has turned into an eccentric entrepreneurial hub of creative businesses. The unusually wide and open corridor at the Wrigley turns out to be a perfect stage for a runway show, says Brown.

โ€œGoing back to a more traditional runway, the show will be on the floor, two rows of chairs, the models are right there in front of you,โ€ she says. โ€œTheyโ€™re really close, itโ€™s really intimate. With the photographers at one end, itโ€™ll feel more like a New York runway event. Then we throw some performance art in there, and thatโ€™s where you get your Santa Cruz twist.โ€

Photo: Hiram Chee / Artist: Mariclare McKnight
Photo: Hiram Chee / Artist: Mariclare McKnight

If the form of the Pivot show is constantly shifting and evolving, the content of it has been remarkably stable. Pivot and FashionART have for years shared many of the same artists and creators. And this year many of those namesโ€”Charlotte Kruk, Tobin W. Keller, Mariclaire McKnight, IB Bayo, the Great Morganiโ€”are returning, along with many of the models, make-up artists, photographers and stylists that have formed the backbone of Santa Cruzโ€™s small but fertile fashion scene.

โ€œWe still have a real love for what FashionART was,โ€ says Sellery. โ€œIt opened so many doors for us, and now weโ€™re doing a similar thing. But itโ€™s kind of sad to see it go because it was a real institution. And weโ€™ve been part of that.โ€

With a nod to the artistic notions that inspired FashionART, Pivot is also attempting to redesign what a runway show is, pushing beyond the familiar motif of catwalking models mastering the art of sashay. With the wide hallway at the Wrigley, Pivot is toying with ideas of other modes of ambulationโ€”skates, bicycles, rolling platforms.

โ€œWe can really play with the idea of whatโ€™s supposed to be on the runway,โ€ says Brown. โ€œIt doesnโ€™t have to always be walking. Weโ€™ll have some surprises.โ€

Photo: Hiram Chee / Artist: The Great Morgani
Photo: Hiram Chee / Artist: The Great Morgani

Pivot will feature many of the familiar and popular styles that emerged from Santa Cruzโ€™s rich fashion sceneโ€”Bayoโ€™s vivid African-influenced looks, Kellerโ€™s bold prints, Krukโ€™s cheeky and flirty candy-wrapper dresses and whatever emerges from the constantly churning mind of Morgani. As tradition dictates, Sellery will also be contributing a new piece as an artist (this one involves bubble wrap). But the event will also feature some new names and faces.

Among those emerging names is Santa Cruz artist Chris Allen, who debuted in 2017 in what turned out to be the final FashionART event. Allen presented three pieces last year as a wearable-art artist. This year at Pivot, he is in the designer slot with nine pieces in one cohesive line heโ€™s calling โ€œBattle Mode.โ€

โ€œLast year was my first year,โ€ says Allen at his home near Pasatiempo. โ€œI had seen it as a spectator many times and thought, โ€˜Wow, it would be so cool to have something in there. I want to design.โ€™ Things worked out this year where I sort of had models and time and materials all converge at once.โ€

Photo: Hiram Chee / Designer: Tobin W. Keller
Photo: Hiram Chee / Designer: Tobin W. Keller

To the tune of a song called โ€œRiding Into Battle With Her High Heels On,โ€ Allen has fashioned found-object materials into proto-martial outfitsโ€”if you can imagine skirts made from CalTrans-orange plastic fencing or reel-to-reel magnetic tape or a couple of hundred hotel key cards from the Dream Inn.

FashionART started as a showcase for artists interested in creating intriguing outfits (Rose Sellery created a stir early on with a dress made from animal bones). But it soon folded in collections from designers interested in creating clothes that people actually wear in public. Tina Brown was brought in a few years later to bolster the designer side of the equation. โ€œBy the time I came along, the art side of it was so strong, I felt like I have to really bring the designers up to the artistsโ€™ level. And that was my goal,โ€ she says.

Still, the ambitions of Sellery and Brown for Pivot go beyond runway shows. They are hoping next year to host a textile/design conference to allow some of their artists and designers to teach classes and workshopsโ€”perhaps at Cabrillo College, where Sellery worked for many years as curator at the campus art gallery.

Photo: Jana Marcus / Artist: Rose Sellery
Photo: Jana Marcus / Artist: Rose Sellery

As to where Pivot goes now that itโ€™s the main engine driving the local fashion industry, neither Sellery or Brown is ready to predict. Maybe theyโ€™ll come up with a new venue next yearโ€”โ€œItโ€™s a nice challenge for us to play with going into new spaces each time,โ€ says Selleryโ€”or maybe theyโ€™ll realize their ambitions of making their runway show only one part of an entire yearโ€™s worth of fashion-forward activities and events.

โ€œMy vision,โ€ says Brown, โ€œis that weโ€™re going into San Francisco. Weโ€™re going to Monterey. Weโ€™re really going to doing things more than just once a year.โ€

Hall of Fashion

Presented by Pivot: The Art of Fashion and the R. Blitzer Gallery

Saturday, Sept. 22. 7:30 p.m., with a 6 p.m. VIP reception and Pivot Designerโ€™s Market. $20 in advance; $25 at the door; $55 VIP reception.ย Wrigley Building, 2801 Mission St., Santa Cruz.ย pivot-artfashion.com.

Santa Cruz Grounds Bird Electric Scooters โ€” For Now

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Last Thursday, Santa Cruz residents woke up with a new form of on-demand transportation available with a few clicks of a smartphone. Black and white, two-wheeled electric scooters sporting the logo of Santa Monica startup Bird appeared on corners around town overnight.

The catch: Santa Cruz officials say they never gave the company the green light to launch, setting off a chain of events that is the latest skirmish in a broader battle between fast-moving transportation startups and local governments struggling to address evolving mobility demands.

โ€œBird hasnโ€™t contacted anyone at the city about their program, which is apparently consistent with their business model,โ€ City Spokesperson Eileen Cross told GT in an email Thursday morning.

The startup, which has raised $415 million from venture capitalists to bring its on-demand scooters to the masses, declined to answer questions about how its electric scooters were launched locally. A spokesperson told GT in a statement last Thursday that, โ€œSanta Cruz is a forward-thinking city that shares Birdโ€™s vision of getting cars off the road to reduce traffic and carbon emissions.โ€

Though Bird and competitors like Uber-owned Lime have attracted controversy about safety and neighborhood nuisances in other cities, the statement adds that Bird hoped to โ€œwork closely with city leaders so that we can help the entire community more easily get around town.โ€

But the city still wasnโ€™t buying it. A press release from the city managerโ€™s office said that a cease-and-desist letter was sent to Bird the same day the scooters were set free in town, giving the startup until midnight on Sept. 13 to remove the devices from all public sidewalks or rights-of-way in the city. The move, the statement continued, followed steps taken in San Diego, Boston, Nashville and Fresno to issue similar letters, restrict scooter use or ban the devices.

When scooters were still on Santa Cruz streets after the deadline last week, the city followed through on a promise to take action.

โ€œThe city is impounding the scooters,โ€ City Spokesperson Joyce Blaschke told GT on Monday, though it is not clear when or how Bird might reclaim the devices. โ€œTheyโ€™re following the cease-and-desist letter.โ€

There may still be a happy ending for scooter enthusiasts. Bird told GT on Monday that the startup expects to meet with city officials this week.

โ€œBird hopes to work closely with city officials to develop a framework that works for everyone so that the Santa Cruz community can have access to our fun and affordable transportation option,โ€ a spokesperson said in an email. โ€œWe are in touch with city officials and we look forward to meeting with them this week.โ€

App Adversaries

As for when residents might see scooters back on the street, City Manager Martรญn Bernal made it clear in a statement last week that companies would be wise to adhere to local business laws if they want to stay up and running.

โ€œBirdโ€™s approach is dismissive of the hundreds of businesses in Santa Cruz who play by the rules, receive proper permits and licenses, and operate legally,โ€ Bernal said.

The model of insta-renting electric devices to get from Point A to Point B will be familiar to local residents who have used the bright orange, Uber-owned Jump bikes available in Santa Cruz since earlier this year. Similarly, the Bird app works by allowing users to upload a credit card, use a map to locate nearby scooters, then take a picture of a code on the device to ride for $1, plus 20 cents per minute.

When the scooters first appeared last week, many were neatly arranged in small clusters around midtown and near downtown Santa Cruz. At least three dozen scooters spread from the Westside to Seabright appeared ready to ride on the Bird mobile app. By Tuesday, the app was still active in Santa Cruz, but showed only a few available scooters across town, including one approaching Scotts Valley. Bird declined to comment on its future plans in the city.

Bird map
SMALL FLOCK Just a few scooters were available on the Bird app near Santa Cruz by Tuesday, Sept. 18.

Like ridesharing providers Uber and Lyft before them, e-scooter companies are an example of the often-thorny relationship between fast-moving startups and local governments. The friction is especially obvious with transportation in California, where many environmental and social groups are already campaigning for more alternatives to notoriously car-centric urban sprawl.

Trouble tends to arise with e-scooters in particular because of the devicesโ€™ top speeds of around 20 miles per hour, sometimes making it dicey to share bike lanes or sidewalks, and providersโ€™ reluctance to police their users. In addition to a reputation for asking cities for forgiveness rather than permission to launch scooter-sharing systems, Bird and its competitors have argued that they shouldnโ€™t be responsible for users who ride recklessly or leave devices in the public right of way.

In San Jose, where Bird and Lime have been operating e-scooter sharing systems since spring, officials say they donโ€™t have enough cops for regular traffic stops, let alone scooter incidents. Instead of banning the devices, the city has allowed them to be used while crafting scooter-specific traffic regulations expected later this fall, said Colin Heyne, a spokesman for the San Jose Department of Transportation.

โ€œWeโ€™re trying to figure out ways to allow these innovations to happen on the public right of way, just to make sure theyโ€™re safe and responsible as they happen,โ€ Heyne said in a May interview.

Early last year, Bird Founder and CEO Travis VanderZanden, who previously worked at both Uber and Lyft, released the startupโ€™s own โ€œSave Our Sidewalksโ€ (S.O.S.) pledge. He committed Bird to only introducing new scooters if devices are ridden three or more times per day, paying cities $1 per vehicle per day for traffic infrastructure, and ensuring that scooters are picked up every night (usually by paid contractors called โ€œBird huntersโ€).

Competitor company Lime has also floated the idea of a Hunger Games-esque scenario where users are asked to report other users. Lime already requires users to submit a photo of how they park their scooter in order for a trip to officially end and billing to stop. The company has also considered asking riders to submit photos of other ridersโ€™ parking fails, or offering yet-undefined โ€œincentivesโ€ for good behavior, said Sam Dreiman, Limeโ€™s director of strategic development for California, in a May interview.

Santa Cruz Transportation Planner Claire Fliesler told GT in June that the city had no plans to pursue a scooter system, since planners were focused on building out bike sharing. Still, she said, local officials have been following the saga of e-scooters in neighboring cities.

In a departure from San Joseโ€™s approach, San Francisco temporarily banned the devices following concerns about mowing down pedestrians and sloppy parking that obstructed sidewalks. In late August, the city began allowing licensed operators back on the road, though they notably barred Bird, Lime and several other competitors from the newly legal industry.

Rob Breznyโ€™s Astrology Sept 19-25

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Free will astrology for the week of Sept. 19, 2018.

ARIES Mar 21โ€“Apr 19

โ€œThe flower doesnโ€™t dream of the bee. It blossoms and the bee comes.โ€ So says poet and philosopher Mark Nepo in The Book of Awakening. Now Iโ€™m transmitting his observation to you. I hope it will motivate you to expend less energy fantasizing about what you want and devote more energy to becoming the beautiful, useful, irresistible presence that will attract what you want. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to make plans to produce very specific blossoms.

TAURUS Apr 20โ€“May 20

Budi Waseso, the former head of the Indonesian governmentโ€™s anti-narcotics division, had a radical plan to prevent escapes by people convicted of drug-related crimes. He sought to build detention centers that would be surrounded by moats filled with crocodiles and piranhas. But his replacement, Heru Winarko, has a different approach. He wants addicts and dealers to receive counseling in comfortable rehabilitation centers. I hope that in the coming weeks, as you deal with weaknesses, flaws, and sinsโ€”both your own and othersโ€™โ€”youโ€™ll opt for an approach more like Winarkoโ€™s than Wasesoโ€™s.

GEMINI May 21โ€“June 20

In one sense, a โ€œpatron saintโ€ is a Catholic saint who is a heavenly advocate for a person, group, activity, thing, or place. St. Jude is the patron saint of lost causes, for instance. St. Francis of Assisi is the guardian of animal welfare and St. Kentigern is the protector against verbal abusers. โ€œPatron saintโ€ may also be invoked poetically to refer to a person who serves as a special guide or influence. For example, in one of his short stories, Nathaniel Hawthorne refers to a veteran nurse as โ€œthe patron saint of young physicians.โ€ In accordance with current astrological omens, I invite you to fantasize about persons, groups, activities, things, or places for whom you might be the patron saint. To spur your imagination, here are some appropriate possibilities. You could be the patron saint of the breeze at dawn; of freshly picked figs; of singing humorous love songs in the sunlight; of unpredictable romantic adventures; of life-changing epiphanies while hiking in nature; of soul-stirring music.

CANCER Jun 21โ€“Jul 22

In August 1933, author Virginia Woolf wrote a critical note to her friend, the composer Ethel Smyth, lamenting her lack of emotional subtlety. โ€œFor you,โ€ Woolf told Smyth, โ€œeither things are black, or theyโ€™re white; either theyโ€™re sobs or shoutsโ€”whereas, I always glide from semi-tone to semi-tone.โ€ In the coming weeks, fellow Cancerian, you may encounter people who act like Smyth. But it will be your sacred duty, both to yourself and to life, to remain loyal and faithful to the rich complexity of your feelings.

LEO Jul 23โ€“Aug 22

โ€œPeople think of education as something they can finish,โ€ said writer and scientist Isaac Asimov, who wrote or edited over 500 books. His point was that weโ€™re wise to be excited about learning new lessons as long as weโ€™re on this earth. To cultivate maximum vitality, we should always be engaged in the processes of absorbing new knowledge and mastering new skills and deepening our understanding. Does that sound appealing to you, Leo? I hope so, especially in the coming weeks, when you will have an enhanced ability to see the big picture of your future needs for education.

VIRGO Aug 23โ€“Sep 22

Virgo businessman Warren Buffett is among the top five wealthiest people on the planet. In an average year, his company Berkshire Hathaway adds $36 billion to its already swollen coffers. But in 2017, thanks to the revision of the U.S. tax code by President Trump and his buddies,ย Buffet earned $65 billionโ€”an increase of 83 percent over his usual haul. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, youโ€™re entering a year-long phase when your financial chances could have a mild resemblance to Buffetโ€™s 2017. Iโ€™m not predicting your earnings willย increase by 83 percent. But 15 percent isnโ€™t unreasonable. So start planning how youโ€™ll do it!

LIBRA Sep 23โ€“Oct 22

As he stepped up to use an ATM in a supermarket, a Scottish man named Colin Banks found ยฃ30 (about $40 U.S.) that the person who used the machine before him had inadvertently neglected to take. But rather than pocketing it, Banks turned it into a staff member, and eventually the cash was reunited with its proper owner. Shortly after performing his good deed, Bank won ยฃ50,000 (about $64,500 U.S.) in a game of chance. It was instant karma in dramatic actionโ€”the positive kind! My analysis of the astrological omens reveals that youโ€™reย more likely than usual to benefit from expeditious cosmic justice like that. Thatโ€™s why I suggest you intensify your commitment to doing good deeds.

SCORPIO Oct 23โ€“Nov 21

As you dive down into your soulโ€™s depths in quest for renewal, remember this testimony from poet Scherezade Siobhan: โ€œI want to dig out what is ancient in me, the mistaken-for-monster . . . and let it teach me how to be unafraid again.โ€ Are you brave and brazen enough to do that yourself? Itโ€™s an excellent time to douse your fear by drawing wild power from the primal sources of your life. To earn the right to soar through the heights in November and December, delve as deep as you can in the coming weeks.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22โ€“Dec 21

According to author Elizabeth Gilbert, hereโ€™s โ€œthe central question upon which all creative living hinges: do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?โ€ When I read that thought, my first response was, why are the treasures hidden? Shouldnโ€™t they be completely obvious? My second response was, why do you need courage to bring forthย the treasures? Shouldnโ€™t that be the easiest and most enjoyable task imaginable? Everything you just read is a perfect riddle for you to contemplate during the next 14 months, Sagittarius.

CAPRICORN Dec 22โ€“Jan 19

A blogger named Sage Grace offers her readers a listof โ€œcool things to call me besides cute.โ€ They include dazzling, alluring, sublime, magnificent, and exquisite. Is it OK if I apply those same adjectives to you, Capricorn? Iโ€™d like to add a few more, as well: resplendent, delightful, intriguing, magnetic, and incandescent. I hope that in response you donโ€™t flinch with humility or protest that youโ€™re not worthy of such glorification. According to my astrological analysis, now is one of those times when you deserve extra appreciation for your idiosyncratic appealย and intelligence. Tell your allies and loved ones that I said so. Inform them, too, that giving you this treatment could help mobilize one of your half-asleep potentials.

AQUARIUS Jan 20โ€“Feb 18

Many educated Americans and Europeans think of reincarnation as a loony delusion, even though itโ€™s a cornerstone of spiritual belief for over 1.5 billion earthlings. I myself regard it as a hypothesis worthy of intelligent consideration, although Iโ€™d need hundreds of pages to explain my version of it. However you imagine it, Aquarius, you now have extra access to knowledge and skills and proclivities you possessed in what we might refer to as your โ€œpast livesโ€โ€”especially in those past lives in which you were an explorer, maverick, outlaw, or pioneer. I bet youโ€™ll feel freer and more experimental than usual during the next four weeks.

PISCES Feb 19โ€“Mar 20

โ€œWhen the winds of change blow,โ€ says a Chinese proverb,ย โ€œsome people build walls while others build windmills.โ€ย Since the light breezes of change may soon evolve intoย brisk gusts of change in your vicinity, I wanted to bringย this thought to your attention. Will you be more inclined toย respond by constructing walls or windmills? I donโ€™t think itย would be foolish for you to favor the walls, but in the longย run I suspect that windmills would serve you better.

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Santa Cruz Grounds Bird Electric Scooters โ€” For Now

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Rob Breznyโ€™s Astrology Sept 19-25

Astrology, Horoscope, Stars, Zodiac Signs
Free will astrology for the week of Sept. 19, 2018.
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