Time-honored neighborhood nexus Seabright Social (519 Seabright Ave. Santa Cruz), formerly Seabright Brewery, closes Sept. 1, as the three-year Murray Street Bridge retrofit has made maintaining slim profit margins impossible.
Purchased by Jason and Keiki McKay and Jon Bates during the pandemic in 2020, Seabright Social won’t go out with a whimper, but a band. Sons of Surf play 6pm on Sunday, Aug. 31, preceded by DJ Pabulem 7pm Saturday Aug.
And there is some progress at work to support the two dozen Santa Cruz Harbor and Seabright restaurants affected by the ongoing bridge repair. A petition calling for pedestrian and bike access approaches 2,000 signatures as I have to file this column.
“We, the undersigned, respectfully request pedestrian and cyclist access across the Santa Cruz Harbor via the Murray Street Rail Bridge for the duration of the…closure,” it reads. “This temporary access is crucial for the survival of small businesses and the well-being of the two neighborhoods that have been severely impacted by the closure.”
More at change.org/open-the-rail-bridge.
Other modest morsels of uplift merit mention. One, SeaSosh’s sister spot Cantine Winepub (8050 Soquel Drive, Suite B, Aptos) still flows a great time—and just celebrated its 10th anniversary, cantinewinepub.com.
Keiki McKay helps steer things over there, and at the Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains collective, where she is executive director.
As Laura Ness reports for Edible Monterey Bay, in a quiet but potentially transformative vote, county supervisors unanimously backed the new Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Improvement District earlier this month.
By pooling a 1% fee on winery sales, the region’s vintners hope to use the funds to elevate their profile, attract more visitors and cement the AVA’s identity as a standout wine destination.
That move gains contextual import as it hits the same month Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association discontinued its own grower group’s advocacy and education efforts—after more than four decades—citing flagging funds and hinting at a reinvention in another format.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
A second serving of tough news arrives direct from the source: “After 15 years of flipping burgers and sharing laughs, Betty’s Eat Inn will be closing our Downtown Santa Cruz location [1222 Pacific Ave.] on Aug. 17,” its team reports on social media. “It’s a tough call, but like many small businesses in the area, we’ve been feeling the effects of reduced foot traffic, fewer visitors, and a downtown environment that’s been harder and harder to thrive in.” The good news: Other Betty Burgers outposts remain open in Aptos, on 41st Avenue and in Seabright, though the latter ranks among the many nearby restaurants wrestling with the effects of limited access.
NIMBLE NIBBLES
Campaign for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture hosts a rally around organic farming near schools and residences 3-5pm Sunday, Aug. 24, at Barrios Unidos (1817 Soquel Ave.), parlaying a short film and great speakers on converting Watsonville to more regenerative farming practices, followed with a show by the Chicano All Stars. farmworkerfamily.org/cora…Downtown S.C.’s Summer Sunset Series continues 5-8pm every Thursday evening through Sept. 18, stocked with artisans, farmers, businesses, local food vendors, downtown restaurants and live music, downtownsantacruz.com/do/sunset-market…Boulder Creek Fire Department Summer Dance & BBQ gets smokin’ 5:30-11pm Saturday, Aug. 23, at Boulder Creek Firehouse (13230 Highway 9, Boulder Creek) with live music from Neon City Limits and Bootleg Country Band and James Durbin, bpt.me/6672301…downtownsantacruz.com/do/sunset-market rumble on 5-8pm at Skypark (261 Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley) with dope curated rolling foodie options, live music and beer + wine garden to benefit local schools…This feels like a good column for Buddha to breathe us out on: “It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act.”
