Business Notes: Valley kids’ center throws fall festival

The Children’s Center of the San Lorenzo Valley, 8500 Highway 9, in Ben Lomond, will host a fall harvest fundraiser and salute to local firefighters Oct. 25.
The festival will honor firefighters and include family-friendly games, activities, music, food, local artisans and a raffle. Proceeds from the festival will benefit the nonprofit center.
Admission is free, and tickets will be sold for games, activities and food.
For information: Steve Tanner, [email protected]; or Lisa Farnsworth, [email protected].
Prius prize benefits schools
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Toyota of Santa Cruz launched their fifth annual Drive for Schools raffle this week.
Students from 60 Santa Cruz County schools, including those in the San Lorenzo Valley, Scotts Valley and Bonny Doon, will sell raffle tickets for $5 each for a chance to win a 2010 Toyota Prius donated by the dealership and the boardwalk.
The ticket price goes directly to each student’s school.
The drawing for the Prius and other prizes will be at 1 p.m. Oct. 25 on the boardwalk’s Beach Bandstand.
For information: www.beachboardwalk.com/driveforschools.
BC Salon back in business
Boulder Creek’s Creative Hands Full Service Salon is back in business with its original owner. Mona Estes, who opened the salon in 1999 and left for Hollywood in 2001, is back in town and ready to serve her customers.
“We do everything,” Estes said — waxing, acrylic nails, color, barbering and perms.
The store is open seven days a week and is offering a 25 percent discount to new clients. Creative Hands is at 12560 Highway 9 in Boulder Creek. Patrons can make an appointment or drop by.
For information: 338-2697.
Seagate launches new devices
Scotts Valley-based Seagate Technology Inc. has launched its FreeAgent DockStar network adapter, a portable backup device that can access data on a user’s computer from anywhere at any time.
The $99.99 DockStar connects to a Seagate portable backup drive, sold separately.
On the go, users can access their data via the Web or even using an iPhone.
Seagate’s Barracuda XT, a compact desktop hard drive the company promotes as its fastest at 6 gigabits per second, also launched recently for $299. The drive is designed for high-performance aficionados, content-creation artists and high-end media PCs.
Felton studio promotes health
Balance Studio Spa has a new low-cost clinic to help those with weight loss and addiction troubles, with hopes to open the first holistic drug rehabilitation center in the valley.
The clinic’s drop-in hours are from 1 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays for services like $1 massages, $10 acupuncture and $5 infrared sauna treatments.
Balance Studio Spa is at 912 Lakeside Drive in Felton.
For information: 335-8335.
• Submit information about business openings, management changes and other news to [email protected] or 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley 95066.