Senior Caregiver Resource Fair returns to Ben Lomond
Highlands Park Senior and Community Center and the Valley Women’s Club of San Lorenzo Valley will host the annual Senior Caregiver and Family Resource Fair from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Highlands Park Senior Center, 8500 Highway 9.
The free event is designed for older adults, veterans, caregivers and adult children planning for their own care or a loved one’s.
The fair will offer resources covering care and living management, compensation and time off to caregive, housing, degenerative disease, transportation, social connections, health and well-being, respite and end-of-life care, food and nutrition, disaster preparedness, financial and legal aid, and fraud prevention and technology training.
Attendees also can learn how to access “Affording Aging” resources, including utility discount programs, free cell phones, and subsidized internet and hardware assistance. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/caregiverfair or call 831-336-8900.
Birding walk set at Loch Lomond
Ornithologist Alex Rinkert will lead a birding walk through Loch Lomond from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12.
Hosted by the Santa Cruz Water Department, the free event will give participants an opportunity to identify birds and explore the reservoir during the fall.
The walk is part of the department’s Loch Lomond Learning Series, a collection of free educational events focused on the ecosystem of Loch Lomond, the city’s primary water source.
Participants can reserve a spot by calling 831-335-7424 or sign up at the entrance kiosk upon arrival.
Local stars take the stage at County Fair
Local performers will headline the live concert lineup at the 2026 Santa Cruz County Fair, with Watsonville native Andy Vargas and Santa Cruz native James Durbin scheduled to perform.
Vargas, lead singer of Santana, will perform with his band Friday, Sept. 18. The Las Vegas performer was born and raised in Watsonville and will be joined for select songs by his father, Javier Vargas. Durbin, an “American Idol” alum, will perform with The Lost Boys on Saturday, Sept. 19.
Monster trucks also will return to the fairgrounds Sept. 16-17 with the Monster X Tour. The 10,000-pound trucks will compete in racing, wheelie contests and freestyle events. An autograph pit party will offer attendees an opportunity to meet drivers and see the trucks up close. An additional ticket is required for the Monster X Tour.
The 2026 Santa Cruz County Fair will feature live music, local performers and the theme “Apple Pies and Starry Skies!” Visit santacruzcountyfair.com for more information.
Scotts Valley author wins book award
Scotts Valley children’s author Brian Strickland has received the Booky Award for Best Gift-Book for Young Readers for his independently published picture book, “FARTBIRDS – A Feathered Farting Frenzy.”
The book is one of four independently published children’s picture books by Strickland, whose stories began as bedtime adventures shared with his two daughters.
The award recognizes the book’s marketability and storytelling. Booky Awards judges praised its ability to weave meaningful lessons into a humorous adventure, noting that “the honesty theme is earned through plot rather than tacked on as a moral.”
“These stories began as bedtime adventures for my daughters,” Strickland said. “To see one of them receive national recognition is something I never imagined, and I’m incredibly grateful.”
A Scotts Valley resident for eight years and a Santa Cruz County resident since 1997, Strickland spent more than 25 years in the technology industry before pursuing writing. His books focus on imagination, kindness, courage, confidence, friendship and family.
“FARTBIRDS – A Feathered Farting Frenzy” follows Pipkin, a bird whose humorous adventure encourages young readers to embrace honesty, friendship and acceptance.
“Every adventure begins as a bedtime story,” Strickland said. “If my books help families laugh together and create memories they’ll remember for years, then I’ve accomplished exactly what I hoped to do.”
More information is available at BrianStricklandAuthor.com.
