The scene was festive; the sun was shining, and the waves were firing in perfect conditions for last weekend’s annual Women on Waves Surf Fest longboarding contest at CapitolaBeach. LocalSan LorenzoValley surfers, April Martin-Hansen and Susie Deutsch couldn’t stop smiling after dominating their preliminary and final heats in the Juniors and Grand Masters age divisions, respectively.

On Saturday, October 24, the SLVHS Cougar Basketball team will be hosting a poker tournament in hopes of raising money for this season. Dinner will be served from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. and poker starts at 6:00 p.m. at Felton Community Hall, 6191 Hwy. 9. Normal price  is $100, but the first 50 people to sign-up and pay can get $25 off and only pay $75 for dinner and night of poker and fun.

From November 7th to 21st, Cabrillo TheatreArts will present the world premiere of a Kaufman and Perri musical, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The contemporary version of the classic Christmas tale still asks the question, “Who can know the hearts we touch and the lives we change?”

At 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, there was a quiet buzz in the SocialCenter at Brookdale-ScottsValley as more than 50 people gathered to celebrate Beulah Sutton’s birthday once again.

Bluefin have been consistently spotted and caught by local anglers while fishing within 15 miles of the Santa CruzHarbor. Having Bluefin Tuna here locally is not unheard of but it is also not common. The last time we had a nice showing was the year 2000. 

There is a tendency to view our local artists through the long-standing stereotypical lenses as being lofty dreamers and flaky hippy types who need to “get a real job.” However, this caricature grossly misrepresents the myriad of visual and performing artists working and living in the San LorenzoValley and ScottsValley areas. I was fortunate to recently interview local artist, Linda A. Levy in her art studio in an attempt to take a behind-the-scenes peek into the lives, work, and inspiration of one of our local artists.