Hi friends,
My buddy ChatGPT tells me that there are now about 45 people, give or take, in the United States named “Jeffrey Epstein.” Wonder how their summer is going?
Now, on with the show.
THIS JUST IN
Tickets are now on sale to see former first lady Jill Biden when she visits Kaiser Permanente Arena on Sept. 27. Longtime NPR voice and host of “All Things Considered” Ari Shapiro comes to the Kuumbwa Jazz Center to perform his cabaret show based on his memoir Nov. 7. Country star and onetime Santa Cruzan Lacy J. Dalton comes to El Vaquero Winery on Aug. 16. Jazz singer Sasha Dobson, who grew up in a prominent musical Santa Cruz family, revisits her hometown at Kuumbwa on Nov. 13. Another local jazz star, Claudia Villela, is set to perform at Kuumbwa on Nov. 17. Novelist Paula Saunders is set to visit Bookshop Santa Cruz on Sept. 4. And the fine indie rock band Real Estate comes to Felton Music Hall on Sept. 12.
Be sure to check out Lookout’s carefully curated and constantly updated planning guide, Down the Line, for the staggering riches and amazing choices awaiting Santa Cruz audiences. It’s our look ahead at the best shows, concerts and events through the rest of the year at clubs, stages and venues all over the county.
Protest day
Former congressman and iconic civil-rights figure John Lewis died five years ago Thursday, which is why Indivisible Santa Cruz and GoodTroubleLivesOn.org are staging a number of political protests around the county Thursday, from 4 to 6 p.m. Lewis — who had been arrested and assaulted countless times protesting for civil rights — coined the phrase “good trouble” to characterize political protest, and Thursday’s protests against Trump administration policies and actions will be evoking that idea.
If you want to participate, the protests will take place at a handful of local intersections — Mission & Laurel streets and Ocean & Water streets in Santa Cruz, 41st Avenue & Capitola Road in Capitola, Soquel Drive & Porter Street and Soquel Drive & Park Avenue in Soquel, Soquel Drive and State Park Drive in Aptos, and Highway 9 and Graham Hill Road in Felton. To register for the protest, send an email to issueteam@indivisiblesantacruzcounty.com.
Union trivia
I’ve got a soft spot for trivia contests, and coming up there’s a unique trivia event coming up. It’s called Labor Union Trivia Night, and it happens Wednesday, July 30, at Woodhouse Blending & Brewing in Santa Cruz. The event is open to everyone, but anyone who is a union member will get happy-hour pricing on refreshments. Things get started at 6:30 p.m.
Paddle-out for J
Next Wednesday, July 23, at 10 a.m., friends and fans of the late Wallace J. Nichols will gather for a memorial paddle-out. A longtime Santa Cruzan, Nichols, who died in June 2024, was most known for his book “Blue Mind,” and for his work spotlighting the biological roots of the human affinity for bodies of water. Gather down at Cowell Beach near the Santa Cruz Wharf to pay tribute to the man and his work.
CHECK THIS OUT
Best 9: Top events for the week ahead in Santa Cruz County arts & entertainment, July 17-24
THIS WEEK IN A&E
Santa Cruz’s big summer theater season begins this week with Sondheim, Shakespeare
Both Santa Cruz Shakespeare and Cabrillo Stage are opening their summer calendars this week, with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Sweeney Todd” and “Into the Woods” on the slate.
New ‘Princes’ exhibit at MAH embraces the whole of Santa Cruz’s history of surfing
A new exhibition at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History brings back a popular show from 2015 about the three Hawaiian princes who first brought surfing to Santa Cruz. But, with the addition of a look back at the surf shops of the […]
Fun, sun and ‘agape’: Who is the True Love Christian Music Festival for?
The True Love Christian Music Festival comes to Aptos Village Park for its fifth year as a collaborative effort among many Santa Cruz County churches to open up their message of Christianity to the general public.
Former first lady Jill Biden to speak at Santa Cruz’s Kaiser Permanente Arena
Former first lady and longtime educator Jill Biden is coming to Santa Cruz to speak at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m.
Santa Cruz author Bridget Lyons talks nature-human intersection in Bookshop event
Local author Bridget A. Lyons will discuss her new book, “Entwined: Dispatches from the Intersection of Species,” on July 22 at Bookshop Santa Cruz.
UCSC-based Dickens Project hosts Victorian-themed Curiosity Gala
Dress up in your best Victorian attire for the Curiosity Gala, an event to support The Dickens Project, an academic consortium headquartered at UC Santa Cruz that researches English writer Charles Dickens and his contemporaries.
Photo contest invites Californians to capture and share the beauty of state parks
The California State Parks Foundation invites park visitors and photographers of all ages and skill levels to snap shots of the natural beauty, recreational activities and diverse landscapes of California’s state parks through its photo contest. Submissions are open now and run through Sept. 30.
That’s all I got, friends. Come at me with comments, ideas, complaints, or thundering insights. Thanks to all Lookout members for your faith and support, and please, spread the word on what we’re doing.