Morning Lookout: A Westside guitar heavyweight, archaeology in Scotts Valley and gaps in life skills

Hiya, folks! It is Thursday, Dec. 29, and it’s rain, rain, rain in the forecast for Santa Cruz County for the rest of 2022, so play it safe out there.

There’s lots of new stuff on Lookout this morning, and if you want to explore solo, right this way.
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“The father of boutique guitars” is the focus of the latest in Wallace Baine’s year-end Remembrance 2022 series, with Rick Turner’s influence on the Grateful Dead and Fleetwood Mac just part of his enduring legacy.

In Scotts Valley, meanwhile, an overhaul is underway of a display outlining Santa Cruz County’s oldest documented archaeological site, which sits under what’s now Scotts Valley City Hall. Hillary Ojeda gets the details from some of those involved.

Life skills are on the mind of Marisa Messina, she writes in our Community Voices opinion section — and she’s still very much learning how to navigate the real world and fill in the gaps left despite a top-flight education at Stanford and elsewhere.

And Lookout photojournalist Kevin Painchaud went behind the scenes with the Flynn Creek Circus, performing through New Year’s Day under the big top in the Capitola Mall parking lot, so read along for what he saw from a show Wallace found “astonishing.”

To the headlines!

Guitar maker Rick Turner’s deep and continually unfolding influence

(Via YouTube)

Known as “the father of boutique guitars” whose path intertwined with the Grateful Dead and Fleetwood Mac, among many others, Rick Turner rocked the world from his Westside Santa Cruz shop. Turner died at 78 in April after a stroke. Read more from Wallace Baine.

➤ REMEMBRANCE 2022: Mas Hashimoto’s relentless campaign to remember
➤ REMEMBRANCE 2022: Gwen Marcum and the art of bookselling

At Scotts Valley City Hall, Santa Cruz County’s oldest documented archaeological site display gets an update

(Hillary Ojeda / Lookout Santa Cruz)

While most Santa Cruz County residents might not realize it, one of the oldest documented archaeological sites in California is located under the Scotts Valley City Hall and police department. Local archaeologists and community members are upgrading a display at the Scotts Valley City Hall to reflect its importance. Hillary Ojeda reports.

➤ A LOCAL GUIDE: Scotts Valley, a (really nice) place apart

One more thing before I go: Lookout is working on an ongoing series exploring working life and we’d love your input. How did you get your job? What do you love most about it? What are the biggest challenges? What do students and recent graduates need to know about how to get into your industry? Share your stories and career advice with us — email us at news@lookoutlocal.com and put “career advice” in the subject line.

Wallace Baine will be along presently with Weekender, his newsletter covering the Santa Cruz County arts and culture scene that’s packed with recommendations for things to do — and I highly recommend you click here to get that and all of Lookout’s newsletters, plus breaking news, sent right to you. If you’re out there on the socials, following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is also a great way to stay in the know.

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Take care if you’re heading out into this rainy Thursday, and I’ll see you back here Friday for the last Morning Lookout of 2022!

Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz