Student Lookout: Graduation, Juneteenth, tasty pastries and revisiting a cult classic

Happy Friday, everyone,

Aaaaand congratulations! You made it through the final week of the academic year and some of you are off to commencement, while others will simply watch and celebrate. Either way, it’s certainly safe to say that it whups taking finals.

I’m sure you all have parties and grad events to attend this weekend, so let’s make this final school year edition of Student Lookout quick. Spending time with your friends is the most important thing this weekend.

If you haven’t signed up for your FREE Lookout membership, enter your phone number below to register. In addition to unlimited access to all of Lookout, you’ll receive exclusive Student Lookout text alerts every Friday with deals, recommendations and more.

Let’s get it going …

Deals Download

• Students (and teachers) get 10% off at Well Within on Thursdays.
• HoM Korean Kitchen offers 15% off for students.
• Seymour Marine Discovery Center offers free admission to UC Santa Cruz students and 25% off for all student tickets.

BEST DEAL OF THE MONTH: Student tickets at Kuumbwa Jazz

Located in downtown Santa Cruz, Kuumbwa Jazz is a nonprofit providing Santa Cruz the full spectrum of jazz music through live performance and education. Check out an upcoming show and take advantage of discounted student tickets.

➤ Want to share these deals with your friends? Have them sign up for Student Lookout texts with this link.

Good Eats

Manresa Bread ($$-$$$)

A selection of pastries at Manresa Bread.

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

As an ex-Verve Coffee employee, I am quite accustomed to Manresa pastries, as that’s what we sold day in and day out. Even so, I never got tired of them, and in fact, still highly enjoy them. Luckily for me, and now for all of you, Manresa has a Westside shop on Ingalls Street so you don’t have to trek over Highway 17 to get your hands on the delicious baked goods. Its ham and cheese brioches are obscenely good, and if you want something sweet, go for the kouign amann (pronounced “queen ah-mahn”). It’s basically a mix of a glazed donut and a croissant bun — and I know that sounds irresistible.

This week, Jessica M. Pasko — one of the local food writers filling in for Lily Belli while she’s on parental leave — wrote about a rather unconventional local popsicle from Santa Cruz Fungi. Wouldn’t you know that the icy treats are infused with various mushrooms?

INSIDE SANTA CRUZ: Juneteenth events coming to a spot near you

For those unfamiliar with Monday’s holiday, June 19th, or Juneteenth, commemorates the celebration held by newly freed slaves in Galveston Bay, Texas, in 1865 as Union troops told them the news of their freedom nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth stands today as a long-standing tradition among African Americans to celebrate culture, freedom and equality.

Those wishing to participate in the festivities can attend Santa Cruz’s annual Juneteenth celebration Saturday at Laurel Park behind London Nelson Community Center, starting at noon. There will be music, booths, soul food and kids activities.

If you’re unable to make the celebration but still want to partake in celebrating Black liberation and culture, organizations throughout the community will be holding their own events.

Santa Cruz Juneteenth is also hosting a Juneteenth hike and meditation at Wilder Ranch State Park on Sunday. The group is planning a moderate 2-mile hike with a meditation ceremony taking place at the beach. The goal of this event is to make space for nature and self-appreciation through mindfulness and expression.

Also Sunday, Black Surf Santa Cruz is hosting its third Liberation Paddle Out at Cowell Beach, with beach games, food and free equipment for use.

For those looking to add learning and conversations around social change to their Juneteenth celebrations, check out the March Towards Love & Courage on Monday. The march, organized by local activist Thairie Ritchie, will move from London Nelson Community Center to Santa Cruz City Hall and aims to foster conversations about unity, education and community-led solutions to social issues.

Around Town - Events

I was considering taking events out entirely this week because, let’s face it, I’m willing to bet y’all already have plenty planned out. However, if you have time, here’s something to check out this weekend:

Free Movies on the Beach: “The Lost Boys”, Friday, 9 p.m.

Before you leave Santa Cruz for the summer — or forever — check out perhaps the most iconic Santa Cruz film in a picture-perfect setting, Main Beach by the Boardwalk. The vampire flick is not only an ‘80s classic, but uses Santa Cruz as a character at a time when it was dubbed “the murder capital of the world.”

➤ Want more? If you’re still looking for great things to do, check out Wallace Baine’s Weekender here.

This week, I (re-)watched: “Session 9,” directed by Brad Anderson

Still from “Session 9.”

(Via Bloody Disgusting)

This is one of those movies I had definitely seen at least once in the past, but the details are always so fuzzy when I try to remember them. That said, I did recall it being reasonably good, and know that the 2001 movie has garnered a status as somewhat of a cult classic. So I figured it was time to watch it again now that my prefrontal cortex is apparently fully developed.

I’m pleased to say that I was right! It is reasonably good — but nothing more.

The slow-burn psychological horror makes good use of its economical 93-minute runtime and bare-bones plot, which involves an asbestos clearing crew who take up a job at an abandoned mental asylum. Surely nothing could go horribly wrong here, right? The acting is a little wooden at times, but most of the cast serviceably depicts ordinary guys finding themselves in way over their heads, and you soon realize you don’t know who to trust. The atmosphere is the film’s biggest strength — it’s paranoid, oppressive and grim, and gets more compelling as it approaches the climax, even if the end result isn’t much you haven’t seen before.

Anyway, it’s a nice little watch for any atmospheric horror fans, especially for a movie made off of pennies. Pro tip: Stay away from abandoned mental asylums.

Rating: 3.5/5

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And that’s a wrap on the school year already. Thanks as always for reading, and for bringing me along with you for the past nine months. Feel free to shoot me a text with any questions or feedback. I’m always here!

Have a great summer, and once again, congratulations to all!

— Max