SANTA CRUZ

Kiwanis Club to hold Crab Fest fundraiser

The Kiwanis Club of Surf City Santa Cruz will be holding its 44th annual Crab Fest fundraiser on Saturday, March 8, at the Santa Cruz Elks Lodge, 150 Jewell St., from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

There are currently a maximum of 300 crab dinner pre-sale tickets available through the club’s website at surfcitykiwanis.com for $75/person, or $25/person for pasta-only dinners. As part of the fundraiser, there will be raffle prizes and a silent auction. The Elks Lodge will also have a full-service cash bar during the event. The Kiwanis Club hopes the community, supporters and crab lovers alike will join for a fun evening in support of some great causes. Funds from the fest will go toward local youth services, accessible parks and college scholarships.

CAPITOLA

Mid County Senior Center benefit dance

The Mid County Senior Center will be hosting a benefit dance and concert featuring Stormin’ Norman and the Cyclones from 7-9 p.m. Friday at 829 Bay Ave.

Cost of admission is $10. The Mid County Senior Center provides a variety of programs and activities for the local community. Ages 18 and over are welcome to participate in the dances.

SANTA CRUZ

Youth suicide symposium registration open

The 27th annual Jon E. Nadherny/Calciano Memorial Youth Symposium will take place Friday, March 7, at the Cocoanut Grove at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, 400 Beach St., from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. This all-day educational conference is titled “Building Youth Mental Health Supports: Social Media, Services, and Youth Voices in Prevention, Early Intervention, & Wellbeing” and will feature speakers from the Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences from Stanford University School of Medicine. Additionally, local experts as well as youth with lived experiences will be presenting. To register or for more information please visit calcianoyouthsymposium.org.

WATSONVILLE

Nonprofit to host habitat restoration celebration

Watsonville Wetlands Watch and the city of Watsonville will co-host their annual World Wetlands Day celebration on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. along Struve Slough, near Pennsylvania Avenue and Green Valley Road. The celebration includes a habitat restoration project, educational activities hosted by local environmental and climate organizations, and music. Volunteers will install thousands of native plants along Struve Slough as a part of the Middle Struve Slough habitat restoration and water quality improvement projects, funded by the Ocean Protection Council and the Habitat Conservation Fund.

Event registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. by the butterfly statue near the Struve Slough trailhead, located in the lower parking lot of the Watsonville Square Shopping Center, 1934 Main St.

SANTA CRUZ

SIR to host wildfire preparation guest speaker

SIR will be hosting its monthly meeting featuring guest speaker Chris Gordon, founder of natural hazard disclosure service GeoDisclosures, who will be discussing wildfire evacuation and preparation at noon on Feb. 5, at the Elks Lodge, 150 Jewell St. In addition, Jessica Murawsky of Cassidy Insurance Agency will present insurance companies giving superior coverage for health, home, auto and family.

An 11 a.m. optional social hour will take place prior to the general meeting. The meeting will wrap up with a chef prepared luncheon and the entertainment, concluding at about 2 p.m.

SIR promotes Social Activities for Enhancing Life. This statewide, non-affiliated nonprofit is dedicated to offering men over 50 — retired or not — a variety of programs and activities designed for socializing, making new friends and enjoying their free time. Email Jeff Ustick at jeffustick@gmail.com for an invitation to this event or visit sirinc2.org/branch20 for more information.

SANTA CRUZ

Bookshop to host the Hive Live! literary event

Join The Hive Poetry Collective as they host The Hive Live! Tuesday, March 11, 7 p.m. at Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave. Featured poets for the evening are Ellen Bass, Jan Beatty and Luke Johnson. Register to attend at forms.gle/SvbPHpAfkse4kDX38.

A chancellor emerita of the Academy of American Poets, Bass founded poetry workshops at Salinas Valley State Prison and Santa Cruz jails, and teaches in the MFA writing program at Pacific University. Johnson is the author of “Quiver,” a finalist for the Jake Adam York Award, The Vassar Miller Prize and The Levis Award. Beatty, professor emerita at Carlow University, is a recipient of the Red Hen Nonfiction Award for her memoir, “American Bastard.”

This is a free event, but donations are welcomed. Along with its bi-monthly poetry readings, The Hive Poetry Collective hosts weekly radio shows Sunday nights at 8 p.m. on KSQD-FM. You can find more information at hivepoetry.org.

SANTA CRUZ

Olympic gold medalist to keynote UCSC MLK Convocation

WNBA Hall of Famer, Olympic gold medalist and mental health champion Chamique Holdsclaw, whose poignant journey transformed her into a powerful mental health advocate, will be the featured speaker at UC Santa Cruz’s 41st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation. This yearly convocation celebrates the life and dreams of Martin Luther King Jr. with presentations about equality, freedom, justice and opportunity.

The event is free and open to the public. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Kaiser Permanente Arena, 140 Front St. Doors open at 6. For more information, visit the UC Santa Cruz campus events calendar at specialevents.ucsc.edu/events/mlk.

SCOTTS VALLEY

Our Community Reads to hold writing workshop

Join poet-teacher Magdalena Montagne on Saturday from 1-3 p.m. at the Fireside Room of Scotts Valley Library, 251 Kings Village Road, as she guides you in writing poems inspired by the many themes of Barbara Kingsolver’s novel “Flight Behavior.” The “Poetry in Flight” workshop will explore identity, belonging, climate activism, social justice and more. This free event is sponsored by Our Community Reads, a program designed to bring readers together around the themes of a single book.

No experience necessary, appropriate for teens and up. Registration required. More information and to register, visit santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/13811589.