SANTA CRUZ

Free two-hour parking on wharf all month

After the partial collapse of the Santa Cruz Wharf last month, the wharf is open and all of its businesses are operating with free two-hour parking for the month of January.

SOQUEL

Third Friday Community Drumming sessions

Percussionist/educator Jim Greiner is continuing his Third Friday Community Drumming series through 2025 at the Congregational Church of Soquel, 4951 Soquel Drive, on Jan. 17. Drumming is from 7 to 8:30 p.m., doors open at 6:30. The cost is $10.

Greiner provides hand drums and other percussion instruments. Participants are encouraged to bring their own favorites. All levels of experience are most welcome at these family-friendly events! Greiner gives a few fun and easy tips on playing the instruments for beginners. He also integrates how to use rhythm as a playful, positive life practice to reinforce positive life rhythms — patterns of attitude and action — that ground, center and empower.

Contact Greiner through SantaCruzDrumLessons.com.

SANTA CRUZ

Peripheral neuropathy support group

A support group for people dealing with peripheral neuropathy will gather Thursday, Jan. 23, 1 p.m., at the Trinity Presbyterian Church, 420 Melrose Ave. The program will be peer sharing, and what treatments help and don’t help. This is a great source of information about what people with peripheral neuropathy can experience and how others are able to deal with it.

Peripheral neuropathy causes balance issues for many patients and may also cause shooting pains, cold feet or uncomfortably warm feet and numbness. There are many causes including diabetes, cancer treatments, heredity and surgery. The social hall is at the far end of the church, on the corner of Melrose and Poplar avenues. This is an in-person group and is not available online. For more information contact cvfaad7@gmail.com.

WATSONVILLE

Fly Fishing Club to host fundraiser dinner

The Santa Cruz Fly Fishing Club will be hosting its annual wild salmon fundraising dinner on Saturday, Feb. 1, starting at 5 p.m. at the Pajaro Valley Rod and Gun Club, 557 Lakeview Road. The event will feature grilled wild caught Alaskan salmon. In addition, there will be a cash bar, a huge raffle and silent auction of fly fishing items. Dinner tickets are $40.

Attendees are reminded that upon arrival, to please sign in to receive your dinner voucher and any pre-purchased raffle tickets. This event supports conservation efforts and local scholarships. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit santacruzflyfishing.org.

WATSONVILLE

Gallery to open Annual Members’ Exhibit

The Pajaro Valley Arts Gallery, 37 Sudden St., will be hosting its annual member exhibition, “#whatever,” celebrating the unfiltered creativity of PVA’s artist-members. The opening reception will be Sunday, Jan. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. In a world where hashtags often impose classification, this show is free of a specific theme and invites artists to explore limitless self-expression. The collection offers a diverse range of perspectives and mediums, creating a vibrant mosaic of works. #whatever is intentionally open-ended, encouraging visitors to let go of expectations and embrace the unexpected.

The exhibit will feature 135 prominent local artists across various media, and over 200 additional pieces available for purchase in the PVA Gallery Store and throughout the gallery. Proceeds support local artists and Pajaro Valley Arts. The exhibit runs Jan. 15 to Feb. 23. For more information visit pvarts.org/upcoming-events-exhibitions-2.

SANTA CRUZ

Free LGBTQ+ workplace inclusivity workshop

Santa Cruz County businesses and nonprofits are invited to join the Santa Cruz County Chamber for “Elevating LGBTQ+ Inclusion: Increasing Revenue, Retention & Respect,” a workshop that teaches how to foster inclusive workplaces, at the Hotel Paradox, 611 Ocean St., from 9 to 11 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16.

This course will explore how encouraging LGBTQ+ inclusion can elevate your organization’s success by increasing revenue, boosting retention and cultivating a culture of respect. On the agenda for the event are marketing strategies, real-world insights from a panel of business owners and networking with other forward-thinking business professionals. Admission is free. Business leaders, HR professionals, DEI advocates and anyone looking to understand how LGBTQ+ inclusion can elevate workplace culture are invited to attend. For more information, visit santacruzpride.org/elevate.

SANTA CRUZ

Presentations to focus on Medicare 2025 updates

Join the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, a program of local nonprofit Senior Network Services, for a presentation on how to compare plans and hear what is new with Medicare in 2025 at 1 p.m. Jan. 14 at London Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St. A second presentation will take place at 3 p.m. Jan. 17 at Senior Network Services, 1777-A Capitola Road.

HICAP provides unbiased Medicare Insurance information throughout California. Presentations are free of charge. Call 831-462-5510 for reservations.

SANTA CRUZ

Beach cleanup volunteers needed for MLK Day of Service

Please join the volunteers from Groundswell Coastal Ecology weed out invasive plants and grasses at Seabright Beach Jan. 20 for the Day of Service to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Volunteers will be at the West End so please enter at the Main Cove (downhill from the Museum of Natural History on East Cliff Drive) by 9 a.m. and then walk west toward the San Lorenzo River. Participants are encouraged to bring drinking water, a weeding tool and wear a hat. The event runs until noon. Groundswell Coastal Ecology has been involved in the restoration of Seabright Beach’s dunes and hillsides through native plantings since 2014.