SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

Cal Fire to conduct prescribed burn

The Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit will conduct an approximately 11-acre prescribed burn near Twin Gates off Empire Grade at Marshall Field in Santa Cruz County. Weather permitting, the burn will take place Wednesday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Smoke may be noticed in the area for one to two days after the burn. The project is being conducted in accordance with a smoke management permit issued by the Monterey Bay Air Resources District to minimize the smoke impacts on surrounding communities.

Cal Fire said the burn is being conducted as part of its Vegetation Management Program and is intended to benefit coastal prairie habitat, prevent encroachment of trees and shrubs, regenerate native species and restore and enhance grassland.

According to Cal Fire, prescribed burns are carefully planned controlled burns that must meet a predefined set of conditions (prescription) to achieve ideal fire behavior. No burning takes place if weather and fuel conditions are not within prescription. When optimal conditions are met, trained wildland firefighters manage the burn while monitoring the weather, smoke dispersal, and fire behavior.

This prescribed fire was planned as part of broader strategic efforts to protect the local community and nearby natural resources, Cal Fire said. These plans are informed by community and local stakeholder input and serve as a collaborative effort with a range of cooperators throughout the course of the project. This project adds to significant work underway throughout the state and brings California one step closer towards meeting or exceeding state fuels reduction goals directed by the California Fire Plan and the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan. Visit the Cal Fire fuels reduction dashboard at https://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/natural-resource-management/prescribed-fire to track progress and share important fire prevention and preparedness information with your neighbors at readyforwildfire.org.

CAPITOLA

Benefit dance concert at Senior Center

The Mid-County Senior Center will be hosting a benefit dance and concert featuring the Ten O’Clock Lunch Band from 7-9 p.m. Friday at 829 Bay Ave., Capitola.

Tickets are $10 per person and everyone 18 and older is welcome to attend.

SCOTTS VALLEY

Group performs family-friendly musical

Scotts Valley Performing Arts will be hosting “A Year with Frog and Toad,” a family-friendly musical based on the beloved children’s books by Arnold Lobel. This Tony-nominated Broadway hit, full of upbeat jazzy tunes, will be performed by 16 adults and 10 young people to tell the story of two amphibious friends and their adventures through the year.

Performances will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. Dec. 7, 2 p.m. Dec. 8, 7 p.m. Dec. 12, 7 p.m. Dec. 13, and shows at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Scotts Valley Cultural and Performing Arts Center, 251B Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley. Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and students, and $20 for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased at www.SVPAshows.org. For information call 831-334-4946.

SANTA CRUZ

UCSC Opera presents ‘Into the Woods’

Join the UC Santa Cruz Opera for an open rehearsal type of presentation with back-to-back matinee performances of “Into the Woods” Saturday, Nov. 23 at the Music Center Recital Hall, 400 McHenry Road. There will be two matinee options: 1 p.m. start time (doors open at 12:30 p.m.) and 3 p.m. start time (doors open at 2:30 p.m.). Performances are 50-minutes with no intermission.

Fun for the whole family, UCSC voice students will perform in Stephen Sondheim’s mash-up of overlapping fairy tales. Luke Shepherd will perform as the Narrator from the piano. Admission is free and open to the public.

APTOS

Local chapter of SJSU alumni hosts fundraiser

The Santa Cruz Area Chapter of the San Jose State Alumni Association will be holding their annual Holiday Party and Scholarship Fundraiser on Sunday, Dec. 8 at the Seascape Golf Course Banquet Room, 610 Clubhouse Drive. The event begins at noon with a silent auction, followed by lunch at 1 p.m.

The fundraiser helps support Santa Cruz area students attending San Jose State University. SJS President Cynthia Teniente-Matson and Moss Landing Marine Lab Assistant Professor Amanda Kahn will be guest speakers. This event is open to all. Please register by Nov. 20 by visiting sites.google.com/site/sjsualumnisantacruz/home. For further information contact Carolyn Lewis, chapter president, at clewis48@sbcglobal.net.

SCOTTS VALLEY

School district information night Dec. 5

Scotts Valley Unified School District invites all prospective transitional kinder, kindergarten or new families to the district for an information night on Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. at Brook Knoll Elementary School, 151 Brook Knoll Drive.

Families will receive information about all of SVUSD’s programs and learn how to register their student(s) for the 2025-26 school year. Come learn about all about the transitional kinder and kindergarten programs as well as the middle school and high school programs. Children must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1 to be eligible to register for kindergarten. Children must be 4 years old on or before Sept. 1 to be eligible to register for transitional kindergarten. Enrollment information is available on school websites, svusd.us or you may contact the registrar at each school for more information.

SANTA CRUZ

Youth Symphony performs Nov. 24

The Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony, under the direction of Nathaniel Berman, presents its Fall Concert on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 3 p.m., at the UCSC Music Center Recital Hall, 402 McHenry Road. The one-hour program features melody-centered music, including J.S. Bach’s “Fugue in G minor,” Charles Gounod’s “Funeral March of a Marionette” and Henry Cowell’s “Hymn and Fuguing Tune.” Brahms and Berlioz round out the program, which opens with a piano trio by Mendelssohn, performed by members of our Chamber Music Academy. Homemade treats will be offered at intermission.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, $5 for youth 18 and younger and $10 for college students. Visit sccys.org/concerts to learn more and purchase tickets. Any unsold tickets will be available at the door. For information, email info@sccys.org or call 831-239-0442.