SANTA CRUZ

Celebration of life paddle out coming

At 10 a.m. July 23, World Blue Mind Day, a paddle out at Cowell Beach will celebrate the life of marine scientist, author and “Blue Mind” innovator Wallace J. Nichols, who passed away in 2024 at the age of 56. Paddlers are encouraged to show up on the sand by 9:45 a.m. The first 900 paddlers will receive a blue marble, which Nichols frequently held up to eye level to represent our blue planet, for the event.

Friends and family will also be on the Team O’Neill catamaran and the Chardonnay sailboat, and a program will be conducted. Those not able to get into the water can view the event from the west side of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf as well as along West Cliff Drive. There will be an official Get Into Your Sanctuary activity in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, proclamations from elected officials and a cleanup will be conducted at Cowell Beach by Save Our Shores immediately after.

World Blue Mind Day is celebrated every July 23 to raise awareness about the benefits of spending time near, in, on or under water. More about the event at lu.ma/okeaz4v9.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

The Daisy Store hosting two benefit sale events

The Daisy Store, an upscale-resale nonprofit, is holding a pop-up sale at the Curves Women’s Health and Fitness Club, 223 River St., in Santa Cruz July 23. Hours are 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. All items will be half price. Additionally, Curves is offering a promotion that includes 60 days free for joining.

A Christmas in July Sale will also be held at the Daisy Store, 1601 41st Ave, at the King’s Plaza in Capitola, from July 24-26. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All proceeds from the Daisy Store and the sale at Curves benefit the Family Service Agency of the Central Coast.

SANTA CRUZ

Learn to vibe code in webinar

Got a big idea but no clue how to code it? Join Santa Cruz Works July 29 at 11:30 a.m. for Learn to Vibe Code, a free 2-hour webinar. Discover how vibe coding — the magical combo of AI tools and your imagination — lets anyone build real software without writing a single line of code. Led by former venture-backed software founder Ian McHenry, with special guest author Craig Vachon, this expanded session features live demos, audience idea builds and expert insights. Register at bit.ly/vibecodescw.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

Free webinar on data streaming

Santa Cruz Works invites young startups, developers, data engineers and product managers to join a free webinar to learn how real-time data can help grow and make your business a success in today’s competitive market, July 24 from noon to 1 p.m. Led by Tim Graczewski, head of Confluent for Startups, the Getting Started with Apache Kafka and Real-Time Data Streaming online seminar will focus on exploring Kafka’s architecture and use cases, and how Kafka is the foundation of Confluent’s data streaming platform.

This session is ideal for those exploring Apache Kafka, Confluent and the advantages of real-time data streaming for analytics, app performance, fraud detection and system integration across industries. To attend, register online at bit.ly/confluentxscw.

BEN LOMOND

MCT presents New Works Weekend

The Mountain Community Theater, 9400 Mill St., is proud to announce its annual New Works Weekend Aug. 15-17 — a celebration of new theatrical works, presenting staged readings of new plays, playwrights, directors and debuts of all forms from around the region. This year, there will be three new plays: “Neighbors,” about a crime gone wrong, diving into the moral complexity and emotional ripples of such a moment; “Rain Walk,” a short play that delves into a beautiful and challenging relationship study between a young man and his grandmother; and “Where Imagined Things Belong,” which explores a relationship that comes into question many years down the line, forcing us to examine and reexamine the choices and people that made us who we are.

Subscribers’ guest ticket purchases open July 18, and tickets go on sale to the public Aug. 1. Evening shows are at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. Audiences can enjoy all of this for only $10. For information or to order tickets, visit mctshows.org.

SANTA CRUZ

Guitarist Bruce Forman to headline benefit

The Jazz Society of Santa Cruz County will hold a benefit concert at Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St., Sept. 7, from 4 to 7 p.m., featuring internationally celebrated jazz guitarist Bruce Forman and music from a multitude of outstanding local jazz musicians.

Forman will open the program with a solo guitar concert that blends his jazz roots, deep immersion in American culture and signature storytelling ability into a unique one-man performance. Afterwards, two groups of outstanding local musicians take the stage: one led by keyboardist Joe Willis that brings together an eclectic group of local pros, music educators and new-generation players; and the other led by keyboardist Jon Dryden that features locally based pro jazz players making their names on the national scene.

Light refreshments and beverages will be available for purchase. All ages are welcome. Doors open at 3 p.m. Funds raised will help pay for the Jazz Society’s twice-monthly Backbeat Jam sessions that are open to the public, the Jazz for Everyone educational series and a variety of communication and networking activities that help preserve the rich jazz legacy unique to the Santa Cruz area.

Tickets and information are available at jazzsocietyshowcase.eventbrite.com.

WATSONVILLE

Woman’s Club to host a summer tea fundraiser

The Corralitos Woman’s Club is holding a Summer Tea benefitting the Katz Cancer Center July 24, from 2-4 p.m. The tea will be held outdoors amongst the redwoods at the Clubhouse, 33 Browns Valley Road. In addition to tea and refreshments, there will be musical entertainment and boutique items for sale. The Corralitos Woman’s Club has served the local community since 1920. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by calling 831-566-1994 or on Eventbrite at tinyurl.com/ASummerTea.