WATSONVILLE

School to put on ‘The Addams Family’ musical

Mount Madonna School invites you to “The Addams Family, A New Musical,” a delightfully dark and comedic tale of two families: the straight-laced midwestern Beinekes and the graveyard-dwelling Addams. Performances are on Jan. 25 and 26 at 2 p.m. at Mount Madonna School’s Hawks’ Nest Theater, 445 Summit Road.

Based on characters created by Charles Addams, and the book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, “The Addams Family, A New Musical” dazzles with memorable characters, great physical energy, witty humor and poignant, lyric ballads. Tickets are now on sale at mms-theaddamsfamily.brownpapertickets.com. Adult tickets are $20; seniors are $15 and $10 for 18 and under; all seats are reserved.

SCOTTS VALLEY

AAUW-SCC host ‘Wild Women,’ travel meeting

The Santa Cruz County branch of the American Association of University Women will be presenting an exciting “Wild Women” adventure on Jan. 18, at the Scotts Valley Library, 251 Kings Village Road, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. It is open to the public. Lorraine Margon, an AAUW member and Tech Trek Committee member, is part of a small group of women called “Wild Women,” who go on an exciting adventure once a year to combine budding friendships with travel.

Come hear Margon speak about the third annual trip of her “Wild Women” group, which went to Quito, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands this past September. Margon will share photos and tales of her trip along with speaking about the benefits and power of social bonds between women. There will be a raffle ticket sale for drawings for two identical Galapagos wildlife photo collages printed on canvas. No reservations are necessary. Bring a friend. For more information, visit santacruz-ca.aauw.net.

SANTA CRUZ

Compassion Cultivation Training to begin Jan. 5

The Wisdom Center of Santa Cruz, 740 Front St. Suite 240 Community Room, will be hosting an 8-week Compassion Cultivation Training that includes two hours per week of meditation instruction and practice, lectures, skill-building and group discussions Sundays, Jan. 5 to Feb. 23, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The CCT is an educational program designed to develop the qualities of compassion, empathy and kindness for oneself and for others and will support you to improve your relationships with friends, family, clients, patients, staff and coworkers, especially helpful in these distressing times.

You’ll walk away from each class with tools and practices you can immediately put to work: improving awareness, increasing connection to others and decreasing the stress of difficult situations. Led by Tenzin Chogkyi, a certified teacher of Compassion Cultivation Training, this course was developed at Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education and the Compassion Institute by a team of contemplative scholars, clinical psychologists and researchers. For more information, visit wisdomcentersc.org.

SANTA CRUZ

City hosts Parking for Hope Campaign

The city of Santa Cruz, in partnership with the Downtown Association of Santa Cruz, will host the 10th annual Parking for Hope downtown holiday parking campaign through Dec. 25. During the campaign, proceeds from downtown street meters and ParkMobile stations will be donated to Hope Services, a local nonprofit.

Hope Services has helped keep Pacific Avenue and other downtown Santa Cruz streets clean for over 25 years while providing training and support services to adults with developmental disabilities. To date, Parking for Hope has generated a total of $267,745 in funds for Hope Services. The funds are used to pay the nonprofit’s Downtown Litter Abatement Crew’s wages.

The Downtown Litter Abatement Crew employs five part-time workers who have enjoyed working with Hope Services for many years. Last year’s campaign raised $26,670.66 and allowed additional crew working days to keep downtown clean and clear of debris. The greater the Parking for Hope contribution, the more hours the crew can clean downtown.

All downtown street parking meters are posted with placards describing the Parking for Hope campaign. For the 10th consecutive year, Parkmobile pay-by-phone parking fees of 40 cents per transaction will also be donated as part of the campaign. Please note that regular payment is still required to park at all city meters and ParkMobile stations during the Parking for Hope campaign.

SANTA CRUZ

Applications open to read at literary event

The Hive Poetry Collective is pleased to announce its call for applications to participate in “The Muse.” Eighteen poets will be selected to read their work for a two-hour, in-person reading on Friday, March 21, 6:30 p.m. at the Resource Center for Nonviolence, 612 Ocean St. The evening will be a poetry-only event with an option for audio/visual accompaniment. Please submit 3 poems that represent a range of your work. These do not have to be the poems you would read at the event if you are selected. Invited readers will have 3-5 minutes to read. Media, if desired, to accompany your reading will also be accepted.

All women, women identifying and non-binary poets are encouraged to apply. Poets must be available to read in person on March 21. To apply, visit tinyurl.com/3996s2v8. For more information, go to “Upcoming Events” at hivepoetry.org. Deadline to apply is Feb. 1, 11:59 p.m. Submitting is free.

Some area offices will be closed Wednesday for Christmas.

• County: County offices are closed Wednesday.

• Santa Cruz: City offices are closed Wednesday and will reopen Jan. 5.

• Capitola: City offices are closed Wednesday and will reopen Dec. 30.

• Scotts Valley: City offices are closed Wednesday and will reopen Thursday.

• Watsonville: City offices are closed Wednesday and will reopen Jan. 2.

• Libraries: All branches of the Santa Cruz library are closed Wednesday and will resume regular schedule Thursday. All branches of the Watsonville Public Library are closed Wednesday and will reopen Jan. 2.

• Schools: Pajaro Valley schools are not in session. Santa Cruz City Schools are not in session.

• Post office: Post offices are closed Wednesday.

• Santa Cruz Metro: No local bus service on Wednesday. No Metro Paracruz service on Wednesday. Amtrak Highway 17 on weekend schedule.

• The Sentinel: The Sentinel will publish. Automated customer service options are available by phone and online. Our 24/7 auto attendant can be reached at 831-706-3201. Online service is just one click away at myaccount.santacruzsentinel.com.