CORRALITOS

Sons & Daughters of Italy to hold barbecue

The Sons & Daughters of Italy Watsonville Lodge will be holding its annual Bob Moresco BBQ event from noon to 4 p.m. July 20 at 35 Browns Valley Road.

Come and dance to the music of the Anthony “Nino” Band, featuring Italian music that will send your heart back to the old country. There will be a raffle held, with amazing prizes. The menu features half chicken with pasta, salad, bread and butter, as well as desserts. Beverages will be available for purchase.

Tickets are $45 for adults and $15 for children ages 7-12. There are no takeouts and no tickets will be sold at the door. Contact Janey’ Malatesta Leonardich at 831-722-7958 for tickets.

CAPITOLA

Mid County Senior Center to host benefit dance

The Mid County Senior Center will be hosting a benefit dance and concert featuring Linda Baker with The Country Feeling Band from 7-9 p.m. Friday at 829 Bay Ave.

Cost of admission is $10. Shanta Shenoy will teach a country line dance class at 6 p.m., free with paid admission to the dance. 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.

WATSONVILLE

Weekly Cars and Coffee event

Car enthusiasts and community members are invited to Watsonville Cars and Coffee at the East Lake Village Shopping Center at 936 E. Lake Ave., every Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. The event showcases an amazing collection of classic cars and hot rods at this people-friendly, family-friendly and pet-friendly gathering while also supporting the small local businesses in the shopping center. Local businesses — including Ace Hardware, Staff of Life, Sushi Q, Silver Spur restaurant, Fruition and Ozzy’s Pizzeria — will be open, so attendees are encouraged to shop and dine while enjoying the cars on display.

SANTA CRUZ

Lenz Arts’ 57th anniversary celebration

Lenz Arts is celebrating its 57th anniversary with a free parking lot art creation event Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 142 River St. The first 57 people will receive a free goodie bag with an assortment of art materials and samples! The event will feature art material demonstrations by factory representatives, hands-on “make and take” projects, free samples, raffle prizes and special “crazy sales” and discounts on art supplies from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This family-friendly celebration will also offer children’s activities, face painting and snow cones.

Lenz Arts, a family-owned business since 1968, is recognized as a staple in the Santa Cruz arts community, known for its wide selection of art supplies and award-winning picture framing services. This free, drop-in anniversary event is open to the public. For information, follow @lenzarts on Facebook and Instagram, or visit LenzArts.com/anniversary.

SANTA CRUZ

Introduction to Zen meditation

The Santa Cruz Zen Center, 113 School St., will host an introduction to the body and mind of Zen meditation and the forms used from 1-2 p.m. on July 19. Everyone is welcome. Free of charge. For more information, contact 831-457-0206 or contact@sczc.org.

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.

There will be a post-show talkback with the playwright of one of the plays after each performance, where the audience gets the rare opportunity to help the authors continue to shape their work.

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

Bookshop to host Hive Live! poetry event

Join The Hive Poetry Collective as they host another Hive Live! July 15, at 7 p.m. at Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave. Featured readers for the evening are local poets Jessica Cohn and Kirk Glaser. For information and to register, go to the events page at hivepoetry.org or the events page at bookshopsantacruz.com. Hive Live! is free but donations are kindly encouraged.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

Nonprofit holds murder mystery play benefit

The Garfield Park Library Friends has produced murder mystery play “Final Checkout” to benefit its literacy programs. Come and see the traveling troupe of local actors, poets and musicians. You are invited to use your powers of deduction to guess; if correct, you may win a prize!

The performances will be held at 7 p.m. July 18 at the Downtown Library Community Room (224 Church St.), 7 p.m. July 19 at Satori Arts (815 Almar Ave.) and at 2 p.m. July 20 at Cabrillo College’s Aptos campus in Room 322 (right above Parking Lots A and B).

The suggested donation is $25. Tickets will be available at the door or can be purchased online by going to garfieldparklibraryfriends.com and using the QR code.

SANTA CRUZ

Seymour Marine Discovery Center now open daily

Just in time for summer, the Seymour Marine Discovery Center at UC Santa Cruz, 100 McAllister Way, is now open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., making it easier than ever for families, students and ocean lovers to explore the wonders of the California coast. With a brand new jelly tank, more sharks to touch and a cutting-edge augmented reality experience featuring the center’s iconic 87-foot blue whale skeleton, Ms. Blue, there’s never been a better time to visit. Admission is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, children $9 and toddlers and members are free.