The Cruz logo at The Krate plays off an old Warriors graphic. Too cool.
Best Retro Film Date
Flashback Flicks at the Cinema 9
What are retro film buffs to do on a Thursday night in Santa Cruz? Catch a Flashback Flick, of course. The long-running film series is a local tradition that celebrates the history of cinema with films such as To Kill A Mockingbird, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Raiders of The Lost Arkand Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. And seats are only $5. (CJ)
1405 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. 831.457.3505
Best Actor
Mike Ryan
He’s like a one-man Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for the stage: If Mike Ryan’s in the production, you can bank on being entertained. Whether bringing comic flair and intelligence to a farcical Shakespeare Santa Cruz role, as in 2011’s uproarious Comedy of Errors, or bringing nuance to a modernist’s drama, as in Jewel Theatre’s recent production of Athol Fugard’s Hello and Goodbye, Ryan is one Thespian whose taste for the spotlight we can’t get enough of. (TH)
Best Hope for Commercial Radio
KPIG
Commercial radio is alive and well—at least in Santa Cruz County. This Americana station features local advertising, bizarre fake commercials, community “hog calls,” hilarious comedy, live DJs almost 24/7, on-air performances at least once a week and a music catalog stretching from Robert Earl Keen to Frank Zappa and beyond. Give the DJ’s a ring and they might even take your request—or at least keep you company until one of you hangs up the phone. (JP)
107.5 FM 831.722.2299
Best New Santa Cruz Logo
“The Cruz”
While it’s doubtful that the Santa Cruz Skateboards classic dot design will be displaced as the town’s unofficial logo anytime soon, there’s a new contender in town. Based on the Golden State Warriors’ “The City” design, the folks at the downtown boutique The Krate have unveiled “The Cruz” logo. Featuring a silhouette of the Giant Dipper in place of the Bay Bridge, it’s a hat tip to the Warriors, clever graphic design and our beloved little town. (CJ)
1101 Pacific Ave Suite Z, Santa Cruz. 831.466.3865
Best First Friday Stop
The Olive Connection
Also a contender for Best Nightclub, the Olive Connection has been shut down at least once as a fire hazard. Psyche! Seriously, though, drawn by the free wine and wonderful snacks, First Friday means standing room only at this gourmet emporium as art enthusiasts crowd the oil samplers and flaunt open-container laws, hoping that word of a future wine ban is just a tasteless joke from the owner. (KJ)
106 Lincoln St, Santa Cruz. 831.458.6457
Best Eclectic Listening Experience
The 7th Avenue Project with Robert Pollie
Just look at the guests this radio host has had on his noon Sunday KUSP program in past month: the brilliant humorist/fake journalist John Hodgman (The Daily Show‘s Resident Expert); the brilliant antitheist philosopher Colin McGinn (author of the wonderfully titled Mindfucking); the brilliant literary historian Christopher Bram, and the brilliant neuroscientist/theoretical physicist Sebastian Seung. It’s like that every week—most of Pollie’s guests are working out on the edges of human endeavor, and he helps them explain the fascinating stuff they do. If noon Sunday’s no good, link to his podcasts from kusp.org. (AG)
—Alex Gilrane, Traci Hukill, Kate Jacobson, Cat Johnson and Jacob Pierce
