Max Kelley’s house on Rancho Brazil Lane, a pink Victorian with a blossoming flower garden and a water fountain, is about a mile and a half drive from the fairgrounds. It’s about a tenth of a mile as the crow flies. “It’s very quiet normally,” says Kelley, looking out from his wraparound porch at the tall eucalyptus trees that shield the fairgrounds from his view.
News
First Friday Fever
Mainstays like the Museum of Art and History and Felix Kulpa Gallery can always be counted on to stage stimulating shows, but half the fun is discovering the gems assembled by the amateur curators whose galleries are nightclubs, sex shops and hair salons by day.
The Westsiders
Back in 1996, 11 local artists started getting together on a bi-weekly basis. The figure drawing group they started brought together members from varied backgrounds, the pedigreed graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design sketching next to the self-described “product of local public handouts.”
Stinky the Whale Stars in Santa Cruz
Very little is known about Stinky the whale, except that it likes anchovies and sardines (who doesn’t?).
What’s Next for the Tannery
The site of the Salz Tannery, the commercial leather manufacturer that made the luggage used by President Harry S. Truman, is getting ready for its next wave of changes. At the Tannery Arts Center, which rests on the 8.2-acre former factory grounds, the former Tanyard Building and Beamhouse building will be called the Digital Media and Creative Arts Center.
The Dogs Are Back in Town
For the first time in 35 years, Santa Cruz residents were able to stroll down Pacific Avenue with their dogs. It marked the trial lifting of a downtown ban on dogs, in force in Santa Cruz since 1976. The new ordinance is only in effect from sunrise to sunset—every dog has its day, but nights are reserved for cats—and all dogs must be on a leash and within 3 feet of their owners. The animals must also have collars and vaccination certification. And of course, owners must clean up after their dogs in the event of any unfortunate accidents.
Sorokin Murderer Beaten in Jail
Kenneth Clamp, 41, who was convicted in the murder of Elias Sorokin two weeks ago, received a severe beating from three other inmates in the Santa Cruz County Jail.
Heart of Glass
Over the course of an exceptionally prolific career he has written symphonies, operas, musicals and film scores and collaborated with everyone from artist Richard Serra and choreographer Twyla Tharp to Allen Ginsberg, David Bowie and even Stephen Colbert, so it’s no surprise that Philip Glass’s inaugural Days and Nights Festival spans genres, mediums, time periods and audience demographics.
Go The F* Away
Santa Cruz’s very own pole-dancing poet pens an ode to the well-meaning petitioners who’ve harassed her over the years.
Watsonville Votes to Keep RDA
Watsonville City Council has voted to keep its Redevelopment Agency, despite the new California law that dismantles all 400 agencies in the state and redirects their funding to cover the state’s budget deficit. According to the new law, cities that want to keep their RDAs will be required to pay what critics call a “ransom” to the state. In the case of Watsonville, this amounts to an initial payment of $3.2 million, due in January, and an additional $750,000 per year thereafter.
