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Photograph from the Covello & Covello Historical Photo Collection. OLIVARDS AT THE WHARF, 1946 I've been told that this seafood store and walk-up restaurant was at the entrance to the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, across from the Ideal Bar and Grill (and fish restaurant). I haven't any clues about this business, and there are no Olivards in our phone book. Anyone have any ideas about who the Olivards were and how long this business was in operation? Bruce Bratton NEW DOWNTOWN IDEA. I was looking through the slatted fence at the vacant lot at Pacific and Church last weekend. The beautiful green grass and the brilliant yellow flowers are almost covering the ruins. What about this for an idea ... why not take down the cyclone fence there now and put up a six-foot-high wrought iron fence around the three sides, so we can all see how beautiful that site is? I'm serious, it's beautiful. No plaza, no park, no fountain, no real maintenance--just a serene, almost natural place of beauty to look at. SIDECAR STEPS ASIDE. No rumor this time, Bonny and Pam are closing the Madame Sidecar storefront business (907 Cedar St.) as of Feb. 28, when their lease is up. Not only did Madame Sidecar provide fine fashions for Santa Cruz women with taste, but Sidecar was much involved with many community cultural activities. You can still buy online at www.madamesidecar.com, and Bonny will be doing trunk shows around the Central Coast, if you ask her. RIO REIGNS. We talk a lot about how the Del Mar's reopening has done so much for downtown. And it's very true, but we should also realize and recognize just what's happened to our community since Laurence Bedford reopened, refurbished, and resurrected the Rio Theatre. He did get one Redevelopment Agency loan to bring the place up to code, but so much more has been done to the Rio since it reopened on Aug. 11, 2001, that its old movie house days are better forgotten. It never qualified as a "movie palace," but nowadays as a performing arts venue it just keeps getting better. Now Bedford's adding 35 mm movies along with all the other live attractions starting this weekend with the Polish film Zemsta starring Roman Polanski as a funny guy. This Sunday night at 7pm the Dante Alighieri Society is screening Vittorio De Sica's classic film Miracle in Milan at 7pm. It's a brilliant film and seeing it on the big screen should be another Miracle. UCSC's Arts & Lectures presents pure flamenco with Farruquito and Juana Amaya on Feb. 13. New Music Works is doing its Zorn concert on Feb. 16; be sure to read our story on that. Community Music School is presenting a matinee musical drama of Vivaldi's life on Sunday, Feb. 23, and the action never stops at the Rio. Watch for Nosferatu with live accompaniment in October and a Santa Cruz Children's International Film Festival this summer (no Disney!). The Rio has also reached way out to help many, many community organizations create and produce their presentations. Check in on the Rio, and let's give it a deserving round of applause. KINGDOM OF SHADOWS. I'm betting that the CIA paid Al Pacino and some movie company to make The Recruit, it's that bad. The acting, the plot, the ethics--everything is wrong with this film. Don't go. Stay away too from seeing the new 300-pound Laurence Fishburne in Biker Boyz. The most important scene takes place in Fresno, and that's got to tell you something. Final Destination 2 is a much better film than either of the aforementioned. It's funny, scary and way above the usual horror/death-type sequels. Evelyn, which does have Pierce Brosnan as a poor working Irish stiff going for it, doesn't have much else except maybe God and sunbeams and treacle, if you like that sort of thing. Lost in La Mancha is a documentary about Terry Gilliam trying to make a new film of Don Quixote and failing. It's a heartbreaking saga and a realistic view of just how complex is the making of a film; see it for sure. Spike Lee got everything right in 25th Hour. Edward Norton is magnificent and so is everything about this film. Matter of fact, some friends and I were discussing the film right after seeing it and I couldn't think of anything wrong with it, and that's pretty unusual. See it quick. ANTIWAR RALLY. In case you didn't make it to San Francisco, Ruth Hunter wants everybody to know that our local antiwar rally will be Saturday, Feb. 15, at 11am. It'll begin at the County Courthouse, Water and Ocean. From there the march will go west on Water up to Mission Park facing Holy Cross Church. There'll be speeches, music, children's events and food too. DURRENMATT RIGHT HERE. I don't ever remember any local theater group doing a play by Friederich Durrenmatt. Yet he's one of the 20th century's most prominent dramatists. Gabe Ross, a UCSC theater arts and physics major, is directing Durrenmatt's Physicists at UCSC's Barn Theater this weekend only. It's a dark comedy featuring Einstein, Newton and Solomon and some murders in their insane asylum. It was written in 1961 and still plays well, I'm told. It plays Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. Reserved seating. Call UCSC at 459.2159 or try buying at the door, but the Barn's a pretty small place. SANTA CRUZ BOOK TIP. Be sure you see Anne Levin's and Pat Rebele's new children's book, Sally Slug. Anne wrote a fine story and Pat painted appropriate illustrations about the adventures of Sally Slug. It also sneaks in some educational material about our friendly local slugs. It's available at all the independent local bookstores. A GREAT LOSS TO US ALL. The news of Lou Harrison's death just came in at deadline and Scott MacClelland will be saying a lot in next week's paper. Lou was simply the most well loved, creative human being I've ever known. He breathed creativity, and genuinely loved everyone. I watched people change their love of music when they first heard Lou's compositions. He was the most unspoiled celebrity I ever met. He never stopped giving of his time and talents to anyone who asked. He loved our community and we'll miss him very much. [ Santa Cruz Week | Metroactive Central | Archives ]