This Week on the Central Coast...
Free lunch for kids in Salinas, a pet parade and a pride parade, and more great white sharks.
Salinas offers its Free Summer Lunch and Snack Program
Every year, Salinas organizes a Free Summer Lunch and Snack Program. Children (anyone under 18) who attend are given a healthy meal and snacks. Families are invited to stay and hang out while the kids play with the toys and games provided at the event.
There are six locations within Salinas that are participating in the program. However, organizers have noticed that participation this year has drastically dropped. They suspect the drop is due to COVID precautions being dropped. Over the last couple of years, the program only offered pick-up options. This year, the program is back to an in-person format. Another factor, an organizer suspects, is that schools have been offering free meals to families. While this is all positive, some families may be driving to the schools for free meals when one of the city programs is much closer to home.
“The program will be running Monday through Friday until August 5.” Hours for each location are provided in the article.
Pacific Grove Pet Parade is coming up!
The PG Pet Parade is returning on Friday, July 29. The parade begins at 2pm and participants are instructed to line up by 1:30pm at Caledonia Park. Participants are encouraged to dress in costume for the event. The PG Post Office is providing popsicles after the parade.
The parade is organized every year by The Youth Ambassadors of Pacific Grove (YAOPG). Each ambassador pairs with a local organization for the year and helps host various events, such as the Pet Parade and End of Summer Dance Party, while earning scholarships and gaining community service hours. All donations at the events are used to fund the scholarships and events, as well as uniforms. You can visit their website for more information about YAOPG and the events they host.
Monterey Peninsula Pride Parade and Celebration returns to in-person events
Monterey Peninsula Pride will return to regular events after spending the last two years with extra precautions due to the pandemic. It will host a pride parade and celebration on Saturday, July 23, at 11am.
People are invited to the event to show support for the LGBTQ+ community in the Monterey Peninsula. After the parade, the celebration continues at Caledonia Park.
The grand Marshall of the event will be Ricardo Burney, whose drag persona, Bernice Labelle, was introduced in the ‘90s while Burney was in the U.S. Army in Germany.
The article does a great job of going into detail about the history of the LGBTQ+ community in Monterey and relating it to current political issues. I’m happy that our local communities do a great job of showing support and acceptance for everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from.
For more information about Monterey Peninsula Pride and the events they host, you can visit their website.
More juvenile great white sharks are in the Monterey Bay
Research by the Monterey Bay Aquarium has found that an increase in ocean surface temperatures has caused more juvenile great white sharks to migrate to the central coast. Juveniles are more likely to mistake people and surfboards for food than adults as they transition from eating small fish to larger marine mammals.
The increase in population is bittersweet. On one hand, it’s good to see great white numbers booming after their population had been decreasing for over a decade. On the other hand, the increase in population in the central coast will put a strain on the endangered sea otter population our area is known for.
If climate change continues to cause an increase in ocean temperatures, we can expect to hear about an increase in shark population, as well as attacks, in the coming years.