This Week on the Central Coast…
A historic ship returns, Sand City hosts its 4th annual mural festival, a local seal will break a record, GRIDLIFE premiers on the West Coast, and Salinas students publish a book.
Monterey
The Western Flyer Returns to Monterey
The Western Flyer, a sardine fishing boat from the 50’s that was written about by John Steinbeck in The Log from the Sea of Cortez, is making its return home to the Central Coast after 75 years away.
A free celebration will be held on Old Fisherman’s Wharf on November 4, from 11am to 4pm. Congressman Jimmy Panetta, Supervisor Mary Adams, and Mayor Tyller Williamson will be in attendance. Festivities include a boat parade, Best Dressed Boat Contest, Welcoming Ceremony, and free tours and giveaways.
Horror Film Festivals Featured in Two Locations
Horror film lovers are in for a treat this year. Two film festivals are happening at the end of the month, just before Halloween.
The Stanton Center is presenting its “Fright Fest” with showings of eleven classic scary movies spanning from Phantom of the Opera (1925) to Night of the Living Dead (1968). The event will show from October 25 through October 29 and tickets are $5 per movie or $40 for a Festival Pass.
Pacific Grove’s Lighthouse Theater is holding a “Spooktacular Extravaganza” and will be showing family favorites like The Addams Family Movie, Practical Magic, the original Ghostbusters, and Casper: The Movie. The films will be shown now through October 26 and all tickets are set at the special price of $10 per movie.
Sand City Hosted It’s 4th Annual we.Mural Festival
The we.Mural Festival is one of many ways Sand City celebrates its local artists. Since the first festival in 2020, there have been thirty murals created on the city’s and local business’ walls.
This year, the curators of the festival, Talking Walls, hosted an Art Battle on Friday, the final day of the festival. Earlier in the day, the Talking Walls team held a bike tour. Participants could visit each mural and watch as artists put the finishing touches on their creations before viewing the battle. Artists selected for the battle were given a participation stipend to use on supplies. Prizes were given out for the Judges Pick and Audience Pick.
Talking Walls was created by the husband and wife team of Cameron and Crystal Moberg who’s resume includes festivals in San Francisco and Indiana. They “share a passion for bringing art to the streets with the belief that ‘art is for everyone,’ along with the mission to ‘quell fears of graffiti and street art.’”
Dotty the Seal is Set to Break a Record
Dotty McScarbelly is a seal that resides at Hopkins Marine Station Beach in Pacific Grove and soon, she will be a record holder for having the most successful births in a lifetime.
A volunteer for Bay Net said that Hopkins Cove is the perfect place for mother seals, stating that “it’s a huge beach. It’s protected by this fence. And we get lots of seals here. We can have up to 200 on this beach… She sleeps good during the day, she hunts great at night. She’s in good shape. So she knows she’s very safe out there”.
Over a ten-year period, a seal will generally have seven successful births. Dotty is expected to have her twelfth pup sometime in April of 2024.
Salinas
Heirloom Pizza Co. Opens in Oldtown
Heirloom Pizza Co. serves a variety of artisan pizzas with a great selection of deep dish options and last Saturday, the Downtown Monterey staple added a second location in Oldtown Salinas.
The Salinas location will add a whole new section to the menu, featuring “lunch munchies” (pizza, salad, wine/beer combo) and hot sandwiches, which include a pesto chicken, meatball, and Italian.
Along with the pizza, the new location packs a few other features. Heirloom Pizza Co. is debuting a concert space, banquet room, and tiki bar. Former maitre d’ at Maligne in Seaside is crafting the cocktails while Donna Boyster coordinates the entertainment. The first show will be on October 27.
GRIDLIFE Festival Made It’s First Stop to Salinas
GRIDLIFE is a unique car and music festival, focused on bringing in youth spectators. One of GRIDLIFE’s founders explained that some people think kids today don’t care about car culture. He says GRIDLIFE proves that wrong and they welcome everyone to the festival. “We know there’s an amazing car scene in California and we’re excited to bring everybody together. We’re focused on inclusion and community and expect to see a little bit of everything come out to share our weekend, from low riders, to modern muscle, to overlanders and ’90s JDM cars.”
Events include a TrackBattle Time Attack, a GRIDLIFE Touring Cup competition, freestyle drift sessions, Councours showcase (inviting vehicles from the ‘80s to the early 2000s), live music (featuring a performance by T-Pain), a retro arcade, and late-night karaoke. This was the first time GRIDLIFE came to the West Coast in its ten-year history.
Salinas Students Publish a Children’s Book
The book is called Amor Salinas, which tells the story of young people who learn to become superheroes in their city. In the book, superheroes are citizens who are dedicated to keeping the city clean. The story is part of phase two of the city’s plan to improve the community.
The first phase was all about organizing cleanups. Now that cleanups are happening regularly, the city is focused on education in phase two. Students visited areas of Salinas that were impacted by the first phase, comparing before and after pictures. They then visited different parts of Salinas to serve as inspiration for the story.
“The city printed 3,000 copies and will distribute them to local elementary schools. Amor Salinas will also be available at all Salinas Library branches.
Artists Ink to Produce “La Posada Magica” with the Help of a Grant
The East Salinas arts organization, Artists Ink, received a grant from the Latino Community Foundation (LCF). Artists Ink is putting money towards revising one of its productions, La Posada Magica, which is a traditional festival that tells the story of Mary and Joseph traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem. To make it more special, the founder of Artists Ink included many details of Alisal and Salinas
The grant from the LCF was for $110,000 and is significant because it allows Artists Ink to give full jobs and pay to its cast and crew. There will be multiple showings throughout December, beginning December 1.
You’ve come a long way with this. Keep up the “good news”work! So refreshing.