This Week on the Central Coast…
Plenty of art appreciation and progress on the FORTAG trail system.
Monterey
Renewed interest in pottery boosts Peninsula Potters
Peninsula Potters is a women-owned business in Pacific Grove that has been offering handmade ceramic products for over 45 years. After the lockdowns during the pandemic, they noticed an uptick in the amount of interest in pottery.
The studio’s gallery features assorted pottery that spans from common household items, like plates and bowls, to more artistic pieces meant to spur conversation. Everything at the studio is made by hand, except for the clay. Pieces regularly use found materials to create mixed media items. Peninsula Potters also prints their own t-shirts and canvas bags.
Their website offers a look into their history and provides interesting pictures from their early years, as well as the address and phone number. The gallery is open daily from 12-4pm.
CSUMB professors excited for the new Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway
A new 28-mile bike and pedestrian loop from Marina to Del Rey Oaks and Seaside has been awarded state and federal funding. Two CSUMB professors, who first planned the trails, are excited for the project finally coming to fruition. The Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway (FORTAG) was originally envisioned as a way of “preserving open space connections between Marina’s residential neighborhoods, the university and the Fort Ord National Monument.”
One segment will create a bikeway off California Avenue and a bike and pedestrian bridge over Imjin Road. The next segment will create boardwalks through federally protected habitats and end near the intersection of Inter-Garrison and Schoonover roads, then provide another path to the Fort Ord National Monument.
However, both segments won’t be happening soon. State funding for the first segment will not be available until the 2024-25 fiscal year and federal funding for the second segment isn’t expected until 2027.
Santa Cruz
Fungus First Friday and Mushroom Month
Last weekend, Santa Cruz kicked off its First Friday events with a Fungus Fair, which celebrated the diverse range of wild mushrooms found in Santa Cruz County. Though the fair usually takes people into the field to engage with nature and community, this year the event will provide an online representation of the experience through the iNaturalist platform.
The Fungus Fair is a week-long celebration put on by the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz. Many different events will take place throughout the week and all can be found on the FFSC website.
Other mushroom-related art and events can be found throughout January in Downtown Santa Cruz.
Laura Hilcox, a historic lighthouse-keeper will be honored in a new exhibit
Lynn Guenther, a local artist, teacher, and author, recently published a historical novel about Laura Hecox who served as lighthouse keeper from 1883 to 1912 as well as an activist and collector.
Hecox’s collection of artifacts and specimens were donated to Santa Cruz in 1904 and eventually became the basis of the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. “She was way ahead of her time,” said Guenther. “As a lighthouse keeper, she did lots of research and collecting and identifying the plants and animals in the Monterey Bay long before anyone else, and communicating with professors all across the country.”
Guenther’s novel blends fiction with historical facts taken from Hecox’s scrapbook and her sister’s journal. Guenther was featured at the Santa Cruz Public Library in downtown last Friday, which marked the beginning of an exhibition dedicated to Hecox that will run through the end of January.
Both, the novel and the exhibition are meant to inspire people to respect the local nature and spark an interest in the rich local history of Santa Cruz.
You can find “Light of the Bay: Laura Hecox, Keeper of the Santa Cruz Lighthouse” by Lynn Guenther at Bookshop Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.