What's New: Fall/Winter 2009

NEW EXHIBIT HONORS AGRICULTURAL WORKERS
Although the Monterey Bay region is home to the Agricultural History Project at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, the Steinbeck Center in Salinas and other institutions that feature agriculture, the story of the farm worker now has a home in the California Agricultural Workers' History Center at the Watsonville Public Library. The center houses books, photographs and other materials, and is unique in that its sole focus is on agricultural laborers. The display, titled "By the Strength of Our Hands," provides a brief synopsis of the workers and some of the products that have been produced in the area over the years, along with vintage photographs of people who worked the fields. From the Japanese to the Czechs, the Chinese to the Mexicans, the Filipinos to the "Okies," many groups who at some point worked in the fields are depicted. Adjacent to the exhibit, the Workers' History Center contains additional historical material focusing on the Pajaro Valley region and is open to the public.

NEW PUBLIC ART ON PERMANENT DISPLAY ON SANTA CRUZ'S PACIFIC AVENUE
Twelve new sculptures have been installed in Downtown Santa Cruz as part of the SculpTour rotating public art exhibit, sponsored by Sponsored by Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary Club, Santa Cruz City Arts, the Downtown Association, John Hope Electric and Good Times Santa Cruz. Standing on five separate sites along Pacific Avenue, the exhibit showcases works in steel, concrete, stones and mortar. Ranging in subject from "Rocky Dogs" to "Pendulum" and "Waterfall", the exhibit features artwork by seven local artists, including blacksmith Kirk McNeil of Freedom Forge; kinetic sculpture artist Aaron Van de Kerckhove; architectural metalworker Paul Cheney; commercial artist Ron Lion; bronze and steel sculptor Marilyn Kuksht; Cabrillo College sculptor Jamie Abbott; and stone and masonry artist Michael Eckerman. SculpTour's goal is to enliven and beautify the downtown Santa Cruz through showcasing works of contemporary art by artists working at large scale and in durable materials.

SANTA CRUZ RESTAURANT ADDS "GREEN" WINES
In response to a growing movement in the food and beverage industry to produce wines in the most natural and least invasive manner, Casablanca Restaurant has added "green" options to its menu. The newly revamped wine list at the eatery offers wines which are organically grown, using biodynamic and no-added sulfite methods. Some wines come from the Santa Cruz Mountain appellation, with additional wines from various other regions of California, Austria, Italy and France.

CAPITOLA CELEBRATES 60TH BIRTHDAY!
A classic beach town with a Mediterranean feel, Capitola was recently hailed by Sunset magazine as one of the 20 best small towns. Founded in 1875, Capitola is known as California's oldest seaside resort town. Incorporated as a city on January 11th, 1949, Capitola is now celebrating its 60th anniversary! Today Capitola is a city with a population of approximately 10,000 people, roughly five times the size it had been sixty years ago. The metropolis has grown to a scenic 1.61 square miles tucked behind and around the original village, still popular today with visitors for its quaint boutiques and breezy esplanade.

ADDITIONAL CONFERENCE SPACE NOW AVAILABLE IN SCOTTS VALLEY
The Scotts Valley Hilton Hotel has converted several guest rooms into meeting rooms to accommodate corporate and community events. The $100,000 expansion leaves the hotel with the previously existing 7,500-square-foot ballroom and four meeting rooms. The expansion of meeting space is part of an ongoing improvement program at the hotel, which can now accommodate 300 guests for weddings and special events, as well as up to 200 people for symposiums, trainings and other types of meetings. Also upgraded was the hotel’s fitness center, now equipped for Hilton Fitness by Precor™.