Santa Cruz Good Times

Music Calendar

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Memory Matters

Twenty years after the fact, a geologist and a historian say we must not forget “Loma Prieta was a humbling experience for most of us. a reminder of our diminutive stature in the grand scheme of things. I think that remembering events like that is a perfect antidote for our collective hubris; it keeps us honest.” —Sandy Lydon, ‘History Dude’  

Kuumbwa Jazz: Small But Mighty

Starting a nonprofit jazz organization in a little coastal town just south of San Francisco doesn’t seem too promising, and naming it an often mispronounced Swahili word can’t be the best marketing ploy. Still, in 1975, a 19-year-old Tim Jackson joined forces with KUSP programmers Rich Wills and Sheba Burney to do just that. The project would swell into the Kuumbwa Jazz Society, the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, and decades of hosting the top jazz musicians from town and from around the globe.

Borne from Original Sin

What was Capitola's loss has become Santa Cruz's gain as Original Sin Desserts Bakery and Café moved into the Culinary Center on Front Street.

Ventana Vineyards Chardonnay 2008

The 2008 Gold Stripe Chardonnay is a take-anywhere, eat-with-everything kind of wine. It’s drinkable, delicious—and very reasonably priced at less than $15. Ventana Vineyards is a successful, popular winery. Their wines are always in demand, they can be found in most wine stores and supermarkets, and the label boasts that they are “The most award-winning vineyard in America.”

Why do you go to Burning Man?

Santa Cruz | Electrician

From the Editor

Plus Letters to Good Times When you grow up in a Polish household, food—God, sometimes a lot of it—is a major part of your upbringing. Stuffed cabbage, peirogis, Polish sausage, sauerkraut, beet soup, and special, fat, fluffy donuts you can’t find anywhere else but in your mother’s hot, steamy kitchen—all filled with tasty berry jam. Needless to say, my wonderful Polish  mother and I had to purchase my clothes in the “husky” section of the boy’s department at Sears. Still, being a foodie gave me keen senses—and adventurous taste buds—so it seemed absolutely fitting for me to attend  a rather unconventional local food festival last week, one I never would have imagined ever attending: The Young Farmers and Ranchers Annual Testicle Festival.

Journeys with Geneen

Former Cruzan and best-selling author Geneen Roth opens up about food, life, God and the legion of emotions that can illuminate our deepest held beliefs When you take your pulse, you know you’re alive. But are you really “living?” If Geneen Roth were asking that question, she’d no doubt add: How are you really living?  

San Narciso

While having sushi dinner at Mobo recently, I mentioned San Narciso, to which my friend pondered aloud, “Why have I heard of them?” The reason is because a new 4-song EP, Friend Prices, confirms what many local show-goers have already discovered: San Narciso, the year-old local indie rock band, is fantastic.

It's A Jungle Out There

ll teenagers go through a period of trying to find themselves and figure out their place in the larger world. But most of them don't have to launch their search from the depths of a family of career criminals, like the young protagonist in the bleak, yet forceful Australian crime drama Animal Kingdom. Tossed without ceremony into a metaphorical pit of vipers, this 17-year-old boy has more than the usual obstacles to contend with, maneuvering constantly toward survival while the adults around him teach him the law of the jungle.

Shuttle Smith Adventures

With the Nov. 2 vote on Proposition 21, The State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act right around the corner, tree huggers throughout California are doing their part to protect the future of Mother Nature. After working in construction for 29 years, 53-year-old Santa Cruz local Dave Smith recently decided to renew his connection with Nisene Marks State Park. The adventure enthusiast created a part-time job for himself that would allow him to ride his mountain bike five times a week.

A Tale Of Two Blogs

Woo hoo. A knife fight and pirate sex in the first chapter! Love it!" This was the very first comment posted on my serial novel-in-progress, “Runaways: A Novel of Jonkanoo,” now going up online, one chapter a week (runaways-jonkanoo.blogspot.com/). This is the gratifying part of the writing life, feedback from happy readers. It's the part that those of us who toil away just under the radar of traditional publishing crave the most. Yes, the act of writing itself has to be its own reward for so many of us who keep plugging away because we just can't stop ourselves; the stories demand to be told, and we are liable to get pretty snippy about it if they're made to fester too long inside some murky cranial passage or other, waiting to be born. But reader response is both invaluable and irresistible.

Welcome to Santa Cruz County

Cover Photo: Volleyball at Main Beach by Nick Borelli  

Best Santa Cruz 2009 Good Times Reader Poll

Our biggest issue—ever—unfolds on the following pages. Thousands of words occupy the literary real estate your eyes are about to explore. Welcome to the Best of Santa Cruz 2009. For more than 25 years, GT’s annual readers’ poll has saluted the best the county has to offer—from its arts and entertainment to its restaurants and shops, and beyond. This year is no different—the kudos are doled out—but there are some new nuances. For starters, nearly 3,000 readers voted this year, the biggest voter turnout to date. As always, there are also some surprise winners, some curious ties and some wildly eye-popping missed-it-by-a-hair losses. You’ll notice this year, too, we’ve included listings for Runner-up. PLUS: Venture online to see a more extensive breakdown of the top five winners in each category.  The Best Of journey begins on page 14 but take note of page 66, where our Critics’ Picks reveal another round of winners—and losers—not found in the typical voting categories. What else? Well, at 152 pages, there’s plenty, Results from the 2009 Good Times Reader Poll >