Summer Activities

This summer camp caught our attention because it's new to Santa Cruz and so appealing! 

Abra Allan  has been dancing since she was three and now, with a 7 year old daughter, her interests are expanding to include aerial arts for children. In this week of movement exploration, children will experience a variety of skills and learn how to use specific muscles to achieve desired moves. 

Abra  and like minded aerial and circus artists are offering an exciting week "Aerial Arts Camp," the only one of its kind in the area. Children will become skilled at climbing the Spanish Web, a thick rope which hangs straight down, using their tummy muscles.

When they put their body into the tissu, a hammock-like apparatus that looks like a big "O", they learn how to balance and control movements by positioning their body in exactly the right place. This leads to fun upside down positions, spinning by selecting the right position, controlling the spin speed with their bodies.

Also offered are Stilting Basics with David Hanson, Hula Hoop Basics with Meaghan O'Brien and Fire Dance/Poi Spinning with Kara Snider. Classes will be held at Santa Cruz Sports Central and Harvey West Park.  This is for ages 7-13 and there are only a few spaces left as groups are limited to six children.

For more information go to thegravityarts.com  or call Abra at (831) 246-4227.

Don your leiderhosen and get ready to polka, Sommerfest is here. This Saturday will be the fifth year the Tyrolean Inn in Ben Lomond has held an outdoor summer festival, celebrating the season German-style.

"It feels good to be joined arm-in-arm with your neighbors, swinging back and forth on a picnic bench, singing crazy songs," said Whitney Parker, co-owner of the restaurant. "The simple pleasures of food, wine, beer and singing with your friends and family. That to me is what Sommerfest is all about."

Half of a roasted chicken with coleslaw, sausages, roast pig, veal loaf and more are on the menu. There will be an outdoor barbecue for those who want instant gratification.

"Traditional German food at a festival is usually very limited. They usually have a half-roasted chicken and a slow-roasted pork knuckle and then they have sausages, of course," Parker said. With the state of the economy, she plans to make all the menu items between $6 and $14, with the exception of the schweinshaxe (pork knuckle).

Along with traditional food and drink, the festival will feature a beer stein-holding competition, a pretzel count, children's bounce house, arts and crafts, a dance floor and performances by Tony Raymann's Edelweiss Band.

"The polka is actually a very easy dance," Parker said. "It's kind of a back and forth 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3. I like to pull people out on the dance floor and teach them how to polka."

In Germany, the Sommerfest days are reserved for traditional music, while the nighttime is filled with rock and roll.

"We tried to follow that tradition for a while, but we realized that people want to come to our restaurant really more for the traditional German music," Parker said. "They get enough American rock and roll."

Tony Raymann has been coming to the Tyrolean Inn to play for almost 40 years. The Swiss accordionist travels from Napa County to play in Santa Cruz. His bandmates, a drummer and a trumpet player, come from Lodi and Sacramento, respectively. "It's quite a drive."

"There are not many German bands out there, as you can imagine," Parker said. "So a lot of our bands come from farther away. A lot of them come from three to four hours away, so it's quite a commitment for them to come all the way down to Santa Cruz to play."

Raymann said the best part of Sommerfest is that it's like an Oktoberfest. "You come in leiderhosen and play polkas and waltzes," he said, adding that he looks forward to playing the "Beer Barrel Polka." "Everyone knows it, and everybody sings."

Festivals in Germany involve a lot of sing-a-longs, Parker said. "Everybody knows the words, everybody stands up on the benches, sometimes even on the tables," said Parker. "Everyone sings as much as they can."

In America, people are more shy, something Parker has tried to counter by having festival seating, which allows people to mingle.

"You don't sit at your own table by yourself [in Germany]. You make friends, you sit with your neighbors, you make new friends," said Parker, who is half-German on her mother's side. "We've had a lot of people over the years come up to us afterwards and say ‘You know, we were a little put off at first that we had to sit next to a total stranger, but then we realized, hey that guy lives right down the street from us.'"

Sommerfest. 2 - 10 p.m. July 18. Tyrolean Inn, 9600 Highway 9, Ben Lomond. $6, but free for children under age 12. (831) 336 -5188.

Jennifer K Mahal is the editor and publisher of Weekend Santa Cruz, a new weekly online magazine dedicated to arts, entertainment and fun in Santa Cruz County. A 10-year veteran of journalism and mother of a 5-month-old. her work has been seen everywhere from the San Diego Union-Tribune to the Key West Citizen. Nowadays her writing can be found at weekendsantacruz.

7/17 5:30pm, Old Fashioned Campfire for the Whole Family, SC Mission, BRING: Picnic dinner, lawn chairs or blankets to sit on and tortilla toppings to share, 5:30 - 6:45 Dinner, live music and tortilla making on the comal, 6:45 - 8:00 Storytelling and songs around the fire.

7/16-19, California Rodeo Salinas, The 99th Annual California Rodeo Salinas is a truly unique event with this year's show featuring the Toyota Tundra Instant Replay Screen bringing action from the chutes and arena closer to your seats, the crowd-favorite Freestyle Bullfights and professional cowboys and cowgirls riding broncs, roping steers, turning barrels and more.

Complete Calendar

7/17 2-4pm, Free Art Event, Educational Resource Center, Kim Solga, an author of Great American Artists for Kids, will be at the Educational Resource Center to talk about her book and help us discover how much fun art history can be! Join us to build a sculpture in the style of Alexander Calder!

7/18 10:30am, Zun Zun Recycled Music, Museum of Natural History, Free, Performed entirely on recycled instruments, this show highlights innovations in instrument making through time from recycled items (steel drums, panpipes) and ends with the creation of a recycled band made from items found around the house.

7/18 6:30-9pm, Full Moon Madness, Henry Cowell Redwood, s Join a moonlit guided tour of the redwoods, music, mulit-media presentation about the park's nocturnal critters, crafts for kids and refreshments.

7/18, 12-2pm, Hands-on art events for kids! Bookshop Santa Cruz, Free, Kim Solga's award winning book introduces kids to 75 American artists through fun & easy hands-on activities in the distinctive style of each artist. Great American Artists for Kids encourages children to learn by doing while expanding their awareness of many different forms of art. Art supplies will be provided so that kids, and their parents, can create a monoprint picture in the style of Mary Cassatt, assemble a rocking sculpture in the style of Alexander Calder, and make an abstract painting with tissue paper in the style of Richard Diebenkorn. Learn, play, and take away your very own masterpiece!

7/18, 2-5pm, Berry Delicious Whole Foods Market, Free Don't miss our celebration of the summer strawberry! Local berry producers, face painting, Kids Club activities, and lots of samples.

7/19 11am-5pm, San Lorenzo Valley Museum's Annual Community BBQ & Silent Auction, San Lorenzo Valley Museum's Annual Community BBQ & Silent Auction fundraiser to support SLV Museum Educational Program. Join us at an old-fashioned BBQ, play horseshoes and listen to the great music as we raise funds for the San Lorenzo Valley Museum programs.

7/19, 9:30am-5:30pm, Art on the Wharf, Dozens of artists display original paintings, photography and other works in an outdoor showcase of fine art and live jazz featuring 7 Come 11 and Wally's Swing World. The kids will enjoy balloons, easel art and face painting.

7/21, 10:30-11:30am, Nutrition for Toddler & Kids Whole Foods Market, Free, Bring the kids to learn all about a healthy "Rainbow Diet." Taste healthy snack samples, learn about food as medicine for common childhood illnesses, and go home with handouts that will help make raising healthy kids fun and easy. The tour will be led by Dr. Holly Germann, a Naturopathic Doctor who practices out of the Santa Cruz Naturopathic Medical Center. She enjoys blending modern science and ancient wisdom to treat patients of all ages for both acute and chronic illnesses. Space is limited! Please register at the Customer Service desk, call 426-9901 x260 or email shonelle.bellon@wholefoods.com.

Complete Calendar

Fridays 8pm, Traditional Campfire Presentations, New Brighton State Beach, Join us at the campfire center for an evening of interactive and educational entertainment for the whole family. We will be delving into topics such as the most extreme marine mammals, creepy crawling creatures, the magic of migration, and much more through song, story and celebration. Wheelchair and stroller accessible.

July 17, 6 & 8:30pm, STARSHIP starring Mickey Thomas "We Built This City" Main Beach

July 24, 6 & 8:30pm, EDDIE MONEY "Take Me Home Tonight" Main Beach

Every Th/F/Sa, 7pm, Campfire Programs, Big Basin Join us in our historic campfire center for an evening of song and story. Serenade the glittering stars and learn about redwood ecology, creatures of the forest or stories of the park while relaxing in the shadows of the towering trees. Fire lighting and marshmallows (we provide the marshmallows and sticks!) at 7:00 pm and program begins at 7:30 pm Wheelchair and stroller accessible. Good dogs welcome!

7/26 8:30am, Wharf to Wharf, Here comes the 37th annual Wharf to Wharf Race! Are you ready? If you've run this scenic six-mile classic before, you know about the weather, the forty live bands, the throngs of festive spectators and the chance to win the coveted Wharf to Wharf Runner T-shirt, awarded only to race finishers and never sold to anyone, anywhere, at any price.....ever. It's too late to sign up, so cheer everyone on!

7/26, 1pm, Could You Survive in the Wild? During this fun, interactive demonstration at Big Basin Redwoods State Park, you'll learn what it takes to survive overnight in the wilderness. Dan Friend, a wilderness survival teacher, will lead this family friendly, hour-long program on how to be prepared in the wilderness--what to bring in your pack and what knowledge to have in your head. Bring your daypack and we'll review the contents.

7/17-8/16, Wizard of Oz, Cabrillo College Theater, Wizard of Oz, A girl. A twister. A pair of ruby slippers. Before there was Wicked there was the Wizard of Oz, a timeless tale of a Kansas farm girl trying to find her way home. Along the way she meets an unusual cast of characters-the Scarecrow, Tinman and Cowardly Lion-and together they go on a quest to find the Wizard of Oz, each of them seeking what they want most in life.

7/27-29 Join Thomas The Tank Engine on a train ride through the Big Trees. Meet Sir Topham Hatt and enjoy a day of Thomas activities. Reservations required. Young Thomas fans and their adults will enjoy a 25 minute rail excursion through the Big Trees behind Thomas the Tank Engine, visit with Sir Topham Hatt, live children's music, caboose tours, Thomas and FriendsTM videos, a model railway exhibit, imagination station, motor car rides and more!

7/29, 2-3:30pm Glass Painting Library Scotts Valley Branch, Join us at the Scotts Valley Library for an art program! We'll have some clear glassware for you to paint in your own special style. When it dries, you'll have some lovely new bric-a brac for your room! Ages 5-12 Space is limited so remember to register online via the Summer Reading Program calendar. Wear old clothes as paint can be permanent.

7/12-8/20 Cirque Magnifique! Beach Boardwalk, Every day (Jul 12-Aug 20) Mon-Thurs Noon & 3:00pm, Sundays Noon & 6:00pm Join us for this FREE high-intensity acrobatic spectacular! World-class French-Canadian performers will grace the Boardwalk's beach bandstand with spinning German Wheels, cycle stunts, high-energy trampoline, gravity-defying balance, amazing acrobatic feats, colorful clowns, and more.You don't want to miss this show!