Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Ready, Set, Wharf
Santa Cruz County · July 21, 2026
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It's race week. Sunday morning, 16,000 runners take off from 30th and Portola for the 54th Wharf to Wharf, and the rest of us stand on East Cliff to watch. The full spectator plan is in the Weekend Pick.
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Let's get into it.
We've had several readers ask, "Who's behind this newsletter?" so we thought we'd share a little about who's behind the curtain. We're Makena and Price, a family on the East Side with three kids. We kept finding events happening around Santa Cruz on scattered social media accounts, and hearing about stuff after the fact. We decided to make one list each week of all the things happening in Santa Cruz, and it has become Low Tide Local. If you want to learn more about us, go here.
CONDITIONS · TUESDAY, JULY 21
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Warm one today, 82 in town under mostly sunny skies, then the week settles into the high 70s, with fog only sneaking in overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning. The surf is quantity over quality, and the Westside is the side that's working. Steamer Lane checked in fair to good at 4 to 6 feet plus, with Three Mile about the same, while the Hook and Jack's sat at 2 to 3 and mushy. The short-period northwest windswell behind it holds through Wednesday per the NWS surf zone forecast. Water is holding at 60, so the full 3/2 stays on.
A blue whale crossed the bay on July 13, logged by the morning boat alongside five humpbacks and 2,000 dolphins, while the all-day trip counted 28 humpbacks. The dolphin superpods from our last edition never left; nearly every trip through July 16 counted 1,000 to 3,000 of them. And a humpback the naturalists call Duchess of Anchovy spent two straight days breaching and pec-slapping for the boats like she was working on commission.
Photos are on Facebook. Those counts are from last week's trips, so consider the bay warmed up.
Sweet corn, tomatoes, figs, and apricots are all landing at the markets now, with the first grapes right behind them.
This is the last call for lavender. Noble Harvest Farm in Aptos runs its final u-pick weekend Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 to 5:30, timed sessions from $5, and then the field is done for the year. Crystal Bay Farm in Watsonville still has u-pick strawberries Wednesdays and Sundays, noon to 5, $8 a pound plus $2 to get in. Bring cash and a hat.
And Friends gallery moved into the old Chill Out spot on 41st
Sydney Pfaff moved her And Friends art gallery out of its tucked-away Portola Drive location and into 860 41st Ave, the former Chill Out Cafe on the same block as Verve in Pleasure Point. The bigger room means real solo shows, about 10 a year, starting with ceramicist Victoria Rickson's SUN/FOG this month, alongside the textiles, candles, and functional pieces the shop is known for. Open 11 to 5 every day but Tuesday.
The Highway 17 wildlife tunnel is working: 1,100 crossings, zero roadkill
Year two of camera monitoring at the Laurel Curve undercrossing logged more than 1,100 animal crossings, and zero animals hit by cars inside the study area. Deer and foxes are now bringing their young through, which is how you know a tunnel has become a commute. The Land Trust posted a best-of trail-cam reel worth your lunch break.
Bookie's Pizza will be the first retail tenant at downtown's Anton Pacific
The Detroit-style counter that has lived inside Sante Adairius' midtown taproom since 2022 signed for 3,475 square feet at 800 Pacific Ave, with the move expected next year. Same column notes Inversion Wines is headed to 4650 Scotts Valley Drive after losing its Mount Hermon Road spot to housing, and Santa Cruz Millwork opened a showroom at 310 Coral St.
Santa Cruz City Schools is building 100 apartments for its teachers
The district lost 127 teachers over the past decade to housing costs, and 95 percent of its declined job offers cite the same reason. The fix is an $86 million project at 313 Swift St on the Westside, roughly 100 units renting at 60 to 70 percent of market rate, open to educators by summer 2028. Bogard Construction's design includes wetsuit and surfboard storage.
For the visual folks, we put l.t.l. on a map. View Mo's Map to see what's happening near you, plus the markets and the weekend's sales.
Heads-up for Sunday drivers: Wharf to Wharf closes Portola, East Cliff, and the streets around the course from early morning to about noon, and Capitola Village goes car-free at 5 AM. The map has the pins.
Garage sales get refreshed every Friday. Know of one? Submit it here.
★ = family-friendly
TUESDAY, JULY 21
Ocean Vuong · 7 PM · Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave, Midtown · $26.58, students $10
Bookshop Santa Cruz brings the MacArthur-winning novelist through on the Emperor of Gladness tour. It's tonight, if there are still tickets to grab.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22
★ Capitola Twilight Concerts: Extra Large · 6 PM · Esplanade Park, Capitola Village · Free
The county's nine-time best-local-band winners play the bandstand. Grab dinner to-go in the Village, park up the hill, walk down.
Western Wednesday: Brea Burns and the Boleros · 8 PM, lesson 7:30 · Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way · $15 adv
Honky-tonk night with a free two-step lesson before the band. Boots optional, 21 and up.
THURSDAY, JULY 23
★ Crow's Nest Beach BBQ: Harry & The Hitmen · 5:30 PM · Santa Cruz Harbor Beach, Twin Lakes · Free
Motown and soul on the sand. Parking is a scrap, so take the free water taxi from the other side of the harbor. Have a listen ↗
★ Sister Act at Cabrillo Stage · 7:30 PM · Crocker Theater, Cabrillo College, Aptos · $25 to $65
The summer mainstage musical with a live orchestra, submitted to us by the theater itself. Thursday is the cheap night at $25 to $45, and it runs through August 2. Lot L parking is free starting an hour before curtain.
James McMurtry · 8 PM · Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave · $42
Texas's sharpest storyteller in a seated room. If "Canola Fields" doesn't get you, check your pulse. Have a listen ↗
Happy Hour Knitting & Crochet · 6 PM · Art Factory Studios, Aptos · $60
BYOB, bring your own work in progress, instructors on hand for beginners. A reader sent us this one.
FRIDAY, JULY 24
★ Midtown Fridays · 5–8:30 PM · 1111 Soquel Ave, Midtown · Free
The weekly block party rolls on with a local band on the flatbed and food trucks in the lot.
★ Free Movies on the Beach: A Minecraft Movie · 9 PM · Main Beach at the Boardwalk · Free
Blankets on the sand for the blocky one. Seabright's neighborhood movie night screens the same film Thursday on Murray Street, so the county is fully covered on chicken jockeys this week.
Spark in the Dark: David J of Bauhaus · 6 PM · Catalyst Atrium, 1011 Pacific Ave · from $41
Goth royalty plays a benefit gala in the small room. We flagged this one two weeks ago; now it's here. Have a listen ↗
★ Roaring Camp Sequoia Lights · 8:30 PM · 5400 Graham Hill Rd, Felton · $15.90 to $26.50, under 2 free
A lantern-lit 0.8-mile walk under the old growth, with 26 artist-made lanterns hung 50 feet up. Runs multiple nights this summer.
SATURDAY, JULY 25
★ SambaDá at Abbott Square · 7 PM · Abbott Square Market, 725 Front St, Downtown · Free
The county's Afro-Brazilian party band, free, in the courtyard. Our pick for the best free show of the week. Have a listen ↗
★ National Carousel Day: the Looff turns 115 · Park hours · Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk · Free entry, rides extra
The 1911 Looff carousel celebrates its 115th birthday, and the first riders of the day get a brass souvenir ring, a nod to the ring toss your grandparents played.
SUN/FOG opens at And Friends · 11 AM–5 PM · 860 41st Ave, Pleasure Point · Free
Ceramicist Victoria Rickson's solo show is the first in the gallery's new home, the old Chill Out Cafe on the Verve block. More on the move in Local News above.
Fully Fullwood Band ft. Ginger Roots · 9 PM · Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way · $25 adv
The legendary Soul Syndicate bassist leads a roots reggae night, 21 and up.
SUNDAY, JULY 26
Wharf to Wharf · 8 AM sharp · 30th Ave and Portola Dr to Capitola Village
The main event. Full spectator plan in the Weekend Pick below.
Sue Foley · 4 PM matinee · Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way · $30 adv
The Juno-winning blues guitarist in an afternoon slot, which is exactly the energy you'll have after race morning. Have a listen ↗
The Cruz Room · 1520 Mission St, Westside
Restaurateur Matisse Selman took over the old Cafe Lola corner and packed it with wood-fired sourdough pizza from Justin Wadstein of Sleight of Hand, a 14-time world pizza champion, plus a beer and wine bar, a free-play arcade, and pinball machines set to $1. Live local music runs 7 to 9, Thursday through Sunday, there's a pinball tournament this Wednesday at 7, and Monday is board game night. Open 5 to 11 PM, closed Tuesdays, so make it a Wednesday.
Wharf to Wharf, from the sidelines · Sunday, July 26
The 54th running goes off at 8 AM sharp, and for the second year it starts at 30th and Portola instead of the Santa Cruz Wharf while the Murray Street Bridge rebuild drags on. All 16,000 bibs sold out months ago, so if you're not in, plan to spectate. Fifty-plus bands line the six miles, the stretch along Pleasure Point is the best free concert in town, and the finish spills into a car-free Capitola Village.
Logistics: course streets close from early morning to about noon, Capitola Village goes car-free at 5 AM, and shuttles run 6 to 7:30 from Capitola Ave near the police station to 41st and Portola, behind the start. Walk or bike in if you can. The Sentinel has a story on Jen Ham, a blind runner who trains tethered to guide Hailey Shingler on West Cliff and races Sunday.
The markets and standing plans that run every week.
Tuesday: Felton Farmers Market · 1:30 to 5:30 PM · 120 Russell Ave, Felton
Wednesday: Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market · 12:30 to 5 PM · Cedar and Church, Downtown
Friday: Watsonville Farmers Market · 2 to 9 PM · Peck and Union, Downtown Watsonville
Saturday: Westside Farmers Market · 9 AM to 1 PM · Mission St Ext and Western Dr
Saturday: Aptos Farmers Market · 8 AM to Noon · Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Dr
Saturday: Scotts Valley Farmers Market · 8 AM to Noon · Graham Plaza, 219 Mount Hermon Rd
Sunday: Live Oak Farmers Market · 9 AM to 1 PM · 15th and East Cliff Dr
Sunday: Humble Sea Brewing · 11 AM to 9 PM · 820 Swift St, Westside · Free entry
Fog beer and fish and chips in the beer garden. Dog and kid friendly, Saturdays too.
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