SANTA CRUZ COUNTY > Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrates 30 years

In 1982, just 40 “littles” were matched with “bigs” in Santa Cruz County. Now, currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Cruz County (BBBS) has placed more than 4,500 youths (called “littles”) in positive mentoring relationships with adult volunteers (called “bigs”).

The organization turned 30 on Thursday, June 14 and celebrated with an event that showcased the relationships created over the years. Julie Munnerlyn, coordinator of the 30th anniversary event, says the goal of BBBS is to create lasting, caring relationships that have a positive influence on both the big and the little involved.

The 1950s Santa Cruz surf lifestyle is back—at least for a day this coming weekend.

On Saturday, June 23, 200-plus antique wood-bodied cars from across the country will come together for their 18th annual reunion on the Santa Cruz Wharf. The group will include an enormous variety of pre-1952 woodies.

In addition to showing off an impressive array of vintage cars to sizable crowds, the annual event brings back a feeling of nostalgia for many of its owners, as well as Santa Cruz locals. Don Iglesias, founder and “Club Kahuna” of the Santa Cruz Chapter of the National Woodie Club, says the event takes him back to his childhood—revisiting the vehicles recalls the feeling of being “a little boy peeking over the seat” in his parents’ old woodie, he says.

SANTA CRUZ > Local nonprofit plans community meetings on the economy

“Doing something constructive always makes us feel much better about this mess in which we find ourselves, currently, in this nation,” says John French, founder of local nonprofit Article V for Our Children’s Future.

The organization looks to put heads together in Santa Cruz County, with the goal of discussing recent news in Washington, D.C. related to the declining job market in the United States. French hopes to make progress on the creation of jobs by bringing the community’s thoughts together with local and regional congressional representatives and economic experts.

To accomplish this, French is planning a series of virtual town hall meetings. Dubbed “e-town hall” meetings, the events will consist of Internet-based video conferences that will be taped in the Community Television Studio and streamed live online. Meetings will include a call-in number to help with widespread audience participation. French says the meetings will focus on subtopics of the main issue–like the best ways to create jobs–and will aim to reach a consensus among participants, representatives, experts, and citizens of the county regarding next moves.

Locals learn to love running in an unconventional program

According to Maggie Ellis, “If you think you hate running, [or] if you couldn’t run a half mile to save your life,” the Hate to Love Running Program is right up your alley.

Ellis is a certified health counselor and the director of The Hate to Love running program, which is now in its third year. Ellis was inspired to start the program by her own relationship with running: through a gentle progression of exercises, running transformed from a chore she hated doing into a true passion. Her program is geared toward beginning runners, and aims to help train them in a manageable way with the goal of completing a 5K run by the program’s end.

Original surf shop established as California Point of Historic Interest

First they made the world’s first viable wetsuit, allowing surfers worldwide to dive into waters too icy for most. Now O’Neill is making history again.

The California State Historical Resources Commission voted unanimously earlier this month to approve the site of the original O’Neill Surf Shop (located at the entrance to Cowell Beach) as a “California Point of Historic Interest.”

What does that mean for the little beach shack that made history? For one, it’s going to get a sign explaining its historic significance. But for most Santa Cruzans, including Santa Cruz City Council Member David Terrazas (who spearheaded the designation effort), it’s just an official recognition of something they already know.

 SLUG REPORT > UCSC named seventh best university under 50 years old

UC Santa Cruz recently placed seventh on a list of the top 100 public and private international universities younger than 50 years old.

The UK-based list, titled the Times Higher Education 100 Under 50, aims to identify the rising stars of the new global university system. Of the 100 universities listed, only two U.S.-based universities (UC Irvine and UC Santa Cruz, both established in 1965) placed in the top 10, with East Asian countries dominating the list (South Korea’s Pohang University of Science and Technology snagged the top spot).

USDA funds summer food awareness program

A five-month food awareness program kicked off on Wednesday, June 6 at the Downtown Farmers’ Market in Santa Cruz. In an effort to expand producer-to-consumer market opportunities in the county, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has provided funding to help launch food-centric programs throughout the area.  

The program, called the Foodshed Project, will put on celebrations on the first Wednesday of each month between June and October at the Downtown Farmers’ Market. The events will consist of activities such as “mini-classes, storytelling, and tastings facilitated by the Santa Cruz Community Farmers’ Market (SCCFM) farmers and food artisans,” and are meant to engage the community firsthand.  

 NAVIGATING YOGA > Balancing the mind, body and emotions with yoga

We now know that yoga can be handy as a sleeping aid, especially when that insomnia is due to stress. But did you know that yoga can also help cope with depression? It’s true—while yoga may not be your cure your blues, it should certainly be taken seriously as a mood booster.

As you probably know, exercise sends natural signals up to your brain that can trigger happiness. The technical term for this is called endorphins. Endorphins are your happy hormones, which are increased with any amount of physical activity. Whether that activity is a jog through the woods or dip in your local pool, being active makes the world seem a little brighter. Knowing this, it’s safe to say that yoga by its very nature as a physical activity can combat depression. Some postures are especially good for opening the heart, relieving insomnia and anxiety, and alleviating external distractions. Here are six postures that I think are particularly beneficial.

David Best brings it back with this year’s The Temple of Juno

Have you ever wondered what it’s like as an artist—especially one who creates enormous sculptures and architectural feats, as does David Best, the man behind many of Burning Man’s temples—to see your masterpieces burnt into oblivion? “It’s kind of like those jokes—I built this temple and all I got is this lousy T-shirt,” jokes Best. But although the half dozen temples he has built for Black Rock City have all, inevitably, turned to ash, he actually says he would have it no other way. “The memory of those will last longer than a piece of art,” he says.

Geoffrey Nelson on the art of Burning Man costuming

Geoffrey Nelson’s artist loft at the Tannery Arts Center in Santa Cruz is brimming with eye-catching Burning Man costumes. Mannequins in elaborate getups stand around in the bright, open space, hinting at the troves of funky clothes hiding in the home’s many closets (including the kitchen pantry) that are stuffed with Black Rock City digs.

Nelson shares his clothing creativity with fellow Burners—veterans and “newbies,” alike—in annual costume workshops.

He wasn’t born a costume aficionado, however. “My first time, I thought wearing a hair clip was really radical,” he laughs. “I walked around with this hair clip on top of my head.” But after 12 years of going to Burning Man, Nelson has his playa style down: like his theme camp, Mo’s Mini Martinis and Erotica, it draws heavily on a Bedouin aesthetic, which harkens back to childhood years he spent living in Morocco and is fitting for the festival’s desert environment.

While his daytime outfits capture a mellow Arabic influence, his nighttime getups are big, bold and colorful. He has an impressive collection of marching band uniforms, as well as traditional Masonic garb. “The Masons are getting rid of all of their traditional, ritual clothes, so I buy them on eBay for around $20,” he explains. He enlivens these already striking outfits with “EL” wire (a long-lasting, durable wire that glows brightly) to make it pop in the desert darkness.