SANTA CRUZ
Beekeepers Guild holiday potluck and raffle
Beekeepers Guild will be meeting for the annual holiday potluck at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4. at the El Rio Mobile Home Park Community Room, 2120 N. Pacific Ave. Please bring a goodie to share with the group. Join for a lively discussion about your bees, what practices we have implemented to tuck them in for winter and our hopes for the 2025 season.
Speaking of 2025, it’s that time of year where the club is on the lookout for new steering committee members. If you’re growing in your beekeeping journey and want to help lead a meeting next year email, santacruzbeeco@gmail.com. There will be $1 raffle tickets available at the holiday potluck, enter to win a custom made observation bee hive. Proceeds will go to support 2025 guest speakers.
And as always, a friendly parking reminder. Never park inside the park, please park outside the mobile home community. Upon leaving, please keep your voices down so as not to disturb the residents. If you park on the street, make sure you pay your meter to avoid a ticket. If you park in the LENZ Arts parking lot, do not block any cars. For more info visit santacruzbees.com.
WATSONVILLE
2nd Saturday presents ‘A Country Christmas’
Bring your family and friends down to 2nd Saturday on the Farm Agricultural History Project from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 14, located at 2635 E. Lake Ave. Every month enjoy a 2nd Saturday on the Farm, a family event that focuses on a particular area of agriculture. Visitors can participate in the regular activities of the Agricultural History Project plus others related to the day’s special focus. Over 2,500 visitors are hosted each year during 2nd Saturdays on the Farm.
Unique interactive educational activities to help you have fun learning about past agricultural practices. One popular activity is wooden cow milking, where participants can try their hand at milking a life-size wooden cow with rubber teats. Another favorite is the kid-driven tractor, which uses a retrofitted John Deere tractor to allow anyone to learn how to drive. You sit in the seat and control the steering wheel, while a trained volunteer stands on a platform to your right to manage the speed. There’s even room for a parent or friend to stand on your left and enjoy the ride. For those interested in a more simulated experience, the Tractor Simulator offers a stationary tractor that you can drive down a virtual crop row, with a computer screen displaying how well you’re handling the tractor. Finally, the Puppet Theater features a new show each month, providing a delightful entertainment option for visitors of all ages. This is a rain or shine event.
Admission is always free, but donations are gladly accepted. For more information visit, aghistoryproject.org.
WATSONVILLE
Wreath Making in December
Nothing sings of the holidays like making a seasonal wreath to decorate your space. Birdsong Orchard is hosting a hands-on workshop from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec.15 on the farm at 613 Lakeview Road, where you will make your own wreath to take home. The multi-talented Jessica Tunis will be leading this workshop, and owner Nadine Schaffer will be there for backup help as well. For beginners who have never made a wreath before, Tunis will guide you through the basic techniques of wreath making and help you craft a unique design.
For more experienced wreath makers, please enjoy an opportunity to try a different design and work with new plants, textures and colors. All the materials you will need will be hand gathered, foraging extensively from Birdsong Orchard and Tunis’ mountain forest homestead. Suitable for ages 16 and up. Please wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes, bring a water bottle and your favorite garden snippers or clippers if you have them. To keep things intimate, this workshop is limited to 25 people.
Space is limited, reserve tickets at birdsongorchards.com/products/holiday-wreath-making-workshop-november-24th.
FELTON
Tenants’ Rights 1-on-1 Counseling
Tenant Sanctuary is offering one-on-one counseling from 3:30-5:30 p.m. every other Wednesday by appointment at the Felton Library, 6121 Gushee St. This program is for renters in Santa Cruz County who would like one-on-one support from a tenant rights counselor to discuss an issue with housing. In your 25-minute session, you will learn about your legal rights and how to use these rights to address your situation. Some topics that can be addressed are unsafe or unsanitary housing conditions, rental increases, eviction and threats or harassment, and communication with a landlord. This program occurs every other week.
Tenant counselors help renters understand their rights. They are not lawyers and do not provide legal advice, opinion or representation. Volunteer counselor Ciera is a renter and long-term resident of Soquel. She has been working with neighbors to address housing issues since 2018 and was a volunteer counselor with Tenant Sanctuary. As a member of the Santa Cruz County Renters Union, Ciera believes that renters can work together to gain safer and more affordable housing.
Call the Felton Branch Library at 831-427-7708 or visit santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/13042429 to register for your free, 25-minute appointment.
CAPITOLA
Housing Matters holds weekly outreach
The Housing Matters Outreach Team will be available from 1-4 p.m. every Tuesday in the Barbara Gorson Multipurpose Room at the Capitola Branch Library, 2005 Wharf Road, for families and individuals experiencing homelessness to help them access resources, navigate housing and meet with Housing Matters representatives. This is a drop-in service, first come, first served.
For more information about this outreach visit santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/12691252. For more information about Housing Matters call 831-458-6020, contact@housingmatterssc.org or visit housingmatterssc.org.
The Garden Digest is compiled by Jesselyn Rego. To submit items for the calendar including events, meetings, resources or anything garden related, email sentinelhomeandgarden@gmail.com.