Events

SALINAS, CA  (August 25th, 2010)  The National Steinbeck Center located at One Main Street in Oldtown Salinas announces its September Meet The Author Series.  Each author program is open to the public at no charge.  A book signing will follow the program.  For more information on upcoming events or purchase tickets call (831) 775-4721or go to www.steinbeckstore.org. .

September 3, 2010 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Join us as we celebrate local author G.M. Weger’s award winning book East Garrison, A Novel. The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a public reception with the author, cash bar and some nibbles. At 7:00 p.m. join us in the Salinas Room for a discussion of the book and its meaning, the author’s process and a digital presentation. Book-singing and Q&A to follow the talk.

Dont forget, this Friday August 20th is Mazda Raceway Sportbike Nights in Oldtown Salinas.

FREE motorcycle parking, $1 Raffle benefiting local charities, Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix ticket specials, Oldtown Restaurant deals, vendor displays, and much more!

Where: Parking lot across from Maya Cinemas in Oldtown Salinas

When: Aug. 20, Sept. 17 & Oct. 15

Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m

SANTA CRUZ, Calif.- Intero Real Estate Services of Santa Cruz is hosting its third annual "Taste of the Harbor," starting at 4:30 PM at the Santa Cruz Harbor on Thursday, September 9.  All proceeds will benefit O'Neill Sea Odyssey.

The event will involve a raffle, live music by local artists DANJUMA & ONOLA, and food and wine provided by harbor area restaurants and local wineries.

O'Neill Sea Odyssey (OSO) engages 4th - 6th grade youth with an education program in navigation, conservation, and marine science on a 65-foot catamaran sailing Monterey Bay, and in a shore-side education center. The program is free, and each group completes a community service project to participate. OSO has served more than 50,000 students.

Tickets can also be purchased directly at www.tasteoftheharbor.com.

One year after 4-year-old Sebastian Balch was killed by a drunk driver, Jose Ortiz put the finishing touches on a mural dedicated to the young boy.

In the painting, Sebastian is depicted resting on a cloud, hugging a dog -- named 'Rocky' -- from the daycare he attended in the city. 

Ortiz said Sebastian always looked happy in the pictures he used for inspiration for the project: "I saw him hugging a lot, always hugging a person, the dogs, the animals."

He added, "He was a really happy child, you can just see it in his face."

Ortiz wanted to capture this happiness, with Sebastian's young smile on the larger-than-life mural on Willow Street in Salinas.  Now, Ortiz said the boy is always with his loved ones and the community.

"We set him up in the clouds, like he's still among us.  The clouds are very permanent here in Salinas, and they're part of Salinas, so he's part of Salinas," Ortiz explained.