Buddhist Temple to celebrate Hanamatsuri
WATSONVILLE — Watsonville Buddhist Temple, 423 Bridge St., will celebrate Hanamatsuri (Flower Festival) on Sunday, April 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There will be a service at 10 a.m. followed by a temple tour at 11 a.m.
The event includes food sales of mixed sushi, chirashi, yakisoba, cabbage salad, baked goods and soft drinks.
There will be several displays including bonsai, ikebana and kimekomi dolls. Entertainment will begin at 11:15 a.m. and will include a Shamisen performance; a ukulele and hula duo; a dance presentation by the Salinas Young Buddhist Association and a performance by Sandoshin Taiko from Morgan Hill.
The event is free and open to the public. For information, call 724-7860.
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Learn Spanish, English at the library
WATSONVILLE — The Watsonville Public Library holds workshops for people looking to learn Spanish and English.
The workshop features a different material each week for attendees to practice the languages.
It is held every Wednesday at the Main Library second floor meeting room, 275 Main St., suite 100. Learn English from 6-6:50 p.m., and learn Spanish from 7-7:50 p.m.
No sign ups are required.
For information, call 768-3400 or visit cityofwatsonville.org/public-library.
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Retired Teachers Association holding luncheon
APTOS — The California Retired Teachers Association will hold a luncheon on April 4 at 11:30 a.m. at Seacliff Inn, 7500 Old Dominion Court in Aptos.
The speakers will be new Cabrillo College Superintendent/President Matthew Wetstein and Village Santa Cruz Outreach Coordinator Jessica Bukowinski.
Those interested in attending are asked to mail their name and phone number and a check for $20 per lunch made payable to CalRTA, Division 7. Indicate your choice of a cobb salad or a green salad with grilled vegetables.
Checks should be mailed to Glenda Hastings, 6013 Thurber Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95065, by March 26. After that date, call to reserve a seat at 476-5886.
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Learning Center opens at Soquel Creek Water District Office
SOQUEL — The Soquel Creek Water District opened the doors to its new Community Water Plan Learning Center.
The center includes educational displays illustrating the challenges to the endangered groundwater supply, and outlining the actions, tools, and programs contained in the District’s Community Water Plan.
The Community Water Plan Learning Center is located in the District’s main office, 5180 Soquel Drive, Soquel.
The Learning Center is designed to be self-guided, and takes visitors on a journey to explore “Our Path to a Reliable Water Supply.”
“We’re proud to be able to bring the Learning Center to our community. It provides information about our Community Water Plan and new water supply options being evaluated,” said Bruce Daniels, president of the Soquel Creek Water District Board of Directors. “Protection of our water supply affects every member of our community and the Learning Center is great at getting people informed and involved with solutions.”
Visitors may walk around the Learning Center to view and interact with displays about the importance of sustaining the water supply, the science behind the groundwater basin, and the role of water conservation. Other display panels talk about water supply options such as desalination, storm water capture, river water transfers, and Pure Water Soquel – using purified recycled water to recharge the groundwater basin.
The center was partially funded through a grant by the US Bureau of Reclamation.
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Boardwalk celebrating spring break
SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk will celebrate two weeks of family-friendly Spring Break activities, Saturday through April 8.
Boardwalk rides, games and special events are on tap. Rides will be open daily, weather permitting. The Boardwalk Bowl and Boardwalk Arcade including arcade games, mini-golf and Laser Tag are also open daily.
Spring Break special events include:
• Play half-price arcade games including mini-golf and Laser Tag during Arcade Happy Hours.
• A magic show with Doug Hofkins, the Surfing Magician (March 26-April 6, weekdays)
• Take a selfie with SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick (April 2-6, noon-5:30 p.m.)
For information, visit beachboardwalk.com/Spring-Break.
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SCPD hosting traffic safety talk
SANTA CRUZ — Santa Cruz Police Chief Andrew Mills is inviting the community to a Street Smarts traffic safety presentation on Wednesday at the Santa Cruz Police Community Room, 155 Center St., from 6-7:30 p.m.
The presentation will examine distracted driving and walking as well as solutions to address such behavior. Distracted driving and walking have become increasingly serious concerns with the popularity of cell phones and smartphones. Studies have shown that drivers require more reaction time and pedestrians become less attentive to their surroundings when distracted by cell phones.
Co-presenting with SCPD is AT&T, who will bring a virtual reality simulator to the presentation.
Sgt. Scott Garner, a 20-year veteran officer and traffic expert, will answer questions and clarify traffic safety issues in neighborhoods.
For information, visit www.cityofsantacruz.com/streetsmarts.
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Dairy producers begin search for royalty
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY — The local dairy industry is now accepting applications from young women wishing to compete for the District 6 Dairy Princess crown.
The winner will represent the dairy industry in District 6 as a spokeswoman and will also represent the California dairy industry in appearances at schools, fairs, industry meetings, service clubs, parades, and with the media. The newly selected Dairy Princess and alternate will participate in a mandatory training, July 9-12, in which they receive professional development coaching.
Contestants must meet the following requirements: 1. Be 17 years old by the date of the contest and not over 21 years of age by contest date; 2. Be unmarried; and 3. Family – parents or grandparents – must own or previously owned a dairy farm; parents work for the dairy industry; or have a dairy-related background.
Current Dairy Princess Makayla Toste of Newman will relinquish her crown to the winner who will represent the dairy industry in Santa Cruz, Alameda, Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties. Scholarships will be awarded.
The application deadline is Friday, May 11.
The District 6 contest is sponsored by the District 6 Dairy Princess Committee and the California Milk Advisory Board. The 60th anniversary event will be held June 14 at Our Lady of Assumption Hall in Turlock.
For information, visit www.californiadairypressroom.com/ca-dairy-princesses.
