Contact: Christina Glynn, Communications Director/Film Commissioner
Phone: 831-429-7281, ext. 112, email: cglynn@santacruz.org

OCTOBER 29, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

USHER IN THE HOLIDAYS IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA - Visitors to Santa Cruz County have an array of choices when it comes to celebrating this holiday season. With a new spin on California Cool, this artsy Central Coast community is where visitors can catch the holiday spirit and local vibe.

California’s oldest seaside resort town hosts Surfing Santa each year, as jolly Saint Nick and his reindeer ride the waves to shore at Capitola Beach. Hang loose on Saturday, November 28, 2009, as Santa settles into a lawn chair on the beach and takes wish list requests from the kids while Donner, Blitzen and the others break out the candy and the holiday cheer.

For a nostalgic look at Christmas, the Santa Cruz Holiday Lights Train features beautifully lit Pullman and open-air excursion cars which travel through Victorian Santa Cruz as carolers sing and the sweet scent of hot spiced cider fills the air. Outdoor lovers can opt to ride the steam train to Bear Mountain and view holiday trees decorated by youth and community groups along the Holiday Tree Walk at Roaring Camp. The forest brims with the spirit of the season during this back-to-nature event, taking place Thanksgiving weekend.

Seaside, the Jingle Shells Art & Book Festival on Saturday, December 5, 2009 features live music, refreshments and kids activities. Held at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center in Santa Cruz, the highlight of the evening is the annual holiday lighting of Ms. Blue, the world’s largest Blue Whale skeleton, which sits adjacent to the museum.

A longtime draw for sailing aficionados, the Santa Cruz Harbor gets into the spirit of things as fifty decorated boats bedecked with twinkling lights parade through the waters at the annual Lighted Boat Parade on Saturday, December 5, 2009. The festive boats set sail at 5:30 p.m. and hot drinks and snacks will be provided at various locations along the south harbor.

Holiday shoppers will have a virtual smorgasbord of choices at the annual Watsonville Factory Sale. From 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., shoppers will have their pick of locally made or grown products, as premiere merchants open their doors to offer everything from handcrafted jewelry, aromatherapy products, items for the home, telescopes and binoculars, decorative glass, orchids and plants, and other items. Visit www.watsonvillefactorysale.com for details.

For a touch of times past, celebrate Ranch Holiday Festival on December 19, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Wilder Ranch State Park, located off Hwy 1 in Santa Cruz. Experience the winter holidays as folks did in early California, Victorian times, and during the start of the 20th Century. Historical demonstrations, house tours, carriage rides; music and holiday crafts will put you in the mood for Christmas cheer.

Another way to celebrate the holidays is to take in a classic performance of Cabrillo Stage’s Scrooge or the Santa Cruz Ballet Theater’s performance of The Nutcracker. Or, check out a new twist on the beloved holiday ballet classic The Nutcracker – remixed -, at the U.C. Santa Cruz Theater Arts Mainstage, complete with acrobats, juggling, and other visual treats.

Party-goers can ring in the New Year Santa Cruz style, by putting on your dancing shoes for the New Years Eve Party at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s Cocoanut Grove Ballroom. On Thursday, December 31st, ring in the new year with champagne, dessert, music, party hats and favors and a countdown clock.

For more ideas on things to do this season, call the CVC at 800.833.3494 or visit www.santacruzevents.travel

Contact: Christina Glynn, Communications Director/Film Commissioner
Phone: 831-429-7281, ext. 112, email: cglynn@santacruz.org

October 13, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RAISE A GLASS TO WINE-RELATED EVENTS IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA – The wine scene in Santa Cruz County is as diverse as the region’s sights and as inspired as its culture. And so, it’s no surprise that local wineries are celebrating the County’s varietals with an eclectic mix of fun and entertainment as the weather warms up. From Boulder Creek to Capitola, Santa Cruz County’s oenophiles are celebrating the crush in a variety of ways.

For the perfect blend of wine and cuisine, Winemaker Wednesdays at Capitola’s Shadowbrook restaurant is a convenient way to appreciate both. Beginning this month and continuing through April, Shadowbrook will spotlight a different Santa Cruz Mountain appellation winery, offering its unique wines throughout the week with Half-Off Special Pricing on Wednesdays. Sample flights of wines (small pours of each wine) in the bar with complimentary hors d’oeuvres, to meet the winemaker, and choose from selected wines by the glass and bottles priced at fifty percent off. While you’re at it, raise a glass and toast Shadowbrook’s six decades in Capitola!

On Saturday, November 21, 2009, the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association (SCMWA) will host Passport Day. Explore the extraordinary viticultural region of the Santa Cruz Mountains Appellation and become acquainted with its incredible diversity of the wines and winemakers. At each winery you visit, a page of your Passport will be given a unique commemorative stamp. This is a special opportunity to visit many of the wineries that are not open to the public at other times. After exploring the local wineries stop in at a participating local restaurant. Sanderlings at the Seascape Beach Resort and Café Max at the Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley will waive the corkage fee on a bottle of Santa Cruz Mountains wine. Receive 10 percent off all purchases at Vino Prima Wine Bar on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf during Passport Weekend as well. Call 831.479.9463 (WINE) for more information, or visit www.scmwa.com.

For a winetasting experience all in one place, head over to Surf City Vintners on Santa Cruz’s westside. Six wineries, a gin distillery and a champagne tasting room serve samples of small handcrafted varietals and aromatic blends. And at Bonny Doon Vineyard’s tasting room and Cellar Door Café, you can taste wine individually, or schedule a private sampling or food and wine pairing with cuisine crafted from fresh organic and biodynamic produce by acclaimed Chef Charlie Parker, formerly of Manresa restaurant in Los Gatos.

At the historic West Cliff Inn in Santa Cruz, foodies who love wine can take advantage of the Bon Appetit special, which includes afternoon wine and hors d’oeuvres, and a $50 dining certificate for Shadowbrook restaurant or Soif Wine Bar and Restaurant in Downtown Santa Cruz. The special kicks off November 1, 2009 and continues through April 29, 2010 and is valid Sundays through Thursdays.

Soquel Village’s Bargetto Winery will host Art in the Cellars December 5 -6, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Purchase a commemorative glass and receive complimentary wine tastings while browsing the works of local painters, photographers, jewelry crafters, potters and other artists on display.

For more information on wineries of the Santa Cruz Mountains, please visit www.santacruzcounty.travel. Or, call the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council at 800.833.3494 for more information.