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

April 22, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA— Cycling enthusiasts as well as fans of Santa Cruz have an array of choices when it comes to gearing up for the 2010 Amgen Tour of California.  In anticipation of the Tuesday, May 18^th Stage 3 Finish in Santa Cruz, local race organizers announce four upcoming events that are sure to please.  Tucked between redwood-covered mountains and the Monterey Bay, this bicycle-friendly community is taking cycling traditions to a whole new level.

Bonny Doon Challenge, Family Ride and Swift Street Courtyard Bike Festival

May 1^st is your first opportunity to ride the now-famous Bonny Doon Climb on one of two beautiful loops along the coast and through the redwoods. The 27-mile loop includes the Coast Road, where you will then ride the same course as the racers in the Amgen Tour of California, up Bonny Doon Road to the King of the Mountain (KOM) on Pine Flat Road. Once you have reached the top, you will descend along Empire Grade Road back to the start. The 45-mile route will also include the popular Swanton Road loop.  Registration includes a post-ride meal at the Swift Street Courtyard.  A family fun bike ride will also take place.  Following the ride, enjoy a free family bicycle celebration at Santa Cruz’s Swift Street Courtyard with food, music, bicycle contests, family activities, wine and beer.

Date: Saturday, May 1, 2010; Time: The Bonny Doon Challenge begins at 8:30 a.m.; family fun bike ride begins at 10:30 a.m.; Bicycle celebration from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Location: Swift Street Courtyard, 402 Ingalls Street, Santa Cruz; Ride Cost: $50 registration for Bonny Doon Challenge

Rail/Trail Ride and Fun and Fitness Festival

Celebrate train and bike travel with a train ride from the Depot Station in Santa Cruz to Felton. Bring your bike on the train for a group ride back down to Santa

Cruz along scenic Highway 9.  A roundtrip train ride is available for those unable to cycle back.  After returning to Depot Park, enjoy food and entertainment.

Date: Saturday, May 15, 2010; Time: Train departs at 10:00 a.m., Fun and Fitness Festival from 11:30 am – 3 pm.; Location: Depot Park, 119 Center Street, Santa Cruz; Ride Cost: $10 adults, $5 children (cash only)

Lights, Camera….Relax

Exhausted from your bike rides?  Then “Race Across the Sky” at the Rio Theater for movie night on Sunday, May 16^th.  In Leadville, CO, a race that started 25 years ago as a running race to drive tourism has now grown to a lottery cap of 1000+ competitors, many of them the world’s most elite cyclists. But the Leadville Trail 100 “Race Across the Sky” Mountain Bike Race is not just a race of man against man:  it’s man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. elements, man vs. time. A clock set for 12 grueling hour’s slugs through 100 miles, over 14,000 vertical feet of climbing, some two miles above sea level, through extreme climate changes ranging from heat to hail, from rain to snow.  To the racers, the risks of injury, fatigue and mechanical failure pale next to the chance that they will fall behind the 12 hour cut off mark and be eliminated.  Doors open at 6:00 p.m., movie starts at 7:00 p.m.  Rio Theater, 1205 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz.  Tickets, $15 at the Bicycle Trip,$20 at the door

An Evening with Chris Carmichael: Coach to Lance Armstrong

Chris Carmichael, retired professional cyclist and cycling, triathlon and endurance sports coach will be the special guest speaker at a moderated forum on Monday, May 17^th beginning at 7:00 p.m.  The forum will take place at the Cocoanut Grove’s Sunroom, 400 Beach Street in Santa Cruz.  The evening will include a “Q&A” from the audience on cycling, athletic training and working with Lance Armstrong.  A book signing with Chris Carmichael follows the forum. Tickets are $35 plus a ticket fee, available online at www.santacruztickets.com.

Already considered cycling’s most important and successful road race in the United States, the 2010 Amgen Tour of California will cover more than 800 miles over nine days in 2010.  The event’s fifth running is scheduled May 16 – 23, 2010.  Traveling almost the entire length of California, the race will begin in Nevada City and end in southern California’s Thousand Oaks.  Santa Cruz was chosen to be a host city and will join 16 official stage start and finish locations that have been selected for the 2010: Nevada City, Sacramento, Davis, Santa Rosa, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Modesto, Visalia, Bakersfield, Pasadena, Big Bear Lake, Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village/Agoura Hills for the 2010 race.

For more information on where to stay in Santa Cruz County during the Amgen Tour of California – Santa Cruz, please visit www.santacruzcounty.travel.  Or, call the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council at 831.425.1234 for more information.

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

April 21, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA— Independence Day in Santa Cruz County is chock-full of family-friendly events and dazzling celebrations.  As the nation marks its 233^rd birthday, pledge your allegiance to parades, barbecues and lots of spirit!

Kicking things off early, the Firecracker 10K Race begins at 7:00 a.m. on July 4^th starts and ends in Santa Cruz’s Harvey West Park.  Fun for the entire family, 1K, 5K and 10K runs are all offered for kids and adults.  This year marks the event’s silver anniversary, taking runners up the trail into the majestic hills of Pogonip Park and back down through Santa Cruz’s beautiful upper west side neighborhoods. And best of all, the Firecracker Race is free to enter!

Do you have time for a two-block parade?  Do you have a pet that is begging to wear sparkly costume?  If so, then Aptos’ “World’s Shortest Parade,” is a must-see.  Covering all of two blocks, the parade includes nearly every Aptos resident, both human and animal, dressed up in patriotic splendor. Visitors are welcome to participate – just arrive in costume and be prepared for fun!  Following the parade, games, arts and crafts, and live music are offered in Aptos Park.  The festivities begin with a pancake breakfast at 7:30 a.m., followed by the parade at 10:00 a.m.  Call 831.688.1467 for more information.

And six short miles north of Santa Cruz, you can arrive early at Skypark in Scotts Valley and enjoy a picnic lunch with the family.  Beginning at 3:00 p.m., seven dollars gets you live music, while kids jump for joy in bounce houses. Traditional barbecue favorites like grilled tri-tip, summer corn, and juicy watermelon are also available for purchase.  Come nightfall, gaze up in pride at the fireworks display.  Call 831.438.3251 for details and tickets.

At Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton, an all-American celebration takes place July 3 and 4, 2010. Each day features a different main event, all wrapped up in a vintage 1950s-style theme.  With a sock hop, dance and hula hoop contest, sack races, balloon toss, barbecues and other festivities, you can’t help but feel the all-American spirit!  Round out your day at Roaring Camp with a unique ride through the majestic redwoods on a vintage train at Roaring Camp Railroads.

In south county, the 2010 Spirit of Watsonville gala celebrates its 154^th birthday by calling all patriots!  One of the city’s largest events of the year, this down-home jubilee is a family-friendly way to acknowledge America’s birthday.  Kick off the day with a pancake breakfast at 8:00 a.m. and after fueling up, attendees can enjoy musical entertainment, informational booths, a food fair, arts and crafts, and for the little ones, a kids area and jump house.  Also participating will be the Watsonville Band, cheerleaders, karate and soccer clubs, equestrian groups, Veterans organizations, and representatives from the Watsonville school district.  The revelry continues until 5:00 p.m.   

For a truly red, white and blue experience, visit Wilder Ranch State Park, just ten miles north of Santa Cruz.  From 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. an old-fashioned 1906 Independence Day celebration is planned.  Setting the mood for the event, historic Wilder Ranch, with its Victorian homes, gardens and an historic adobe, was once both a working ranch, and later a successful and innovative dairy.  Stroll the grounds as your family joins in the fun of vintage picnic games, sack races, a cake walk, draft horse-drawn wagon rides, live old time music and hand-cranked ice cream.  Living history demonstrations of quilting, blacksmithing and baking using a Victorian wooden stove will add to the ambiance.  At noon, join the parade, followed by docents in period costumes reenacting the speeches of a century ago, given during the 1905 celebration with our Santa Cruz forefathers.  Then, an historically-correct, 45-star flag will be raised as you look on with pride.  Patriotic music will liven the scene, provided by the Santa Cruz City Band and others.  Admission is free, and parking is available on a per-car basis for a small fee.

If you want to celebrate the Fourth of July two days early, pack a picnic dinner, and enjoy the free Friday night concert on Main Beach, sponsored by the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Original artists and bands from the ’60s ’70s and ’80s will have you singing along and dancing in the sand to your favorite hits, while you’re cool off from the day’s sunshine by an evening sea breeze, courtesy of the Monterey Bay.  Two performances on Friday, July 2^nd begin at 6:30PM and 8:30PM.

The visitors council reminds celebrants that to mitigate fire danger this season, no sales or unofficial use of fireworks are permitted in Santa Cruz County, and that alcohol will not be allowed on any beaches Fourth of July weekend.

For more information on Fourth of July events, contact the Santa Cruz County CVC at 831.425.1234 or visit www.santacruzevents.travel

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

April 16, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA – Do you find yourself dreaming of sunny beaches, boutique shopping, vintage steam trains and classic seaside amusement parks?  If so, the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitor’s Council (CVC), is offering visitors a chance to travel to the Central Coast’s favorite beach town, for free!  This spring, the CVC’s Santa Cruz Vacation Getaway contest is designed to drive visitors to the Council’s website, www.santacruz.travel for a chance to win a two-night stay at a Santa Cruz area hotel, four tickets to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, four tickets to Roaring Camp Railroads, and shopping certificates to use in Capitola Village.  The contest will offer several chances to win, as weekly winners will be drawn randomly beginning this month, and continuing through June 30, 2010.

In conjunction with a television campaign, the CVC will also promote the contest through distribution of a monthly visitor e-newsletter, two additional budget-themed email campaigns, an exclusive direct-mail piece with exclusive hotel offers and incentives and attraction specials, and through the CVC’s Facebook page.

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