there is cake—to be cut ceremoniously with a historic sword, of course—and there is 18th-century attire to help create an immersive cultural experience. Proceeds from this event go to support the Monterey History & Art Association; ticket sales are closed, but of course anyone can wish the city of Monterey a happy birthday. [SR] 11:15am-3pm Saturday, June 3. Memory Garden next to Custom House Plaza, Monterey. $125; $100/MHAA members; ticket sales closed. 277-0796, montereyhistory. org. GOING LONG It’s likely that very few of you are Giants fans. You may love the national pastime, but the Giants? Nah. If you’re about to raise a protest and profess your admiration for J.D. Davis, we’d like to point out that he plays for San Francisco—we’re talking about the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball league. And if you would like to find out just how baseball became so popular in Japan, the Japanese American Citizens League of the Monterey Peninsula welcomes historian Kerry Yo Kanagawa to explain it all in a talk titled “Bridge Across the Pacific: American Japanese Baseball Pioneers.” Kanagawa has written books and produced documentaries on the topic and is a director of the Nisei Baseball Research Project. He knows his stuff. [DF] 1-3pm Saturday, June 3. JACL Hall, 424 Adams St., Monterey. Free. 648-8830, jaclmonterey.org. SONDHEIM FEAST Sondheim means Broadway. And this exciting concert of 20 amazing Broadway songs by Stephen Sondheim is tailored specially for The Western Stage. Sondheim (1930-2021) was one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater. He kept writing and composing for over 50 years, delivering the music and lyrics for shows like Anyone Can Whistle and Into the Woods. Songs from these two shows, and over a dozen more, will be presented by The Western Stage. Sondheim expert Joanne Gordon serves as director and Don Dally as music director, with Jacqueline Aguilar-Madrigal, John G. Bridges and Kathy Cusson on stage. [AP] 7:30pm Saturdays, 2pm Sundays, June 3-23. The Western Stage, 411 Central Ave., Salinas. $30. 755-6816, westernstage.com. Sunday, June 4 ART PARTY Maybe some art venues feel stale or pretentious to you. Shed all of those ideas and envision a purely joyful, inclusive, come-as-you-are way of immersing in art, and you get a sense of the welcoming community space that is the Palenke Arts Festival. This year’s event (the seventh annual) includes performances by Sambadá (a Brazilian band with cumbia and merengue tunes), Calpulli Tonalehqueh (Mexican dancers), the Na Haumana Polynesian Dance Ensemble, a hula school based in Marina, and Afro-Jarocho ensemble Son de Fandango. That’s a long way of saying you should wear your dancing shoes, and also check out children’s art activities, live art demos, info booths and food vendors, and soak up the spirit of community. [SR] 11am-4pm Sunday, June 4. Laguna Grande Park, 1249 Canyon Del Rey Blvd., Seaside. Free. 899-9909, palenkearts.org. Hot Picks by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, Dave Faries, Kyarra Harris, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Rey Mashayekhi, Agata Pop˛eda, Sara Rubin and David Schmalz. 28 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 1-7, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Send ideas to calendar@mcweekly.com HOT PICKS RUSSELL A. COTHREN more than two decades of singing and playing together will do: create a synergy that is hard to duplicate by less accomplished musicians. The band has attracted some rave reviews—and now rides into Monterey to share original bluegrass music that has deep roots in tradition but carries a modern feel. [PM] 7pm Thursday, June 1. Monterey United Methodist Church, 1 Soledad Drive, Monterey. $35/ages 16 and up; free/ages 15 and under. larry@otteropry.org, otteropry.org. ALL THAT JAZZ Danish-born violinist Mads Tolling initially gained renown through his work with jazz bassist Stanley Clarke and string ensemble Turtle Island Quartet, winning two Grammy awards for his work with the latter. In more recent years, Tolling has partnered with jazz pianist Colin Hogan; the pair met through San Francisco’s jazz scene and have since become frequent collaborators, with Hogan joining Tolling’s group, Mads Tolling & The Mads Men. This week, Tolling and Hogan will make the trip down to Sand City’s SandBox, where they will perform songs from the group’s album Playing the 60s, as well as standards, originals and even Danish folk tunes. [RM] 7-9pm Thursday, June 1. SandBox, 440 Ortiz Ave., Sand City. $40; $30/students and military. sandboxsandcity.com. Friday, June 2 MARGULIS IN THE VALLEY This is the 16th time pianist Jura Margulis returns to give a concert at Hidden Valley Music Seminars in Carmel Valley. The program includes sonatas by Scarlatti and Beethoven, polonaises by Chopin and List, and Strauss’ “Concert Arabesques.” Margulis’ father and grandfather were pianists and pedagogues—methodical piano pedagogy is an integral part of his artistic vision. Born in Russia, he was raised and musically educated in Germany. In 1994, he moved to the United States to study with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and made the U.S. his home. As a chamber musician, Margulis is a founding member of the Margulis Family Trio and has performed with Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Lilya Zilberstein, the soloists of the Moscow Virtuosi, members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Moscow String Quartet. [AP] 7:30pm Friday, June 2. Hidden Valley Theatre, 104 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. $25. 6593115, hiddenvalleymusic.org. Saturday, June 3 PARTY TIME Happy 253rd birthday, Monterey. That’s the message from the team behind La Merienda, which this year hosts its 92nd installation of this annual event that celebrates Monterey’s Californio history. There is barbecue and The seventh annual Palenke Arts Festival includes performances by Sambadá (a Brazilian band with cumbia and merengue tunes), the Na Haumana Polynesian Dance Ensembles, a hula school based in Marina and much more. The party happens Sunday, June 4. JUAN SANCHEZ Pianist Jura Margulis brings works by Beethoven, Chopin, Scarlatti and more to a concert at Hidden Valley Theatre in Carmel Valley. Margulis is a venue regular, having performed there 15 times already.
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