28 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 20-26, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Send ideas to calendar@mcweekly.com HOT PICKS Staged readings are back at The Western Stage in Salinas. Above, a pre-pandemic staged reading of The 3 Rs by Harvey Landa. On July 22-23, audiences get a chance to see Brown Face by Carissa Atallah. MELISSA CHIN-PARKER The Carmel Bach Festival continues, including two performances by the duo Fire & Grace (featuring violinist Edwin Huizinga) with songs from the 1200s to the 2000s. COURTESY OF CARMEL BACH FESTIVAL Sunday, July 23 CRIT IS LIT The Sand City Criterium—aka the Sand City Crit—is now entering its second year, and might be the coolest local event that most people don’t yet know about. For the uninitiated, a criterium is a closed-circuit bike race, and in Sand City, it’s a 10-corner loop of just over 1 kilometer. In each race, whoever gets the most laps in, in the allotted time, is the winner. Depending on age, the races—which start at 8am and finish just before 6pm—run from 15 to 60 minutes, with separate categories for men and women. Watching it is like watching car racing, but with bikes— riders are feeling each other out, and waiting for just the right time to try for a pass. Standing on a corner as the bikes fly is exhilarating and, thankfully, there are no exhaust fumes to inhale. Another bonus is that the event is free for spectators (though participants, other than the kid’s race, must pay an entrance fee). See what the hype is about. [DS] 8am-5:50pm Sunday, July 23. 625 Ortiz Ave., Sand City. Free (participant fees range from $35-$100). mbrt.bike/sand-city-crit. GIVE A HOOT Yee-haw! If you were an ornery rifle-shootin’ mountaineer in the hills of Tennessee after a day of picking off a McCoy or two, hearing of a hootenanny would cause such an exclamation—and then some. After all, there’d be no better way to wind down than a good ol’ hootenanny. And it’s still the case, even if the hills are in Big Sur, there’s no gun blazin’ and you’re buds with those McCoys. Just what is a hootenanny? Well, it’s about the greatest knee-slappin’, toe-tappin’ dang thing around: a group of musicians playing the day away while you listen, picnic and maybe do a little jig. And since the Big Sur Hootenanny features the likes of Wayward Jerry, Jake Padorr, Kristen Gradwohl, Living Drums and others steeped in folk, soul and jam music, it sure is bound to be a hoot. No alcohol, but pack a picnic and enjoy. [DF] 5-10pm Sunday, July 23. Henry Miller Memorial Library, 48603 Highway 1, Big Sur. $20. 667-2574, henrymiller.org. Wednesday, July 26 BY THE BOOK Scrapbooking meets journaling meets crafting for adults in what are known as “smash books,” and this workshop to make your own smash book invites you to get creative. Do you want a decorative journal with plenty of blank space to write or sketch? Or would you prefer a book that’s packed to the margins with ephemera—ticket stubs, photos, letters, cut-outs from magazines? The beauty of this creative process is that it’s up to you. “Sometimes I enjoy leaving space to write in but most of the time I delight in the look and feel of mixed media on the pages of the journals,” librarian Sarah Nolan says. “I find that Smash Books are a great way for adults to explore self expression through the creative process.” Basic supplies are provided, but if you wish to include photos or anything in particular in your smash book, bring them along. [SR] 4-5:30pm Wednesday, July 26. Monterey Public Library community room, 625 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. 646-3933, montereypl. libcal.com. Hot Picks by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, Dave Faries, Kyarra Harris, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Rey Mashayekhi, Agata Pop˛eda, Sara Rubin and David Schmalz. Saturday, July 22 NATURE’S MUSICAL WAY What does nature have to do with music? You may well ask, but the Carmel Bach Festival has a ready answer. The festival’s family concert this year tells the story of “The Epic Adventures of Leonard and Rasmus! The Hidden Forest.” Through compositions from greats like Bach, Ravel, Sondheim, Bernofsky and others, as well as an appearance by county Youth Poet Laureate Mahi Shah, guests young and old will learn about how trees talk, what they say and how they live their lives. Not only is it cool that they can pull such a concert off, they offer it for free (but tickets are required). [CJ] 11am Saturday, July 22. Sunset Center, San Carlos Street and 9th Avenue, Carmel, Free. 624-1521, bachfestival.org. JOKES ARE ON Laughter is good for us—it’s true, it’s science. (Endorphins are released, oxygen to the heart and lungs increases, stuff like that.) But of course you don’t need science to tell you that, because it’s simply fun. The Comedy Variety Showcase is an invitation to laugh at a variety of styles and performances, from sketch comedy to stand-up to improv. Come because it’s good for your health, or because it’s a good time. [SR] 7-9:30pm Saturday, July 22. Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center, 5 Custom House Plaza, Monterey. $20-$30. 372-2608, montereyhistory.org. CIRCUS ACT It’s summer. The days are long (and occasionally warm). And that means it is time for the circus. Specifically we’re talking about BiG SuRCuS, a uniquely Big Sur night out, which puts on the Carousel Cabaret 2023 this weekend. Dress in your best pink and leopard print and get ready for an evening of entertainment that’s diverse, original and creative. There will be fire dancing, poetry, bellydance, bubbles, mermaids, aerials and more. It’ll be an adventure, and who doesn’t love one of those? [TCL] 7:30-10:30pm Saturday, July 22. Henry Miller Memorial Library, 48603 Highway 1, Big Sur. $25-$450. bigsurcus.com. STAGE SLAM This summer, The Western Stage at Hartnell College’s program has invited audience members to get a sneak peak at what might eventually become future productions with full-fledged staging, lighting and costuming. The “Pages On Stage” series shares staged readings of works that are of interest for potential productions in future seasons. Next up in the series is Brown Face by Los Angeles-based playwright Carissa Atallah. The play, which premiered in 2021 and has received acclaim from the Kennedy Center and the Playwrights Foundation, is described as “part play, part poetry slam.” It revolves around two friends in the world of spoken-word poetry whose relationship is “tested by issues of privilege and cultural appropriation.” [RM] 7:30pm Saturday, July 22 and 2pm Sunday, July 23. The Western Stage at Hartnell College, 411 Central Ave., Salinas. $18. 7556816, westernstage.com.
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