Friday, Aug. 18 Poet Laureate in town Thanks to Pacific Grove Public Library and now Monterey Public Library, you have another chance to meet and workshop with California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick himself. Herrick will be in the MPL’s community room for a writing workshop designed to ignite the creative sparks within aspiring writers. The project is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. Herrick was appointed in November 2022, and the title of California’s Poet Laureate comes with the job of conducting poetry readings and other meetings with poetry lovers. Herrick has visited countless California libraries in recent months. All ages and poetry writing experience levels are welcome. [AP] 1-2:30pm Friday, Aug. 18 Monterey Public Library, 625 Pacific St., Monterey. Free; registration required. 646-3933, monterey.org/library. Saturday, Aug. 19 Park for all The first inclusive park in Soledad—and the South County region—is finally here. After a year of construction, Orchard Lane Park in Soledad will celebrate a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday. The project has been years in the making and the results are the work of city staff and community members. “I’m excited children of all abilities will now have fun and create lasting memories,” Mayor Anna Velazquez said. Ribbon cutting attendees are invited to enjoy music and food as well as the amenities of the new park, among them an inclusive playground, a skate park, a dog park, picnic areas and free Wi-Fi. [CJ] 10am Saturday, Aug. 19. 300 Orchard Lane, Soledad (behind Hartnell College). Free. 356-2825, cityofsoledad.com. contra Community Dancing is for everyone, so why not learn something new? Contra is a community folk dance made of long lines with couples dancing in sequence. The exciting part is that each contra dancer gets to dance with everyone else in their line to music provided by a live band. Twice a month, guests of all skill levels and talents come together 26 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY august 17-23, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Craig Lauterbach Venture Gallery in Monterey presents its August exhibit, titled Into the Woods...and Beyond, a celebration of the rustic and magical beauty of the Monterey Peninsula. For the first time, three of Venture’s artists will share the spotlight. One of them is Craig Lauterbach (shown above), who will exhibit his magnificent wood sculptures, which feature exotic woods and minerals from all over the world. The two other artists are Sarah Leonard (who specializes in eye-catching oil paintings that highlight coastal habitats) and Dee Steiner (her oil paintings invite the viewer to step inside local parks, trails and sunsets, with her romantic, impressionistic and colorful style.) The show runs until the end of August. [AP] 17-23 August HOT PICKS To see more local events, and add your own, visit calendar.montereycountyweekly.com Courtesy of Venture Gallery Courtesy of YAC VISUALS Julia Blakely The Youth Art Collective’s summer show is on at YAC’s headquarters on Calle Principal in Monterey. Julia Blakely makes portraits of insects with suits and dresses—or people in suits with insect faces, depending how you see it—giving them interesting names. The gentleman presented above is “Novlise Watts.” “As a young girl, I spent hours outside searching for ladybugs in the grass,” Blakely wrote in an artist statement. “In this year’s show, I wanted to showcase a series of portraits featuring my relatives that have passed. I used family heirlooms and stories to identify the bugs that best embody their personalities.” Work by Blakely and other students and instructors is on display throughout September. More at yacstudios.org/exhibits. [AP] The fact that American singer-songwriter Judy Collins is still touring and performing at age 84 is amazing—don’t miss an opportunity to see her live at Monterey’s Golden State Theatre. Brad Trent Come one, come all, and play together! The newly constructed playground at Orchard Lane Park is designed to be accessible to children of all abilities. celia Jimenez
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