Thursday, July 31 HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE The City of Monterey and the military have a long history going back to 1770 when the first Spaniards took possession of Central California. An expedition led by Captain Gaspar de Portola had orders to erect a fort to defend Spain’s conquest from the Russians, and the first Presidio was constructed. The command historian for the Defense Language Institute, Cameron Binkley, is set to share the rich history of Monterey’s presidios over the centuries, culminating with the current Presidio of Monterey. Binkley’s talk, “The Presidios of Monterey,” covers the Indigenous people who lived on the land and all the various people, battles, military programs and other developments throughout local history. You will come away with a deeper understanding of the impact the presidios had on the region and their legacy that continues today. [PM] 6-7:30pm Thursday, July 31. McCone Building, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, 499 Pierce St., Monterey. Free. info@oldmontereyfoundation.org, oldmontereyfoundation.org. Thursday, July 31- Sunday, August 3 THIS DOESN’T SUCK Anton Chekhov’s play Uncle Vanya was first produced in 1899, and its layered, complicated, emotionally burdened characters remain relevant today. That’s especially true in the hands of New Canon Theatre Co., which produces Life Sucks, based on Chekhov’s famous play. (The title is not quite a direct quote, but it’s close—a doctor who arrives in the opening scene of the original proclaims life is “boring, stupid, sordid.”) Prepare to laugh, prepare to cry and if you’ve ever felt a hint of ennui, prepare to relate. This show is recommended for ages 12 and up. [SR] 7:30pm Thursdays-Fridays, 2pm Sundays, July 31-Aug. 17. The Inn at Moss Landing Point, 8425 Moss Landing Road, Building A, Moss Landing. $57; $47/seniors, teachers, military; $16/students; discount preview on July 31. 275-1441, newcanontheatre.org. 24 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 31-AUGUST 6, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com SAHAR JABR The Monterey Peninsula Art Foundation, the “By Artists, For Artists” organization with a gallery on Cannery Row, consists of 30 member artists. There are always plenty of opportunities to see what these artists are creating, and the latest is Original Art on the Row, a new exhibit opening Saturday, Aug. 2. Pictured above is “Ancestors,” a felt piece by MPAF member Sahar Jabr. The artist has a studio in the Pacific Grove Art Center. “When I hold the wool in my hands and spread its fibers, I recall the animals it came from and the people who have been doing the same practice for thousands of years,” she writes on her website. Jabr holds frequent workshops at her studio. The gallery, open daily from 11am-5pm, is located at 425 Cannery Row in Monterey. [EC] HOT PICKS JULY31 –AUGUST 06 To see more local events, and add your own, visit calendar.montereycountynow.com MARY FRY VISUALS MARY FRY Mary Fry of Monterey once spent nine months studying Renaissance painting in Italy, taking those methods and applying them to her oil paintings. She’s studied under such artists as John Nava, who created the large-scale tapestries for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. Fry is August’s featured artist at the Salinas Valley Art Gallery, at 218 Main St. in Salinas, which celebrates her work with an opening reception on Friday, Aug. 1 from 5-8pm. Fry is inspired by the coastal forests and trails around her, and in this exhibit, Asilomar and Big Sur are well-represented, along with Yosemite and Lake Tahoe. Her fascination with nature began as a child in Carmel Valley, where she frequently visited the beach and was drawn to tide pools. [EC] Ella (center, played by Sarah Dunnavant) can’t have her alone time when Vanya (J. Matthew Gordon) and Pickles (Justine Stock) are around. Life Sucks by New Canon Theatre Co. begins its run in Moss Landing. MANNY ESPINOZA UC Master Gardeners of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties are holding a native plant boot camp at Rancho Cielo, shown above, so you can boost your skills. COURTESY OF RCDMC SAHAR JABR
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