Send ideas to calendar@montereycountynow.com 28 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 4-10, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com under new ownership. So what better way to celebrate the middle of the (second) Roaring ’20s than with a 1920s gala? Pull out your best jazz age attire for this one because not only will there be a costume contest, but flapper girl performers, a four-course pre-fixe dinner by chef Brendan Esons and even a juggler. There may not be a big band, but the 2025 equivalent is DJ Tiko Sanchez outdoors, then more dancing until the wee hours of the morning. So drop a dime to your molls and squeeze for a soiree that’s sure to be the cat’s pajamas. [SC] 8pm-1am Saturday, Sept. 6. The Salty Seal, 653 Cannery Row, Monterey. Free; $75/ dinner with one cocktail. 920-2327, the-saltyseal.com. Sunday, Sept. 7 TOUCH-A-TRUCK Coastal Kids Home Care, the only nonprofit organization in California dedicated to providing in-home medical care, social services and therapy for medically fragile children, is bringing something much lighter for all kids back to the Salinas Rodeo Grounds. Now in its 11th year, Touch-a-Truck invites families to get up close and personal with a wide array of vehicles while supporting an incredible cause. All ages are welcome; attendees have the chance to climb into a fire engine, explore a bulldozer, and get behind the wheel of a big rig. Come see toy truck building demonstrations, enjoy carnival games, food trucks and live music. The event, which has grown from a grassroots effort into an annual tradition, attracts more than 1,000 attendees each year. [KR] Noon-4pm Sunday, Sept. 7. Salinas Rodeo Grounds, 1034 N. Main St., Salinas. Free. sharris@coastalkidshomecare.org, coastalkidshomecare.org. BEET’ GOES ON Early in his late period, Beethoven finished “Sonata for Cello and Piano.” So it is fortunate that James Jaffe plays cello and Elektra Schmidt masters the piano, so the two can feature the piece during their indoor performance at Henry Miller Library. And there’s more—Rachmaninov’s “Vocalise,” “Le Grand Tango” from Astor Piazzolla and something we can’t pronounce by Schumann. Schmidt plays around the world, both solo and in chamber groups, and is a much admired student of the classics. The same can be said of Jaffe, but he has also bashed out the theme to Hockey Night in Canada at a seedy dive and took part in a Machine Head video decked out as a clown. So this should be an interesting (and evocative) afternoon of music (although don’t count on any clowning or hockey, just music). [DF] 2-5pm Sunday, Sept. 7. Henry Miller Memorial Library, 48603 Highway 1, Big Sur. $23. 6672574, henrymiller.org. COMEDIC THROWDOWN Stand-up comedy is a cutthroat line of work. Every joke has to hit hard, and the delivery needs to be spot-on. Plus, there’s the hecklers to deal with. Most comics are just competing with themselves on stage, constantly trying to one-up their previous joke throughout the set. But how do they perform during an actual competition? Find out when the 49th iteration of the San Francisco Comedy Competition rolls into Carmel Valley. Sixteen comics are vying for the chance to move on to the next round of the competition, which culminates with the top five in a final performance later in September in San Rafael. Get a good laugh knowing you’re not the one in the hot seat. [EC] HOT PICKS donated a statue of Santa Rosalia, their patron saint, to the San Carlos Cathedral. Celebrate Italian heritage with Italian music, dancing and—naturally—the cuisine. Expect calamari and steak and sausage sandwiches, pasta, fried shrimp, arancini and cannoli. Attention: the salmon sandwich has been replaced by a vegetarian addition to the Festa, an eggplant parmesan sandwich. New this year, there will also be refreshing cherry, watermelon and lemon Italian ices. There are also tarantella dance lessons in front of the main stage on Sunday. Expect an array of vendors showcasing unique crafts, clothing and more. All ages are welcome. [AP] 3-9pm Friday, Sept. 5; 10am-9pm Saturday, Sept. 6; 10am-6pm Sunday, Sept. 7. Custom House Plaza, Monterey. Free to attend. 6259623, festaitaliamonterey.org. Saturday, Sept. 6 DANCING DULCIMER Nic Gareiss is a master of percussive dance, traveling around the world with his unique style described by critics as one of the most inventive dancers on the scene. Want to learn the moves? Before Gareiss performs with Simon Chrisman, a virtuoso of the hammer dulcimer, a pre-concert dance workshop takes place; no prior dance experience needed. Gareiss grew up surrounded by Midwestern folk festivals, where he learned and honed his dancing craft. Chrisman, meanwhile, takes the hammer dulcimer to new heights, mixing chamber music with bluegrass and pop to create sounds not typically associated with the instrument. The Celtic Society of The Monterey Bay presents the concert. [EC] 1-2:30pm (dance workshop); 7pm (concert) Saturday, Sept. 6. St. Mary’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 146 12th St., Pacific Grove. Dance tickets $25/general, $20/ concertgoers; concert tickets $30/advance, $12/advance for children 13 and under. Text 224-3819 for dance workshop. celticsociety. org. SOUL SONGS Anne and Pete Sibley are an award-winning wife-and-husband acoustic harmony singing duo who have traveled the country for years. Their style falls into the genres of folk, bluegrass and country, harmonizing to the sounds of their guitars and clawhammer banjos. For Anne, Jackson Hole, Wyoming is where “my heart opened to folk, bluegrass and country music. The harmonies and the stories of those songs became the soundtrack of my life.” Together, she and her husband have captivated audiences across the U.S. for decades, picking up seven critically acclaimed albums on the way. They’ll be playing a unique concert with some soulful tunes on Saturday. Don’t miss out. [KR] 7-9pm Saturday, Sept. 6. Wendi Kirby Music, 550 Hartnell St., Suite F, Monterey. $60. wendikirbymusic.com. GATSBY-BY-THE-SEA Lavishness, economic boom in the midst of uncertainty and bacchanal all have something in common with the Salty Seal on Cannery Row. It was a former brothel after all, but now it’s Nic Gareiss (left), who frequently performs with dulcimer player Simon Chrisman, is a percussive dancer, scholar and ethnochoreologist (from choreography). See them on Sept. 6 in Pacific Grove. AMANDA KOWALSKI Festa Italia is back. For everything Italian visit Custom House Plaza in Monterey on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, Sept. 5-7. For details, see page 26. FESTA ITALIA FOUNDATION
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