www.montereycountynow.com FEBRUARY 5-11, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 27 Send ideas to montereycountynow.com/events HOT PICKS Fremont St., Monterey. Free. (831) 883-1000, mira.org/calendar.htm. Sunday, Feb. 8 NINJA SKILLS Pianist Lisa Spector has performed internationally and won several national piano competitions. But when the music teacher shattered her right hand in what she described as a “bizarre fall” in 2017, she was told that she’d never be able to play her beloved instrument again. That didn’t deter her. Spector began playing with only her left hand, and along the way, learned many tricks that she shares with others looking to grow their piano skills. Known as the “Piano Ninja,” Spector now plays with one and both of her hands. She will tell her story and perform as part of Wendi Kirby Music’s Creative Rx series, where wellness is combined with art and music. [EC] 3-4:30pm Sunday, Feb. 8. Wendi Kirby Music, 550 Hartnell St., Suite F, Monterey. $50. wendikirbymusic.com. Monday, Feb. 9 NICK ON WOOD It’s not often that a guy who writes books on woodworking gets the stage at Golden State Theatre. But this is Ron Swanson…sorry, Nick Offerman. He’s a multi-talented guy. Not only can he manage a city parks and recreation department (at least fictionally) and operate a busy LA woodshop (in real life), Offerman is a stand-up comic, an actor in films, television programs and stage productions, an award-winner— including an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series—and has written five books, his newest being Little Woodchucks: Offerman Woodshop’s Guide to Tools and Tomfoolery. And that’s what you can expect on stage—a little woodworking wisdom and a lot of humor. [DF] 7pm Monday, Feb. 9. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $65-$275. (831) 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com. Tuesday, Feb. 10 ORGANIZER SUPREME If ever there was an appropriate documentary for our time, American Agitators, released last year, is it. The film chronicles the life of Fred Ross Sr., born in 1910 in Los Angeles, who organized Dust Bowl refugees in the 1930s and helped former Japanese internment prisoners find homes and work after their release in the 1940s. He spent his life organizing around the country in opposition to police brutality and segregation, as well as leading voter registration and get out the vote campaigns. Ross trained many other organizers in the process, including Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. The screening includes local speakers An McDowell and Bill Monning, who worked with Ross. [PM] 6pm Tuesday, Feb. 10. Unitarian Universalist Church of the Monterey Peninsula, 490 Aguajito Road, Carmel. Free. (509) 832-3325, COPA.iafl@gmail.com. Hot Picks by Sloan Campi, Erik Chalhoub, Dave Faries, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Agata Popęda, Katie Rodriguez, Sara Rubin and Aric Sleeper. Legendary organizer Fred Ross Sr., front left (with Cesar Chavez), is the subject of a new documentary, American Agitators, which has a sense of urgency in the current moment. FRED ROSS PROJECT WINE CLUB MEMBERS RECEIVE A DISCOUNT CATCH COMEDY’S NEXT GENERATION IN THE BARREL ROOM AT FOLKTALE WINERY SATURDAY FEBRUARY 14 Valentine’s Day Edition TICKETS WILL SELL OUT RESERVE YOURS TODAY! SAN FRANCISCO COMEDY COMPETITION Orion Levine
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