Send ideas to montereycountynow.com/events 22 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 19-25, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com There’s been seven Jurassic Park movies, after all. [EC] Noon-8pm Friday, Feb. 20; 8am-6pm Saturday, Feb. 21; 9am-5pm Sunday, Feb. 22. Monterey County Fair and Event Center, 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey. $28-$85. jurassicquest.com. Saturday, Feb. 21 FOOT-STOMPING TIME The Evie Ladin Band is coming to town, bringing Ladin’s music, described as “grounded in Appalachian old-time repertoire, seasoned in African-diaspora roots,” yet with her modern approach to songwriting. Ladin sings with a resonant voice and plays a mean clawhammer banjo with a beat that brings songs to life. Her music has been heard on A Prairie Home Companion and at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. She’s joined by musicians Keith Terry and Erik Pearson. Together they put on a show not soon forgotten. [PM] 3pm Saturday, Feb. 21. Monterey United Methodist Church, 1 Soledad Drive, Monterey. $33-$38. larry@otteropry.org, otteropry.org. LIBRARY LOVE Sometimes self-love starts with a good book, some chocolate and a glass of wine. Other times you need to share the love to get love in return, especially with a worthy cause like the Monterey Public Library. The Monterey Public Library Friends and Foundation is hosting the 21st Annual Chocolate & Wine benefit, where guests will be treated to live music, local wines, craft beer, savory and sweet bites by local culinary talent and of course, chocolate. It’ll be sweet. [PM] 4-7pm Saturday, Feb. 21. Monterey Public Library, 625 Pacific St., Monterey. $75. (831) 646-5605, investinmpl.org. COLLECTIVE CHORUS Enjoy songs of the classical and Romantic past performed by singers of the present including those from the professional vocal ensemble Volti, based in San Francisco, and others. These choral performances include Felix Mendelssohn’s concert overture The Hebrides, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus, which was completed in the last year of his life, and Franz Schubert’s Mass in G Major. The final performance of the program is Franz Joseph Haydn’s symphony called London. [AS] 7:30pm Saturday, Feb. 21; 3pm Sunday, Feb. 22. Sunset Center, San Carlos and 8th, Carmel. $12-$90. (831) 646-8511, montereysymphony.org. Sunday, Feb. 22 MOON SHADOWS The sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, when the moon rises. Then the moon is visible throughout the night and vanishes from view during the day, right? Wrong! Depictions of the moon as a celestial body viewable only in the night sky are obviously created by poets, not scientists (or anyone who has, in fact, bothered to look at the sky during the day and observe that the moon is often visible). Unlike the sun, the moon does not create its own light and what we see is a reflection. Depending on the position of the moon, that reflected light is viewable during the daytime sky too. Conditions work out on Feb. 22 when astronomer Jean Perkins from the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy sets up a telescope. Learn about the science and also the story of the moon (through words, art and movement) at this all-ages, family-friendly event. [SR] 2-3pm Sunday, Feb. 22. Garland Ranch Regional Park, 700 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. Free; registration required. (831) 372-3196, mprpd.org/let-s-go-outdoors. HOT PICKS lists Jimi Hendrix, Dolly Parton and disco music among her influences, and her career has taken her to performances at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Sydney Opera House and other prominent spots. She’s also active in the theater scene in New York City, with various burlesque and variety shows under her belt. Shred on. [EC] 10pm Friday, Feb. 20. Fernwood Resort, 47200 Highway 1, Big Sur. Free. (831) 6672422, fernwoodbigsur.com. Friday, Feb. 20-Saturday, Feb. 21 GHOST STORIES In the Legend of Zelda video game franchise, ghosts are called “Poes,” and while not totally confirmed, fans of the franchise believe that this is a nod to Edgar Allan Poe. The literary figure needs no introduction when it comes to macabre and dark literature. Zelda lore is always up for discussion, though, and what better place to discuss it than at a speakeasy themed around the dark imagination of Poe himself? Something that won’t be up for debate are facts about the author, told by historians in a four-part series at the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy. Dark-themed cocktails are available. Or perhaps they’re potions. You decide. [SC] 6pm and 8pm Friday and Saturday, Feb. 20-21. Fox Theater, 214 Main St., Salinas. $65; ages 21+. (831) 758-8459, edgarallanpoebar.com. BAD WOLF It’s easy to get lost in the woods. The eternal tale of naivete considered a provocation comes to Ariel Theatrical, where children have a chance not only to learn lessons from timeless stories, but create them themselves. Join local kids in retelling the classic Grimm brothers’ fable about a brave little girl, her grandma and a wolf who wants to eat them both. Except, this version—a doo-wop musical—comes with a lot of twists to the original story. It turns out that Little Red Riding Hood has parents who hire an evil queen to manipulate their little girl’s future. Meet her two sisters, Big Green Riding Hood and Medium Purple Riding Hood, who help balance out the situation. [AP] 7pm Friday, Feb. 20; 2pm and 7pm Saturday, Feb. 21. Ariel Theatrical, 320 S. Main St., Salinas. $6. (831) 775-0976, arieltheatrical. org. Friday, Feb. 20- Sunday, Feb. 22 JURASSIC TIMES Hold on to your butts—dinosaurs are coming back to Monterey. It’s been 66 million years since they were last here. Wait, that’s not accurate. It’s actually only been a year since Jurassic Quest was last in town. Life-sized dinosaurs roar back to life, and there’s no expense that’s been spared: Expect to see a 60-foot-long Spinosaurus, an 80-footlong Apatosaurus and of course, a T. rex. You can learn how to train a raptor (just like Chris Pratt), while kids can ride a dinosaur (they won’t bite) and meet little baby dinos. Anything with dinosaurs is sure to be a hit for all ages. Singer-songwriter Evie Ladin brings the heat playing clawhammer banjo accompanied by her band, Keith Terry and Eric Pearson. Her modern music is rooted in tradition. GUDMUNDUR VIGFUSSON Get your chocolate and wine fix while supporting a good cause, the Monterey Public Library. Guests enjoy pours by local wineries and breweries, plus treats from chocolatiers and bakeries at the annual Chocolate & Wine benefit event. MOHAMED NDIAYE
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