Send ideas to montereycountynow.com/events 36 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 19-25, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com 9-11am Saturday, March 21. Jetty Road, Moss Landing. Free. bit.ly/QueerBirding. GOOD TO GROW Maybe you have a yard, maybe you just have a few potted plants to bring some life to your apartment entryway. Either way, you want the space to look good and thrive—which is where the Monterey Parks and Recreation Department comes in. They host their annual Cutting Day and Horticultural Fair, featuring exhibits on gardening, propagation, drought-resistant plants and more. As a bonus, they are giving away tree seedlings. So surprise yourself (or your landlord) when a giant sequoia starts to grow. Yeah, OK. No sequoias, but lots of information. The event takes place rain or shine, because plants need both…although the drought-resistant ones not so much. [DF] 9am-noon Saturday, March 21. Colton Hall lawn, 570 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. (831) 646-3860, monterey.gov/parks. PEACEFUL FEELING Talking about death and grieving have mostly been taboo in our culture—which is unfortunate, since they are a normal part of the human experience. Darnell Lamont Walker, author of Never Can Say Goodbye: The Life of a Death Doula and the Art of a Peaceful End, shares his journey as a doula, beginning with being by his grandmother’s side tending to family and friends in their African American community in Virginia. His workshop gives attendees space and permission to talk about their own experiences, while Walker shares how facing your own end actually helps you live with more aliveness and less fear. Walker is a frequent Esalen Institute teacher, as well as a children’s TV writer. [PM] 1-3pm Saturday, March 21. SandBox, 440 Ortiz Ave., Sand City. Free; reservation required. sandboxsandcity@gmail.com, sandboxsandcity.com. WITH LATIN FLAVOR Whether trumpets, trombones or maracas set the tone for the song, Latin dancing goes beyond catchy rhythms; it also brings joy, community and connection. It’s also the perfect excuse to move the body, meet new people and socialize. The main requirement for La Vibra: Latin Night Social at the Marriott in Sand City is a desire to have a good time. The night kicks off with a dance lesson led by Andrea Leon of Baila Baila Studios, followed by two hours of a mix of salsa, bachata and other Latin music genres. [CJ] 6:30-9pm Saturday, March 21. Courtyard by Marriott, 800 Morgans Way, Sand City. Free. (831) 855-4100, event.marriott.com/mrysy-courtyard-sand-city-monterey/events. JOKE’S ON US No, she is not an exotic massage therapist who always gives happy endings, but she almost definitely will point out the horrible stereotypes that get repeated not just in hushed tones and let’s be real, out loud. Comic Jiaoying Summers has made a name for herself digitally with more than 1 billion views, making us laugh at the cringiest things people say. (Check out her “Uber Karen” sketches on TikTok in which she takes the driver’s seat and interrogates…everything.) She takes to the stage for a stand-up show after selling out her tour across Australia and Asia. And yes, if you must know, she is Asian, specifically Chinese, and immigrated to the U.S. where she lives in Los Angeles. Whatever gender, age and species—um, make that ethnicity—you are, expect to hear a joke that will make you laugh about yourself. [SR] 7pm Saturday, March 21. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $42- $95. (831) 649-1070, jiaoyingcomedy.com. HOT PICKS a journey across northwestern China to learn about the brutally repressed revolt of the Uyghur people, cross the Taklamakan Desert by train, discover ancient mummies, and go high into the Alti Mountains to a land dominated by superstition, shamans, soothsayers and llamas. There, Dorsey introduces the legendary final stronghold of Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire, where he erected stone monoliths before riding west to conquer much of Eastern Europe in the 13th century. [KR] 5-6pm Friday, March 20. Monterey Public Library, 625 Pacific St., Monterey. Free; RSVP required. (831) 646-3933, montereypl.libcal. com/event/16174798. KILLER SHOW What’s the key to getting away with murder? Make the evidence disappear, of course. No—we don’t know this from experience. We know because of magician Robert Vogel and his show, Murder Mystery Magic. It’s an interactive illusion show, where audience members try to solve a crime, but at the same time, Vogel is practicing deception, reading minds, casting doubts about reality and making things vanish, right before your eyes. The wrong decision could have deadly consequences for someone. So will the illusionist get away with murder? That’s up to you—if you can keep your wits about you. [DF] 7pm Friday, March 20. Golden Bough Playhouse, Founders Theatre, Monte Verde between 8th and 9th, Carmel. $25. (831) 622-0100, pacrep.org. CREATURES OF THE NIGHT Skinwalkers are terrifying. The Navajo legend is said to have the ability to turn into an animal that brings fear to communities. You’ll never see them coming, and you’ll only know of their presence through eerie sounds and unnerving feelings. These skinwalkers in particular, though, are quite the opposite. You’ll definitely hear them, and you won’t be afraid. Instead, you’ll be dancing along with them. Local blues rock trio Sean and the Skinwalkers will tear the place up with their jamming performance that ranges from ’70s blues rock covers to original tunes. [EC] 7pm Friday, March 20. P.G. Meetinghouse, 599 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. (831) 373-8652, pgmeetinghouse.com. Saturday, March 21 RAINBOW FEATHERS The Audubon Society and Monterey Peninsula Pride are partnering to host a birding field trip that is cute and queer. Join them to tour the unique beauty of the Moss Landing area, led by Monterey Audubon Society board member Kai Russel and volunteers, to explore an area rich with a plethora of shorebirds and wintering gulls and sandpipers and bushtits. They’ll spend a morning helping you to finesse your identification skills and while learning about local and migratory residents during a short stroll around the tidal marshes and wetlands that flow into Monterey Bay. Some binoculars available upon request; reserve them upon RSVP. [KR] Stefan Jackiw, one of the country’s foremost violinists, debuts with the Monterey Symphony, performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto (see p. 37). SANGWOOK LEE Take a walk in a floodplain. Big Sur Land Trust leads a guided hike in Palo Corona Regional Park to the Carmel River FREE project area on March 20 (see details, p. 34). JULIE SELBY-LARA
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