Send ideas to montereycountynow.com/events 26 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MAY 14-20, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com understand that the United States is a diverse country with a complicated history. And that group includes Conductor Jayce Ogren and the Monterey Symphony, who have chosen to celebrate the nation with USA250, a presentation of music from West Side Story, along with Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait. The concert opens with the national anthem, arranged by Luigi Zaninelli, an Italian-American. A new work—Marmoris, by Sarah Kirkland Snider—is part of the program, which concludes with William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony from 1934. As a package, the symphony finds much of the nation’s character—immigration, struggles, emancipation and more—with a finish that is still unfolding and leaves no conclusion. [DF] 7:30pm Saturday, May 16; 3pm Sunday, May 17. Sunset Center, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel. $50-$90; $12/students, teachers, military. (831) 620-2048, sunsetcenter.org. Saturday, May 16 WALKING HISTORY Located south of Carmel and east of Point Lobos, San Jose Creek was an old site of the Indigenous people who harvested abalone and other shellfish there. They lived in a village called Ishxenta—before they got forcibly baptized and recruited to live and work at the nearby Carmel Mission. Now this land is public property known as Ishxenta State Park, open to visitors on a guided tour with State Parks staff. Lovely wood bridges above the flowing stream seem are an attraction, as well as a concentration of Monterey pines, redwoods and endangered Gowen cypress trees. [AP] 9:30am-12:30pm Saturday, May 16. Meet at Palo Corona Regional Park entrance, 4860 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel. Free; registration required. (831) 372-3196, tinyurl.com/ LetsGoOutdoorsMonterey. PITCH PERFECT For folk duo Terrier, their harmony extends beyond the vocals. Ben Morrison and Erika Tietjen both had their own bands, but the life partners teamed up early on in the Covid pandemic to form their own duo. Their music touches on themes of family and the human experience, something the two are very in tune with, as their first child inspired much of their work. This concert is a benefit for the Aromas Community Grange, which has existed in harmony with its surrounding community for 104 years. With food and drink on site, make it a night in the small town, with live music to back up the vibes. [EC] 4:30pm Saturday, May 16. Aromas Community Grange, 400 Rose Ave., Aromas. $25/in advance, $30/at the door. aromasgrange.org. SHOW TIME It takes a special kind of chutzpah to call your own tour “The High and Mighty Tour,” but Chelsea Handler has that chutzpah. The comedian/bestselling author/talk show host has earned the street cred to call herself high and mighty, but she’s self-deprecating enough to mean it as a joke (we think). Handler has made a name for herself time and time again, as a late-night talk show host of Chelsea Lately on E!, then with her documentary series Chelsea Does, then her Netflix show Chelsea in 2016. In 2021, she started the podcast Dear Chelsea. (That year, even the Covid pandemic did not stop her from going on tour, that time as the “Vaccinated and Horny Tour”— probably not a joke?) Her most recent book, I’ll Have What She’s Having, was published in 2025. And yes, everyone who wants to have what Handler is having—chiefly, the ability to laugh at oneself—is welcome to roll on over to HOT PICKS ring children. [CJ] 7pm Thursday-Saturday and 2pm Saturday, May 14-16. Karen Wilson Children’s Theatre, 320 Main St., Salinas. $12-$16; free/under age 3. (831) 775-0976, arieltheatrical.org. Thursday, May 14-Sunday, May 17 FUNFAIR Whether you’re a fan of pig races, carnival rides, live tunes, tractor pulls or petting zoos, the Salinas Valley Fair has got you covered. The annual event at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds is packed with performers of all varieties, from bands to wrestlers, jugglers and magicians—competitions like flat track motorcycle races, 4H and FFA livestock shows and kids pedal tractor races—and classic carnival rides like the carousel, kite flyer and scrambler. With a robust slate of acts and activities, the Salinas Valley Fair is sure to be a good time for the whole family. [AS] 11am-10pm Thursday-Sunday, May 14-17. Salinas Valley Fairgrounds, 625 Division St., King City. $14; $10/children and seniors. (831) 385-3243, salinasvalleyfair.com. Friday, May 15 BACK ON THE TERRACE The upper terrace at the Sunset Cultural Center in Carmel is a fun, green, immediately relaxing space. It often serves as a background or the extension of whatever is going on in other parts of the cultural center, be it as a refreshment area for an exhibit at the Marjorie Evans Gallery, or a no-fuss, no-muss stage for selected Carmel Bach Festival performances. In late spring though, the terrace starts to live its own life, thanks to Terrace Hour, an annual outdoor music series showcasing regional musicians. The opener for the series is MAAK band, Seaside’s own Moroccan fusion group. Blending Moroccan melodies with Latin, reggae and rock influences, MAAK tells stories of love and global unity. [AP] 6pm Friday, May 15. Sunset Center Upper Terrace, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel. Free. (831) 620-2048, sunsetcenter.org. Friday, May 15-Sunday, May 17 BAND CAMP Within the land of giant trees and breathtaking views, world-class bands gather for the unique, family-friendly boutique festival known as Hipnic, a nod to the event’s legendary founding band, The Mother Hips. The 17th annual features The Mother Hips, of course, along with Robyn Hitchcock, Chuck Prophet and His Cumbia Shoes, Beachwood Sparks and the Rose City Band, among others. The three-day festival combines the tranquil vibes of Big Sur with the energy of live music to create an experience unlike any other. [AS] Noon Friday-11am Sunday, May 15-17. Fernwood Resort, 47200 Highway 1, Big Sur. Sold out. (831) 667-2422, folkyeah.com. Saturday, May 16-Sunday, May 17 THAT’S US It’s good to see that some people The Scalps bill themselves as a hardcore punk group and bring their attitude-filled rocking to Pacific Grove on May 14. They formed in Salinas. (Details on p. 24). BILL BROWN A May 15 early-evening concert is more than a beginning of Sunset Center’s Terrace Hour series. It’s the first time MAAK, a Seaside-based band, will be performing together.
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