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The Rose Books and Obscurities is offering 15% off any in-store purchase to those who mention the Old Monterey website or newsletter April 16-21, 2024. We're open Tuesday, 1pm-6pm, and Thursday-Saturday, 12pm-5pm.

The Rose, located at 136 Bonifacio Place in Downtown Old Monterey, offers a well-balanced selection of antiquarian collectible works and second hand books in all price ranges. The bookshop is charmingly small but carefully cultivated to satisfy serious collectors and general readers alike.

Have you tried The Whisky Club’s Mocha Old Fashioned? Luxardo Espresso paired with Michters Rye and The Whiskey Club's house made syrups and bitters creates this sweeter Old Fashioned with a rye kick. It's a delightful after-dinner cocktail.

Visit The Whisky Club at 425 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey. We're open Thu-Sat, 2pm-10pm and Sun, 2pm-8pm.

Summer Music Camps for Kids at Wendi Kirby Music 2024

Posted on April 13th, 2024 by WendiKirby

Wendi Kirby Music, located at 550 Hartnell Street in Downtown Old Monterey, is now enrolling children for our Summer Music Camps, June through August 2024. Enrollment is limited to 10 students per class. Class information is below. Please email Wendi for more information and to register.

SUMMER CAMPS

Piano Adventures (ages 6-8)
July 8-12, 9am-12pm
Instructor: Wendi Kirby
Students will have a fun-filled week of piano time, musical games, music history adventures, listening activities, ensemble playing, and much more.
Tuition: $375

How to Play Piano in a Band (ages 9-12)
June 24-28, 9am-12pm

Instructor: Wendi Kirby
Students will immerse themselves in the skills necessary to play in a band. Through fun and engaging activities, games, and time at the piano, students will learn lead sheets, Nashville numbers, pop form, improv skills, rhythms, and more. The week will end with a mini-concert for family and friends.
Tuition: $375

Little Musicians (ages 5-7)
July 29 - August 2, 1pm-3pm

Instructor: Wendi Kirby
Each day will have a theme-based musical adventure. Students will move, sing, play, listen, and engage in fun musical activities.
Tuition: $275

Raise Your Voice Singing Camp (ages 10-14)
August 5-9, 9am-12pm

Instructor: Anne Sibley
Singers will work towards improving their overall vocal ability, confidence, and performance skills this week. While singing with their peers and learning a variety of music in various genres, they will learn music theory, sight-singing, warm-ups and vocal health, breath control and support, ear training, and pitch accuracy. This camp is designed to be an encouraging experience for singers to expand their confidence and skills using their natural voice.
Tuition: $375

Musical Storytime (ages 5 & under with a caregiver)
Thursdays, 11:15am-12pm

Instructor: Anne Sibley
In Musical Storytimes, the magic of music meets the wonder of stories. Designed for children up to 5 years of age and their caregivers, this cozy gathering offers a delightful blend of reading, singing, and shared joy. Each story is carefully selected to delight young hearts and inspire young minds. With Anne’s repertoire of beloved children's songs and playful rhymes, this musical journey will have everyone leaving with a smile.
Fee: $25 drop-in, or $100 for 5 storytimes

From intimate gatherings to grand corporate affairs, Namaste India Bistro's catering services bring the authentic taste of India to every occasion. With a customizable menu tailored to your preferences, our team will ensure a culinary experience that leaves a lasting impression on your guests.

Proud recipients of the Monterey Herald Reader's Choice Awards 2023 for Best Indian Food and Best Caterer/Catering Service, and featured in America's Best Restaurant Roadshow, Namaste is dedicated to exceeding your expectations with every bite.

Please call us at 831-641-0130 to discuss your catering needs. We're located at 538 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

Cypress Boutique introduces our Big Sur Button Down Shirt, the perfect addition to your summer wardrobe. This stylish, comfortable shirt is lightweight and breathable. Dress it up with chinos or shorts - it's perfect for any casual occasion.

Visit our brick-and-mortar store at 800 Lighthouse Ave, Suite C in Monterey. We're a local, owner-operated shop that offers a variety of clothing and accessories for men and women.

There's still snow on the mountains, and On The Beach's entire Snow Department is on sale for a limited time. Get used K2 rentals skis for $175, used K2 rental ski boots for $75, and used Burton snowboard rental boots for $25. Plus all men's, women's, and kids' snow jackets and pants are 50% off.

Visit us at 693 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

Youth Commission 2024-2025 Term Application
The 2024-2025 Youth Commission application is now available! Interested students will need to submit the application linked below and ONE letter of recommendation.

This letter can be prepared by a teacher, coach, church advisor or someone who knows the applicant well. It may not be from a family member. Recommenders should be able to attest to the applicant's character and/or any skills that would be beneficial in serving on the commission. They should speak to why the applicant would be a strong candidate to serve as a Youth Commissioner.

The deadline to apply is Friday, May 3rd. Please apply by clicking the linked items below.

Youth Commissioners should be Campbell residents during the 2024-2025 school year and enrolled in grades 7 through 12. For those appointed to the commission, they will serve a one year term, September through May. Interested teens may reapply for up to a three term maximum. The Commission should be diverse, a strong representation of Campbell youth. The commissioners will be individuals who can contribute different elements to the group and together make a cohesive youth commission. Meetings will be held every other Monday as early as 6:30pm and may last until 8:30pm. Commissioners meet for 1.5-2 hours each meeting.

The Campbell Youth Commission is a joint effort project. Partners include the City of Campbell, Santa Clara County Library District, Campbell Union School District, Moreland School District and, Campbell Union High School District.

Requirements:

Campbell Residents
Enrolled in grades 7 through 12 during 2024-2025 school year
Attend bi-monthly evening meetings on Mondays, September through May
Attend and support Youth Commission sponsored events
Interest and enthusiasm for leadership and local government practices

Rotary Club Seeks Luggage for Foster Children

Posted on April 8th, 2024 by lighthouseave

Monterey Pacific Rotary Club is collecting new and gently used luggage (backpacks, duffel bags, carry-on bags, etc.) for The Kinship Center / Seneca through May 31, 2024.

Many local foster children carry their things in garbage bags, shopping bags, even pillow cases when transitioning into care homes. Monterey Pacific Rotary Club wants to help these kids in protective services by giving them their own luggage.

If you would like to donate your new and like-new luggage to a child in need, please call Carolyn Harris at 831-869-8655 by the end of May 2024. A pick-up can be arranged for those near Monterey or Salinas.

Rotary Club Seeks Luggage for Foster Children

Posted on April 8th, 2024 by omba

Monterey Pacific Rotary Club is collecting new and gently used luggage (backpacks, duffel bags, carry-on bags, etc.) for The Kinship Center / Seneca through May 31, 2024.

Many local foster children carry their things in garbage bags, shopping bags, even pillow cases when transitioning into care homes. Monterey Pacific Rotary Club wants to help these kids in protective services by giving them their own luggage.

If you would like to donate your new and like-new luggage to a child in need, please call Carolyn Harris at 831-869-8655 by the end of May 2024. A pick-up can be arranged for those near Monterey or Salinas.

Webster Street Art Gallery presents an exhibit of large paintings by a variety of artists through April 2024 at 188 Webster Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

This exhibit, which bridges the fine gap between representational and abstract painting, includes work by San Francisco North Beach artists James Redo, Robin Jones, and George Long.

Venture Gallery presents the paintings of Dee Steiner, our featured local artist for April.

In Dee's latest exhibit, Color Solutions, she focuses on creating pieces in only 2, 3, and 4 colors, finding a way to dissolve their differences in a peaceful, harmonious manner. Dee writes, "Whether we are solving world problems or creating art, we must consider compromise."

Venture Gallery is open 10am-6pm daily. Dee Steiner's artwork will be featured through April 2024. Venture Gallery is located at 260 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey. Visit our website to shop online for work by our local artists.

Spring Menu Items at Stokes Adobe

Posted on March 30th, 2024 by Stokes Adobe

Stokes Adobe's Executive Chef Aaron Rayor and Sous Chef Kyle Salcido have added new items to the menu for spring! Stop by and enjoy seasonal California cuisine at a historic Monterey building that's been lovingly redecorated, 500 Hartnell Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

Cavatelli Carbonara
handmade pasta, sugar snap peas, pancetta, and prosciutto crumble

Shiitake Mushroom Pizza
goat cheese mornay, asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, and garlic confit

Comanche Creek Baby Greens
toasted walnuts, fines herbs, beemster cheddar, and sherry vinaigrette

Merguez Sausage Pizza
eggplant purée, lamb sausage, sheep’s milk pecorino, aleppo pepper, and fresh dill

Every year the Campbell Chamber of Commerce chooses someone to honor as the Citizen of the Year to recognize their outstanding contributions to the community of Campbell. The Downtown Campbell Business Association (DCBA) also chooses a person to recognize for their contributions toward making Downtown Campbell the place that it is. It's a rarity that the same person gets named for both awards in the same year, but we're pleased to say that Brooke Ramirez was chosen for both honors.

Later this year, Bombshell Boutique will have been in business for 18 years and nearly all of it in Downtown Campbell. We're paying tribute to our DCBA Person of the Year by publishing some photos of Brooke doing what she's been doing right from the day she got to Downtown Campbell.

The earliest photo is from 2009 at our annual Creepy Crawly Halloween. Can you believe that our Trick 'r Treat was once a tiny event? At the time, Downtown Campbell was also a small downtown that was teetering on being a dead downtown.

Fast forward 15 years and we're still a small downtown with some challenges that most popular downtowns don't have, but if the difference between that Halloween and our current ones are any indication, we also have some advantages. The greatest one is culture. One event at a time and one year at a time, a rotating cast of characters kept working together to create culture in Downtown Campbell and Brooke's been one of those characters the entire time.

Brooke will be the first to identify a long list of other characters who should also be mentioned in the same breath and that much is true. The culture of Downtown Campbell is a culture of many hands and we're all standing on someone else's shoulders, but very few people manage to show up so consistently for so long.

Since you can't really summarize someone showing up all time for nearly 2 decades, we'll keep it simple and say this: Brooke, thank for having a big heart and thank you for always being ready to give without having concern if it'll ever come back to you.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines! Turn 12 Bar and Grill is moving weekends into the fast lane. We're now offering $5 mimosas and bellinis during brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, 10am-2pm, when you purchase a meal. Visit us at 400 Tyler Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

Our brunch menu includes omelettes, french toast, waffles, breakfast pizza, pancakes, and more.

We're famous! Downtown Monterey recently got a wonderful shout out from the Frugal Traveler column in the NY Times! In A Cheapskate in Monterey (gift article link), Elaine Giusac, explored Monterey looking for great travel experiences that won't bust the bank and she specifically called out Ad Astra Bread, Alvarado Street Brewery, Alta Bakery & Cafe, and El Charito Express as some of her Monterey highlights.

Thanks for coming to visit us Elaine! Come back anytime!

2024 Parade Canceled Due to Weather

Unfortunately, it's looking like there's a good chance of rain coming at us this weekend so we had to make the difficult decision to call off the Bunnies and Bonnets Parade on Saturday, March 30th. Preparing for our annual Easter parade is a huge amount of work for the organizers as well as the participants. Waiting until the last minute to make a decision risked creating a lot of disruptions for everyone involved. We felt it would be better to make the call now.

Downtown Campbell is meant for these kind of community celebrations and we're very disappointed we couldn't have the parade this year. It'll be back next year and we're also hoping that the Eggstravaganza Easter Egg hunt can also return with it.

The next opportunity for a family day in Downtown Campbell will be in three months. It'll be on June 29th and you'll want to save the date for our 2nd annual car show in Downtown Campbell. It'll be a family friendly good time with prize winning show cars on display for your viewing pleasure.

Wow! The Pearl Hour recently got a shout out in the NY Times! In her article, A Cheapskate in Monterey (gift article link), travel writer Elaine Giusac, toasted The Pearl Hour after visiting the local institution for Happy Hour.

We met during happy hour — 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday — when classic cocktails such as the Corpse Reviver No. 2 go for $10 (normally $13). Ms. Blandin plants the bar’s back patio in succulents, flowers and herbs, many of which make their way into her cocktails.

“I think even a cocktail should have a sense of terroir,” she said.

The link to the article above is a gift article link so you can read more about what else the NY Times budget travel writer had to say about The Pearl Hour and Monterey in general. You may also want to take her suggestion and stop by The Pearl Hour during Happy Hour when fourteen of their classic cocktails are only $10.

The Pearl Hour's happy hour is Wednesdays through Sundays from 6pm to 8pm. They're open until 1am at 214 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

Classic cocktails on the Happy Hour Menu:

  • Manhattan
  • Sazerac
  • Boulevardier
  • Vieux carre
  • Martini
  • Corpse reviver no. 2
  • Bee's knees
  • Negroni
  • Daiquiri
  • Mai tai
  • Paloma
  • Cosmo
  • Lemon drop
  • Long Island iced tea

Mission 19 Taqueria at 598 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey celebrates an extended Happy Hour Mondays-Thursdays, 1pm-6pm, when micheladas and mimosas are only $5.

The michelada, one of the most popular drinks in Mexico, is a beer-based cocktail made with lime, hot sauce, salsas negras, and, often, tomato juice (Clamato), all served over ice in a glass with a salted rim. Come enjoy one!

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