Saturday, February 22, 2025, 10 am “Kim Talks” at Tidal Coffee, 400 Cannery Row in Monterey. Hear Dr. Barber, our city council representative for District 1, discuss issues of the city. Bring your questions and concerns too!
Saturday, February 22, 2025, 4-7 pm Chocolate and Wine Fundraiser at the Monterey Public Library. Enjoy great food, wine, and chocolate from local sponsors at this fun event that helps support the public library. $75. Silent auction opportunity to bid on great events and items. Buy tickets online at https://mail.yahoo.com/d/folders/1/messages/ADTXIcIObyDMZ4rcAwlK6PfDoLg?reason=norrinuser.
Tuesday, February 25, 7 pm Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Community Wide Engagement Meeting as part of a special Board of Education meeting. This is your opportunity to provide valuable input and feedback on how the district should invest $20 million in funding to better serve our students. This begins following the regular Board business, approximately 7 pm.
Thursday, February 27, 5:00-8:30 “Wildfire Ready” Monterey Town Hall Meeting at the Monterey Conference Center Serra Ballroom. Hear from Monterey City Fire, Police, Forestry, Building Safety, PGE, Cal Am, SPCA and more. Parking will be validated at the Downtown West Garage and the East Garage on Tyler Street. Don’t miss this panel discussion with wildfire experts.
Saturday, March 1, 10 am Tim Thomas Wharf Walk “The Shimmering Legacy of Abalone in the Monterey Bay and the Abalone King”. Free, but advance reservations are required and can be made by contacting Tim Thomas at monterey.gov/library/events or by calling 831-646-3933. Participants must be 10 and above with a maximum group of 15 people.
Saturday, March 1, 2025, 3-5 pm Artist Reception at the Venture Gallery, 260 Alvarado St (Portola Hotel). Noriko Yoshikawa-Constant is the featured artist for March and showcases her show “From the Kitchen to the Printmaker”, which conveys her energy, vibrancy and humor of life through depictions of dogs and cats, worked on Plexiglas and copper plates with oil-based etching ink. Her work will be displayed throughout March.
Friday, March 7, 2025 – 5-7 pm – First Friday at the Monterey Museum of Art, 559 Pacific Street, Monterey. Enjoy music, community and free admission to the museum.
Friday, March 7, 2025, 7-9 pm. – Pacific Grove Exhibit Opening Reception at the Pacific Grove Art Center, 568 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove. Enjoy special live music by Chris Gourlay, Sandor Nagyszalanczy, and Karen Lehman while viewing Ralph Joachim’s “An Abstract Landscape” in the Gill Gallery, Shaheen Schmidt’s “New Beginniings” in the Dyke Gallery, Christine Watten, Tim Hill and Rima West’s “Then and Now” exhibit in the Annand Gallery, Romanoos, Gordon Schacher, Jackie Steakley and Susan Loewy’s “Monterey Glass Room Artists in the Boyer Gallery, and Big Sur Charter School’s “Exploring Nature and the Cosmos” in the Small Halls. Free, but donoations are greatly appreciated. Exhibits will be on display through April 24Weds-Friday, 12-5pm and Saturday Noon -4 pm.
Wednesday, March 12, 2025, 7 pm – Old Town Neighborhood Association Annual Meeting at MIIS McKone Building Conference Room, 499 Pierce Street/corner of Jefferson. Mayor Tyller Williamson will be our speaker at this annual meeting, open to the entire community. Bring your questions, as this is a chance to address local issues. We will also have our election for the seven directors on Old Town Neighborhood Association’s Board of Directors. As of this writing, we have seven candidates who have indicated they will run for the board (alphabetically): Phyllis Bussey, Mary Grove, Joyce Haferman, Susan Ricketson, Gari Soule’, Nancy Soule’ and Max Troyer. If you are interested in running for a board position or serving on a board committee, please let us know, as we always welcome new people! Come in person or join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://middlebury.zoom.us/j/92976733664?pwd=vkTm2JlPxAd3AoBWXcHPLapi2juZWA.1
Password: 6422
Sunday, March 16, 2025, 3 pm – Celebration and Sendoff of The Western Flyer from Monterey Old Fisherman’s Wharf, marking the 85 years since John Steinbeck, Ed Ricketts, and their crew embarked on their now-famous journey to the Gulf of California. The boat will retrace the route, before returning home in mid-June.
Saturday, April 5, 11-4 pm – Monterey Museum of Art Block Party – Calle Principal will be closed off for a day of fun, music, art and crafts. Free and fun for all ages.
Saturday, April 5, 8-10 pm – Evening Dance Party at the Monterey Museum of Art for adults 21+. Enjoy music and light experience, craft beer and wine from Other Brother Beer Co and Scheid Vineyards, and a lineup of specialty coctails, delicious treats from a variety of local vendors, art themed activities and free museum admission. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at https://www.montereyart.org/event/dance-party-2/.
Saturday, April 12-Sunday April 13 Whalefest returns! More details to follow.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Fisherman’s Wharf “Ode to Calemari” Contest Winners – Of 36 entries to the January contest, the winners are 1st place- Sandra Yagyu; 2nd place Kate Bauer; 3rd place- Anna Simmons. The poems can be found on the Monterey Wharf website: https://www.montereywharf.com/event/ode-to-calamari-contest-poems/761.html. Thanks to all who entered!
MIIS Student Housing Needed! Do you have an extra bedroom in your house or a local rental? Consider renting to a Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) student! The housing crisis in Monterey is deeply affecting our student population with low inventory and high prices. We are reaching out to our community to form partnerships with local landlords and homeowners. For more information, go to this link: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGb0hGd1Qk/V0hDlFvuILlZKtzRyIWIcQ/view?utm_content=DAGb0hGd1Qk&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hba13c991dc. Still have questions? Contact the MIIS Landlord Coordinator Naomi Braswell at nbraswell@middlebury.edu or at (831) 647-4120.
Free Wharf Walks by Maritime Historian Tim Thomas the first Saturday of every month from 10am to noon. Hear and experience a two hour cultural maritime history tour, with themes changing monthly. Meet at the head of Old Fisherman’s Wharf near the pink Harbor House store. Free, but advance reservations are required and can be made at monterey.gov/library/events or by calling 831-646-3933. This tour is recommended for ages 10 and up with a maximum group of 15 people.
The Presidio Museum of Monterey is open Saturdays and Sundays 10-4 pm – Learn the fascinating history of our Presidio, including the early indigenous settlers, the founding of the fort, the history during three wars, and the history of the Buffalo Soldiers. An interpretive walk with great views of the bay lead up to the Sloat Monument. You can take a short cut from Van Buren over the creek bridge to reach it from Old Town. Free. Please consider volunteering as a docent for this great museum!
Second Saturdays, 9-10 and 10:30-11:30 am- Tours of Ed Ricketts Pacific Biological Laboratory subject to availability. “Doc Ricketts” was featured prominently in John Steinbeck’s novels about Cannery Row, and the lab at 600 Cannery Row was the site where the idea of a Monterey Jazz festival was born. Tours are free, but limited in size. As waiting lists fill quickly, this item is listed as announcements so you can reserve in advance at monterey.gov/library/events. You are also welcome to drop by without a reservation to self-tour this historic site from 12-4 pm on the second Saturday.
Casa Serano, the historic adobe at 412 Pacific Street, is now open for free visits on Saturday and Sunday 2-4 pm. Docents can help you learn the interesting history of this adobe built in 1843, as you peruse the art and furnishings.
Old Town Neighborhood Association’s website is LIVE! Visit oldtownmonterey.org for the latest on events, issues, and to find the Historic Homes self-guided walk featuring historic homes in our Old Town neighborhood. Photos of the July 13 picnic are now posted on the social page of the website.
COMMUNITY GROUPS AND CLUBS
Are you interested in finding others with your interests? Below are some of the other local organizations that welcome new members:
American Association of University Women – This national organization promotes equity for women in the workplace and in education. In addition to supporting education through scholarships, they have book clubs, social events, monthly speakers, a Romancing the Coast monthly adventure, a hiking/walking group, and other interesting events. See http://mpb-ca.aauw.net for more information.
Monterey Civic Club – Founded in 1906, the club owns and meets monthly at the House of the Four Winds, located at 540 Calle Principal. This beautiful and historic adobe is believed to be the oldest women’s clubhouse in continuous use in the United States. Members meet the first Tuesday of each month for lunch and a social program ($25), often with a speaker of importance to members. Contact (831) 747-1072 for more information.
Gentrain Society is an organization for life-long learners. They generally meet the first and third Wednesdays from 1:30-2:30 at the Monterey Peninsula College Lecture Forum #103. Lectures are free and open to the public (except $3.00 parking fee). Topics range from drama, history, and understanding civilizations and more. Courses are also offered, along with trips organized for special events.
Native Daughters of the Golden West – founded in 1880s, for women born in California. The Monterey Junipero Parlor No 141 meets at 6:30 pm in the Casa Serrano on the second Monday of each month. An added benefit is that members can stay at the NDGW home designed by Julia Morgan on Baker Street in San Francisco. For more information, call or text Jerilynn Crivello at 831-320-2080.
| Not Yet a Member of Old Town Neighborhood Association? Annual membership dues are just $20 for two adults in your household which covers the calendar year in which paid. Your dues help support social events and technical costs of website, Zoom meetings, and newsletter. Members can be renters, owners or landlords of a property in Old Town. Learn how to become a member on our website! If you have any questions, contact us! All residents living above Pacific St between the creek near Madison and the Presidio/DLI are eligible. Checks to OTNA can be mailed, along with your names, address, phone and email to our address below. Old Town Neighborhood Association P O Box 724, Monterey, CA 93942 |
This information is being shared as a service by Old Town Neighborhood Association. Information is presumed accurate, but is not guaranteed, and always subject to change. Visit our website at oldtownmonterey.org.