Ready for some mutton bustin’, bronco riding, trick roping, dancing horses, and bull riding?
Join us at the Monterey County Fair Aug. 31 -Sept. 5, a celebration of our county’s bountiful aquaculture and agriculture.
Besides cotton candy, corn dogs and carnival rides, there will be livestock, gardening, arts and crafts and cooking exhibitions, “cowboy bootcamps” for the kids, clowns, magicians, rodeos… and even a cake and ice cream eating contest.
Enjoy live music, from country star Lee Brice to rock ‘n roll by Blue Oyster Cult and fantastic funk from WAR. And if you’re over 21, The Turf Club Patio features microbrews, wine tastings and “After Parties” nightly at the Dive Bar.
Tickets are available online at http://www.montereycountyfair.com.
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Get some “viticulture” at the 19th Annual Monterey Winemakers’ Celebration – an outdoor summer festival that brings together over 40 wineries in Carmel’s lovely Barnyard Shopping Village.
Enjoy wine, food and jazz – and chat with local winemakers including Gianni Abate (Morgan Winery), Bill Anderson (Chateau Julien), Steve Pessagno (Pessagno Winery), and Paul Hahn (Hahn Wines).
From 1-4 pm, sip from a selection of some 200 wines and savor culinary treats from these Barnyard restaurants:
- Robata Sushi Grill
- Allegro Gourmet Pizzeria
- Bahama Billy’s
- Pieces of Heaven
- Serendipity Farms
- Flanagan
- From Scratch
- Hola
- Lugano Swiss Bistro
- The Monterey Chocolate Company
Admission is $30 in advance, $35 at the door (designated drivers are $15). You can also ride to the festival from downtown Carmel or downtown Monterey on a convenient mini bus operated by MST (Monterey Salinas Transit). Fare is just one dollar each way.
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Cutting edge art, great music, gourmet food, fine wine and ales: you’ll find it all August 26-28 at Sand City’s Tenth Annual West End Celebration. Over one hundred resident and visiting artists will open their studio doors, showcase their wares – and wow you with their talent.
The event kicks off Friday night, Aug. 26, with “Raising Cain in Sand City” – a benefit concert starring legendary bluesman Chris Cain, John “Broadway” Tucker, Red Beans & Rice, and the Monterey Bay Blues Festival’s “Blues in the Schools” Honor Band. The concert takes place in the Carmel Stone Imports Building, along with an exhibit by young local artists ages 12 to 22. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.
Saturday and Sunday there will be live music on two different stages, and Saturday afternoon the Boomtown Saints will rock Sweet Elena’s Bakery. The MST Trolley will provide free transportation to and from the event sites.
This year’s celebration has a “green” theme, with lectures on topics from “building green” to “living green” both days. Several presentations will showcase the new, green concepts being formulated and implemented in the redevelopment of Sand City.
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The exchange rate is horrible, but you can visit Ireland and Scotland without ever leaving town August 6-7 at the 44th Annual Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival at Toro Park between Monterey and Salinas on Highway 68.
Watch kilt-clad hunks throw trees (the “Caber Toss”) and heave 20 lb. boulders (the “Stone Put”). Then stroll through the “Avenue of Clans” to trace your ancestry – and invite your new found relatives to join you for food and drink from over 50 vendors.
The festival will feature live entertainment by Irish singer Seamus Kennedy, Celtic rock band “Brother,” Sligo Rags, and harpist Amy Krupski.
From 9am to 5pm both days there will be activities for everyone:
- Massed Pipe bands
- Drum Major and Pipe band competitions
- Highland and Irish step dancing
- Sheepdog Herding demonstrations
- Athletic Events & Scottish games for the kids
- Historical Re-enactments
Then Have Yourself a Highland Fling:
In a newly remodeled two bedroom/1.5 bath ocean view condo at Lover’s Point.
Enjoy the many moods of Monterey Bay from the living room, patio or master bedroom, head out on the coastal trail, or explore charming Pacific Grove, just three blocks away.
Contact:
Reservations@MontereyRentals.com
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If you love beer, the 10th annual Monterey Beer Festival, Saturday, June 11 from 12:30-5 pm at the Monterey Fairgrounds promises “the greatest assortment of beer ever assembled on the Central Coast.”
From “Waialua Wheat” to “Woodchuck Cider,” over 80 breweries will be represented, with the best beers from around the world: America, Belgium, Germany, England, France, Australia, Thailand, Italy, Asia, Ireland, Russia, Mexico, and Jamaica. Tickets are $35 – and there’s a special VIP Pre-Party that starts at 11:30 am. For $55, you can beat the crowd, taste some special beers, and toss back a few complimentary snacks.
Three “tribute” bands will play the music of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, AC/DC, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and food prepared by local Monterey chefs will be available for purchase.
(Oh, and along with all the beer, food, and fun… the event promoter promises that additional rest room facilities have been added this year.) Get the party started!
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It’s time to party – and it’s FREE! The summer season kicks off Sunday, June 5 from 11am – 5pm with the annual Cannery Row Block Party, a lively family favorite with kids’ games, balloon artists, food, music, and entertainment.
There will be live animal shows at the Bubba Gump Plaza, and four live bands playing at Steinbeck Plaza: Long Distance Flyers, Red Glare, Nu-Horizon and Local Groove.
Jellybeans, cinnamon rolls and magic tricks…. flaming cocktails, cioppino and Dippin’ Dots… from palm reading to wine tasting, Cannery Row truly has something for everyone!
Walk to Cannery Row…
We have some great places to stay nearby, too.
Like an oceanfront duplex just a short walk from Cannery Row along the beautiful coastal trail.
Be sure to ask for the “June Special.” Rhiannon@MontereyRentals.com
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Monterey County Fairgrounds will rock June 24-26 as the 26th annual Monterey Bay Blues Festival kicks off with continuous music on three stages.
Don’t miss this eclectic line up of “blues anyone can use.” From Friday evening to Sunday night, the festival promises food and fun for everyone – and families are welcome.
Here’s just a taste:
Uplifting soul and gospel by the unstoppable Mavis Staples… the irrepressible funk of the Barkays and the Dazz Band… crowd-igniting blues/rock/jazz/funk by Blues at Eleven… Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band’s third generation Zydeco… soul stirring classics by R&B legends Peabo Bryson, Freddie Jackson and Jeffrey Osborne.
Tickets are on sale now, and this event always sells out.
Need a place to stay while you get your groove on?
This 3 bdrm/3 bath coastal beauty is still available. It’s oceanfront, with all the blue you could ask for.
Contact:
Reservations@MontereyRentals.com
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Fasten your seatbelts as comic genius Ann Randolph takes you on a “cross country flight” you will never forget. The winner of the San Francisco Bay Critic’s and L.A. Weekly awards for “Best Original Script” and “Best Solo Performer,” Randolph will perform her one-woman show LOVELAND in Carmel Valley on May 21.
Hilarious and deeply human, the mercurially gifted Randolph embodies many characters in LOVELAND, including Frannie Potts – an out of control, sexually charged misfit overwhelmed by grief after losing her mother.
Writer/performer Randolph, whose last solo show was produced by Mel Brooks and the late Anne Bancroft, will also host a half-day writing workshop on May 21.
LOVELAND will play Saturday May 21 at 8pm at Hidden Valley Music Seminars, 88 Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel. Admission is $20 http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/170872
Randolph’s WRITE YOUR LIFE Workshop will be held in the same location on Saturday, May 21, from 10am – 2 pm. Admission is $50 http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/170906.
For more information on either event, call 800-838-3006.
Here’s what the critics say:
- “You’ll laugh. You’ll cry… Randolph mines new depth of hilarity.”
-San Francisco Chronicle
- “Riotously demented and brilliantly humane.”
-SF Bay Guardian
- ” Brilliantly funny… irreverent, hilarious and deeply human. Ann Randolph is a comic genius.”
-SF Bay Times
- “The kind of breakthrough dramatic experience one yearns for but rarely gets.”
-The Huffington Post
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Great chefs. Gourmet cuisine. Fine wines.
Monterey Bay Aquarium’s 10th Annual Cooking for Solutions event kicks off Friday, May 20, with the Cooking for Solutions Gala featuring gourmet dishes by celebrity chefs and 70 outstanding restaurants, organic wines from 60 premium West Coast wineries, a sushi lounge, a silent auction, and book-signings by Rick Moonen, Cindy Pawlcyn and P. Allen Smith.
A host of activities over “three delicious days” are planned around the theme of discovering how our choices protect the health of the soil water and ocean wildlife:
Celebrity Chef Cooking Demonstrations • May 21 – 8-11:30 am
Featuring sustainable seafood by Michael Cimarusti (Providence, Los Angeles), William Dissen (The Market Place, Asheville) and Virginia Willis (author & TV personality). Includes a continental breakfast and take-home recipes by all the chefs.
Coastal Living Pavilion Presentations • May 21 – 9:30 am-4: 30 pm, May 22 -10 am-3 pm
Laugh while learning about protecting the planet during two days of special presentations and cooking demonstrations from the Food Network’s Alton Brown and Robert Irvine, author and TV host P. Allen Smith, and Nathan Lyon, host of PBS’ Growing A Greener World.
Food & Wine Adventures • May 21 – 9:30 am-3:30 pm
Take part in one of six group events led by our celebrity chefs-each exploring sustainable foods in the kitchen and on the farm. Depending on the adventure, you’ll join John Ash and Peter Pahk; Seth Caswell, Eric Warnstedt and Ed Kenney; Cindy Pawlcyn; Bun Lai; Rick Moonen or Charles Phan.
Saturday and Sunday Salon Series • May 21 and May 22
Intimate events with leaders in the sustainable and organic food movement. Programs range from compelling conversations to cooking demonstrations – all in a small-group setting.
Sustainable Foods Celebration • May 21 – 10 am-6 pm
With Sam Choy, Mark Dommen and Lee Richardson. Learn more about sustainable seafood, organic agriculture and sustainable winemaking at information booths as you visit the aquarium galleries. Attend cooking demonstrations by celebrated chefs and sample sustainable seafood. Mingle with local growers and producers and graze on local produce and artisan foods while the kids enjoy making crafts, photos and trying healthy snacks in the Kids’ Zone.
Savor the Gulf Coast Champagne Breakfast • May 22 – 8-10 am
A Korbel champagne/mimosa reception plus live music with a Cajun flair, followed by a seasonal, sustainable breakfast buffet – Southern-style. With Virginia Willis, Lee Richardson and Regina Charboneau, who’ll share their love for the Gulf region and its cuisine.
P.S. Need a fabulous place to stay by the Bay? Pamper yourself in this spiffy ocean view Monterey Penthouse – or check out our inventory at Monterey Rentals.com
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Candy, jewelry and flowers are nice… but imagine following a trail of red silk rose petals to a bedroom lit by candlelight – complete with long stemmed roses and strawberries dipped in chocolate!
That’s just one of the services offered by “Romantic Room Designs” for Valentine’s Day, honeymoons, anniversaries, proposals – or any occasion you want to make special.
Of course, you don’t have to spend a bundle to splurge on your sweetheart. Wake up early, pick up almond croissants from the Paris Bakery Cafe, and head to Lover’s Point in Pacific Grove – one of the few places on the West Coast where you can watch the sun rise over the ocean.
And if you do need accommodations in the area, may we suggest a townhouse overlooking the Point with a picture postcard view?
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