All posts by Susan Clark

Community Events

“Good Old Days” are back again ~ Pacific Grove, CA

59th Annual Good Old Days Celebration featuring fantastic bands, crafts fair & parade!
Good Old Days Celebration featuring fantastic bands, crafts fair & parade!

April 9th and 10th 2016  Pacific Grove, CA

Don’t miss the 59th Annual Good Old Days  Celebration taking place today and tomorrow.  Every year residents and visitors look forward to this local event which begins with a parade Saturday morning down Pine Street and continues Saturday and Sunday with a wide array of fun events.

 Good old days

When I first moved to Pacific Grove 17 years ago I couldn’t believe what a big event this little seaside town puts together.  I even have been in the parade a couple of times with my then 97 year old mother riding in the front seat of my convertible.  What a thrill it was for both of us!

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It’s the largest arts and crafts show in the county, and features over 225 art and food vendors in downtown Pacific Grove on Lighthouse Avenue.  There will be live entertainment on five stages with old-fashioned games and contests, and lots of family fun.

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The schedule of events can be found on the Pacific Grove Chamber website.  To mention a few highlights you’ll be able to enjoy “Moonalice, Thom Cuneo Jazz Band, The Snarky Cats, Rayburn Brothers Band, Stu Heydon Blues Band, Samz School of Rock, Short Band, PG Pops Orchestra and more!”

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New this year is the BookWorks Dance Stage! There will be eight dance groups performing back-to-back-to-back from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm. The dance groups include PGHS Breaker Girls Dance Team, Stevenson School Dance, Azahar Flamenco de Monterey, RockStar Dance Studio, DiFranco Dance Project, Park Avenue Belly Dance, Dance Center Carmel, and Groove Like BollyWorld.”

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So come to downtown Pacific Grove and join the fun!

Community Events, Local Attractions, Monterey Bay Aquarium

#Monterey Bay Aquarium ~ New exhibit to entice us!

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“The slithery.  The scaly.  The spectacularly showy.  Discover incredible animals from land and sea in this special exhibition featuring creatures from the coastal habitats of Baja California.  Life here thrives on the edge of sand and surf, where rugged desert coastline meets the sapphire waters of the Pacific.”

Cortez Rainbow Wrasse
Cortez Rainbow Wrasse

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has opened an amazing new exhibit.  You will not want to miss it!  I first was introduced to Baja in the 1970’s when I flew down there in a small 4-seater aircraft.  The airports were so rough that we had to fly over the runway first to scare the cows off so we could land and the gas had to be strained through netting before filling up the tank.  Baja was dotted with many tiny fishing villages along the coast at that time and we snorkeled and saw many of the amazing fish and critters in this exhibit.  Those were the days . . .

Panamic green moray eel
Panamic green moray eel

Luckily, I never ran into “these guys”!  Although I have seen morays up close and personal scuba diving in other areas in the tropics, I never try to pet them!

Golden trevally
Golden trevally
Desert tortoise
Desert tortoise

“This 800-mile-long narrow peninsula in northwestern Mexico is separated from the mainland by the Gulf of California.

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With almost 2,000 miles of coastline, sun-scorched desert, lush mangrove forests and colorful coral reefs, Baja is a land of contrasts, where unique plants and animals survive and thrive.”

Pacific Seahorse
Pacific Seahorse
Lookdown
Lookdown
Bluespotted Jawfish
Bluespotted Jawfish

I hope I have peaked your interest with these incredible photos from the Monterey Bay Aquarium web site.  Go take a gander at these amazing creatures in person.  You’ll be glad you did!