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Ole! The third annual Mole & Mariachi Festival was a huge success.
Thanks to everyone who attended the 2015 Mole & Mariachi Festival, held Sept. 19 Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park. The third-annual event was a resounding success.
Six mole chefs competed for the titles of People's Choice and Judges' Choice. Winners included home cook Emma Pinto, who captured the Judges' Choice award for her grandmother's recipe, "Mama Marriquita"; and Cesario Ruiz of My Mom's Mole, who won the People's Choice award. He also was the runner-up in the Judges' Choice competition. Defending champion El Jardin was runner-up in the People's Choice voting.
Four mariachi bands and two dance companies performed. The mojigangas — giant, dancing puppets — returned. Scores of volunteers worked with staff from Friends and State Parks to put on a fun, family-friendly and safe event. All told, about 4,000 people attended this one-day celebration of Latino culture. Thank you! We're already looking forward to next year.
See photos from the event on the Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks Facebook page and read about the event in this Santa Cruz Sentinel story.
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Castro Adobe State Historic Park open house events return!
Three additional Castro Adobe open house events will be held this fall. Tour California's next State Historic Park 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 10, Nov. 14 and Dec. 5. Learn more on our website.
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Help with Bridge Removal in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park.
The Advocates for the Forest of Nisene Marks State Parks will hold a special trail work event at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 11 to remove bridges from Aptos Creek. The Advocates need at least 12 volunteers working at two locations to remove the seasonal bridges before winter rains.
Volunteers should wear rubber boots and meet at the entrance kiosk at 9:30 a.m. Bring a lunch — coffee, juice and baked goods will be provided — and be prepared to spend some time on the creek.
Sign up at Trailworkers.org. Email info@advocatesfnm.org with questions.
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My Mom's Mole poised to grow, thanks Friends for opportunities.
My Mom's Mole, a Mole & Mariachi competitor, has launched a Barnraiser campaign to support its next phase of growth and a portion of their fundraising will be donated back to Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks.
We are grateful and honored to be selected as a beneficiary of this innovative culinary startup. Their crowd-funding effort will support increased production capacity, as well as a new series of cooking classes and fund another staff position. Check out their campaign!
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Welcome the monarchs back Sunday, Oct. 11.
Come out for this joyful, monarch-filled day at Natural Bridges State Beach to welcome these beautiful butterflies back to their over-wintering habitat.
There will be arts and crafts, games for kids, live music, hand-cranked "monarch" ice cream, tips on how to build a monarch garden and more. Welcome Back Monarchs is 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 11. Read more in this SFGate article.
Also, Santa Cruz Open Streets, a car-free pop-up park on West Cliff Drive, is 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and connects to Natural Bridges State Beach. Check out both great events.
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Explore coastal parks this fall.
The summer season is winding down. Enjoy the crisp autumn air with a trip to a coastal State Park. Butano, Rancho del Oso and Wilder Ranch State Parks offer family-friendly weekend events this fall.
Learn about snakes at Rancho del Oso, the coastal section of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, or take a guided wildflower walk at Butano State Park. Wilder Ranch State Park offers both history and nature programs.
Find events on our website.
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