thursday 11|27

The Overflowed Cup

COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING DINNERS From noon to 3pm the Kiwanis Club of Monterey holds its 33rd annual traditional Thanksgiving Dinner at the Monterey Fairgrounds--a chaotic outpouring of warmth and love made possible by 100 turkeys, 35 hams, and 600 pounds of potatoes among other things.

Monterey Fairgrounds, 2004 Fairground Rd., Monterey. 647-5845 for more information or to donate.

Carmel Valley residents are invited to attend either of two well-trimmed Thanksgiving dinners at the Carmel Valley and Cachagua Community Centers. Both are held from 1-4pm and reservations are encouraged but not necessary.

Carmel Valley Community Center, 25 Ford Rd., Carmel Valley. Cachagua Community Center, 37210 Nason Rd., Cachagua. Call 659-2640 to donate or for more information.

In Castroville, a traditional turkey feast, sponsored by the Dick Cava Family, will be held from noon to 4pm, and Santa Claus will make an early appearance bearing gifts for children.

Castroville Community Center (behind the Catholic Church), 1126 Crane St., Castroville. All three events are free. [MB]

friday 11|28

Local Legend

LARRY HOSFORD Larry Hosford's music career started in 1961, when the Salinas High School student played his first gig at Kalisa's La Ida Cafe. Since then, Hosford has played music with the legendary Santa Cruz rock group Snail and George Harrison, the former member of another legendary rock outfit. Hopefully, the singer/songwriter will perform "Salinas," a tune about his hometown. [ST]

9pm. Ocean Thunder, 214 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey. No cover. 643-9169.

Towering Inferno

TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY The City of Monterey officially ushers in the holiday season with the help of a 25-foot Christmas tree set ablaze with electric lights. After the lighting ceremony, all wholesome hell breaks loose with the appearance of Santa Claus for complimentary photographs and the opening of his Holiday Forest--decorated with artwork by local elementary school students. A holiday quintet performs festive music and free surrey rides will be available to all. Free parking in the Cannery Row Garage on Foam and Wave Streets. [MB]

6pm. Steinbeck Plaza, 700 Cannery Row, Monterey. Free. 372-2259.

With Love, From Russia

DMITRY RACHMANOV Moscow native Dmitry Rachmanov moved to America in 1977 and it has treated him well ever since. This acclaimed pianist graduated from Julliard School of Music has performed at the United Nations, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. He took the top prize in the Awerbuch International Piano Competition. Naturally, he is an admirer of the great composers of his country--Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Prokofiev--and he offers a concert tribute to them here in Monterey. Rachmanov performs the Grand Sonata in G Major, Variations on a Theme of Corelli, and Sonata No. 7, respectively by those classical masters. [CC]

7:30pm. Monterey Religious Science Church, 400 W. Franklin St., Monterey. $20/general, $12/seniors and students. 649-8629.

Feliz Navidad

LA PASTORELA As the month quickly reaches its Santa saturation point, take a stroll back to a unique tradition as El Teatro Campesino presents the annual Shepherd's Play, La Pastorela. Although the play is in Spanish, the sights, sounds and spirit of the wisemen's journey to Bethlehem will bring a smile to all faces. Staged in the old San Juan Bautista Mission, the struggle between the evil Luzbel and Archangel San Miguel is breathtaking. [CC]

Opens Friday, 8pm. Continues Thurs-Sun 8pm, Sunday matinee 4pm. Closes Dec. 21. Mission San Juan Bautista, Mariposa and 2nd streets, San Juan Bautista. $20/adults, $16/students and seniors, $12/children. 623-2444.

Bling Bling In The Rough

GEM FAIRE This weekend the Monterey Fairgrounds becomes home to over 25 jewelry manufacturers, wholesalers, and importers from around the world. Fine quality jewelry, gems, crystals, and other minerals are sold for competitively low prices and craftsmen are present to repair damaged jewelry. Wire wrapping and jewelry making classes will be offered to all skill levels. [MB]

10am-5pm, through Sunday. Monterey Fairgrounds, 2004 Fairground Rd., Monterey. $5. (503) 252-8300 or www.gemfaire.com.

Bangles, Bon-Bons and Beal

TANDY BEAL'S THE NEW NUT Mothers of would-be prima ballerinas everywhere, and boyfriends of Nutcracker nuts forced to sit through another performance of the perennial holiday favorite are in luck. Dancer/Choreographer Tandy Beal's in town--or, rather, that town on the other side of the Pajaro River--with a lively, whimsical interpretation of the old Tchaikovsky favorite. The New Nut! will be presented by the Pajaro Valley Performing Arts Association, in conjunction with UCSC Arts and Lectures, and Tandy Beal and Company. Beal shares the stage with the award-winning West Coast vocal jazz band SoVoSó, who will transform the bangles and bon-bons of Candyland with an accompanying cast of 30 dancers and circus artists. Other special guest artists include Rock Lerum, Iman Lizarazu and two fellow jugglers; Folklorico dancers Esperanza del Valley; rhythmic/gymnastic dancer Saki; and the national champion roller skating pair, Edrick Stewart and Meghan Burt. Says Ms. Beal, "With circus and dance and delight, we're putting the nut back in Nutcracker." [JL]

7:30pm Friday; 2pm and 7:30pm Saturday; 2pm Sunday. Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts, 250 East Beach, Watsonville. $20 adults; $18 students and seniors; $15 kids 12 and under. Reserved seating. 763-4047.

saturday 11|29

Not Your Mother's Craft Show

BIG SUR CRAFT FAIR The press release, complete with misspellings, poor grammar and wrong words, says it all. "This is a true Big Sur style craft fair, there is nothing like it. It is not of the high fluting snob caliber and it is not a lousy county funky freaking, crummy & boring craft show...It is a unique collection of Artists of Big Sur and their friends from the outlying areas who craft or practice their arts the year around...Some think this show is a throw back to the sixties, but if you were alive in the sixties you'll truly know it wasn't this groovy." Duuuude. [JL]

10am-5pm, Big Sur Grange Hall, south end of Juan Higueria Creek Bridge, off Highway 1, Big Sur. 667-2557.

Bella Musica

OPERA ITALIA It's not often that world-class opera comes our way so we must enjoy it while we can. The organizers of the Santa Rosalia Festival have invited performers from the Opera Institute of California, including its founder Rose Senechia-Kingsley, to sing Broadway, opera and Christmas classics. The beautiful evening begins in true Italian style with a wine and cheese reception, followed by a five-member cast from OIC. Madame Senechia-Kingsley, a soprano singer who has sung at the National Democratic Convention and for two Presidents, also studied ballet and danced for the Metropolitan Opera. [CC]

6pm reception, 7pm performance. Monterey Conference Center, Steinbeck Forum, 5 Custom Plaza, Monterey. $20. 375-1407.

Boxing Night

RIOT AT THE HYATT Chances are that two days after Thanksgiving you still have a touch of food coma, in fact, you may still be a little buzzed, what with the boozy cousins in town dragging you from the tavern back home for drinks in the kitchen and beers in the garage. Maybe, you've had about enough of the turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce and you want to get out of the house for awhile, away from the blaring tube and the wailing kids. Boxing. Boxing is the answer. If you're lucky enough to still get tickets, you can spend Saturday night watching six-bout fight card with a flyweight female fight and the main event, an eight-round Superfeatherweight (128-pound) match between Ricardo Baragan and Freddy Castro. [AS]

7:30pm first bout, doors open at 6:30pm. Grand Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency-Monterey. Reserve tickets $40, preferred $55 and ringside $75. 688-1604.

monday 12|1

Lost and Found

FILMMAKER CRAIG BALDWIN Like Andy Goldsworthy, the artist featured in the documentary Rivers and Tides, Craig Baldwin uses existing materials to create his art. While Goldsworthy manipulates parts of the natural world, Baldwin scours through the detritus of American films to make collages satirizing contemporary society. The San Francisco filmmaker will show four of his films including RocketKitKongoKit, a 30-minute piece about the history of Zaire, and Sonic Outlaws, a film about copyright infringement featuring Negativland. [ST]

6pm. Black Box Cabaret, Building 81, 100 Campus Center, Cal State Monterey Bay, Seaside. Free. 582-3597.

wednesday 12|3

Dynamic Duo

CARMEL MUSIC SOCIETY PRESENTS There is a two-fold incentive to attend tonight's performance by pianists Christopher O'Riley and Fred Hersch. First is the performers‚ dynamic as they riff on pieces by Rachmaninoff, Barber, and some original compositions. Second, is the venue, Sunset Center, where there is not a bad seat in the house. [MB]

8pm. Sunset Center, east side of San Carlos between 8th and 9th streets. Tickets 20-$35. 625-9938.

The UnScrooge

SAVING THE CORPORATE SOUL The cover of David Batstone's book, Saving The Corporate Soul, advertises, "Eight principles for creating and preserving integrity and profitability without selling out." Batstone, a professor of social ethics at the University of San Francisco, promises tips for keeping the old company in the black while simultaneously ensuring that Tiny Tim will have a turkey for Christmas. Buy tickets at Thunderbird Bookstore at The Barnyard in Carmel, or at the Unity Church in Monterey. [BW]

7-9pm. Unity Church of Monterey Bay, 601 Madison St., Monterey. $15; $10/students. 372-0457.