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There were several events special for the fair’s opening day. As per tradition, the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau and the Watsonville Firefighters Association hosted the Opening Day Barbecue in Paddy Smith Park. People enjoyed a lunch of tri-tip, salad and garlic bread while South Bay Swing Band performed nearby on the Amphitheater Stage.

From serving freshly cooked food at banquets, special events, festivals and other community events, the two-man crew inside the ShockWave Food Truck is, well, riding a wave of success.

Three new K-9s were sworn into duty March 12 at the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. Before a crowd of about 70 people, the three dogs were led by their handlers into the Sheriff’s Office Community Room to be sworn in and to receive their new badges. “We’ve used this room to swear in 10 deputies and we didn’t get this kind of turn out,” Sheriff Jim Hart said. “It’s taken a lot to get this program built up. I know that our staff and myself are looking forward to the help these dogs can provide.”

Members of the Congregational Church of Soquel are celebrated 150 years of their majestic white steeple church in the heart of Soquel Village with an “Art and History Weekend.” Extensive displays of historic photos, some from the late 1800s, newspaper clippings, post cards and memorabilia were exhibited around the church’s campus May 19-20.

A little more than three decades after opening in Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center, Aptos Coffee Roasting Company will be closing. Owner Bronson Baker made the announcement Thursday on Facebook. According to Baker, Terramar Retail Center LLC, which owns the property, declined to renew the business’ lease. It now has until Aug. 31 to vacate the building.

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday laid the groundwork for a ban on single-use disposable cups by unanimously approving a 25-cent charge for the product at all food-service businesses. The charge will go into effect on July 1, 2020 if given...

CAPITOLA — St. John’s Helpful Shop in Capitola Village is preparing to move out and find a new home after 65 years. A literal cornerstone of the village, St. John’s Helpful Shop first opened at its location on the corner of Monterey and Capitola avenues in 1953. Women from the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist, then located in the Depot Hill area of Capitola, opened the store to raise money for a new church carpet. Gradually, the church grew, and the shop became a way for St. John’s to expand its community outreach. Church and community members alike volunteer their time at the shop, with all proceeds given as grants to local nonprofits. The building that houses the Helpful Shop recently changed hands, said shop volunteer Daniel Oliver. This has prompted them to move out and possibly find a new location. “We’re currently making a decision of where and when we can reopen,” Oliver said. “We’d like to get the word out and ask help from the community.” In 2018, St. John’s Helpful Shop helped support 26 different organizations across the region — including Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes, Homeless Services Center, Native Animal Rescue, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Cruz County and more. “That’s really the whole point,” Oliver said. “The outreach. We’d really like to keep that going.” Aug. 25 was the Helpful Shop’s final day open at its Capitola Village location. The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist is now located at 125 Canterbury Drive in Aptos, and Helpful Shop volunteers say they hope to find a location not too far from the church itself — but are open to other ideas. To contact St. John’s Helpful Shop, visit st-john-aptos.org.

Aaron Lowe has been tapped as the new fire chief of the Aptos/La Selva Fire Protection District, the board of directors recently announced. Lowe was selected from a field of 31 applicants after a five-month nationwide recruitment process, according to fire district officials. His base salary is $190,000, according to a contract approved by the board of directors on April 12. “I’m truly excited about coming to the Aptos/La Selva area,” said Lowe, who begins his new post on April 23. “When this opportunity came up, I was thrilled. It’s quite an amazing opportunity that I did not want to pass up.”

A San Jose man is in custody after he shot a man in front of a Soquel business March 7 and then tried to outrun police in his vehicle, police said. Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Sgt. Stefan Fish said the victim was shot three times in the Safeway parking lot on 41st Avenue at 4:45 p.m. He reportedly had an infant child in the car with him but the child was not hurt, Sgt. Brian Cleveland said.

The Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola is hosting its annual “Dine for the Red Cross” fundraiser on Jan. 15.