BLVA Newsletter – July 2026
Dear Friend,
Welcome to the July 2026 edition of the Ben Lomond Village Alliance newsletter! As we celebrate Independence Day and our nation’s 250th anniversary, we’re reminded that strong communities are built by neighbors who come together. Here in Ben Lomond, that spirit is alive and well. Whether you’ve volunteered at a Village Market, lent a hand on a community project, attended a local event, or simply stopped to chat with a neighbor, you’re helping make our village a welcoming and vibrant place to call home. We hope you will come down to Ben Lomond County Park on the 4th to celebrate our nation and our local community at the special holiday Village Market!
Summer is in full swing, and there’s plenty more to look forward to in the weeks ahead. From upcoming Village Markets and community events to opportunities to volunteer and support local businesses, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Be sure to check out the updates below to see what’s happening and how you can get involved.
Thank you for being part of what makes Ben Lomond such a special place. We wish you a safe and happy Fourth of July, and we look forward to seeing you around town all summer long!
~ The Team at the BLVA
UPCOMING BLVA EVENTS 🗓
VILLAGE MARKET
Saturday, July 4th | 10 AM – 2 PM | FREE
Mill Street & Ben Lomond County Park
Come celebrate the 4th of July at the Village Market!
* Live Music *
10 AM–12 PM | Dan and Laurel
12–2 PM | Kid Kameleon & the Lounge Lizards
* Kids Activities *
Scavenger hunt, sack races, big bubbles, and more. Prizes too!
* Food & Farm *
Adorable French Bakery
Pharaoh’s Plate
La Marea of the Sea
Girasol Pizza
La Selva Lavender
Solorio’s Organic Farm
Wildstone Bakery
* Festive Beverages *
Fruition Brewing
Santa Cruz Cider Company
* Craft & Artisan Vendors *
Deelighted Designs
Carter & Shabs
Love Cultivated
Lucinda Lynch Ceramics
Mamakolohes
Morrison Pottery
Paws N Purrs Pets
Quasi Manufacturing
Remgarden
Sew Imperfekt
Sicilian Mama Pottery
Sweet Herb Medicinals
* Services *
Massages from the Center for Healing
Knife Sharpening by Quality Cutlery
* Community Organizations *
SLV Firewis
SLV Rotary
SLV Emergency Network + Felton Area Community Emergency Response Team
Bring your own water bottle—thank you to SLV Water District for providing a water station at the park!
Volunteers are needed for setup, greeting, traffic control, and cleanup. Sign up HERE. Volunteers will receive a voucher they can spend at the July 4 market!
Note that there will be no parking on Mill Street in front of the park during the event. We recommend visitors walk from their homes if they live nearby or make use of public parking on HWY 9 and in the surrounding neighborhoods. It is also OK to park in the parking lot at The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints on Love Creek Road.
SUPPER CLUB – COMMUNITY POTLUCK AT THE PARK
Friday, July 10 | 6:30 – 7:30 PM | FREE
Ben Lomond County Park, 9525 Mill Street
Join us for a fun community potluck in the park! Drinks provided by your hosts, Matt & Ariel, while guests bring appetizers, desserts, or their favorite potluck entree. Please plan to bring your own utensils, plates, and cups for a sustainable party.
This is a free event, though your voluntary contributions help support other BLVA events. Please RSVP so we can plan to bring enough drinks for everyone: HERE
SQUARE DANCE AT THE PARK
Friday, July 10 | 7:30-9:30 PM | $10
Ben Lomond County Park, 9525 Mill Street
Right after the community potluck, dust off your cowboy boots and join us at Ben Lomond County Park on Mill Street for a square dance! Live band Someone’s in the Kitchen with well-known local caller, Nina Berry. Beer, wine, soda, and pie, too! Tickets HERE
VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION PARTY
Wednesday, July 22 | 6-8 PM
If you’ve volunteered with the BLVA in the last 12 months, be on the lookout for your invitation to the Volunteer Appreciation Party. You won’t want to miss it!
LINE DANCE
Saturday, August 8 | 7pm – 8:30pm (doors 6:30)
Park Hall Community Center, 9400 Mill Street
Wendy’s Mountain Line Dance is coming back for another lively evening! Wendy will lead you through a variety of line dances. Come dance and have a fun time with your neighbors and friends. All ages and experience levels are welcome. Beer, wine, sodas and snacks will be available by donation. Don’t miss it! More info and purchase your tickets HERE
SUPPER CLUB – BOCCI BALL TEA PARTY
Sunday, August 16 | 3 – 5 PM | FREE – RSVP required
Magdalena & Marks’ House
Bring your favorite tart or other tea-time treat and join Magdalena & Mark for an afternoon of tea and bocci ball. Please RSVP HERE
SCOTTISH DAY 2026
Saturday, September 19 | 1:00–5:00 PM
Ben Lomond County Park, 9525 Mill Street
Get your tartan pressed and save the date for our second annual Scottish Day at the Ben Lomond County Park! There will be falconry and sword-fighting demonstrations, cèilidh dance with the wonderful band, Haggis & Avocado—plus Scottish dancers, a shortbread contest, and more!
OTHER LOCAL EVENTS 🗓
131st ALBA SCHOOLHOUSE FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION
Saturday, 7/4 | 11am – 2:30pm | Free
Sequoia Retreat Center 11445 Alba Road, Ben Lomond
Celebrate Independence Day with classic BBQ, live music, and community fun under the redwoods! BBQ Lunch available with donation. For more information, click HERE
SLV WOMEN’S KAFFEE KLATSCH
Sunday, July 5 | 10 AM – 12 PM
Coffee 9
The SLV Women’s Kaffee Klatsch is a monthly informal gathering of women; a place to meet and greet other women in SLV. We meet the first Sunday of every month at Coffee Nine. Come by and get a cup of coffee and say hello!
OPENING RECEPTION – CONNECTIONS
Friday, July 3, | 5 – 7 PM
Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center
Come to the opening reception for Connections, where artists explore the many aspects of connections among living things. Whether the connections are emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual, bond-forming, or habit-forming, anything goes when showing us their ideas about Connections! https://www.mountainartcenter.org/
PANCAKES IN THE PARK
Sunday, July 19 | 8:30am – 12pm (every 3rd Sunday through October)
Highlands Park Senior and Community Center, 8500 HWY 9
Where else can you get all-you-can-eat pancakes plus fruit, eggs, potatoes, and sausage for $12?! Come have a great breakfast and support the Senior Center. More information HERE
EMERGENCY TRAINING
July 26, Sunday, 1:00pm to 3:00pm
6134 Hwy 9, Felton
San Lorenzo Valley Emergency Network (SLVEN) and Felton Area CERT (FACERT) are organizing more MURS Radio classes here at Mountain Community Resources (MCR), 6134 Hwy 9, in Felton. These classes are directed at newcomers to Emergency Communications Radios, focusing on their use and effectiveness, though other MURS users are welcome to attend as well. This class is offered to the SLV/SV community free of charge.This training is sanctioned by CERT, ARES, and other official response agencies in our County, as part of the recognized County emergency communications system. Sign up HERE
FILM AT PARK HALL: DESPERADO: THE REAL STORY
Friday, July 31 | 5:30–8:00 PM
Park Hall Community Center, 9400 Mill Street
Come see the premiere of Desperado: The Real Story: Black Bart (Episodes 1 & 2), a new film produced by KSLV.tv (the same producer as Come Join Us), featuring Mountain Community Theater actors and local residents. Come early for Doc Holliday’s Casino and “Trivia with a Vengeance.” Concessions will be available during intermission.
Tickets: $20 General | $15 Seniors & Youth. All proceeds benefit the Park Hall Fire Sprinkler Fund. Visit KSLV.tv for tickets and details.
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT 🔦
PALETERIA LOS FRESEROS
Thursday-Sunday | 11 AM–10 PM
Friday-Saturday | 11 AM–11 PM
7985 Hwy 9, Ben Lomond
There’s a new ice cream shop in town! Paleteria Los Freseros is an authentic Mexican ice cream and snack shop specializing in handmade traditional treats like paletas (ice pops), specialty ice cream flavors (from Marianne’s Ice Cream), and savory Mexican street snacks. You are in for a treat! Follow them on Instagram HERE
GET INVOLVED 💪
BLVA PHOTOGRAPHER
Do you love to take photos? We need you! We’re looking for someone to photograph our events and activities. Reach out to Events@BenLomondVillage.org if you’re interested!
BETTER STREETS & BEAUTIFICATION
Next meeting: July 23 | 6:00 PM
Ben Lomond Fire Department Meeting Room
The new high visibility crosswalk and push-button flashing lights should be installed on Glen Arbor Road at Madrone-Newell in July-August. The committee is also making progress on Mill Street banner installations on light poles, restoring weedy plant strips on Highway 9, cleaning up the kiosk in front of the Library, speed limit reduction on Mill Street and scoping the Glen Arbor walkway project with the County. Come get involved, we can use your help getting these improvements over the finish line.
EVENTS COMMITTEE UPDATE
Save the date for Saturday, September 19. Some of your favorite highlights from last year will be back (falcons, shortbread contest, music, and dancing!) plus some fun new things. It’s never too early to start planning your outfit! Planning continues apace for our second annual Scottish Day event, and the Events Committee is meeting monthly. If you would like to be involved in planning this fun event, please sign up to join the Events Committee HERE
SOCIAL COMMITTEE
Next meeting: July 26 | 6:00 PM
Ben Lomond Library
Are you enjoying the Dances and Supper Clubs and want to lend a hand making these events happen? Have some good ideas for other fun community-building events we could put on? Please join the Social Committee! Meetings are the last Sunday of the month. Sign up HERE for updates.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED ✋
SQUARE DANCE | FRI, JULY 10
We need volunteers to help at the Square Dance at Ben Lomond County Park on July 10. Volunteers are needed for setup, taking money at the door, concessions, and cleanup. Sign up HERE Volunteers receive tons of gratitude and free entry to the dance!
LINE DANCE | SAT, AUG 8
Volunteers are needed at the Line Dance at Park Hall on Saturday, August 8. Volunteers are can help with setup, taking money at the door, concessions, and cleanup at the end. Sign up HERE. Volunteers will receive our deepest appreciation and free entry to the dance!
RECENT IMPACT 💥
CONTRA DANCE A BLAST!
There was a great turnout at the June Contra Dance at Park Hall! All the dancers enjoyed the great music by Against the Grain, and most were able to follow the excellent calling by Cheryl Graubert. Those who struggled still had a fabulous time, as the contra crowd is so kind! It’s such a friendly way to learn how to do social dancing. So much fun! Don’t miss the next one!
‘OUT AND ABOUT’ WITH THE BLVA 👠
FOND FAREWELL FOR TOM and LIBBY PURDY
A number of Ben Lomond Village Alliance members were to be seen at the bittersweet farewell party thrown by Tim and Marianne Wylie for beloved long-time community members Libby and Tom Purdy, who are moving to North Carolina to be closer to family. Libby was instrumental in organzing the kid’s activities for the inaugural BLVA Scottish Day, as well as crafts at the Tree Lighting Parties, and Tom was always willing to lend a hand too! There was fabulous food, many dear friends, and the telling of many wonderful stories about Libby and Tom at the party. They will be dearly missed by the Ben Lomond community!
THANK YOU! ❤️
Thank you for your membership in the Ben Lomond Village Alliance! Your support of and involvement in the Ben Lomond Village Alliance is what is bringing Ben Lomond back to the vibrant village we all love. Because of you, we’re able to make a real and lasting difference in our community.
Help us grow our impact—spread the word! Share our mission with your friends and neighbors and invite others to join our membership list. Follow us on FACEBOOK and fave us on NEXTDOOR.
If you have questions, would like more information about BLVA initiatives, or have Ben Lomond related announcements (send pictures!) for us to share in our newsletters, please contact Ariel at Secretary@BenLomondVillage.org.
Thank you for being a part of the Ben Lomond Village Alliance family.
Warm regards,
Ben Lomond Village Alliance
Copyright © 2026 Ben Lomond Village Alliance, All rights reserved
Ben Lomond Village Alliance is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
