BLVA Newsletter – August 2026
Dear Friends,
Isn’t summer dreamy in Ben Lomond? It’s been great to see you at our Village Market, which has welcomed several hundred people each month, bringing neighbors together to shop, eat and enjoy our community.
And big news: Our first streetlight banners are officially up on Mill Street, adding color, character and pride to the heart of our village—with more still to come. Thanks to the BLVA Better Streets and Beautification Committee!
These moments are wonderful reminders of what we can accomplish together. Keep reading for more village updates, upcoming events and ways to get involved with the BLVA!
UPCOMING BLVA EVENTS 🗓
LINE DANCE AT PARK HALL
Saturday, Aug. 8 | 7-8:30 PM
Park Hall Community Center, 9400 Mill Street
Wendy’s Mountain Line Dance will be back at Park Hall, leading us in some fun line dancing for all ages and experience levels. Beer, wine, soda and snacks available by donation.
Volunteer and get free admission! We need some help with setup, taking money at the door, concessions, and cleanup at the end.
SUPPER CLUB: BOCCI BALL TEA PARTY
Sunday, Aug. 16 | 3–5 PM | FREE
Magdalena & Mark’s House
Bring your favorite tart or other tea-time treat and join Magdalena and Mark for an afternoon of tea and bocci ball.
VILLAGE MARKET & BLUE PLAQUE RECOGNITION CEREMONY
Saturday, Sept. 5 | Market from 10 AM–2 PM
Mill Street & the Ben Lomond County Park
Ceremony at 12 PM in the Park
We’re excited to celebrate the installation of a Museum of Art & History Blue Plaque recognizing our park as a Historic Landmark! As part of the festivities at the September 5 Village Market, local historian Ronnie Trubek will share the story of the park’s history and why this designation is so meaningful to our community. Join us at 12:00 PM to learn more about this special place and celebrate another milestone in Ben Lomond’s history.
Volunteer at the Village Market and get a $20 voucher to spend!
SCOTTISH DAY 2026
Saturday, Sept. 19 | 1–5 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! Falconry and sword fighting demonstrations, Cèilidh dance, Scottish dancers, bagpipers and more.
Shortbread Contest
Local bakers compete for community bragging rights (and a $100 prize!) while attendees sample each entry and vote for their favorites.
Competitor seats are limited to five per category (Best Traditional, Most Creative, and Best Junior Baker)—so sign up today!
Reserve Your Tasting Passport >
Sponsorships & Donations
Interested in being an event sponsor or donating to the silent auction? Reach out to ScottishDay@BenLomondVillage.org.
Volunteer!
Event flyering, day-of ice cream scooping, set up, clean up, and so much more…we could really use your help! And, we’ll make it fun too. All event volunteers get a complimentary event glass and beverage.
TALES OF BEN LOMOND PART 3
Thursday, Sept. 24 | 6:30–8:30 PM
Doors Open at 6:00 PM
Park Hall Community Center
From bomb shelters to hippies, journey through Ben Lomond’s remarkable transformation from the carefree 1950s through the counterculture years. Join Ronnie Trubek as she explores four decades that transformed Ben Lomond and the people who called it home. No prior attendance is necessary. Proceeds benefit the Park Hall Fire Sprinkler Fund and the Ben Lomond Village Alliance.
SUPPER CLUB: PIE SOCIAL
Saturday, Sept. 26 | 6-8 PM
Beeline Blooms
Join us for a Community Pie Social at Beeline Blooms hosted by Jen and Tina, where you’ll be surrounded by dahlias, friendly conversation, and sweet and savory pies. Your hosts will provide water and cider as well as boxes to take home your favorite pieces of pie. Please bring one pie (anything with a crust above, below, or around and a sweet or savory filling!) for every two people in your group. Or bring a large salad to round out our community supper.
CONTRA DANCE AT PARK HALL
Friday, Nov. 13 | 7–9:30 PM (Doors open at 6:30)
Park Hall Community Center, 9400 Mill Street
Mark your calendar now for live music with Against the Grain and calling by Cheryl Graubert. Similar to square dancing, but with music a bit more reminiscent of Appalachian or Celtic music, it’s fun for all ages, and all experience levels are welcome.
OTHER LOCAL EVENTS 🗓
WINE, CHARCUTERIE, AND CRUSHPAD CONCERT
Saturday, Aug. 8 | 3–5 PM
Roberts Ranch Vineyards, 875 Roberts Road
Enjoy live Brazilian and jazz music by Samba Cruz alongside wine tasting and charcuterie.
OPENING RECEPTION: RHYTHMS WITHIN, ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONS
Friday, Aug. 14 | 5–7 PM
Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center, 9341 Mill Street
When we let go of what we see and tap into images we find within us, we can connect with our own perspective on reality. This exhibit is seeking strong work that focuses on emotion, ideas, or an internal reality, rather than a recognizable subject. Tap into your inner rhythms and show us how you express them!
Apply Here >
(Deadline: Today! Thursday, August 6)
NEW WORKS WEEKEND
Aug. 14–16 | Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday at 2:00 PM
Park Hall Community Center, 9400 Mill Street
New Works Weekend is Mountain Community Theater’s celebration of local storytelling. This year, we are thrilled to share eight brand-new, original plays crafted entirely by talented authors from our own community. These performances showcase talented local playwrights’ scripts as they bring these stories from the page to the stage. Tickets are $10.
PANCAKES IN THE PARK
Sunday, Aug.16 | 8:30 AM–12 PM (every 3rd Sunday thru 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.
FREE GREEN WASTE DISPOSAL
Saturday, Aug. 29
Saturday, Sept. 26
Ben Lomond Transfer Station
5th District Supervisor Monica Martinez has secured funding to extend the Free Green Waste Disposal Program through September. Residents of unincorporated District 5 can dispose of yard trimmings and other green waste at no cost at the Ben Lomond Transfer Station on the last Saturday of each month.
Please use these opportunities to create defensible space around your home—and consider helping neighbors who may have difficulty clearing vegetation themselves. As we enter peak fire season, every property we protect helps make our entire community safer! The program will return in spring 2027.
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT 🔦
FARWELL LA PLACA BAKERY
After years of serving Ben Lomond with delicious breads, pastries, and (as far as we know) the only gelato in Santa Cruz County, La Placa Family Bakery will be closing its Highway 9 location. While we’re sad to see them leave our village, we’re excited for their next chapter. Owner Leo La Placa is combining the bakery with a new venture, La Placa Italian Cuisine, opening soon in Scotts Valley. The new restaurant will feature fresh pasta, handcrafted pizza, bakery favorites, desserts, espresso, wine, and more.
We want to thank Leo and the entire La Placa team for being part of the Ben Lomond community and for all the smiles they brought to residents and visitors alike. We wish them every success in their new home and encourage everyone to stop by and support them in Scotts Valley.
Thank you, La Placa, you’ll always have a place in Ben Lomond’s story. Best of luck on your new adventure!
GET INVOLVED 💪
TREE LIGHTING PLANNING
Kickoff Meeting: Monday, Aug. 10 | 6–7 PM
Ben Lomond County Park
If you’d like to be part of our 2026 Tree Lighting planning committee, join us for the kickoff meeting! Anyone who wants to be an active part of the planning process and help shape this event is welcome to join.
Questions? Reach out to Events@BenLomondVillage.org.
BETTER STREETS & BEAUTIFICATION
Next meeting: Thursday, Aug. 27 | 6:00 PM
Ben Lomond Fire Department Meeting Room
At its next meeting at the Ben Lomond Firehouse, the committee plans to start taking community input on what the walkway improvements should include on the north side (Valley Churches United side) of Glen Arbor Road from Highway 9 to Pine Street. The County has over $2.1M in funds to eventually install walkway safety and drainage improvements along this stretch, including low-level lighting at night. The Committee encourages anyone interested in this safety project to attend.
SOCIAL COMMITTEE
4th Sundays | 6–7 PM
Ben Lomond Library
Come join the committee that’s dedicated to having fun times together! The Social Committee is responsible for the dances and Supper Clubs. Come help us plan and make more fun things happen in Ben Lomond.
Reach out to Social@BenLomondVillage.org for more information.
RECENT IMPACT 💥
BLVA 2026–27 ROADMAP
Our organizational theme for the next year and a half is sustainability! Learn more about our vision, goals, and approach for 2026–27.
‘OUT AND ABOUT’ WITH THE BLVA 👠
BLVA VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION DINNER
Last month, we gathered for a special Volunteer Appreciation Dinner to celebrate the people who bring the BLVA’s work to life. It was a wonderful evening of delicious food, connection, and well-deserved recognition for the neighbors who generously share their time, talents, and energy with our village.
To everyone who has helped with an event, served on a committee, supported a project or stepped in wherever needed: thank you. Ben Lomond is stronger, more vibrant and more connected because of you!
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS ART CENTER MEMBERSHIP PARTY
We also saw a number of BLVA members at the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center’s annual membership party on July 31st. Dan and Laurel played, and good food and fun were had by all in the SCMAC’s beautiful yard. Like the BLVA, SCMAC is a nonprofit, and it’s great to see so many members of our community supporting the gem that is the Art Center!
THANK YOU! ❤️
As we enjoy the thriving Village Markets and all the other signs of a vibrant Ben Lomond, we’re reminded that none of it happens without a community that cares. Whether you volunteer your time, attend an event, shop locally, stop to chat with a neighbor, or smile and wave a car ahead of you in traffic on Hwy 9, you’re helping make our village a stronger, more connected place. Thank you for being part of that story.
If you enjoy receiving this newsletter, please help us grow our community by sharing it with your friends and neighbors. Invite them to join our membership list, follow us on FACEBOOK , and fave us on NEXTDOOR so they can stay connected with everything happening in Ben Lomond.
Have a great photo from around town? Know about an upcoming event, a local business worth highlighting, or a story about a neighbor doing something remarkable? We’d love to hear from you! Send your Ben Lomond news, photos, and newsletter ideas to Ariel at Secretary@BenLomondVillage.org.
Thank you for being part of the Ben Lomond Village Alliance family. We look forward to seeing you at the next Village Market, around town, and at the many community events still to come this year.
Cheers,
Ben Lomond Village Alliance
Copyright © 2025 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.
Our Mailing address is:
Ben Lomond Village Alliance
PO BOX 66
Ben Lomond, CA 95005
Ben Lomond Village Alliance, Inc
