BLVA Newsletter – May 2026
Dear Friend,
Welcome to the May 2026 edition of the Ben Lomond Village Alliance newsletter! Spring is in full spring, and the Village is alive with color and activity!
Here at the BLVA, May is a month of both preparation and momentum. We’re putting the final touches on plans for our 2026 Village Market — which kicks off next month! — on Mill Street. With fresh produce, local artisans, live music, great food, kid’s activities and more, the Village Market is going to be fabulous this year!
We’re also continuing our work behind the scenes, supporting local businesses, advancing beautification efforts, and developing projects that enhance the Village experience for residents and visitors alike. These efforts may not always be visible day-to-day, but they play an important role in shaping a welcoming, thriving community.
As always, our progress is made possible by the energy and dedication of volunteers and supporters like you. Whether you’ve been involved for years or are just looking for a way to connect, there are plenty of opportunities to take part. See below for a number of upcoming volunteer opportunities.
Thank you for being part of what makes Ben Lomond such a special place. We look forward to seeing you around the Village!
~The Team at the BLVA
UPCOMING BLVA EVENTS 🗓
SUPPER CLUB – AFTERNOON TEA
Sunday, May 3 | 1 PM – 3 PM | FREE
Elena’s House
There are a few seats left – don’t miss this lovely little gathering! Join your host, Elena, for a lovely afternoon tea party. Elena will provide some cookies, tea and an Aperol spritz, while guests should bring finger sandwiches, scones, petit fours, or other tea time goodies. More info and reserve your seat HERE
LINE DANCE
Saturday, May 9 | 7 PM – 8:30 PM | $10
Park Hall, 9400 Mill Street
Join us for a fun community gathering! The Ben Lomond Village Alliance invites you to a special event at Park Hall on May 9, featuring Wendy’s Mountain Line Dance. Wendy will lead you through a variety of line dances. Come enjoy lively dancing and a fun time with 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
Volunteers are needed! Please sign up HERE if you can help out at this event.
SUPPER CLUB – CAKE SOCIAL
Saturday, May 23 | 11 AM – 1 PM | Suggested donation $10-30
Beeline Blooms
Join us for a fundraising Community Cake Social at Beeline Blooms hosted by Jen, Tina and Lindsay! Surrounded by amazing views, sweet treats, and friendly conversation. Your hosts will provide water & lemonade as well as boxes to take home slices of your favorite cakes. Each attendee is expected to bring a cake (1 per person) to share and a cake server. Let’s celebrate community and cake! While this is a free event, advance reservations are required. More info and reserve your seat HERE
VILLAGE MARKET
Saturday, June 6 | 10 AM – 2 PM | FREE
Mill Street & Ben Lomond County Park
The first Village Market of the 2026 season is coming soon – with the first market on June 6! Shop for local produce, enjoy fresh food, peruse artisan goods and spend time with your community. Look for updates as we finalize the list of vendors: www.benlomondvillage.org
The first 25 people to check in at the BLVA table at the June market will receive a special gift!
CONTRA DANCE
Friday, June 19 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM | $10
Park Hall Community Center
Join us for a good time with live music and a fabulous caller! We are pleased to welcome the band, Against the Grain and caller Cheryl Graubart to Park Hall for a Contra Dance.
Similar to Square Dancing, Contra is a type of social folk dance that involves lines of couples dancing in patterns following the instructions of a live caller. Rather than country-western music, you can expect music designed for dancers, blending popular folk traditions from Celtic to Cape Breton, old-time to bluegrass, with hints of Scandinavian and French- Canadian influences.
6:30pm Doors open
7:00pm Beginners Lesson
7:30pm Dance begins
All ages and experience levels welcome. Coffee, tea, soda and snacks will be available by donation. (This is an alcohol free event)
Info about the band: https://www.atgstringband.org/
OTHER LOCAL EVENTS 🗓
MOUNTAIN FEED & FARM SUPPLY POP-UP
Sunday, May 3 | 10 AM to 12 PM (or sell out!)
9550 CA-9, Ben Lomond
Savor artisan sourdough from Dough & Dahlia, explore original artwork by Fern Quinn, and shop small-batch soaps and salves from Love Cultivated—perfect for Mother’s Day. Plus, live bluegrass by Fish in a Bag! Come mingle, browse, and soak up a little handmade magic in the nursery.
VALLEY WOMEN’S CLUB ANNUAL MEETING
Sunday, May 3 | 11 AM–2:30 PM
Highlands Park Senior and Community Center
Hear updates from VWC committees and local leaders including John Laird, Jimmy Panetta, Gail Pellerin, and Monica Martinez, followed by a community potluck. RSVP is appreciated ($10 per person) with optional potluck sign-up—walk-ins welcome.
CINCO DE MAYO AT CORAZON DE LEON
Tuesday, May 5 | 4–9 PM
Corazon de Leon, 9217 Hwy 9
Come to Corazon de Leon for a lively evening of delicious food, ice-cold beer, and handcrafted cocktails for Cinco de Mayo. Enjoy live music from Mariachi Jalisciense and Danza Azteca! More info HERE.
PANCAKES IN THE PARK
Sunday, May 17 (and every 3rd Sunday through October)
Highlands Park Senior and Community Center
Come enjoy a delicious pancake breakfast (with table service!) and support the Senior Center. Coffee, berries, eggs, potatoes, unlimited pancakes, and so much more! All ages welcome! www.HighlandsParkSeniorCenter.org
MCT PRESENTS WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?
May 15–June 7
Park Hall, 9400 Mill Street
Directed by Peter Gelblum, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is coming to Ben Lomond! This darkly comic, razor-sharp portrait of George and Martha’s unraveling marriage remains as gripping, funny, and unsettling as ever. Purchase tickets HERE
VALLEY ARTS TOUR
May 16–17 | 11 AM–5 PM
Discover the creativity tucked into our town, presented by the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center. This beloved annual tour invites you to explore local artists’ studios, meet the makers, and experience a wide range of work across the San Lorenzo Valley. More info HERE.
REDWOOD MOUNTAIN FAIRE
May 30–31 | 10 AM–8 PM
Roaring Camp, Felton
Support local charities while dancing the day away to exhilarating live music alongside your friends and family, all while savoring delicious, locally made food. Indulge in cold beer, refreshing cider, and fine wine in an open field, surrounded by majestic redwoods in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains. What better way to spend your weekend? More info and tickets HERE
SUBSIDIZED GREEN WASTE DISPOSAL
Last Saturdays March through June | 7:30am – 3:30 pm
Ben Lomond Transfer Station
District 5 residents can take advantage of free green waste disposal on the last Saturday of the month from March through June 2026. For more info click HERE
AMERICAN WEEK DANCE CAMP
June 28–July 3
Ben Lomond Quaker Center
Enjoy a full week of contras and waltzes with callers Jacqui Grennan and Michael Karcher, set to outstanding live music from The Syncopaths and the Lissa Schneckenburger Trio. The camp also features couple dancing, late-night sessions, music workshops, jam sessions, tune writing, singing, and workshops for callers and choreographers. Daily stretching and yoga round out the experience. More info HERE
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT 🔦
NORTH GLASS
Open Monday–Friday | 8 AM–5 PM
105 Main Street, Ben Lomond
For decades, North Glass has been the local go-to for windows and glass, helping neighbors with everything from small repairs to full home projects. Family-run since 1958, they bring a friendly, down-to-earth approach—led by Elizabeth North, who’s known around the community for her honest advice and deep expertise. Whether you’re replacing a window or dreaming up something custom, they make the process easy and reliable. Find them HERE.
GET INVOLVED 💪
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
We also need help with postering for events! You will be provided with a kit including posters, tape, tacks, and a list of the best places to hang posters from Boulder Creek to Scotts Valley and beyond. If you are willing to be on a contact list when we have posters to be hung, please email Ariel at secretary@benlomondvillage.org or sign up on our website HERE.
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!
HEALTH AND HAPPINESS COMMITTEE CHAIR
We have a ready group of people interested in activating our Health and Happiness Committee—we just need a Committee Chair! If you’re interested in leading the way for BLVA’s Health and Happiness initiatives, we’d love to connect with you. Reach out to President@BenLomondVillage.org.
EVENTS COMMITTEE
We’re gearing up for our second annual Scottish Day event! Save the date for Saturday, September 19. Some of your favorite events 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! If you would like to be involved in the planning for Events, please sign up for this committee on our website HERE.
BETTER STREETS COMMITTEE
Next Committee Meeting: Thursday, March 30 6:00 PM at Ben Lomond Library
Here are some things the Better Streets Committee has been up to lately:
Seasonal Banners: An encroachment permit has been submitted to the County for banners on 13 decorative streetlight poles along Mill and Main Streets (28″ x 40″).
Bus Shelter Replacement: BLVA President has requested that Santa Cruz Metro replace the bus shelter in front of Verutti’s Liquors in a timely manner.
Crosswalk Improvements: A request was sent to the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission to pursue grant funding for upgraded crosswalks on Highway 9 at Fillmore Ave., Hillside Ave., Willowbrook-Locust, and Highlands Park, including push-button flashing lights.
Highway 9 “Holiday Slide”: BLVA continues to support permanent repairs, including a retaining wall and a potential 8–10 ft pedestrian side path connecting Highlands Park to Glen Arbor Road. The issue was recently highlighted in the SLV Post.
Highway 9 Maintenance: The Committee is working with County Public Works on weeds, landscaping, and tree trimming along Highway 9 (Mill St. to Mill St.), which the County maintains under agreement with Caltrans.
If you wish to be notified of upcoming meetings and more details about the goings-on of this committee, sign up on our website HERE
BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE
Improvements continue at the Ben Lomond County Park, especially ahead of the Village Market starting in June! Santa Cruz County Parks is planning improvements to make the space more accessible and event-ready, including removing metal gates, clearing weeds, and resurfacing the road into the park.
RECENT IMPACT 💥
HISTORY CAME ALIVE! THANKS FOR MAKING ‘TALES’ A HUGE SUCCESS
The “Tales of Ben Lomond” history series concluded on a high note two weeks ago with its final installment, “From Redwoods to Retreats”. This three-part journey brought our community together at Park Hall to explore everything from the Valley’s rugged and at times cheeky early settlers to the vibrant counterculture movements of the 60s and 70s. A huge thank you goes to local historian and Realtor Ronnie Trubek, who spent countless hours curating these fascinating talks, and generously sharing her personal collection of rare historical photographs and postcards to bring our local heritage to life.
Thanks to your incredible support, the series was quite successful, raising more than $9,000 and filling Park Hall to the brim with enthusiastic history lovers. Proceeds from the events go toward the BLVA’s programs and the critical Park Hall Fire Sprinkler Fund, which seeks to ensure our historic community hub remains safe and vibrant for generations to come. It was wonderful to see the Hall packed with neighbors reconnecting over shared stories and snacks during intermissions at the final presentation on April 16.
A quick note of thanks to our amazing BLVA volunteers – Karen Kaplan, Tessie Kennedy, Scott and Linda Deal, Cindy Sekkel, Delle Townsend, Sarah Jansen-Mount, Ariel Young, Michael Hope, Surreyya Hada, Ronnie Trubek, Mikala Clements, Dana Hale, and Morris at Park Hall! Ronnie hopes to schedule another run of this popular series in the Fall, so if you missed it, stay tuned!
Thank you for helping us protect Ben Lomond’s future while celebrating our fascinating past.
‘OUT AND ABOUT’ WITH THE BLVA 👠
BLVA MEMBERS ATTEND BCBA AUCTION DINNER
A group of BLVA members, volunteers, and leaders attended the Boulder Creek Business Association Auction Dinner, connecting with organizations throughout the San Lorenzo Valley. Thanks for a great night, BCBA!
THANK YOU! ❤️
Well, if you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading the whole Newsletter! Thank you also for your continued support, involvement, and commitment to the Ben Lomond Village Alliance. Because of you, we’re able to make a real and lasting difference in our community.
We are excited to share that this month we hit a milestone – 1000 people have signed up for our Newsletter email list! You can help us grow our impact by continuing to 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
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Ben Lomond Village Alliance is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
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