Five Things You Need to Know About Watsonville: June 28 Edition

The week before the July 4 holiday weekend is an eventful one for Watsonville, with a new health care clinic opening, and firework sales lighting up the town. Below is a list of five events or news highlights.

The Watsonville Community Hospital will open a new urgent care facility at the Nob Hill Foods complex on Wednesday. “” sits in the far corner of the strip mall (1820 Main Street), and will be open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. It's expected to serve 30 to 40 patients a day, and offer non-emergency services to walk-in patients, as well as host health screenings and community events.

You have probably seen the plywood firework booths boasting colorful posters being set up around town. On July 1, they will officially begin sales, stretching through July 4. The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture will have its own booth again this year, from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. everyday. Watsonville continues to be the only city in Santa Cruz County to purchase fireworks.

A new Santa Cruz County Grand Jury report blasts Watsonville for the purchase of a used fire truck. Buying the shiny new vehicle, said the jury, demonstrated the lack of transparency and professionalism in city affairs. Among many things, the report recommended that the city check with the Environmental Health Department before issuing building permits and fully disclose issues near the Watsonville Municipal Airport to avoid litigation.

Representative Sam Farr (D-Carmel) will be honoring 54 new American citizens, one a Watsonville resident, at a naturalization ceremony at the Hollister Municipal Airport at 9 a.m. They hail from nine countries and will become U.S. citizens at a ceremony presided over by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s San Jose Office Director, Carol Keller, and KSMS-Univision News Director, Fidel Soto, the keynote speaker.

Tickets are now on sale for the annual Sons of Italy Watsonville Lodge BBQ, with proceeds going to benefit academic scholarships. The barbecue will be from 12:30 to 4 p.m.  on July 17 at the J.J. Crosetti Ranch on 211 Silliman Road. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children ages 6 to 12. The group awarded seven scholarships this year. Taylor Noonan of Monte Vista Christian School and Jessica Stief of Aptos High School received $2,000 each. Samuel Morelli and Christopher Chandler of Monte Vista, Chaise Lathrop of Aptos High, Justice Locatelli of Delta Charter High School and Morgan Furtado of Pacific Coast Charter School received $1,000 each. For more information or to purchase tickets, call Ann Moresco at (831) 724-0432 or Lois Hagen at (831) 728-3347.