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When I was seven years old, I was given a Where’s Waldo book for my birthday. That particular year, there was some pretty stiff competition in terms of the gift that got me most fired up. The purple rollerblades were slick as hell, but they chaffed my calf, resulting in a wound that took forever to heal. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures were the ones I’d asked for, but without the Turtle Blimp accessory that I’d truly wanted, their inclusion into my collection left a bad taste in my mouth.
The Where’s Waldo book, however, was the perfect gift for a young boy with a burgeoning imagination. Each scene in the hand illustrated book devoted two large pages to a unique environment that was chock-full of characters engaged in all sorts of wacky antics. Within that, there was always one carefully camouflaged Waldo nestled amongst the chaos for eagle-eyed viewers to spot.

I remember spending countless hours scanning those scenes, taking in every last little detail. To me, finding Waldo was secondary to the thrill of exploration I felt when I set my imagination loose on those action-packed pages. For an entire year, the aunt who had gifted it to me rose to the rank of most favored aunt, only to fall from favor after she proceeded to buy me Spider-Man butt-huggers the following year.
When I look at the work of this week’s featured artist, Connor O’Neill, I can’t help but be reminded of that treasured book from my past. He paints eccentric and cartoony scenes that are a feast for the imagination. The witty twenty-eight year-old, who works in the O’Neill art department, better known as OFX, has been churning out acrylic paintings for years, and also utilizes his creative side in the graphics and aesthetics of his clothing brand, PenPal.

O’Neill’s art, for the most part, is simplistic and abstract. Just take “Untitled”, one of his most recent works. Rather than being some technical masterpiece, this 71”x45.5” acrylic tells a wonderfully incoherent story through it’s whimsical use of colors and shapes. Whenever I look at his art, such as this piece, it transports me to my youth, where fun ruled over function and being serious was a sin. 
Here, in his own words, O’Neill gives us the low-down on this quirky and offbeat artistic offering. Enjoy!

&#8220;My art is pretty user-friendly. I have fun when I paint and never really think of a targeted audience. This piece is actually hanging in my friend&#8217;s store, &#8216;Toasted&#8217;, located on 41st Avenue. It has a price tag on it and a few easter eggs hiding inside. Stop by when you get a chance!  
The themes explored here include adventure, mischief and joy. It&#8217;s spontaneous, but has a sense of familiarity to this unknown world, you know? I’d call my style explosive, influenced by California coastal livin’. Simply put, my interest is in making dope imagery.&#8221;

&#8220;In this piece, the feeling I hope to evoke is excitement! I want to create something you want to keep looking at. It&#8217;s almost like a trap door or portal for your wall. My process is instantaneous—it takes a minute sometimes. I kinda go at it for awhile, cover it up. Get some outside time. Go at it again. Leave a section then probably cover that up too. Once the surface gets good, all the other elements come together eventually. I paint over a lot of my old paintings so get &#8217;em while they are hot! 
The most enjoyable part of making this piece was mixing the paint, getting in the zone, and seeing the end result. It&#8217;s pretty great when someone likes my artwork and they hang it in their home. It’s crazy to me that some people look at my paintings everyday! It&#8217;s an honor for sure. 
Music is big for me; I like all sorts of sounds. Jazz, rap, and rock primarily, but sometimes silence works the best for me. I’ll turn the blue tooth speaker on sometimes and have nothing playing. It becomes a meditation.&#8221;

&#8220;As an artist, it’s hard to find the perfect work/life/art/surf balance. I&#8217;ve been better about sleeping this past year. Typically gotta move my body, get rad before I create. 
I’m super pleased with this piece! I think there&#8217;s enough to look at to entertain you for a while. I hope the Toasted Gals aren&#8217;t too tired of looking at it yet!&#8221;
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Follow Connor on Instagram <a href="http://www.instagram.com/goldstarconnor">@goldstarconnor</a>
Check out his clothing brand, Pen Pal, as well! <a href="http://www.instagram.com/penpalsocialmedia">@penpalsocialmedia</a>

Connor O’Neill

Every Friday evening in the summer, something shifts on Soquel Avenue in Midtown Santa Cruz. As the workweek winds down, a familiar parking lot begins to hum—not with traffic or noise, but with life. People gather under the soft golden light of evening as guitars tune up, food truck windows swing open, and the warm scent of tacos, barbecue, and wood-fired pizza drifts into the air.
At first glance, it might seem like just another local street fair. But what’s happening is far more meaningful. Over time, this weekly gathering has become something of a ritual. It’s a casual but deeply rooted tradition—a celebration of local culture, small business, and the simple but powerful act of coming together. In a town shaped by change, pressure, and reinvention, this space has become a steady heartbeat.
There’s something quietly radical about what unfolds here each week. At a time when the world feels increasingly divided—by politics, by screens, by stress—this gathering offers something else: an invitation to reconnect. No wristbands. No stages guarded by fences. No cost to enter. Just a space, open to all, where being present is enough. Where belonging doesn’t need to be earned.

These kinds of gatherings used to be built into everyday life. Neighborhoods once had block parties, churches had potlucks, and towns had plazas where people ran into one another without planning. But much of that has faded. Our schedules got tighter. Our interactions moved online. And slowly, public space started to feel like something we were losing. That’s part of what makes this event feel so necessary. It reminds us that community still has a physical shape—and that it can be joyful, welcoming, and immediate.
The idea behind the event is simple: take an ordinary space and fill it with life. Live music from local bands. Food from mobile kitchens. Booths from artists, makers, and entrepreneurs. Kids drawing with chalk on the sidewalk. Couples dancing in flip-flops. Friends grabbing drinks and catching up on the week. It’s the kind of environment where people don’t have to perform—just participate.
The event is presented by <a href="http://www.eventsantacruz.com">Event Santa Cruz</a>, a local organization with a long track record of spotlighting creative talent and small business in the region. Founded by Matthew Swinnerton, Event Santa Cruz has spent the past decade building platforms—through storytelling, speaker series, and events—where local voices can shine. Midtown Fridays is one of their most public and accessible expressions of that mission.

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When the series first started, it was small— good music and a handful of vendors. But there was something about the feeling it created that caught on. It wasn’t just about entertainment. It was about reclaiming something people didn’t realize they’d missed until they experienced it again: the energy of unstructured time in shared space. From that starting point, the event grew. Summer after summer, more bands signed up. More food trucks came. More businesses stayed open. And the crowds kept returning.
Today, it’s one of the most beloved seasonal events in Santa Cruz. But more importantly, it’s become part of the cultural fabric. It’s not just something to do—it’s something people rely on. It gives rhythm to the summer, creates memories for families, and offers newcomers a window into the spirit of the town.
And what a mix of people it brings together. Families with little ones in strollers. Teenagers laughing in groups. Retirees leaning on fences, nodding to the beat. Tourists stumbling into something authentic and unplanned. Nobody looks the same. Nobody needs to. The space holds them all.
The music is a big part of the draw—reggae, funk, indie, rock, Latin, and more—but the feeling is what stays with people. There’s no script. No big act to wait for. Just a steady flow of joy and energy that spreads across the pavement. And then there are the vendors—dozens of small businesses that get a chance to be seen, supported, and celebrated in real time. Some are just starting out. Others are well-loved favorites. But all of them benefit from the visibility, the foot traffic, and the sense that what they’re doing matters.
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It’s not just good for them—it’s good for the surrounding neighborhood. Local shops stay open late, restaurants see more diners, and people discover businesses they didn’t know existed. What starts as a night out becomes something more lasting: a deeper relationship with the place you live.
That’s the real power of events like this. They strengthen the roots of a place. They make it more likely you’ll say hello to your neighbor at the grocery store. They make it easier for a young artist to get their first customer. They create the kind of casual, everyday connections that build trust—something cities desperately need.
And perhaps just as importantly, they remind us how vital physical community still is. We live in a time that encourages us to isolate—to shop from home, to stream instead of show up, to text instead of talk. But no amount of convenience can replace what it feels like to stand in a crowd and feel the same bassline hit your chest as it does your neighbor’s. To make eye contact with someone you’ve never met and smile because you’re both dancing to the same beat.
Of course, none of it happens by accident. Events like this require effort—planning, coordination, cleanup, and care. It takes people who believe in the value of connection and are willing to create space for it. That’s what Event Santa Cruz has been doing quietly for years: planting seeds, removing barriers, and trusting that when people have a reason to gather, good things follow.
But in the end, the credit belongs to the people who show up. Week after week, Santa Cruzans make this gathering what it is. With their presence, their laughter, their purchases, their dancing, they keep it alive. This isn’t just something that happens to a town. It’s something a town chooses to create.
If you’ve never been, now’s the time. You don’t need a plan. You don’t need a reason. Just come. Wander through. Grab a bite. Listen to a song. Stay for a moment or an hour. Chances are, you’ll feel it too—that gentle, joyful reminder that real connection still exists, and it’s closer than you think.
This isn’t about a perfect night out. It’s about something deeper. A rhythm. A feeling. A little corner of town where we still make space for each other.
And in a world that moves faster than ever, that space might just be the most important thing we have.
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Jump over to <a href="http://www.eventsantacruz.com">www.eventsanatcruz.com</a> for all the details.
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VOL 1, PART 3 : BIG DIPPER SUNSET