Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/748197
Big Sur Food & Wine Festival November 3-5 Big Sur, various locations A fter taking a year off in 2015 to regroup and come back stronger (and to avoid the predicted El Niño storms that could have caused havoc), the little wine and food festival that could appears to have taken a more back- to-the-roots approach. Gone are the big, glitzy opening and closing par ties, making way for more smaller and intimate events, such as four Magical Myster y Tour events, the Pinot Walkabout, Hiking With Stemware and Sommelier Dinner. Friday night, the Henry Miller Library again hosts the popular Wine & Swine with the theme "Taking It To The Streets of New Orleans," and on Saturday night, Hoedown at the Library, with live music, local food, luscious wines and even beer from Firestone Brewery. www.bigsurfoodandwine.org. 18th Annual Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival November 18-20 Monterey County Fair & Event Center, Monterey B ack for its 18th year and second year at the Monterey County Fair & Event Center, the Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival cel- ebrates the cowboy way of life in song and poetry. Festival favorites such as Don Edwards, Dave Stamey, R.W. Hampton, Juni Fisher and local boy Mike Beck are all back, with new faces (at least for Monterey), Peter Rowan, Hot Club of Cowtown and the Hanson Family adding some star power. Shows like "Singing in the Saddle," "Bob Wills is Still the King" and "Rememberin' Those Who've Gone on Before" will keep fans enter- tained. And if you're looking for a new hat, Navajo blanket or turquoise jewelry, check out the Western Art & Gear Marketplace. Giddy-up! www.montereycowboy.org. Chris Isaak Holiday Party 2016 Wednesday, November 30, 8pm Golden State Theatre, Monterey I t took more than a year for Chris Isaak's career to get into high gear, but once it did, he took off like a bat out of hell. Mixing rockabilly, Roy Orbison-style melancholy and a crooner's sensibilities (movie star good looks didn't hurt), Isaak released his third album, "Heart Shaped World," in 1989 to a lukewarm reception. But then a single from that album was featured in David Lynch's "Wild at Heart" and gained trac- tion. It became a Top 10 hit, the album also hit the Top 10 and sold more than a million copies and Isaak was on his way. He's been a regular on the charts since then, with songs like "Baby did a Bad Thing" and "Somebody's Crying." In 2004, he cut his first seasonal album: "Chris Isaak Christmas" and followed that up in 2007 with "Christmas," which featured Michael Buble and Stevie Nicks. Now is your chance to celebrate the holidays with your favorite crooning rock star. www.goldenstatetheatre.com. John Prine with Ramblin' Jack Elliott Wednesday, December 14, 8pm Golden State Theatre, Monterey P rine was discovered by Kris Kristofferson and his self-titled debut is considered one of the great debut albums in music history. EVERYONE LOVES A LIST, RIGHT? HERE ARE MY PICKS FOR FUN EVENTS WORTH CHECKING OUT IN MONTEREY COUNTY! ADMIT ONE W I T H M A C M C D O N A L D ADMIT ONE W I T H M A C M Big Sur Food & Wine is Nov 3-5 at various locations in Big Sur. 94 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 6 Chris Isaak will perform at Golden State Theatre in Monterey on Nov. 30. Photo: Scott Newton/PBS Photo: Moss Media