January 1 - new
18th Annual Rio Resolution Run
Carmel
Tel: 831-645-4777
www.riogrillsresolutionrun.com
This 6.8 mile foot race and 3-mile family fun run is set on a breathtaking, cross country course of trails, beach and roads, in and around Carmel-By-The-Sea. Benefits local nonprofit agencies.

January 5
Tokyo String Quartet
Sunset Center Theater, Carmel
Tel: 831-625-2212
www.chambermusicmontereybay.org
This Grammy Award-winning quartet has been regarded as one of the supreme chamber ensembles in the world for more than 30 years.

January 11-15
Monterey Swingfest 2007
Monterey
Tel: 805-937-1574
www.centralcoastswingdance.com
Social Dance Galore. Jack & Jill Contests. 3 Pro-Am Contests and open dancing until 5am. Fee: $109 Per person if received by Dec. 28, 2006. $125 Per Person at the door. Presented by Central Coast Swing Dance.

January 12
This...Is...Now!!! Performance Salon
Monterey, MPC
www.myspace.com/thisisnowmonterey
A community-oriented arts exhibition where artists in the Monterey Bay area can perform their music, poetry, drama and dance and share their artwork. The exhibitions occur monthly on select Fridays at MPC (Monterey Peninsula College) dance studio.

January 13-27
9th Annual Wine & Food Festival
Salinas
www.WineAndFoodFestival.org
Tel: 831-775-4721
Enjoy 2 weeks of wine tastings, wine-pairing sessions, and wine auctions, plus gourmet dinners and much more, including a gala finale at the National Steinbeck Center featuring gourmet food sampling from over 20 local restaurants and wine tasting from more than 35 Monterey County wineries, silent auction, reverse draw and more. Attire is Dressy Casual. Prices and venues vary. Call or visit the website for details.

January 18
Chamber Music in Colton Hall
Monterey
Tel: 831-646-3991
www.monterey.org
Nick Williams Classic Duo.
Classical music is a perfect fit with the restrained colonial architecture of Colton Hall. Reservations required as space in this historic venue is limited.

January 20-February 18
Eagle Watch Tours
Lake San Antonio South Monterey County
Tel: 888) 588-CAMP
www.lakesanantonio.net
Lake San Antonio Eagle Watch Tours will take bird watchers out on the lake aboard Eagle One, a 56 foot tour boat to view the 40 plus Golden & Bald Eagles that make the park their home. Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars and a sack lunch.

January 19-21
"Mastering Cooking Techniques" 3-Part Series, Hands-On Classes
Cannery Row, Monterey
Tel: 831-333-2133
Time: Check website for times
www.CulinaryCenterOfMonterey.com
The Culinary Center of Monterey is offering this 3-part series focused on cooking techniques ranging from the most basic to the more difficult. Students may take one or all three classes. Each participant will receive a certificate of completion at the end of this series. Minimum 2-day advanced notice. Fee: $110 per class, or $330 for the series.

January 20-22
Gray Whale Celebration
Monterey
Tel: 831-901-0013
www.whalefestmonterey.com
Many species of cetaceans - including the trio of "great whales," the gray, the blue and the humpback - make their way through the ocean currents not far from Monterey Bay. This new educational festival all about gray whales, held on Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf, will be packed with information and fun.

January 20-22
Monterey Symphony Concert III: Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev
Carmel
Tel: 831-624-8511
www.montereysymphony.org
Tchaikovsky: Waltz of the Flowers, The Nutcracker. Act II, Pas de Deux, The Nutcracker. White Swan, Pas de Deux, Swan Lake. Black Swan, Pas de Deux, Swan Lake. Dancers from the American Ballet Theater.Prokofiev: Symphony No.5

January TBA
Treasures of Monterey
Monterey
Tel: 831-372-2608
www.montereyhistory.org
Opening day of a special exhibition at the Maritime Museum of Monterey displaying 75 of the Monterey History & Art Association's finest treasures, in honor of the preservation organization's 75th anniversary year.

January 28-May 7
In Celebration of Light
Monterey
Tel: 831-372-5477
www.montereyart.org
New exhibit at the Monterey Museum of Art features 125 photographs, vintage and modern, from the collection of Cherye R and James F Pierce. Images by Robert Mapplethorpe, Diane Arbus, Imogen Cunningham, Andre Kertesz, Alfred Stieglitz, Ansel Adams, among many others.

January 27
18th Annual Great Taste of Pacific Grove
Pacific Grove
Tel: 831-649-3200
www.pacificgrove.org
Sample food and wine presented by the area's finest restaurants and wineries at this gala evening event to benefit Pacific Grove schools.