July may have been the Earth’s hottest month on record, but August felt even hotter in Santa Cruz. Students started shuffling back into classrooms as the school year kicked off and researchers at our local university answered internet questions about their video game research.

The Museum of Art and History continued its upward trajectory behind the leadership of Nina Simon, who was named to the 40 under 40 list by the Silicon Valley Business Journal.

A local surf icon was featured in a story by SF Gate, Aptos got a new community park, Big Basin hiking trails were added to Google maps, and a local UFC fighter goes for the gold.

All that, plus new businesses in town and the best of the month from Santa Cruz social media in this month’s edition of Santa Cruz Connected.

UCSC Video Game Researchers Answer Questions On Reddit

A faculty member and two UC Santa Cruz PhD students answered questions about their video game research on the popular website reddit in August. The research of the UCSC group involves using a computer science approach to finding related video games outside of traditional genre limitations.

The “AMA” series on reddit, which is an acronym for “Ask Me Anything,” is one of its most popular features and has included everyone from famous actors, musicians, and athletes to President Obama.

City Removes Beloved Beach Flats Mural, Pays Artist $30K

Santa Cruz owes $30K, apology in Beach Flats mural whitewashing suit http://t.co/MMGa1g5nw9 pic.twitter.com/AdhdXSnJOk — Santa Cruz Sentinel (@scsentinel) August 8, 2015

The City of Santa Cruz painted over a beach flats mural as part of an art restoration project, much to the disappointment of the community and the original artist, Victor Cervantes. The mural was originally painted in the 1990s and depicted images of Latino culture and heritage that were important to, and representative of, the beach flats community. The city issued an apology on its website and has agreed to pay the artist $30,000 in restitution. You can read more about the story in this article from the Sentinel.

Nina Simon Named To Silicon Valley Biz Journal 40 Under 40

Nina Simon, Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, was named to the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 40 under 40 list for her work. Simon took over as executive director of the MAH in 2011 and the results have been nothing short of incredible. On the strength of drastically improved attendance and renewed community enthusiasm, the MAH has become a centerpiece of downtown Santa Cruz, which will only be buttressed by the development of Abbott Square.

Jack O’Neill & The Development of Local Surf Culture

SF Gate published an article about Jack O’Neill, the surf icon and wetsuit pioneer who has called Santa Cruz home since 1959. The article tells the story of how O’Neill came up with the idea of the wetsuit, which would help launch his name into a world famous surf brand, while surfing the chilly waters of San Francisco’s Ocean Beach.

“When I first came to Santa Cruz, surfing was a dirty word,” explains O’Neill. Great article how Jack O'Neill… http://t.co/XL3ZUTB2Ij — 365thingsSantaCruz (@365SantaCruz) August 11, 2015

The Most Walkable Beach Town in the US

The website ElleDecor.com published an article about the most walkable beach towns in the US and guess who came in at number one: Santa Cruz. The list was compiled using information from the website WalkScore, which rates communities, neighborhoods and cities on their walkability. Santa topped the list with a walk score of 97 out of a possible 100.

SNAP! Aptos Gets A New Park

After a lengthy process, the County broke ground on a new development in Aptos for Seacliff Village Park. Support for the park started in the late 1990s when the land was being considered for commercial development. In response, the community formed the group “SNAP,” which is an acronym for “Seacliff Needs A Park.”

Big Basin Redwoods State Park Trails Coming To Google Maps

You’ll soon be able to virtually hike Big Basin Redwoods State Park thanks to a recent effort to add “street view” imagery of the park to Google Maps. According to an article from the Santa Cruz Sentinel, the project is being completed by volunteers from the nonprofit group Sempervirens.

If you thought the Google maps car was interesting, take a look at the picture below to see what’s required to map a state park.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park trails coming to Google Maps http://t.co/7eXFMYPzI9 via @scsentinel pic.twitter.com/Pmk6LRiMaq — Nicholas Mitchell (@puxxled) August 28, 2015

Santa Cruz UFC Fighter, Luke Rockhold, Gets Middleweight Title Shot

Luke Rockhold of Santa Cruz is currently the #2 ranked middleweight mixed martial artist in the world and it was announced in August that he will get a crack at the UFC championship belt later this year.

Rockhold will take on champion, Chris Weidman, in December in one of the most anticipated events the promotion has ever held at UFC 194. Though Weidman is undefeated in his professional career, Rockhold certainly has the skills to become Santa Cruz’s first UFC champion.

Santa Cruz Guitar Co. Designs Signature Guitar For Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley Unveils Signature Santa Cruz Guitar http://t.co/gBJQRIAVNO pic.twitter.com/Y1aY6AfWxA — MusicRow Magazine (@MusicRow) July 13, 2015

Country music star Brad Paisley teamed up with the Santa Cruz Guitar Co. owner, Richard Hoover, to design a custom guitar. Paisley, who has won three Grammy Awards, collaborated with Hoover on the design of the signature guitar, which retails for $5,450 according to an article from the San Jose Mercury News. The Santa Cruz Guitar Company will celebrate its 40th anniversary in September.

Friends To Follow

Santa Cruz History & Old School The Page – One of the better local Facebook pages if you have an interest in Santa Cruz history. They regularly post old photos of familiar areas, as well as interesting historical tidbits from the not-too-distant past.

Santa Cruz Small Business Development Center – A great resource for local entrepreneurs, business owners, and those looking to start a business in Santa Cruz. The SBDC has a host of tools and resources available, many of which are free. You can follow them on Facebook or Twitter to stay up to date on the latest events.

New In Town

Santa Cruz Jerk House – Though they won’t be open until sometime in September, there’s already buzz about the Santa Cruz Jerk House, a Jamaican grill that’s coming to Soquel Drive. They will have a “shipwreck bar” (see pics below) and serve all organic Jamaican dishes. As of this writing, September 4 is the target date for opening.

Marini’s (Westside location) – By no means a new business in town–Marini’s started as a popcorn stand on the Boardwalk in 1915–Marini’s is opening up a location on the Westside. The new store is located at 322 Ingalls St. and you can read more about the opening in this article from the Sentinel.

Best of the Month From Santa Cruz Social Media

Cool time-lapse composite image of kite surfers in Santa Cruz, CA (Photo: Casey McCallister) http://t.co/gQv19Ol9i6 pic.twitter.com/9K7liGEQSK — Meredith Frost (@MeredithFrost) August 25, 2015

Awesome time-lapse photo of kite surfers. You can read about how the image was made in this article by the photographer, Casey McCalister.

The sky was filled with lightning, which gave way to oppressive heat later in the month.

Another great shot of the lightning from Brandon Erdman.

Here is one of very few shots from last nights meteor shower Santa Cruz, Ca. @earthskyscience @visitsantacruz pic.twitter.com/eR5kBYQHab — Tim Cattera Photo (@TimCatteraPhoto) August 13, 2015

Tim Cattera captured a moment of the Perseid meteor shower.

Great Throwback Thursday photo of Tom Petty rocking the Civic.

It does feel good here 🙂 Use the hashtag #SantaCruzLife to submit your photos for use in our monthly Santa Cruz Connected articles.