The historic Steinbeck/Lara-Soto Adobe, where John Steinbeck wrote his famous novel “The Pearl,” will be open to the public during the 35th annual Christmas in the Adobes tours in downtown Monterey Dec. 7 and 8. Twenty-three historic sites will be open from 5-9 p.m. each day.
Pre-event tickets for Christmas in the Adobes may now be purchased at Custom House Gift Shop, #1 Custom House Plaza, across from entrance to Fisherman’s Wharf. Online sales are at www.mshpa.org until midnight, Tuesday, Dec. 4. On event nights, tickets can be purchased at Pacific House Museum, in the Casa Gutierrez garden or Custom House Gift Shop. Ticket prices: Adults $25 – Adult Two-Night Gold Pass $40 – Youth (Age 6-17) $2 – Children (age 5-and-under) are admitted free.
Some of the Cannery Row Christmas Angels also may make an appearance at the Steinbeck Adobe, 460 Pierce St. The angels, similar to the plywood City of Monterey Angels, have been in storage for many years and are being re-introduced. Among depicted faces on the angels are Cannery Row legends Yock “Jack” Yee, Ed Ricketts, Flora Woods, Dick O’Kane and Tom Weber. The Steinbeck angel, so far, is missing.
Since the 1990’s, the Cannery Row Foundation has hosted the historic Steinbeck adobe. Steinbeck bought the home in late 1944 and lived there until early 1945 with his second wife, Gwendolyn, and their first son, Thom, who died in 2016. The late Kalisa Moore, the Cannery Row Foundation’s acclaimed “Queen of Cannery Row,” insisted in the 1990s that the Foundation should host that adobe for this annual event – and they’ve done so ever since.
Cannery Row Foundation members, such as Taelen Thomas and Steve Mortenson, will sing, make introductory historical and literary remarks to visitors during the visits and will pass out Cannery Row Foundation information about the home’s Steinbeck connection. Refreshments will be served.
