Hearst Gallery presents Ralph Borge: A Symbolic Realist and His Circle, through March 14th. A retrospective exhibition by California College of the Arts beloved master professor of painting and drawing, Ralph Borge (1921 - 2009), including a selection of works by some of his most noted former students. The Hearst Gallery is located at Saint Mary’s College, 1928 Saint Mary's Road, Moraga. The building is directly behind the Chapel. Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Suggested admission donation: $3.
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The Lafayette Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of our new winter show “Treasures from the Heart,” which focuses on distinctive gifts for the special people in your life. "Treasures from the Heart" will be on display through March 6th.The Gallery is open from 11:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. from Tuesday through Saturday. Lafayette Gallery, located at 50 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette. Phone (925) 284-2788;
www.lafayettegallery.net.
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Moraga Art Gallery is presenting "Three Continents" featuring local artists showing watercolor, acrylic and oil paintings, ceramics, photography, mixed media, jewelry and glass designs through March 14. The Gallery is featuring the work of two Moraga artists, Leslie Swartz and Mariann Mortensen. Swartz's subjects range from cats and elephants to garlic and orchids. Photographs often inspire Swartz’s paintings and drawings, as do her extensive travels. Glass Artist/Metalsmith Mortensen's fused glass creations are lit up with copper accents and rich color, as seen in her jewelry, platters, coasters and functional dishware.
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The Orinda Arts Council announces the 7th Annual High School Visual Arts Competition featuring 2D, 3D and photographic art. All entries will be exhibited at the Orinda Library Gallery, March 5-30. Artists' Reception and Awards Presentation, Wed., March 10, 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. Please join us for light refreshments and announcement of winners! Questions?
Contact ccklevan@comcast.net.
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Going once, going twice... SOLD! If you have a passion for the arts or fine wood work, then you're in luck. Campolindo art and woodshop students have joined together for an upcoming show in an effort to raise money for Haiti. Every piece at the show will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. All proceeds will go to the America Red Cross Haitian Relief Fund. The event was organized by Campo teachers Jill Langston and Don Dupont. It will be hosted by Anthony Ruiz at Fast Frame in Lafayette on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 27th and 28th. Where: 3571 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette When: Sat. Feb. 27 -viewing and bidding 10:00a.m.-6:00p.m. Sun. Feb. 28; -reception 11:00a.m.-4:00p.m. Questions? Contact jlangston@acalanes.k12.ca.us.
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California Arts & Crafts Movement: Explore the evolution of this 20th Century art form with Associate Curator Julie Muniz. Community Hall at LLLC. Wed., Mar. 17, 7:30-9:00 p.m. Teens, Adults - No fee. Consortium@lafayettelib.com.
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"New Images of Old Orinda," presented by Connie de Laveaga Stoops and the Orinda Historical Society. March 10, 7p.m., Fellowship Hall, Orinda Community Church, 10 Irwin Way, Orinda. Free and open to the public. A presentation of newly discovered photographs taken by Orinda pioneer E.I. de Laveaga from post-earthquake San Francisco and Orinda, 1906-1909.

Lamorinda’s 2010 High School Musicals See article
Acalanes: Cinderella, March 3-6
Campolindo: The Titanic, March 11-13, tickets www.campochoir.com
Miramonte: Into the Woods, March 18-21 and 25-27
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Town Hall Theatre is presenting Oscar Wilde’s Victorian satire "The Importance of Being Earnest" Feb. 25 – March 27. For tickets, contact the Town Hall Theatre Box Office at (925) 283-1557, or purchase online at www.TownHallTheatre.com. (See article)
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The creative impulses of choreographers Janice Garrett and Charles Moulton
collide in an afternoon of dance works at Saint Mary’s College on Sunday, February 28 at 2pm. This concert will consist of new work and recent hits co-choreographed by two of the Bay Area’s most popular and respected dance makers. Please join us for a unique afternoon of high energy, agility and unsurpassed beauty as Garrett’s and Moulton’s choreography explodes on stage. Tickets for this performance are: $15 for general, $ 12 for seniors, SMC faculty and staff and Non-SMC students, $ 5 for SMC students. For more information or to order tickets please call (925) 631-4670. LeFevre Theatre, Saint Mary’s College, 1928 St. Mary’s Rd. Moraga.
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LUNAFEST a series of short films, by, for, and about Women. 3:30pm, Sunday, March 7, at Hagerty Lounge, De La Salle Hall, Saint Mary's College of California, 1928 St. Mary's Rd., Moraga. Tickets: $10 General/ $6 Students. Ticket information at (925) 631-4193. Also playing Saturday March 6, at the Foothill Middle School at 3pm. All proceeds for the event will benefit Family of Women and the Breast Cancer Fund. LUNAFEST is brought to you by LUNA, the makers of the Whole Nutrition Bar for Women. For more information, visit www.lunafest.org.

Come hear about “Roles Women Played in Contra Costa County History” on Sunday, February 21 at the brand new Lafayette Library. The Contra Costa County Interbranch Council of AAUW is hosting this free presentation from 2:00-4:00p.m. Refreshments will be available.
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“Will Your Will Stand Up? Can You Trust your Trust?” With the new legal landscape, walk through the important steps you need to create certainty about your bequests. Tuesday February 23, 9:30 to 11am. Lafayette Library and Learning Center, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Call 283-6513 for reservations.
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"How to Align Corporate Profit with Social Responsibility - In India" will be presented by Royce Nicholaisen, CEO of Otis McAllister, Inc. at the Men’s Breakfast, Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, 49 Knox Drive on February 24 at 6:30 a.m. The public, men and women, is invited to attend. Make reservations by calling (925) 283-8722. Cost for the meal is $5.
There is no Fail Here, Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg, February 25, 2:00 p.m. Learn about the Gettyburg address in the context of the personal, political and policy pressures impacting President Lincoln. Speaker: John J. Fitzpatrick, Jr., Esq., Colonel USAFR(Ret.), a licensed guide at the Gettysburg National Military Park. Moraga Public Library, 1500 Saint Marys Road, Moraga, 925 376-6852. For additional activities see www.co.contra-costa.ca.us.
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St. Mary's College's Kalmanovitz School of Education will have keynote speaker, Kathleen Kenfield, consultant in the field of English Learner education, at its Distinguished Speaker Event on Saturday, February 27th, from 8:30a.m.-1:00p.m. Register online at www.stmarys-ca.edu/saturdayseminars or contact Lydia Wiley at
lwiley@stmarys-ca.edu for more information.
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Museums & the Great Depression: Tales of Courage & Innovation. Enjoy historian Marjorie Schwarzer’s illuminating talk about what museums did during the Great Depression to uplift & inspire communities & what we can learn from them in today's recession. Community Hall at LLLC Thurs. Mar. 4, 7:00-9:00p.m. No fee; consortium@lafayettelib.com. The Lafayette Library and Learning Center is located at 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
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Weekly Wednesday evening program features prominent speakers on environmental stewardship and sustainability issues. Program begins at 6:00 p.m. with dinner followed by the speaker’s presentation from 6:45 – 7:45. Admission is free, but donations for dinner are welcome. Youth Program and Childcare: Provided; please RSVP ((925) 254-3770) Location: St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 66 St. Stephen’s Drive, Orinda (St. Stephen’s exit off of Hwy 24) RSVP appreciated, but not required. Dates/speakers: February 24, The Reverend Canon Sally Bingham, President of Interfaith Power and Light; March 3, Laura Stec, San Francisco Bay Area chef, environmental food systems analyst, and author of Cool Cuisine.
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Emeritus College offers "Mongolia" on Friday, March 5 from 11:00 – 12:30 p.m. in Rossmoor. Miss Ono Ganzorig discusses many fascinating aspects of her homeland from the early days of Genghis Khan's invasions of the west, her life growing up on the Mongolian Steppe, to watching her country rise from a Soviet Satellite to a proud democratic nuclear age nation. To register, call 685-1230 ext. 2388 or go to the website at www.dvc.edu/emeritus. Emeritus College offers not-for-credit, short-term, affordable classes. There are no tests and no homework.
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Book Sale - Friends of the Orinda Library sale is Sat. March 6. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. The book sale offers gently used books and many just-like-new ones for book lovers of all interests and ages. Orinda Library, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda, 254-1358.
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Creative Writing and Reading Series: Jane Vandenburgh, the author of two novels, Failure to Zigzag, and The Physics of Sunset, Her memoir, A Pocket History of Sex in the 20th Century, has just been published. She has taught literature and writing at U.C. Davis, at Georgetown and at the George Washington University in Washington, DC, and is this year’s Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at Saint Mary’s College of California. She lives in Point Richmond, California. When: Wednesday, March 10, 7:30 p.m. Where: Claeys Lounge, Soda Activity Center, Saint Mary's College of California, 1928 St. Mary's Rd. MFA Program at (925)631-4457.
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“Healthy Eating: Delicious Vegetables,” is a one day class on Thursday, March 18th from 12 to 2 p.m. at the Lafayette Community Center. Instructor Denise Jardine, NE., a certified Nutrition Educator will be hold an informative, healthy eating lecture and cooking demo. For those who enjoy a more hands on experience, you can help assemble the meal, or if you prefer simply sit back and enjoy. Call 685-1230 ext. 2388 to register.

Voices of Musica Sacra is holding auditions for all voice parts on Mondays through March 2, 2010, in conjunction with Monday rehearsals from 7:00-9:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1924 Trinity Avenue, Walnut Creek (basses & tenors are especially needed). Call (925) 680-7089 to schedule an audition. June performances will be The Complete Choral Works of Samuel Barber. John Kendall Bailey, Music Director. See website for information and details, www.vmschorus.org.
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The Cantare Chamber Ensemble joins the acclaimed Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir to present “Let Freedom Ring!” a powerful concert recounting the heroic journey of African Americans from slavery to freedom. Saturday, February 20th, 7:30p.m. at Lafayette Orinda Presbyterian Church, 49 Knox Drive, Lafayette. Tickets are $25, $20 and $10. For tickets call (510) 836-0789 or go online to www.cantareconvivo.org/BuyTickets.asp.
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The Tenth Anniversary of the Lafayette Jazz Festival, presented by the Generations in Jazz Foundation will be performed at the new Lafayette Library Concert Hall, March 5th and 6th featuring jazz greats, The Frank Martin Group and Ellen Rowe and Friends. A celebration of Contra Costa Counties' best young jazz musicians will be held on March 7th with Middle and High School Honor Bands at the Veterans Memorial Building. Tickets are available at the Lafayette Chamber. Shows are a great value at $5 for Thursday and Sunday and $15 for Friday and Saturday night. For ticket information, contact the Lafayette Chamber at (925) 284-7404 or visit their web site at www.lafayettechamber.org. For any questions or additional information call Tom Carter, (510) 219-2590.
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The Northern California Welsh Community invites you to join us at a musical celebration of traditional hymn singing to celebrate ST. DAVID'S DAY, the patron saint of Wales. When: 2:00 - 4:00 p.m., Sunday, February 28. Where: Lafayette United Methodist Church, 955 Moraga Road, Lafayette (www.thelumc.org). A Te Bach (little tea) will follow in the church social hall. Coffee and tea will be provided. Donations of Welsh cakes and finger food would be appreciated. For further information, contact Idris Evans at (925) 283-0912 or by email at loriteassociates@comcast.net.

Lafayette’s One and Only Pub Trivia will be held on Wednesday, February 24th, and March 31st. Trivia begins promptly at 6:30 p.m. and lasts approximately two-hours. The event will be held at Petar’s, located at 32 Lafayette Circle in Lafayette. Get your friends, family, or co-workers together and form a team of two to five players. It's FREE to participate! Must be 21 years or older. Prizes awarded to winning teams. Pub food and drinks are available. Email questions to pubtrivia@live.com for additional information.
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“Live at the Orinda” Champagne Comedy Event on March 5th begins with a gala champagne reception at 7:00 p.m., followed by laugh-packed performances from five comedians starting at 8:00 p.m. Contact the Orinda Chamber of Commerce at (925) 254-3909 or visit the Chamber’s website at
http://www.orindachamber.org. (See article )
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Rotary Club of Moraga is staging its 8th Annual "A Nite at the Races" event, with no host cocktails, wine, and beer, a professionally catered dinner not including crab, video horse races and betting, and silent and live auction. The cost is $40. Some winnings from betting can be applied to pay for silent auction items. It will be held Saturday night, March 13, 2010 at the Holy Trinity Cultural Center on School Street in Moraga. For information and reservations, please contact Barbara Bruner at (925) 376-4281 (barbbruner@comcast.net ). All proceeds from this event will fund local youth educational and humanitarian causes. Every dollar donated toward ending polio will be matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Princess Project will be collecting new and nearly new formal gowns and accessories at The Bentley School in Lafayette until February 19. The organization is depending on the generosity of women and companies throughout the Bay Area to help send local girls to prom next spring. Dresses should be fashionable formal gowns, party or cocktail dresses in excellent condition, dry-cleaned and on hangers.

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On Saturday February 27 at 10:00 a.m., tree pruning experts will be at McDonnell Nursery to discuss Fruit Tree Pruning. Please call or email to reserve a seat. (925) 254-3713 or info@mcdonnellnursery.com. McDonnell Nursery, 196 Moraga Way in Orinda. www.mcdonnellnursery.com.
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St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, located at 451 Moraga Way in Orinda, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The highlight of the celebrations will be held on Sunday, March 7, starting with the worship celebration at 10:30 a.m., the Reverend Dr. Jim Current (pastor from 1976-1984) preaching, followed by a Gala Reception. Any and all members of the community are invited to join the congregation on this festive occasion. Alumni of the Nursery School are especially welcomed. If you have stories to tell or pictures to share, please pass them along! We will be compiling a booklet and slide show of submissions. For more information, contact Pastor Mark Zier, (925) 324-8130.
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Acalanes High School's annual International Night is coming up March 18. We are currently looking for food donations, performers, and cultural clothing. Any of these would be much appreciated! Please email us at ahsdiversityboard@gmail.com.
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Tuesday, February 25, 6:00-8:00p.m., The Philosophy of Wine: An Introduction where wine expert Professor Chad Arnold will discuss the intricacies of winemaking ... and tasting. Adult program. Fee for materials $15. Presented by St. Mary's College, a Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium partner at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center. Call (925) 293-6513 for reservations.
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Emergency Preparedness for Individuals and Families on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 7:00-9:00p.m. Don’t put it off any longer! This quick and easy session will help you prepare yourself and your family for the next earthquake whether you are at home, work, or out and about. Emphasis will be on earthquake preparation, but the information applies to other emergencies as well. Bring pencil and paper. Materials will be provided. Lafayette Community Center, 500 St. Mary’s Rd. in the Elderberry Room (back parking lot). Class is taught by the Emergency Preparedness Commission and is FREE. Register by calling the Lafayette Community Center at 284-2232.
Neighborhood Captains’ Training, Wednesday, March 3, 7:00-8:30p.m. This session is designed to help you organize your block or neighborhood in becoming self-sufficient for the first 72 hours following a major disaster. Prior attendance at a basic preparedness class, CERT or Red Cross class is recommended, but not required. Bring pencil and paper. Materials will be provided. Lafayette Community Center, 500 St. Mary’s Rd. in the Elderberry Room (back parking lot). Class is taught by the Emergency Preparedness Commission and is FREE. Register by calling the Lafayette Community Center at 284-2232.
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Looking Across the Boarder: Exploring End-of-Life Issues. Saturday, February 20, 10:00a.m.- 3:00p.m.
Bortin Hall, Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church, 55 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear presentations on elder-law matters, financial planning, Hospice, medical advance directives, and more. A panel of church members who have experienced the loss of a spouse, parent, or child will share their thoughts on bereavement. No Charge. Bring a bag lunch; drinks will be provided. To register: (925) 934-3135 or email admin@mduuc.org.

Free Tax Preparation for the 2010 tax season will again be offered by Tax Aide’s AARP sponsored program. The service is available starting February 2010 to low and moderate income taxpayers of any age but special attention will be given to seniors 60 plus. Please call (1-800) 510-2020 or (925) 335-8749 for Tax Aide locations in your community.
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Tax Talks. Ray Alessio, a 7-year tax preparer with H&R Block and an enrolled agent will discuss the latest tax changes and new tax legislation for 2009 in a public forum. Not only is everyone free to ask any questions related to taxes, but there is no charge for this event. Lafayette Library, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Saturday, February 20, Arts and Science Discovery Center at 1:00p.m.