Moraga Art Gallery is presenting a new group show, "Summer Hues" featuring local artists showing watercolor, acrylic and oil paintings, ceramics, photography, mixed media, jewelry and glass designs. The show runs through August 14 and features the work of Natalia Udaltsova, painter and Laura Paige, jewelry creations. The Moraga Art Gallery is located at 570 Center St in the Rheem Valley Shopping Center next to CVS Drugs. Hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 12-5pm. Phone: (925) 376-5407.

Thomas F. Black, a professional photographer based in Lafayette, has an installation of his work (21 images in all) on exhibit in the lobby at Town Hall Theatre, 3535 School St. (corner of Moraga Rd.), Lafayette, through August. Images are divided into two main categories: Rustic Relics, consisting of old barns and the like, and Rusted Relics, comprising “abandoned art” such as old automobiles and trucks; antique tractors and farm implements; and retired school buses. All of his galleries may be viewed at www.tfblackphotography.com.

Superbly Independent: Early California Paintings July 25 - Sept. 19. Nearly 100 landscape paintings by three tenacious and talented early pioneer Western women painters: Annie Harmon, Mary DeNeale Morgan and Marion Kavanagh Wachte. Opening night lecture by art historian Erika Esau, Ph.D., author of Images of the Pacific Rim: Australia and California, 1850-1935, free admission. Sunday, July 25, 2 pm; Reception following in the Art Gallery Patio. Exhibition admission: $4 adults; K-12 graders free. Saint Mary's College of California, 1928 St. Mary's Rd., Moraga. Gallery Hours: Wed. – Sun., 11am– 4:30pm. Main Telephone: (925) 631-4379. Website: www.hearstartgallery.org.

Summer Daze will be the exhibit at the Lafayette Gallery through August 8. Celebrate the warmth and lightheartedness of summer by bringing a welcome infusion of color and creativity into your life. The Gallery is located at 50 Lafayette Circle in Lafayette. Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 11am to 5pm. Phone: (925) 284-2788.

Moraga Summer Concert Series: Thursdays from 6:30-8:30pm. Bring your picnic blanket or lawn chairs to the grassy hillside in front of the band shell at the Moraga Commons Park. Enjoy the music while your children enjoy the park. The volunteers of the Moraga Park and Recreation Foundation will even cook dinner for you; the Snack Bar opens at 6pm. Line up: July 22 Motor Dude Zydeco, Cajun; July 29 Pladdohg,Celtic Rock ; August 5 Kickin' the Mule, Blue & Soul.

The Orinda Library is happy to announce the line-up for “Listen to the World,” the 2010 Summer Music Series. July 28: Japanese Koto; Shirley Kazuyo is one of the modern masters of this ancient Japanese instrument and her son, Brian Mitsuhiro Wong, follows in the family’s tradition. This program is free, open to everyone and takes place next to the Fireplace inside the library. The Orinda Library is located at 26 Orinda Way in Orinda. For more information, please call (925) 254-2184 or visit the library website at ccclib.org. The choice of music ranges from Ireland to Japan and is sure to please audiences of all ages. All performances start at 7pm.

Community Kirtan! 7pm Saturday, July 31st and August 28th. Sing under the stars and the shelter of redwoods, accompanied by flute, viola and soft guitar, in a beautiful, candle-lit garden in the center of Lafayette. Eric and Kelly Black lead this fun and accessible group experience of yogic chanting and meditation. Not a singer? No problem! Just come and enjoy the beautiful music. Located just past Chow restaurant next to the Massage Cottage, at 71 Lafayette Circle. Donations gratefully accepted. For more info, call the Massage Cottage at (925) 284-2881. Saturday, July 31st and August 28th. Music begins at 7 PM. Optional pot-luck at 6:00pm.

Carol Alban will perform with pianist Miles Graber at the Moraga Public Library on August 3rd at 7pm. Their eclectic program will include Classical and Jazz favorites as well as original works composed by. Alban. They will be joined by guest flutist Nancy Tyler. The Moraga Library is located at 1500 St. Mary's Road. (925) 376-6852.

The Golden Gate Boys Choir & Bellringers’ end of Summer Music Camp Performance will be performed on Sat. August 14 at 2pm. Free admission. Oakland Diocesan Youth Retreat Center, 1977 Reliez Valley Rd in Lafayette. (510) 887-4311.

Woodminster Summer Musicals presents the iconic Meredith Willson musical, “The Music Man” August 6-15. Tickets available at Ticketweb.com, or (510) 531-9597, or www.woodminster.com, $25-$40 ($2 discount for children/seniors) An adult paying full price can bring a child or teen 16 or younger to the performance for free. The Woodminster Amphitheater, an open-air WPA-era facility high in the Oakland Hills, is located in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road.

Thursday nights at the movies – classic film series at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Inside stories and discussion following the movies, moderated by James Keller – instructor in world drama, film and poetry.
July 22 Summertime with Kathryn Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi.
July 29 Pauline on the Beach with French master Erich Rohmer.
Tickets $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and students, $30 for the series.

Orinda Starlight Village Players presents Allyn Ackbourne's Time After Time through August 7th, Fridays & Saturdays, at 8:30pm, Sunday, August 1 at 4pm; and Thursday, August 5 at 8pm. The outdoor theater is nestled in the hill in the corner of the Community Park next to the Orinda Library/Community Center, 26 Orinda Way. Tickets are always available at the box office adjacent to the theater which opens an half hour before show time: $16 regular and $8 for seniors/minors. For more information, call (925) 253-1911 or email info@orsvp.org. (See article page A7)

The Peter Pan Foundation is presenting this year’s summer show: “Back to the 80s” on Thursday, July 29 (7:00 p.m.); Friday, July 30 (7:00 p.m.); Saturday, July 31 (1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.) and Sunday, August 1 (1:00 and 7:00 p.m.) at Diablo Valley College’s Performing Arts Center (321 Golf Club Road, Pleasant Hill). This magical musical, directed by Leslie Noel, is great entertainment for the whole family. The Peter Pan Foundation is a non-profit organization made up of local students ages 10 to 25, attending schools from all over the East Bay. The Peter Pan Foundation is dedicated to helping kids with life-threatening illnesses, with all proceeds donated to Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland and other local charities. Tickets are $20 for adults; $10 for youth 18 and under. Tickets may be purchased on-line at www.peterpanfoundation.org.

The Future of Books: Access to information is constantly changing, and the popularity of e-books and online material is on the rise. Will the printed word become obsolete? How do authors feel about these changes? Learn about how new innovations will affect us both socially and economically and learn how industry insiders are keeping up with the changes. Location: Lafayette Library and Learning Center's Community Hall; 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette. Time: 5:30pm check-in; 6:30pm program. Cost: $12 members, $22 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID). For tickets go to commonwealthclub.org or call (415) 597-6705.

Commonwealth Club Speaker Mary Roach: Journey Through Outer Space Without Leaving Earth, Thursday, August 19, 6:30pm at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center. Roach, author of "Stiff and Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void" will share the surreality and weirdness of space. For example, what happens when you've been in space for a year? And is it possible for a human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour? From the space shuttle training toilet to NASA's crash simulation tests, Roach explores the strange universe. Location: Lafayette Library and Learning Center's Community Hall; 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette. Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program
Cost: $12 members, $22 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID). For tickets go to commonwealthclub.org or call (415) 597-6705.

Volunteering Mid-Career or in Retirement: Peace Corps Information Session on, Tuesday, July 27, 6:30pm – 8pm, Lafayette Library and Learning Center, 3491 Mt. Diablo Boulevard, Lafayette. All are welcome at this special Peace Corps panel discussion and information session with a special focus on volunteering mid-career or in retirement and Peace Corps education assignments. RSVP to (510) 452-8444 or sfevents@peacecorps.gov. More info at www.peacecorps.gov.

Pub Trivia, Wednesday, July 28th at 6:30pm at Petar’s. At this event, we will be collecting donations for the Family Giving Tree which is currently conducting their back to school drive to provide children with a new backpack along with the tools they need to succeed. In 2009, they helped 13,843 children with this effort. For more information, please visit: http://www.familygivingtree.org/back_to_school/back_to_school.html. Petars is located at 32 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette.

Ewaste Collection on Saturday July 31st 9am-4pm, Lafayette Christian church, 584 Glenside Drive, Lafayette. Free to recycle televisions, monitors, laptops, cell phones, flatscreens & wires. $5.00 per item fee to recycle: stereos, telephones, printers, DVD players, radios, fax machines, small appliances etc. Sponsored by Citizens For The Lost Society, an organization committed to finding children and bring them home to our communities. Contact (925) 890-1324 for information.

Sustainable Gardening Workshop Series! Sustainable Lafayette is partnering with the Lafayette Library & Learning Center to offer a Gardening/Landscaping Workshop Series on Sunday, August 1st and Sunday, August 8th at the Arts & Science Discovery Room. These two lunch-time workshops will help you create a yard that produces food, uses native plants, requires less irrigation, and is more environmentally-friendly. You can eat lunch while learning and visit a little mini-growers market outside in the amphitheatre after each talk.
8/1 - "Local Food: Fall Vegetable Planting" Presented by Pilar Reber of Sunnyside Organic Seedlings.
Sunday, August 1st from 11am-noon.
8/8 - "California Natives for Lafayette Gardens"- Presented by Troy McGregor of Garden Natives.
Sunday, August 8th from 11am-noon.
View the flyer with all the details at www.sustainablelafayette.net.

August 6th-8th, OMPA Swim Meet at Campolindo High School.

Summer Wine Festival: Sunday, August 15 2-5pm, Saint Mary's College in Moraga. This is a perfect outing to enjoy delicious regional wines, right in your backyard. The event also features a silent auction, a few regional breweries, as well as cheeses and chocolates. The 6th Annual Summer Wine Festival is a fundraiser for Saint Mary’s College student scholarships. Call (925) 631-4200 for tickets and more information, or visit www.stmarys-ca.edu/wine. $35 per person (until 7/30), $45 thereafter. 21 and over please.

Save November 18 for the Orinda Woman’s Club Festival of Trees, a fun luncheon and fashion show held at the San Ramon Mariott Hotel. Tickets are $85. For further information about the event, please contact Betty Brotherton, 925 253-1441.

CLUBS

Sons in Retirement Lamorinda Branch 171 meets the first Wednesday monthly at Holy Trinity Culture Center 1700 School St. Moraga. Social hour 11 am, lunch 12 pm. The after lunch speakers will be Ed Rusnak and Jon Elfin, Financial Planners with Sagemart Consulting. They will speak on the income tax advantages and estate planning benefits of converting a traditional retirement plan into a Roth-IRA. This will be especially timely as the one-time tax benefit that originated on the first of the year will expire at the end of this year. For membership information, call Larry at (925) 631-9528.