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. Hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 12-5pm. Phone: (925) 376-5407.

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. 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 Phone: (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.

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) presents "PIXAR: 25 Years of Animation," a major exhibition of over 500 works by the artists at Pixar Animation Studios, July 31, 2010-January 9, 2011. Location: Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street, Oakland. COST: $12 general; $9 seniors and students with valid ID; $6 youth, ages 9-17. Free for children 8 and under and OMCA members. Free First Sundays. Special Event: Friday, August 13, 5-9pm: Dancers and instructors will be on site so come dance the jitterbug and more. Website: www.museumca.org.

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: August 5 Kickin' the Mule, Blue & Soul; August 12 littledog2, Local R&R Band; August 19 La Ventana, Santana tribute band.

Join Yamaha Fellow & World Drummer Eduardo Lopes, from the University of Evora in Portugal, & student leaders from St. Mary’s College of California to find your groove and contribute to the rhythm of the community in a whole new way! Drums will be provided, but feel free to bring your own. All ages are welcome, 12 and under with an adult, August 4, 11, 18, & 25 from 6:30-9:30pm at the Moraga Hacienda de las Flores. Call (925) 888-7034 to register or get more info, donations accepted.

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.

The Orinda Library is happy to announce the line-up for “Listen to the World,” the 2010 Summer Music Series. Celtic Sands, August 25. The folk quartet plays Irish, Scottish and Celtic harp music. 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. All performances start at 7pm.

Community Kirtan! 7pm Saturday 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. Optional pot-luck at 6pm.

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.

Orinda Starlight Village Players presents Alan Ackbourne's Time After Time through August 7th, Fridays & Saturdays, at 8:30pm, 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 a half hour before show time: $16 regular and $8 for seniors/minors. For more information, call (925) 253-1911 or email info@orsvp.org.
Green Screen Film & Wine/Food Night on Sunday, August 10th will show "Deep Down", a true story about a small mining town in Kentucky that is torn apart by mountaintop-removal coal mining. The film follows lifelong friends who live on opposite sides of the mountain and opposite sides of the issue. The doors open for wine and appetizers in the lobby at 6pm and then the movie starts around 7pm. $10 for everything or $8 for movie only online at www.pfse.net or $12 and $8 respectively at the door. Town Hall Theater, 3535 School St, Lafayette, (925) 283-1557. Green Screen Film Nights are organized by volunteers of Generation Green, Sustainable Moraga, Sustainable Lafayette, and Parents for a Safer Environment.

Shotgun Players presents: The Norman Conquests by Alan Ayckbourn, August 6th - September 5th.
Location: The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley. The audience will see the story from three different perspectives. Part 1 "Table Manners" - director Joy Carlin, opens August 6th at 8pm. Part 2 "Living Together" - director Molly Aaronson-Gelb, opens August 13th at 8pm. Part 3 "Round and Round the Garden" - director Mina Morita, opens August 20th at 8pm. The Norman Conquests features an award-winning cast of local talent. Cost/registration: $20.00-25.00 per show or $50.00 for all 3 evenings.Tickets: www.shotgunplayers.org or (510) 841-6500.

Berkeley Playhouse Presents Disney's Aladdin, August 7 - September 5 / Weekends at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Avenue, Berkeley. Cost/registration: Tot $15/ Youth $22/ Senior $30/ Adult $33. Berkeley Playhouse is a professional music theatre for all ages presenting a season of four to five shows a year. It is also a Music Theatre Conservatory with programs for all ages including acting, singing and dance. www.berkeleyplayhouse.org. (510) 845-8542.

Sustainable Gardening Workshop Series! Sustainable Lafayette is partnering with the Lafayette Library & Learning Center to offer Gardening/Landscaping Workshops. The second workshop, "California Natives for Lafayette Gardens," will take place on Sunday, August 8th from 11am-noon in the Arts & Science Discovery Room. You can eat lunch while learning and visit a little mini-growers market outside in the amphitheatre after the talk. View the flyer with all the details at www.sustainablelafayette.net.

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. $45 per person. 21 and over please.

Campolindo Junior Maddie Larson, from Moraga Troop 30794, is working on her Girl Scout Gold Award and needs your help. She is running a Back to School Shop for disadvantaged children and teens in San Pablo on Saturday, September 4, 2010. Maddie is looking for donations of new and gently used clothing for kids grades K-6. If you can help, please email mlswimmergirl@comcast.net or call 284-8142. We'll accept donations until Wednesday, August 25.

Sat. & Sun, August 7-8: Harvest of Moraga's Pear Trees, 9am - 3pm. Meet in orchard at corner of Canyon Road and Camino Pablo, west of JM School. Come for an hour or more to help the Moraga Park Foundation donate fresh fruit to the Contra Costa Solano County Food Bank. Contact Karen Reed, 376-6338, for more information.

Wine & Cheese Pairing 101, Friday, August 6th, 6:30-8:30pm, Lafayette Community Center, 500 St. Mary's Road. This hands-on workshop is a perfect introduction to the basics and was designed to offer many ways for you to expand your knowledge and understanding of wine and cheese, delve into the art of pairing the two and celebrate examples from around the world. Join us for a lively discussion and tasting of some classic combinations! The class includes wine and food tasting, take-home materials and 2 hours of instruction. Register at www.lafayetterec.org.

Camino Pablo will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary this September. A Milestone Celebration Barbeque Dinner is being planned for September 11, 2010. The Camino Pablo Anniversary Committee is looking for local Camino Pablo alumni. If you attended or taught at Camino Pablo School in Moraga in the last 50 years, please contact Lisa Crouch at liscrouch@yahoo.com or (925) 377-5609.

Muir Heritage Land Trust’s Fresh Aire Affaire Gala, Saturday, August 14, 5-9pm. Join us in helping to preserve Contra Costa's most precious natural areas. Enjoy specialty cocktails & appetizers, gourmet extravaganza, music by Bob Athayde and friends, and live auction with Auctioneer John Pereira. For more information or reservations, please call Ellen Visser at (925) 228-7152, email ellen@muirheritagelandtrust.org or visit www.muirheritagelandtrust.org. Tickets are $150 per person.

CLUBS

The American Assn. of University Women (Lamorinda Branch) cordially invites women with two to four plus college years to attend a "get acquainted coffee on Wed. August 18, 10am at Terzetto`s Restaurant; located at 1419 Moraga Way in the Moraga Shopping Center. AAUW members are committed to girl`s and women`s education and equity. If you are new to the community, recently retired or an empty nester with children off to college and would like to meet a friendly group of women in an organization which provides an abundance of interest groups you would be most welcome. We look forward to meeting you.

Moraga Movers will gather for their annual outdoor barbecue at the Ferroggiaro Quad, St. Mary's College, at 5pm on August 9. Traditionally this meeting has no speaker, but is a social time for members to get better acquainted, along with announcements of current activities and scheduled events. These presently include bowling, bocce ball, book review, and outings and tours. Updates on Moraga community news are also included. Local residents age 55 and older are welcome to join the Movers for an evening of fun, and may call (925)