150 Years after the Civil War an NEH-sponsored exhibition, Lee and Grant, will be on view from through Sunday, Mar. 20 at The Hearst Art Gallery at Saint Mary's College in Moraga. The museum is open to the public Wednesdays through Sundays, 11am- 4:30pm. Adult admission is $4; admission is free for K-12th grade students and Hearst members. A battlefield re-enactment, featuring nearly one hundred NCWA volunteers, is planned for Saturday, March 19, on the Saint Mary's College campus. Information: (925) 631-4379.

The Lafayette Gallery is presenting the Heart Throb Exhibit. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-5pm. Located at 50 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette. Admission is free. For more information please call (925) 284-2788 or go to www.lafayettegallery.net.

The Moraga Art Gallery's new show, 2 plus 2 = 1, shorthand for "Two Artists, Two Visions: A Singular Experience," The exhibit brings together paintings in various media by Orinda's Beryl Glen-Reiland and watercolors by Moraga's George Ehrenhaft. The gallery is located at the Rheem Shopping Center, 570 Center Street, Moraga. For more information call (925) 376-5407.

Twelve recital pianists will entertain with compositions by Chopin, Brahms, Schubert, Beethoven and other classical composers, as well as 20th century composers Joaquin Turina and Ludovico Einaudi. Sunday, February 20, at 2pm. Located at the Grace Presbyterian Church, 2100 Tice Creek Blvd., Walnut Creek. The public is invited to this free concert. For more information go to www.ccpas.org.

Campolindo Orchestra Winter Concert on Thursday, February 24 at 7:30 in the CPAC. This will be a benefit concert with the proceeds to assist the Campolindo Orchestra's trip to Beijing. Featuring violinist Jeremy Cohen, a three-time Grammy nominee, and Barry Green with his Green Man Bass Group as guest artists. An evening of great music not to be missed! Tickets are $10 only and on sale now. Call 270-8083 to reserve your ticket. More information on website www.campomusic.org.

Generations In Jazz presents The Big Band Of Rossmoor Feb 25 for a big band dance and concert at The Veterans Memorial Building. Tickets are on sale at the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce for $10. Reserve tickets at 284-7404 or purchase at the door. Free dance lessons are available from 7-8pm with instructor Gail Enright. Then the dance and concert begins at 8pm.

Campolindo Jazz Dinner Dance featuring the Campolindo High School Jazz Band, is coming up on Saturday, February 26 at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette. Tickets are $55 ($60 after February 7) and on sale now. Visit www.campomusic.org or contact Diane Haley, 631-1439.

Voci, conducted by Jude Navari, is seeking experienced choral singers for all voice parts. Our spring concert, entitled Double. The 24-voice ensemble sings primarily classical music from a wide variety of historical periods. Voci rehearses Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 10pm in Orinda. For more information or to schedule an audition, please contact artistic director Jude Navari at judenavari@comcast.net.

Town Hall Theatre presents The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, February 19-March 19, with previews on February 17 & 18. See article

The International Film Showcase presents "Illegal", February 25-28. See article

"Live at the Orinda" a champagne-splashed evening of live professional comedy on Friday, March 11th, Orinda Theatre, Theatre Square, Orinda. The whole community is invited to fill the 750 seat Orinda Theatre to laugh until your sides hurt. Doors open at 7pm, 17 and over only. Advance tickets: $30 ($35 at the door). For more information and tickets visit www.orindachamber.org.

Peace Corps at 50: Realizing the Promise of Its Next 50 years- Lecture by Kevin Quiqley who has more than 20 years of non-profit leadership experience in advancing international understanding and civil society. A former Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand, he is President/CEO National Peace Corps Association. When: Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 7 pm.
Where: Soda Activity Center, Saint Mary's College, 1928 St. Mary's Rd., Moraga.

On Wednesday, Feb 23 , Dr. Marshall Zaslove will lead a meditation workshop from 6-8 pm at the Orinda Library using as a guide the book "Inner and Outer Peace through Meditation" by Rajinder Singh. He will present the latest medical and scientific data and the benefits gained from the exercise of this ancient practice. This program takes place in the Garden Room of the Orinda Library, 26 Orinda Way in Orinda. It is free to all. For more info please visit ccclib.org or call (925)-254-2184.

The Orinda Library will host a docent talk on Tuesday, March 1 at 7pm on Berkeley Repertory's production of Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize winning drama, "Ruined." This powerful award-winning play provides a bleak yet beautiful look at the lives of women in the civil war ravaged land, the Congo.

Gerald Henig, an Emeritus Professor of History at Cal State East Bay and the author several books including the award-winning book "A Nation Transformed: How the Civil War Changed America Forever" will speak on Wednesday afternoon, March 2, at 2:00 pm at the Moraga library, 1500 Saint Mary's Rd. (925) 376-6852.

March 3rd, at 1pm, join Moraga library staff for a discussion of Geraldine Brooks' 2005 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction book "March: A Novel." The book concerns an idealistic cleric, Mr. March, who becomes a Union chaplain and later finds himself assigned to be a teacher on a cotton plantation that employs freed slaves. Copies of "March: A Novel" are available through the County Library System. The Moraga library is located at 1500 Saint Mary's Rd, Moraga. (925) 376-6852.

Have you ever wished you could hear what really happens to our tween/teen girls in middle and high school? A panel of local high school students from the Acalanes Union High School District will share their stories, their successes and their mistakes, and debunk some of the misconceptions parents have about this sometimes trying time for the girls in our communities. Monday, February 28, from 7-8:30pm at Stanley Middle School, in the Multi-Purpose Room, in Lafayette. For more information go to sister2sister.info.
Campolindo High School Parents Club and Healthy Choices Committee will present a Teen Drug Symposium hosted in the Campolindo High School Library on Monday, Feb. 28 from 7-8:30pm. The Symposium will feature testimonials from local parents and students who have dealt first-hand with drug addiction and recovery. Additionally, we will hear from Dr. Timothy Browne, a local Psychologist and addiction specialist. For More Information and to RSVP please contact Roxy Klein at roxygklein@comcast.net.

Fulbright Hosts Needed
Saint Mary's College is offering a wonderful opportunity for local community members to take part in people-to-people diplomacy by hosting 1 - 2 of our Southeast Asian Fulbright women in their home. The College has organized a four-day leadership seminar for the U.S. State Department to prepare the students to return home after completing their Master's or Doctorate degrees later this spring. This special group of 40 Fulbright women come from the countries of Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia and will be on the campus of Saint Mary's College and in the Lamorinda communities from March 30 - April 2.
Open your Home and Open a Door to another country by hosting one or two students from this amazing group. Although the scholars have been studying at U.S. universities for the past 2 - 6 years, many of them have never stayed in an American home. Please consider sharing your home with 1 or 2 of the Fulbright students for 3 nights. For those of you interested in learning more about the great intercultural sharing opportunity, please contact Susan Miller Reid, Director, Center for International Programs at Saint Mary's, at 925-631-4316 or by email: smiller@stmarys-ca.edu.

Salsa & Bachata with Tomaj presents Salsa Mondays in Orinda. Beginning class from 7-8, Intermediate class from 8-9:30. It is a 6-week series, Jan. 10 - Feb. 28. Singles $72, Couples $130; Drop-in: $15. Located at the Orinda Community Center, 26 Orinda Way. Register at your first class, or call (925) 254-2445.

The Ninth Annual "A Nite at the Races" will be staged by Rotary Club of Moraga on Saturday, March 12, at the Holy Trinity Cultural Center on School Street in Moraga. The cost is $45 per person. The proceeds from this event will help Moraga Rotary fund its local and international youth, educational, and humanitarian causes. For information or reservations, please contact Rotarian Frank May at (925) 376-8195 or at mayfrl@comcast.net.

The "Starting Points" Series, led by Pastor John Valentine, is Intended for people seeking to discover (or rediscover) what it means be a Lutheran, a Christian and a child of God. From 9:45-10:25am, Feb 6, 13, 27. Located at the Holy Shepherd Lutheran Church 433 Moraga Way, Orinda. For more information call, Lisa - (925) 254-3422 or lisa@holyshepherd.org.

Homeopathy On The Fly. Renita Herrmann will focus on how to quickly and efficiently use homeopathy as a treatment process. Join us at the Homeopathy Every Day Study Group of Walnut Creek Thursday, February 17, from 6-7pm. 43 Quail Court, Suite 215. Cost: $9.00. For more info see http://myranissen.com/blog/?p=2008.

Grief Support Meetings, the Contra Costa/Alameda County Widowed Persons Support Group is offering grief support meetings for the recently widowed. These sessions are run by widowed people. The meetings will be Saturday January 15, February 19 from 10am to 12noon. They are held at St. Stevens Church, 66 St. Stevens Dr., Orinda. You need not attend all sessions. Just come when you can. No reservation needed. For questions, please contact Penny Robb at (510) 654-0974 or (925) 032-3448.

Aegis of Pleasant Hill announces a series of educational programs designed to enhance the skills of professionals working with people who have dementia, their families and caregivers. The first program is entitled "It Takes a Family: Building Partnerships with Families Affected by Dementia. Program presented by dementia expert, Laurie White, MSW on Wednesday, March 2, 2-5pm at Aegis of Pleasant Hill, 1660 Oak Park Blvd, Pleasant Hill. This is a FREE event. RSVP 925-939-2700.

Will your will stand up? Can you trust your trust? With the new legal & economic landscape, walk through the important steps you need to create certainty about your bequests. Located at the Arts & Science Discovery Center at LLLC. Tues. Feb. 23 9:30-11am.

The 3rd annual Moraga Classic Car Show sponsored by the Moraga Chamber of Commerce and 5A Rent A Space will be held Saturday May 14 from 11am-4pm in the Rheem Center. Please register your classic car by visiting moragachamber.org or visit 5A Rent A Space at 455 Moraga rd Suite F. For more information please call (925) 247-4629.

The Lamorinda Republican Woman, Federation Club will meet Thursday February 17, at 11am. The topic this week is "The Legal Case Against Obamacare." Our speaker will be Brad Dacus, President, Pacific Justice Institute. Located at the Orinda Country Club, 315 Camino Sobrante.

The Northern California Camellia Society presents our 65th Annual show, Saturday February 19, from 1-5pm. Those wishing to show their flowers should arrive before 10:30am. The show will be held at the First Baptist Church of Walnut Creek, 2336 Buena Vista Ave., Walnut Creek. For more information please call, (925) 937-0188

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 speaker will be Scott B Denison who has been the General Manager for the Lesher Center for the last 20 years. He is also the Managing Director of the Center Repertory Company and over the years has directed numerous production. He will speak on Creating an Art Center. For membership information, call Larry at (925)631-9528.