ART

Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art presents for new exhibitions: “Visual Language: Mystery and Meaning” through June 21; “River Passage: New Work by Danae Mattes” May 25 – Sept. 6; “Andy Warhol: Prints, Polaroids and Pop” through June 14; and “The Darker Side of William Keith: Late Paintings” through Sept. 6. Museum admission: $5 adults; members and K-12 graders free; free parking. For info, call (925) 631-4379 or visit stmarys-ca.edu/museum.

The exhibit “Petals to Porcelain” features florals and still life oil paintings by Moraga resident Suzanne D’Arcy, and is currently being shown at the Moraga Library. These paintings feature ordinary objects and flowers in traditional and non-traditional compositions. They are painted in her studio in Moraga and as part of her work as faculty at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Twenty-five percent of any paintings purchased will be donated to Friends of the Moraga Library. The exhibit will be open during regular library hours through April 30. For details, call (510) 917-6038.

Lafayette Art Gallery’s current exhibit, “Trending,” will be open through May 2. The Gallery is located at The Forge, 3420 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Closed on Monday. For more info, call (925) 284-2788 or visit www.lafayetteartgallery.com.

The Moraga Art Gallery announces a new show entitled “Transitions,” featuring the one-of-a-kind, Asia-accented jewelry of Lafayette’s own master jeweler K. de Groot, and a collection of Raku and pit-fired pottery by guest artist Mary Leigh Miller of Moraga. The show will run until May 30.  (See story page Bx)

MUSIC

San Francisco Chamber Orchestra presents Main Stage Concert: The Romantics (Berkeley) from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 26 at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley. Benjamin Simon, conductor; Sterling Elliott, cello [2015 Debut Artist and 2014 Sphinx Competition Winner]. Works by Schubert & Brahms. Free. For more info, visit http://www.thesfco.org/category/main-stage-concerts/ or call (415) 692-3367 or email info@thesfco.org.

Pianopalooza! At 4 p.m. Sunday, April 26, three Bay Area pianists – David Olachea, Randy Creighton and Martin Morley – present the finest in piano literature on an outstanding 9-foot concert grand on loan from Oakland’s Piedmont Piano Company. Works by Chopin, Alkan, Prokofiev, Scriabin, Ravel, Ginastera, Gershwin and Creighton as part of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Concert Series, 1035 Carol Lane in Lafayette. Free.  For info, visit www.oslc.net or call (925) 283-3722.

Fifth Annual Lafayette Community Music Festival - Town Hall’s signature acoustic music event – at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 2. This year’s line up: Other People’s Money, Mark Stanley From Rock Island, Pat Nevins, Kiki Stack’s All-Stars, Clive Worsley and Friends, and Mike Miller. Tickets: $30 advance; $35 at the door.

Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble, directed by Anne Hege, presents “Women with a Vision: The Lasting Influence of Hildegard von Bingen and Nadia Boulanger,” a concert celebrating the roles that two great female composers have played in shaping the course of music and the trajectory of new music at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 3 at St. Perpetua Catholic Parish, 3445 Hamlin Rd. Lafayette. Tickets: $25 suggested donation at the door; $20 advance; $15 students. For advanced tickets, visit brownpapertickets.com or www.vocisings.com. For info, call (510) 531-8714.

Maestro David Morales and The Cantare Con Vivo Chamber Ensemble join with the renowned Bay Area instrumental ensemble Quijeremá for Music of Latin America May 6 at Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, 49 Knox Drive, Lafayette. The audience will be treated to a concert filled with stirring selections from various South and Central American countries, the Caribbean Islands and Mexico. The history of a great people that dominate our hemisphere will come alive through their music, narration and pictures. Tickets: $25 general, $20 senior, $10 youth. For tickets, visit www.cantareconvivo.org or call the CCV office at (510) 836-0789.

The Lafayette Rotary Club’s Annual Concert at the Res will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 9 at the new permanent stage at the Lafayette Reservoir. The free event showcases and raises money for local school music programs. Performing will be the Stanley Symphonic Band, the Acalanes Wind Ensemble, the Big Band of Rossmoor, the Bentley School Jazz combo and a special guest band from Oakland Westlake Middle School. You can pack a picnic and don’t forget your beach chairs and blankets. Once you have parked, walk east (to your left) toward the reservoir trail. The stage is about 150 feet from the parking lot.

Music ranging from Rachmaninoff to Godzilla will be performed by Maestro Duane Carroll and the Contra Costa Wind Symphony in a concert billed as “Sublime to Silly” at 8 p.m. May 12 at Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. Tickets ($10-$25) are on sale at the Lesher Center at (925) 943-7469 or www.lesherartscenter.org.

THEATER

The Acalanes DramaDons present “The Rimers of Eldritch,” directed by Ed Meehan. The highly imaginative and affecting drama, with a political bite, runs at 7 p.m. April 29 and 30, and May 1 and 2 in the Acalanes Performing Arts Center Little Theatre. Advance ticket sales available through the AHS Web store and on campus during lunch. Limited ticket sales are available at the door. All proceeds benefit Acalanes Performing Arts Boosters-Drama. Tickets: $10 adults; $7 students and seniors. For more info, visit http://dramadons.org/.

“Shrek The Musical JR” at Orinda Intermediate School, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. April 30 and May 1 and 5 p.m. May 2 at 80 Ivy Drive, Orinda. Ticket prices range from $3 - $10 and are available for advance purchase at www.showtix4u.com. Tickets will also be sold at the door.

The Acalanes High School DramaDons theater group presents “Hamlet,” a fast-paced adaptation of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy by Bay Area playwright/director Jon Tracy explores the bonds of youth and the influence that their elders exert on them at 7:30 p.m. May 2-5. Tickets: $10 general; $7 students/seniors at www.dramadons.org or at the door.

Role Players Ensemble presents John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men,” through May 3 at the Village Theatre, 233 Front Street, Danville. This powerful, award-winning play is directed by Eric Fraisher Hayes and features Khary Moye and ShawnJ West as George and Lennie. Show times: 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday.

LECTURE & LITERATURE

The Storytelling Association of California (http://www.storysaac.org) presents a family-friendly festival of oral narratives, poetry, workshops, music and more from 6:30 to 9 p.m. April 24, from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. April 25, and from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 26 at the Orinda Community Center, 28 Orinda Way. For more info, call (510) 869-4946 or email info@bayareastorytelling.org.

The second of the “Intergenerational Dialogues on Racism in America – Then – 1965 & Now – 2015” will be held at Orinda Community Church Fellowship Hall, 10 Irwin Way, Orinda, on April 26 from 11:15 a.m. to noon for a light lunch, and noon to 1:30 p.m. for the program. This program is entitled “Where Do We Go From Here? Building an Intentional East Bay Community.” Free. Childcare provided.

The Lafayette Library and Learning Center Distinguished Speaker Series is proud to present Joyce Maynard and Joe Loya in Conversation with author and journalist Kevin Sessums. Join Maynard and Loya, and Sessums at the Lafayette Library, Friday, May 1. In his latest, “I Left It on the Mountain,” Sessums chronicles his early days in New York as an actor, his years working for Andy Warhol at Interview and Tina Brown at Vanity Fair, his HIV-positive diagnosis and his descent into addiction. Designed for adults (18+). Free. Registration required at tinyurl.com/Sessums.

The Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation’s Distinguished Speaker Series is proud to present An Evening with David Sedaris, at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 7 at the Orinda Theatre. With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, Sedaris has become one of America’s preeminent humor writers. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased at tinyurl.com/LLLCFSedaris or by calling the LLLCF office at (925) 283-6513 ext. 103.

KIDS, PARENTS & TEENS

Seedling’s Preschool 21st Annual Wheel Day from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 25 at Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, 49 Knox Dr, Lafayette. Climb inside a giant tractor, sit on a real motorcycle and hear a real fire engine siren. For kids who love anything to do with wheels! The event is free and open to the public and promises numerous vehicles including construction, public safety, public transport vehicles and local businesses.

Contra Costa Jewish Day School, Temple Isaiah, PJ Library, The Jewish Federation of the East Bay present Shadow puppetry and music with Daniel Barash, The Shadow Puppet Workshop, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 26 at Contra Costa Jewish Day School, 955 Risa Road, Lafayette. Celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. Free. For info, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1506615376221150/.

Start warming up your voices now – Lamorinda Idol auditions are just around the corner. K-12 students living or attending school in the Lamorinda area may audition for a chance to be a Lamorinda Idol finalist. Auditions run May 14-17. Visit Orinda Arts Council’s website at http://orindaarts.org/lamorinda-idol/audition-information to sign up for auditions between through April 30.

Lafayette Nursery School’s 39th Annual Science Day of Discovery from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 2. Make a volcano explode, shoot a rocket, make slime, dig for dinosaur bones and test your senses! These are just a few of the many hands-on activities designed for children preschool age through third grade. It’s a great experience for the whole family. Cost: $4 per child. For info, call Lafayette Nursery School at (925) 284-2448 or visit www.lafayettenurseryschool.org.

OTHER

The 5th annual blood drive in memory of Rachael Wenger will be held from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 24 in the multi-purpose room at Springhill Elementary School in Lafayette. Blood is needed every day so please consider being a donor. To schedule an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code RachaelWenger (no spaces) or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Walk-ins are also welcome.

Join a National Park Service ranger for free early Saturday morning wildflower walks beginning at 9 a.m. April 25, May 2 and May 16 at the John Muir National Historic Site. Each two-hour walk will begin with an easy saunter up Mt. Wanda to look for wildflowers. Over 82 species of native plants have been identified on Mt. Wanda, and hikers may spot California buttercups, purple Chinese houses and mule’s ears. Meet at the Park and Ride lot at the corner of Alhambra Avenue and Franklin Canyon Road, in Martinez (at the Alhambra Ave. exit off Highway 4). Bring water, a shade hat, and wear good walking shoes because the trail is steep. If it rains heavily, the walk will be cancelled.

The Saint Mary’s College Guild’s Fashion Show and Luncheon featuring clothing by Draper’s and Damon will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25 at the Saint Mary’s Soda Center. Cost: $35. For more info or to register, contact Cyndie at (925) 820-8002.

Be the Star You Are Book Bash Blowout from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25 (after the Triathlon) at 5A Rent A Space, 455 Moraga Rd., Moraga. Hundreds of brand new books priced from 99 cents. Spend $19.99 and receive a free new book. Free kid crafts, entertainment, snacks, giveaways, author signings. Proceeds benefit BTSYA literacy charity. For info, visit http://btsya.com/events_calendar.html.

Community Concern For Cats invites you to meet adoptable cats and kittens from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 25-26 at Pet Food Express in Lafayette and Pleasant Hill and Petco in Walnut Creek. For more info, visit www.communityconcernforcats.org.

JF Kapnek’s 12th Annual Family 5k/1k Fun Run at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 26 at Miramonte High School in Orinda. There will be face painting, crafts, brunch, Zimbabwean food, African band, free T-shirt, fun-run, prizes and more. To register, go to Active.com (keyword: KAPNEK).

Lafayette’s 10th annual Earth Day Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 26 at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center. This special anniversary event features food, fun, entertainment, and the latest ideas and approaches for living a more sustainable life, as well as live music, art, storytelling, a scavenger hunt and conservation-themed displays. For more info, visit www.sustainablelafayette.org. (See info page A12)

Cinco de Mayo Fiesta from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 3 at the Hacienda de las Flores which is located at 2100 Donald Drive off Moraga Rd. Adults $5 and children are free: live mariachi music, authentic Mexican food, piñatas, games and tortilla making.

The Moraga Community Faire & Car Show will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 9 in the town’s Rheem Valley Shopping Center - offering a wonderful opportunity for a “family fun day” on the day before Mother’s Day with a climbing wall, bounce house, carnival games, music, arts and crafts, local food trucks, a dunk tank, local wine and amazing classic cars. Free to attend, the Faire is organized and sponsored by the Moraga Chamber of Commerce; visit www.moragachamber.org/faire.

The Seventh Annual Orinda Restaurant Tour. San Francisco’s East Bay area food lovers will again have the opportunity to join a fun, culinary gathering to savor and sample their way through Orinda restaurants from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 12 at Theatre Square, hosted by the Orinda Chamber of Commerce. Guests will sample fine food from restaurants throughout Orinda, with each establishment providing a small portion that best represents the establishment at no cost to ticket holders. Tickets available at www.orindachamber.org.

Taste of Lafayette from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday May 19. An amazing night of food, wine, raffle prizes and fun. Prizes include a year of dining packages, Carmel getaway and much, much more. The tour begins at Lafayette Plaza with a wine and beer reception including appetizers and musical entertainment. Ticket holders go at their own pace to any or all of the participating restaurants. Then return for a dessert reception and coffee at the Plaza from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $45 if purchased by May 9; $50 thereafter. For info, visit http://www.lafayettechamber.org/event/taste-lafayette.

POLITICAL GATHERINGS

Coffee with Assemblywoman Catharine Baker - Co-Hosted by Orinda Councilwoman Amy Worth from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 25 in the Garden Room, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda. This will be an opportunity for the Lamorinda community to meet the assemblywoman, ask her questions, and share their thoughts on legislative issues. RSVP: (925) 328-1515.

SENIORS

“The Stages of Dementia, Including a Tour of the Brain” will be presented by Vitas Hospice, the experts in dementia, and nurse educator Colleen Baker, RN, BSN, PHN from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 23 at Aegis of Moraga, 950 Country Club Drive, Moraga.   RSVP to Nancy Robinson at (925) 297-6760 or nancy.robinson@aegisliving.com. Free. Light refreshments will be served.

Get organized by creating a home inventory, gaining control of paper clutter. “Home Inventory: Protecting your Legacy” is the greatest gift you can give yourself and your family. Find out why and what you should inventory, how much value is potentially being overlooked, and the importance of leaving an organized, documented digital legacy for your loved ones. Every day, rafts of paper flood into our homes. Tricia will teach you how to set up an efficient, simple filing system, and share with you organization tips on how to take control of the paper clutter once and for all from 10:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday, April 29 in the Cedar Room, Lafayette Community Center. Free for Senior Services members; $10 non-members.

Sons In Retirement Lamorinda Branch 171 meets the first Wednesday monthly at Holy Trinity Culture Center 1700 School St. Moraga. Social hour at 11 a.m.; lunch at noon. The May 6 after-lunch speaker will be Fred Lezak, management consultant and former CEO who will speak on the demise and rebirth of civility in society and share some amusing incidences where the lack of civility in business led to some interesting results. Fred will also focus on issues that seniors contend with. For membership information, call Larry at (925) 631-9528.

The California Senior Legislature is hosting a Senior Rally Day in Sacramento. This is an opportunity for seniors to travel to their state capitol and have their voices heard by district legislators. This event begins at 10 a.m. with presentations by several legislators, followed by a lunch break from noon to 1 p.m. on May 6. Seniors will have a chance to visit their representatives after lunch. If you want to take an important ride to Sacramento to have your voice heard, contact Mary Bruns at the Lamorinda Spirit Van Program (925) 284-5546 as soon as possible. Transportation will be provided. You are encouraged to bring your lunch to this event.

Sons in Retirement Lamorinda Branch 174, a social organization of retired and semi-retired men, meets for lunch at 11 a.m. the second Wednesday monthly at Holy Trinity Culture Center, 1700 School Street, Moraga. The May 13 guest speaker will be from The Lamorinda Village. For attendance and membership info, call Tyler at (925) 284-5561 or visit www.branch174.sirinc2.org.

GARDEN

Lafayette Community Garden presents Irrigation Efficiency from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 25 at 3932 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette. Seth Wright, a landscape contractor with 20 years experience in the landscape industry, is now specializing in irrigation efficiency. In this class, he will cover spray to drip conversions, EBMUD and CCWD rebate programs, as well as emitter layout and scheduling. He will emphasize landscape and lawn care during the drought, but will also address issues of edible gardens. Free. However, a $5 donation is appreciated to support education programs. To register or for more info, visit www.lafayettecommunitygarden.org.

The Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour is a free, self-guided tour of 30 Alameda and Contra Costa county gardens that will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 3. Pre-registration is required: www.bringingbackthenatives.net.

The Moraga Junior Women’s Club, celebrating their 45th anniversary as an organization, presents the 10th “Through the Garden Gate” garden tour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 3, rain or shine, through five beautiful gardens in Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda. For info, visit www.moragajuniors.org. (See story page D1)

Lafayette Community Garden and Outdoor Learning Center - Wind Chime Workshop: Making Music for Your Garden from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 9 at 3932 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette. Come celebrate Mother’s Day weekend making musical wind chimes in the garden! Wind chimes can be made with an exciting mixture of elements. Bring recycled items like old keys and jewelry, drillable kitchen utensils, silverware, and garden knick-knacks. Use your imagination! There will be filament, string, drills, other fasteners and materials for you to use. For info, visit http://lafayettecommunitygarden.org/sign-up-for-events/.