ART

Lireille Gallery of Contemporary Jewelry and Art will exhibit new paintings by Oakland artist Ani Lucia Thompkins through June 20, with a reception for the artist from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 5. Contact the gallery for more information at (510) 547-3455, or visit the artist’s website at http://anilucia.com.

The Lafayette Art Gallery’s new show, “Spring It On Me,” will run through June 28 at the Gallery, 3420 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite A, Lafayette. The featured artists are Judy Feins, Jill Landau and Lauri Moffet-Fehlberg. For more info, visit www.lafayettegallery.net.

Orinda Books is featuring four Contra Costa artists for its June Artist of the Month exhibit, entitled “Habitat: A Collaborative Series.” Cindy Baker, Kath Balamuth, Jules Campbell and Pam Jameson set out to create a series of mixed media artworks on the broad theme of “Habitat,” which became a thoughtful conversation between the artists. The show will run through June 30, with an artist’s reception from 1 to 3 p.m. on June 13.

Valley Art Gallery’s “Slopes of Diablo” exhibition will run through June 13. Mount Diablo defines our community, and every four years The Valley Art Gallery demonstrates how it impacts local artists with a special, juried exhibition of their interpretations of our iconic landmark.  For info, visit www.valleyartgallery.org or call (925) 935-4311.

The Moraga Art Gallery presents “Precision Beauty,” a new show featuring works created in the artistic traditions of Japan and China. The show, which includes the gallery’s 15 resident artists and several guest artists, runs from June 17 to Aug. 22. An opening reception, to which the public is invited, will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 20. For more information, visit www.moragaartgallery.com or call (925) 376-5407.

MUSIC

Jazz Café returns to Lafayette! Lafayette’s annual Jazz Café will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, June 5 in the Stanley Middle School Multi-Purpose Room. There is a fabulous lineup featuring Stanley Middle School’s Crusaders and Jazz Messengers, Campolindo’s Jazz Band and Acalanes’ Jazz Ensemble. Pre-concert entertainment by various musicians. Tickets: $10 general admission, $5 elementary students; kids under 6 are free. Los Primos Market Taco Truck will be selling scrumptious food from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dessert, coffee and beverages will also be available for purchase all evening. For info, contact Anouschka Wardy at anouschkaw@mac.com.

1st annual Lafayette Cello Bash - hear up to 100 Cellos in a free concert from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, June 7 in Lafayette Park Plaza. Music conducted by the esteemed Bonnie Hampton, featuring the “Dirty Cello” band.

WomenSing invites experienced singers to audition for its 2015-16 season. Winner of the Chorus America/ASCAP Alice Parker Award and the Contra Costa County Arts Commission Award for Artistic Achievement, WomenSing will perform Britten’s masterpiece “A Ceremony of Carols in December,” and will be participating in the Alta Pusteria International Choral Festival in Northern Italy in the summer of 2016. WomenSing is holding auditions on June 8 and by appointment for experienced singers. All voice parts are welcome. Scholarships are available for qualified singers. For info, email audition@womensing.org.

Orinda Library’s Summer of Music will feature Oakland Future Trio at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 6. Classical jazz standards creatively infused with a unique timbre that could only be derived from being raised in the culturally and socially diverse metropolis of Oakland.
The Concerts in the Park, which are sponsored by the Orinda Parks and Recreation Foundation and supported by the Orinda Community Foundation, Rotary Club of Orinda and City of Orinda, are held on Tuesday evenings. The following, with the exception two concerts, are held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: June 9 DND Band - rock n’ roll; June 16 Kenya B Trio - blues and jazz; June 23 Spill the Wine - pop and rock.

THEATER

“Willy Wonka Jr.” opens June 5 and 6 at Wagner Ranch Elementary School. Tickets are available at the door or through www.showTix4u.com. Cost: $12 reserved seats; $10 general seating. (See story page B7)

Town Hall Theatre presents the comedy “Moon Over Buffalo” by Ken Ludwig and directed by Scott Fryer through June 13. For show times and tickets go to www.townhalltheatre.com or call (925) 283-1557.  (See story page B1)

The Orinda Starlight Players will present Agatha Christie’s “Black Coffee” Thursdays-Sundays, June 5 through July 4 at the Outdoor Theatre in Orinda Community Center Park located at 28 Orinda Way. Cost: $16 regular admission; $8 senior. For show times and ticket information, visit the box office, go to http://www.orsvp.org or call (925) 528-9225.

LECTURE & LITERATURE

Commonwealth Club presents “Video Games and Neuroscience: A Vision of the Future of Medicine and Education” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. June 10 at the Lafayette Library Community Hall. Brain training games offered by companies like Lumosity and Fit Brains are rapidly gaining popularity, but how do we know if they’re truly able to keep our brains healthy? Come hear the latest in neuroscience as University of California, San Francisco’s Dr. Adam Gazzeley explores how video games can train our brains, fend off mental decline and reduce our reliance on medication to treat neurological and psychiatric conditions. Cost: $15 members; $25 nonmembers. Check-in starts at 6 p.m.

Join the Women’s Resource Center and the Saint Mary’s College Leadership Center for a lively conversation and reflective session with author Maura Wolf from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 4 in the Hagerty Lounge in De La Salle Hall, Saint Mary’s College of California. Come investigate what’s going on when we face challenging decisions, and how we can move toward making better choices and doing so with more ease. RSVP for this free workshop at http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/node/25771.

KIDS, PARENTS & TEENS

Kids Day begins at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, June 14 at The New Rheem Theatre, 350 Park Street in Moraga with the showing of the movie “Despicable Me,” followed by a festival from noon to 2 p.m. with Sno-Cones, Bricks 4 Kidz, face painting, food, bounce house, petting zoo, balloons and police cars. The cost for the movie is $5 and the entire event is a benefit for the Special Olympics of Northern California.

OTHER

Community Concern for Cats invites you to visit adorable kitties this weekend, June 6-7, at Pet Food Express in Lafayette and Pleasant Hill, and Petco in Walnut Creek. Hours are noon to 4 p.m. For more info, go to www.communityconcernforcats.org and visit the Facebook page.

Bay Area Book Festival from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 6 and 7 in the Downtown Berkeley Arts District. Free indoor/outdoor festival with 300-plus diverse authors from the Bay Area, California, the nation and the world appearing in keynotes, interviews and panels. Volunteers needed. For info, visit www.BayBookFest.org.

Join the National Park Service for a free campfire program at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 6 at John Muir National Historic Site (NHS) in Martinez. Rangers will lead the group in songs, skits and stories to celebrate the legacy of John Muir, one of the greatest naturalists and conservationists the United States has ever known. No reservations are required. Meet at the front gate of the John Muir National Historic Site, 4202 Alhambra Ave., in Martinez (at the Alhambra Ave. exit off Highway 4). Come with picnic blankets, lawn chairs, marshmallows and a desire to have a good time. If it rains heavily, the program will be canceled.

The Stroke Support Group of Contra Costa County will hold its June meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, June 8 in the Ball Auditorium at John Muir Medical Center - Walnut Creek Campus (1601 Ygnacio Valley Road). The speaker will be Eileen Nevitt, LCSW, who will discuss “The Many Hats of Care Management.” After the program, attendees will break up into three coping groups led by a trained professional. For further information about the Stroke Support Group, contact Ann Dzuna at (925) 376-6218. Free.

Eat to End Alzheimer’s from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, June 11 in the Desco Plaza Fountain Courtyard 3675 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette. In celebration of National Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month in June, the Alzheimer’s Association in Lafayette will host its third annual barbecue fundraiser. Enjoy live music, a delicious barbecue spread, and raffle prizes for a $10 donation to support the local programs and services of the Alzheimer’s Association. RSVP at https://alzbbq.eventbrite.com or contact Lacey Todd at Ltodd@alz.org or (925) 284-7942.

Diablo Ballet Dance on Film Presents “Anchors Aweigh,” starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, and Gene Kelly, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 17 at the Community Hall in the Lafayette Library and Learning Center. Diablo Ballet Artistic Director Lauren Jonas and dancer Edward Stegge will present fun facts about the film prior to the screening. Light refreshments will be served. Cost: $5 at the door.  Register at www.lafayettelib.org/calendar/programs/family.html.

The students of the MFA in Dance program of Saint Mary’s College proudly present Body Object/Body Subject, a creative culmination born of the integration of both Creative Practice, Design and Production disciplines. The dance starts at 8 p.m. and runs June 25-27 in the LeFevre Theatre. Tickets: (925) 631-400 www.stmarys-ca.edu.

SENIORS

Sons In Retirement Lamorinda Branch 174 meets for lunch at 11 a.m. the Second Wednesday monthly at Holy Trinity Culture Center 1700 School Street, Moraga. The guest speaker on June 10 will be Susan Captain of Captain Vineyards. For attendance and membership info, call Tyler at (925) 284-5561 or visit www.branch174.sirinc2.org.

GARDEN