ART

Calling All Makers, Hackers, Artists, DIYers for a day of fun and discovery at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center’s MakerFest from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 25. Demonstrations for all ages include 3D printing, air-powered rocketry, programmable microcontrollers, Lego robotics, book art, and much more. Hands-on projects like cardboard city, DIY instruments, candy sushi, button making, make your own slime, build a rocket, and computer programming for beginners. There’s something for everyone. All ages are welcome. Free. Register online at: http://tinyurl.com/makerfestLAF2015.

Off Playa Productions and the Downtown Berkeley Association presents Berkeley Spark 3.0 Arts + Innovation Festival from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 18 at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park, 2151 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley.  The festival features music, dance, food crafters, clothing, accessories, a giant art car, and art headed out to Burning Man. Free. For more info, go to http://www.facebook.com/events/1422259858092685/ or call (510) 549-2230 or email berkeleyspark@gmail.com.

Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art presents Bright and Beautiful: Early San Francisco Bay Area Watercolors - Featuring the Collection of Roger and Kathy Carter. This exhibition runs through Sept. 13 and will showcase the art of watercolor painting as it was practiced in Northern California in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Public reception and lecture by Curator Alfred C. Harrison Jr, at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 26 at the Soda Activity Center.  For info, visit https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/saint-marys-college-museum-of-art.

MUSIC

Free Summer Concert Series at the Moraga Commons at 6 p.m. Thursday evenings: July 16, Mania - Beatles tribute band; July 23  Stealin’ Chicago - Stealy Dan-Chicago tribute; July 30  Foreverland - Electrifying tribute to Michael Jackson. Bring your own picnic or enjoy dinner for purchase on site. For information, visit www.moragaparks.org/concert.html.

The Orinda Jazz Festival presents a Benefit Concert for Nepal from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 18 at the Orinda Community Church, 10 Irwin Way, Orinda. The event features Grammy Award-winning violinist Mads Tolling, bassist extraordinaire Kai Eckhardt, Ben Flint, Brian Byrnes, Carol Alban, Adam Noel, Jon Weiner, Dwaine “the Saxman” Spurlin, Jim Freeman, Filipe Leitao, Alvenson, and others! Free, with a $5-$10 suggested donation for Nepal Earthquake Relief. Fun for the whole family. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. For more info, call (510) 542-7517.

Operation Swingtime. Local Rotary Clubs (Lafayette, Lamorinda Sunrise, Orinda, Moraga and Rossmoor) are planning a very special evening concert on the Rotary stage at the Lafayette Reservoir on Saturday, July 18 beginning at 5 p.m. Operation Swingtime is a free outdoor concert featuring Mic Gillette on Trumpet (formally with Tower of Power), the Big Band of Rossmoor and the Swingin Blue Stars. Bring a picnic and enjoy a family concert honoring our veterans lakeside. For more info, visit www.thebigbandofrossmoor.org.

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 to 8:30 p.m.: July 21, West Grand Boulevard - Motown and Rhythm and Blues; July 30, Dennis Johnson & Ramblers - Blues and Swing.

Walnut Creek Concert Band presents a Summer “Pops” Concert at the Lesher Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 21. Tickets: $14 - $17 available at box office. For info, visit www.Lesherartscenter.org and www.walnutcreekband.org or call (925) 943-7469.

The Bay Area jazz vocalist Faye Carol and Joe Warner on piano mix a little sacred jazz into Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 21 at Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 1035 Carol Lane. Gospel jazz standards and the blues will be woven throughout the service as part of a summer teaching series that explores the dynamics of salvation. Free.

Orinda Library’s Summer of Music features a musical performance by Hot Air Saxophone Quartet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 29. Four saxophones and nothing else but hot air. But when it’s all under the control of these experienced musicians, it’s magical. Free.

Broadway Music Sing-Along - Sing your heart out with famous Broadway tunes at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 31 at Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church, 55 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek (off Walker). Live piano accompaniment by Lynn Finegan, words projected on a large screen. Dessert and beverages provided. Tickets at the door: $10 adults, $5 children over 6.

Concert in the Grove from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2, outside in the Oak Grove behind Lafayette Christian Church at 584 Glenside Drive. The Lafayette Studio Big Band, a 16-piece jazz band with vocalist will perform. Musicians have played with The Temptations, The Harry James Orchestra, Judy Collins, Sheila Escovedo, Bruno Mars, City Swing Orchestra and others. Fee at the door. Refreshments.

THEATER

Cal Shakes will be performing “Life Is a Dream” through Aug. 2, and a one-night show, “Virgins To Villains: My Journey Through Shakespeare’s Women,” on July 20. Cal Shakes performances are held at Bruns Amphitheater, 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way (formerly 100 Gateway Blvd.), Orinda. For more information, visit www.calshakes.org.

LECTURE & LITERATURE

“Water Conservation Tips,” an informative talk by Richard Harris from the Water Conservation Division of EBMUD at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 22 at the Lafayette Art Gallery located at The Forge, 3420 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Lafayette.

Lafayette Physical Therapy Lecture Series from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 28 will feature with LPT owner, director and physical therapist Valerie Watase, who will discuss Gait and Balance Issues Affecting Your Life. For info, call (925) 284-6150 or visit
LafayettePT.eventbrite.com to RSVP and reserve your seat. 

Authors and Athletes presents Endurance Athlete Barbara Edelston Peterson from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 30 at Lafayette Library and Learning Center.  Champion XTERRA athlete, author, designer, mother and the founder of ‘The Power of Exercise,’ Barbara Edelston Peterson believes in a multi-faceted approach to fitness and personal growth.  Tickets: $5. To register, visit tinyurl.com/EdelstonPeterson.

As a thematic prelude to the “Row with the Champions” Rotary Regatta, scheduled Aug. 22 at San Pablo Reservior, Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary is presenting an author-appearance event at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at the Veterans Memorial Building on Mount Diablo Boulevard in Lafayette. Special guest is Daniel James Brown, who wrote “The Boys In The Boat,” a national bestseller about an unheralded team from the University of Washington that overcame towering odds to win the rowing title at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The book, being made into a motion picture, is in the vein of “Seabiscuit,” the plucky prize-winning racehorse. Tickets: $30, available through www.rowwithchampions.org.

KIDS, PARENTS & TEENS

The Orinda Parks and Recreation Department is happy to bring back Movies in the Park for a second consecutive year. The movies will be held Thursday evenings at Orinda Community Center Park located at 28 Orinda Way. The following movies will begin at dusk: July 23 – “Big Hero 6;” Aug. 6 “Maleficent.”

Moraga Libary Kids Programs for July: Owls at the Library from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday, July 21- Lindsay Wildlife Museum will teach about owls, the silent predators. Give a hoot about Summer Reading with this Lindsay Wildlife program. These programs for children are free and open to the public. No registration required. For more info, visit ccclib.org or call (925) 376-6852.

OTHER

Join National Park Service rangers for a stargazing adventure, “Road Map to the Night Sky,” from 9:15 to 10:45 a.m. Saturday, July 18 at the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez. This free event begins inside the park. The program is designed to increase knowledge of the night sky by progressing through a series of constellations. Using these constellations as a “road map,” we will explore their historical context, the types of stars that comprise them, the positions of various planets, and take a special look at deep-space objects (galaxies, clusters, nebulae) using a high-powered telescope. Reservations are not required. For info, call (925) 228-8860. If it rains heavily, the program will be canceled.

Girls to Women in the Maasai Culture will feature Meeri Tuya and Sanaipei Loice, who are visiting from Chief Salaton Ole Ntutu’s Maji Moto Camp in Kenya from 3 to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 18 in the Lafayette Library and Learning Center Community Hall. Meet these beautiful Maasai women and hear their amazing stories of overcoming cultural obstacles to create a life for themselves through education. Jewelry sales will benefit the maternal and child health clinic at Maji Moto.

Free Girls’ Fashion Show to introduce the new made-to-order, sustainable and educational dress concept, Isabel Azam, by designer Jaleh Naasz. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and fashion show will start promptly at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 22 at the Pavilion at Hacienda de las Flores, 2100 Donald Drive, Moraga. Local food vendors will be present. RSVP to https://www.facebook.com/events/1606223822986453/.  (See story page B5)

Moraga-Orinda Fire District Chief Stephen Healy will discuss the fire and medical emergency services to the Orinda and Moraga communities, and about the proposed deal with Contra Costa County regarding a new fire station from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, July 25 at St. Stephen’s Church. The Church is located at 66 St. Stephen’s Drive in Orinda.

For the fifth year in a row, Sustainable Lafayette will be hosting a summer film series at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center featuring three recently released documentaries about waste reduction, food production and food waste. These award-winning films will be shown on weekday evenings in June and July. All movies will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Community Hall of the library. Schedule: “Just Eat It” – Tuesday, July 28. Free snacks, cookies, coffee, and refreshments will be served at each movie and special guest speakers will be included when possible. $10 donation requested; $5 for students. For info, visit http://www.sustainablelafayette.org/our-events/summer-film-series.

Summer Wine Festival 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16 at Saint Mary’s College Soda Center in Moraga. Tickets are $50 per person before Aug. 3.  Register at Stmarys-ca.edu/wine or (925) 631-8744.

Lafayette Joins National Night Out on Aug. 4 - Organize your block or neighborhood for a gathering and join the millions across the country who are celebrating the 32nd National Night Out. The purpose of the national event is to bring together neighbors for the mutual goal of learning what is already in place for emergency preparedness and crime prevention and what still needs to be done. Most important is that neighbors knowing neighbors saves lives and property. For questions or assistance, contact Carol Yates, NNO Director for Lafayette, at lepccarol@gmail.com.

Lindsay Wildlife Experience: “Wild Cats at Lindsay Wildlife” on July 25 and Aug. 22 at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek. Celebrate the Lindsay’s “Summer of Cats- Felines: Fierce and Friendly” with Barbara and Rob Dicely of Wild Cat Conservation and Education Fund, who will bring their big cats to the Lindsay to introduce them to the public and provide a valuable learning experience. For info, visit http://lindsaywildlife.org/summer-of-cats/.

SENIORS

The 7th Annual Senior Symposium “Aging by Design,” sponsored by the Lafayette Community Foundation, will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 1. This free event is an informative resource fair for seniors in the Lamorinda community, with more than 40 booths sponsored by local vendors that provide services to seniors, as well as many nonprofit organizations that serve seniors in the community. This year, the event will be held in downtown Lafayette, at Lafayette Elementary School, 950 Moraga Road. Advanced registration qualifies for a special raffle prize. Either call (925) 284-8214 or visit the Lafayette Community Foundation’s website: www.lafayettelcf.org.