ART

The Moraga Art Gallery announces its new show entitled “East-West Portal,” signifying a mix of contrasting cultures embodied in the collages of resident artist Pamela Murray and jewelry by guest artist Jyotsna Chawla. The show runs through Oct. 21. For more information, visit www.moragaartgallery.com, call (925) 376-5407 or email moragaartgallery@gmail.com.

Ray Beldner will be coming to the Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery to answer questions about applying for the StArtup Fair from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11 at Jennifer Perlmutter gallery. The event is free but if you want to attend, you need to RSVP at http://jenniferperlmuttergallery.com.

The award-winning Netflix series, “Stranger Things” has sparked fan art and loyal followers around the globe. Join us for a fun night of art and atmosphere to celebrate our love of all things “Strange” from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. Step inside the Sci-fi realm of “The Upside Down” at the Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery, featuring 11 artists from around the Bay Area paying tribute to the characters, sets, and themes of “Stranger Things.” The $10 admission ticket includes entry to this experiential exhibit, plus refreshments, live painting, meet the artists, photo ops, costume contest, raffle prizes, “Strange Art” for sale and other surprises! Purchase at: http://jenniferperlmuttergallery.com/product/strangerartist/.

The Lamorinda Arts Alliance presents its 3rd Annual Art Show and Sale from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14 at the Lafayette Christian Church at 584 Glenside Dr., Lafayette. Twenty-four artists will display and sell their artwork including ceramics, jewelry, printmaking, painting, photography, weaving and sculpture. Jacqueline Proulx will show her beautiful ceramics and George Ehrenhaft will display his exquisite watercolors. Maria Santostefano, a plein air painter, and K. de Groot with her unique jewelry will also display their work. There will be live music from a local jazz pianist, Michael Granat. The artists will all be on site to answer any questions you might have about technique or what inspires and motivates them. www.laa4art.org

MUSIC

The Little Fall Music Fest from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 at the Library Community Hall, Lafayette Library and Learning Center. Enjoy an afternoon of great music and libations, starting with flamenco dancer Melissa Cruz, followed by the bluegrass and blues sounds of Dirty Cello, and finishing with the rousing music hall songs of Brass Farthing. Lafayette Rotary Club will be on hand with barbecue, beer and wine. $10

Crowden Music Center presents Community Music Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, at Crowden Music Center, 1475 Rose Street, Berkeley. Crowden’s Community Music Day is a free musical carnival, with Instrument Petting Zoos, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, face painting, prizes and more. For more info see http://www.crowden.org/concerts-and-events/community-music-day or call (510) 559-6910 or email concerts@crowden.org.

THEATER

Town Hall Theatre Company presents “The Song of the Nightingale: A Musical Fairy Tale,” a new pop musical based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, with book, music and lyrics by Min Kahng; directed by Michael Mohammed with music direction by Margaret Halbig. The show runs through Oct. 21. For ticket information and showtimes, visit www.townhalltheatre.com.

California Shakespeare Theater and Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s co-production of “Measure for Measure” by William Shakespeare, directed by Tyne Rafaeli runs through Oct. 8 at Bruns Amphitheater, 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda. Single tickets start at $20, with discounts available for seniors, students, persons age 30 and under, and groups. All tickets are available through the California Shakespeare Theater Box Office, 701 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, (510) 548-9666, online at www.calshakes.org, or at the Bruns box office on the day of the performance.

LECTURE & LITERATURE

Two Among the Righteous Few: A Story of Courage in the Holocaust at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5 at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center. Speaker and author Marty Brounstein shares a true story of tragedy and hope, detailing how a Christian couple in the Netherlands saved the lives of over two dozen Jews during World War II. Please register to attend the program: www.tinyurl.com/LAFbrounstein

Miko Peled, Israeli Peace Activist speaks about “Trump and Prospects for Peace: What is Next for Palestine/Israel?” at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church 1035 Carol Lane, Lafayette. Cost: $10 in advance; $15 at door; students free. Pre-register at: www.ourpeacecenter.org. For more info visit www.mikopeled.com.

KIDS, PARENTS & TEENS

Lisa Bograd, MFT, will lead a workshop from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11 at the Orinda Library where parents (of elementary and preschool-aged children) will learn how to respond to picky eaters, avoid power struggles about food and weight, and other ways to help understand the dynamics of food and nutrition and choices. Free, but please register online at ccclib.org/locations/orinda.html.

For the second year in a row, Lamorinda Moms is proud to present Dr. Laura Markham, who will discuss how to facilitate a loving, connected relationship between siblings, based on her recent book, “Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings: How to Stop the Fighting and Raise Friends for Life.” This year’s event will take place from 7 to 9 .m. Wednesday, Oct. 11 at Orinda Intermediate School. The cost to attend is $20 for non-members and $10 members. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/.

Carr Ranch property dedication and public opening of 604-acre Carr Ranch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14 in Moraga. Guided hikes, a family square dance, food trucks, and other activities. Carr Ranch will serve the community as vital wildlife habitat, a source of clean drinking water, and beautiful public open space for recreation. Park at Rancho Laguna Park located at 2101 Camino Pablo in Moraga and follow the signs. More details available at www.jmlt.org.

Kids Book Faire 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15 with free admission and free parking at Acalanes High School in Lafayette. Some all-time favorite characters from books and movies will be on hand to meet and greet attendees including Curious George, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Pete the Cat and Clifford the Big Red Dog. Bel and Bunna’s Books of Lafayette will be on hand selling the books of these famous characters. There will be storytelling all day by authors and free arts and educational activities and photo booth for attendees. Attendees are encouraged to bring canned goods to donate to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. They will receive a free raffle ticket for each donated can.

Wheel Day from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 21 at Lafayette Orinda Presbyterian Chruch, 49 Knox Drive Lafayette (rain or shine.) Bring the whole family for a day of horn-honking fun. Children can climb, explore, ask questions and have their photo taken with a variety of vehicles! Popcorn and baked goods available for purchase.

The annual Lafayette Res Run for Education begins at 8 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 22 in downtown Lafayette.  Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, this community fitness event features beautiful scenery, a fast 5-K race, a challenging 10-K course which includes a trip around the Lafayette Reservoir, and a 2 Mile Fun Run/Walk for dogs, walkers and runners of all ages (this one begins at 8:45am). All races start and end at the same location – corner of Mt. Diablo Blvd. and Oak Hill Rd. in downtown Lafayette. Register online www.lafayettechamber.org/resrun.

Orinda Academy will be hosting an open house event for fall 2018 enrollment from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 22 and Dec. 9. Come and see what makes OA a Best of Parents Press winner (independent high school/alternative learning high school). Our small class sizes, college prep curriculum, and full-time learning support coordinator help all students be successful!

Teen Stress and Student Performance from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25 at Acalanes High School Performing Arts Center. All are invited to a free informative talk sponsored by Acalanes Parents Club given by author and psychologist, Dr. Ben Bernstein, Ph.D., a psychologist and educator specializing in how stress affects performance, including test anxiety. For more information and to register, visit https://benbernstein.eventbrite.com. If you have any questions, please contact Holly Nolan at HollyNolan@comcast.net.

For a fun, safe Halloween event, children and their parents are invited to trick-or-treat on Mt. Diablo Boulevard from Oak Hill Road to Dewing Avenue and in La Fiesta Square from 4-6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. All participating businesses will display a “Trick-or-Treat Poster” and balloons. Please come in costume to receive a special treat. Don’t forget to bring a trick-or-treat bag.

OTHER

Orinda Garden Club invites the Community to a documentary film presentation of “Toxic Puzzle: Hunt for the Hidden Killer” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4 at the Orinda Theatre, which follows the work of ethnobotanist, Paul Alan Cox Ph.D., and team in their investigation of the role environmental toxins play in neurodegenerative illnesses. The screening of the documentary will be followed by a Q& A session lead by Dr. Cox. Advance registration is required; for details go to orindagc.org, call (925) 257-0668 or email program@orindagc.org. Tickets are $5.

Restoring Creeks in Difficult Urban Sites at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4 in the Orinda Library Garden Room. Dr. Ann Riley, author of Restoring Neighborhood Streams, will talk about creek restoration projects in the San Francisco Bay Area and share with us what projects like this entail.

Join National Park Service rangers for a full moon walk beginning at 5:45 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5 on Mt. Wanda, part of the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez. This free, two-hour program is a one-mile, moderately strenuous hike to watch the full moon rise over nearby Mt. Diablo. Visitors should meet at the parking lot on the corner of Alhambra Avenue and Franklin Canyon Road, Martinez. Bring water, a flashlight, warm clothes, and binoculars, if you have them. No reservations needed. For more information, visit the park website at www.nps.gov/jomu.

The Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center and members of Jewish Voice for Peace - East Bay, Norcal Friends of Sabeel and Rossmoor Voices for Justice in Palestine are hosting Israeli peace activist/author Miko Peled beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6. He will be welcomed at a reception at 6 and will speak at 7 p.m. on the issue of Trump and the Prospects for Peace: What is Next for Palestine/Israel? This event takes place in Lafayette at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 1035 Carol Lane, with the goal of inviting discussion on this complicated issue. The public is invited. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door, free for students.


Come celebrate diversity and promote our unity at Soul Food Lamorinda (Fuel for the Mind and Soul) from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 at the Intercultural Center at Saint Mary’s College. Soul Food Lamorinda is a free Baha’i-inspired program that combines an audio-visual presentation with readings from various faiths, philosophers and leaders, allowing us to reflect on inspiring themes and reminding us of the oneness of humanity. This month’s program, “The Light Within” will explore the expression of light from religions, cultures and authors, to illuminate our hearts and minds. Free and open to everyone. For more info: www.meetup.com/Soul-Food-Lamorinda/

4th annual Art of Mixology Fundraiser from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 at the Orinda Theatre Square. Tickets are $45 in advance and can be purchased online at www.lamorindaarts.org/mixology. Day of tickets can be purchased at the event for $55.
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Serbian Food Festival from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church 1700 School Street, Moraga. Live Serbian Music, delicious homemade pastries, plus a bounce house for the kids!

Maximize Your Executive Compensation - If you receive stock options and/or restricted stock from your employer, or have access to a non-qualified deferred compensation plan, you will not want to miss this class where you will learn to maximize these benefits and minimize their tax impact. The class is being held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11 at the Lafayette Community Center. Cost is $30. To learn more and register for this class, visit bit.ly/execcomp1017 or the Lafayette Recreation website (register early - space is limited).

Superfest from 1 tp 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, in the Orinda Library Auditorium. For more than 30 years, Superfest has celebrated cutting-edge cinema that portrays disability through a diverse, complex, unabashed and engaging lens. Join Superfest and the Contra Costa County Library Accessibility Committee for an afternoon of films.

4th Annual Tech Trek Paper Shredding Fundraiser from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 14 at at 5A Rent-a-Space, 455 Moraga Rd, Moraga, rain or shine. AAUW Volunteers will unload boxes, dump papers into shred bins, then return file boxes to your car. Certificates of Destruction available on request. For more information about Tech Trek: http://oml-ca.aauw.net/tech-trek/

Volunteers will remove Fire Blight - damaged branches from the 104-year-old pear orchard adjacent to Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School in Moraga from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21. The trees are doing better after several years of fire blight removal, treatment with an organic fertilizer last year, and our winter rains. Bring gloves, sunscreen, hats and sturdy shoes. If you have them bring (labeled with your name), loppers, hand pruners and (especially needed) pole pruners and orchard ladders. For more information, contact Bobbie Preston at (925) 376-8474 or barbarampreston@comcast.net.

The big semi-annual book sale sponsored by the Friends of the Moraga Library will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 at the Moraga Library 1500 St. Mary’s Road. Books, CD’s, DVD’s of every category will be sold at prices ranging from 25 cents to $4. Beginning at 1 p.m. a bag can be purchased for $5 and filled with all the books it can hold. Come to one of the biggest bargain sales in Lamorinda.

Daughters of the Goddess Womyn’s Temple welcomes womyn and girls of all ages to the Annual Spiral Dance at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27 at the Orinda Masonic Temple, 9 Altarinda Rd. During this multi-cultural ritual, led by Kahuna Leilani, and accompanied by spiritual elders of different traditions, come together to honor and celebrate loved ones who have passed away. Ticket cost is $23 advance by Oct. 23 or $29 at the door. Student and Crone discounts are available in advance. Please bring pictures of your loved ones that have passed to be placed on the Ancestor Altar. Also bring along your drums and rattles for the ceremony.

SENIORS

The Stroke Support Group of Contra Costa County will hold its October meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9 in the Ball Auditorium at John Muir Medical Center - Walnut Creek Campus (1601 Ygnacio Valley Road). Susan O’Grady, Ph.D., psychologist, will discus “Finding Emotional Balance When Dealing with Difficult Feelings.” For further information about the Stroke Support Group, contact Ann Dzuna at (925) 376-6218. Meetings are free and open to the public.

The Sons in Retirement Lamorinda Branch 174 lunch at 11 a.m. on Oct. 11 at Holy Trinity Culture Center 1700 School Street, Moraga will feature Dr. Michael Barrington, author of “The Bishop Wears No Drawers” (memoir of 20 years living in Nigeria as a missionary). For attendance and membership info, call Tyler at (925) 284-5561.

GARDEN

The October program of the Walnut Creek Garden Club is: Glorious Success with Bulbs Wm. “Bill the Bulb Man” Welch, Santa Cruz will talk about how to maximize the beauty of our gardens using bulb plants: 9:45 a.m. Business Meeting; 10:30 a.m. social; 11 a.m. program Monday, Oct. 9 at Heather Farm, 1540 Marchbanks Road, Walnut Creek.

Lafayette Garden Club General Meeting from 9:45 to noon on Oct. 12 at the Lafayette Veteran’s Building located at 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette. Program and Speakers: James Pettigrew and Shawn Stout. These gentlemen will speak about “Salvage Secrets,” the creative ways to reuse materials in gardens. James has a keen artistic eye and Shawn has an extreme love of nature. Together, they make a dynamic duo, creating one of a kind habitat gardens.

Lafayette Community Garden and Outdoor Learning Center’s 6th annual Fall Harvest Celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15 at 3932 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Tours, games, crafts, snacks, and music.

The Moraga Garden Club will hold their next meeting at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Holy Trinity Church, 1700 School Street, Moraga. The guest speaker will be Linus Eukel, executive director of the John Muir Land Trust. Interested parties are welcome to attend the 9:30 a.m. social hour, 10 a.m. meeting, and the presentation by Eukel immediately following the meeting.