Art

The Lafayette Public Art Committee is excited to present "The Morning Bell Project," an exhibition, featuring a community quilt and moving drawings by children, that raises awareness around keeping schools safe from gun violence. The show is on view now until Jan. 9 at the Library Public Art Gallery located in the Don Tatzin Community Hall, adjacent to the Lafayette Library and Learning Center (3491 Mt Diablo Blvd). The venue is only open during public events at the Community Hall. A reception will be held on Oct. 10 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Families and children are welcome.

Lamorinda Weekly photographer Jeff Heyman’s series of photographs of oak trees, “Oak Scars No. 3,” was selected to hang in The de Young Open 2023, an exhibit showcasing Bay Area artists at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. The exhibit runs from Sept. 30 to Jan. 7, 2024. There is a free public opening on Saturday, Sept. 30. www.famsf.org/exhibitions/de-young-open-2023.

The Lafayette Public Art Committee announces the opening of “Whispers and Echoes,” an exhibit of black and white photography by Lafayette artist Ozgur Aydogdu. The exhibit is on view now at the Town Hall Theatre, 3535 School St., during theatre hours. Join us for an opening reception on Oct. 1 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Meet the artist and enjoy refreshments provided by the Public Art Committee. The event is free and open to the public.

The Orinda Library Gallery presents “Glover Group and Friends,” Oct. 1 through Nov. 3. Seventeen local plein air artists will display paintings done on location in the Bay Area and beyond. Gallery Hours: Monday - Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Sundays.

Eight of the East Bay’s favorite art galleries offer a tour between Oct. 6 and 15, the public is encouraged to visit any of the eight participating galleries (listed below) to collect their free Art Passport, which gets stamped each time a gallery is visited during the event, for a chance to win a gift certificate to be used at any participating gallery. aRt Cottage, Concord; Blackhawk Gallery, Danville; JOR Fine Art Gallery, Clayton; Main Street Arts Gallery, Martinez; Moraga Art Gallery, Moraga; Valley Art Gallery, Walnut Creek; Village Theatre Art Gallery, Danville, Studio 55 & Art Gallery, Martinez

Music

Ensemble Mirable performs the first concert set of San Francisco Early Music Society’s exciting 2023–24 season from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, in a concert that unearths and brings to light lesser-known early music gems. “Beyond Bach and Handel” showcases buried treasure in that it highlights less familiar Baroque composers such as Salamone Rossi, Dietrich Becker, Biagio Marini, and Jean Zewalt Triemer, who rub shoulders in this concert set with their more famous colleagues such as Bach, VIvaldi, and Handel. Friday, Sept. 29, 7:30 p.m., in Palo Alto; Saturday, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m., in Berkeley; Sunday, Oct. 1, 4 p.m., in San Francisco. Tickets between $30 and $40 per ticket; attendees are encouraged to pay more if they are able to. https://www.sfems.org

Local breast cancer research and prevention nonprofit Notes4Hope presents its annual benefit concert on Friday, Oct. 6. Headliner is Michael Franti with special guest, Bay Area favorite, LUCE. VIP Doors: 4:30 p.m., VIP Experience: 5 p.m., GA Doors: 6 p.m., Show: 7 p.m., The Bruns, Home of Cal Shakes, 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda. All ages, no outside food or drink. Tickets & more info: notes4hope.org/franti

Theatre

Town Hall Theatre Company: “The Turn of the Screw,” adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, story by Henry James. Sept. 28 and 29 (Previews), Sept. 30-Oct. 21. Town Hall Theatre, 3535 School Street, Lafayette. Tickets: $20-45, Pay-What-You-Can tickets will be available at all performances at the door. www.townhalltheatre.com/turnofscrew

Improv comedy company Synergy Theater is invading the Lesher Center for the Arts, at 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, with its madcap improvised horror spoof, “Z is for…Zombie: An Improvised Zombie Apocalypse!” Oct. 19 – 29, Thursdays – Saturdays at 8:15 p.m. and Sundays at 3:15 p.m. The Lesher Center for the Arts, George & Sonja Vukasin Theatre 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, tickets: $25 buy online at www.lesherartscenter.org or by phone at (925) 943-7469.

Other

The Moraga Community Service Day will be held Oct. 6-8, with the goal of bringing the townsfolk together to assist those in need, and help beautify our schools and town. Sponsored and led by a Steering Committee of Moraga Community groups. Moraga families and individuals are encouraged to sign up and volunteer 1-3 hours to help. To view all the projects and sign up for your favorite one or two, visit http://moragaserviceday.org/

Lafayette Juniors Rummage Sale will return on Oct. 7. Lafayette Juniors and local community members donate their gently used items for the Rummage Sale. Shoppers find everything from gently used clothing, designer clothing, furniture, household items, toys, electronics, and sporting goods at truly unbeatable prices. Early Bird entrance will begin at 7 a.m. and general sale hours will be 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. All proceeds go to our beneficiaries. Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church - 49 Knox Dr, Lafayette, www.LafayetteJuniors.org.

Lafayette Sustainable Sunday 2023. Oct. 1, 3-6 p.m. Community Center at Jennifer Russel Building, 500 St. Mary’s Rd., Lafayette. Amazing local speakers who will share their experiences in green building concepts for your home, how to add permaculture to our gardens, and how to live a more sustainable life. Tickets at www.sustainablelafayette.org

Lafayette Community DEIB Webinar Oct. 12, 7 to 8 p.m. “Education about LGBTQI+ - Beyond the Binary.” Hosted by the Rainbow Community Center in Concord. During the webinar, participants will learn the foundational concepts of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression, identify current outcomes of rigid gender norms in our communities, and devise ways we can begin to break through dominant narratives around the gender binary. There will be a facilitator and a moderator provided by RCC as well as a Lafayette DEIB committee moderator for the session. To register and post questions for the webinar, go to https://tinyurl.com/lafayettedeib

Wine and Tapas Speaker Series Presents: Sacred, Secular, and the Shifting Boundaries of American Religion - Featuring: Professor of Religion and Society, Jerome Baggett. Sunday, Oct. 1, 4:30 to 6 p.m. Main Hall at Creekside Commons; 1035 Carol Lane, Lafayette, Entry B. Bring a bottle of wine and/or a small plate to share. Register to attend at www.creeksidecommons.org/upcomingevents

Reverend Matt Warren will be blessing the animals at St. Stephens Episcopal Church on Oct. 8 in the memorial garden, 66 St Stephens Drive, Orinda. The service at 4 p.m. is in honor of St Francis day to honor the patron saint of animals, creation, and the environment. Everyone is invited to attend with their furry, scaley, or feathered pets. Refreshments will be served for people and pets.

This fall, join us in person for one of our most-loved community events of the year: Empty Bowls! Families, local business leaders, and long-time Food Bank supporters come together to share a meal and fill the bowls of our community. $25 per ticket or $60 for 4-pack, simple meal served and a handcrafted bowl included. Oct. 14, Time: 4 -6 p.m. www.foodbankccs.org/events-promotions/empty-bowls/

American Association of University Women (AAUW) Orinda Moraga Lafayette Branch will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 9:30 a.m. at the Orinda Community Church, 10 Irwin Way, Orinda. All are invited to a discussion on “Book Banning and Curricula Censorship in California?”

Garden

The Walnut Creek Garden Club will hold its free monthly meeting on Monday, Oct. 9, at the Elks Lodge, 1475 Creekside Drive Walnut Creek. Join us for a special program Bonsai View for Beginners. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by a brief meeting, social time and an educational program, Complimentary tea and coffee are available. www.WalnutCreekGardenClub.com

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