January 29, 2009

Calendar of local events

Unless otherwise noted all phone numbers are in the 408 area code.

MUSIC

Jan. 26 – Feb. 3
West Valley Masterworks Chorale Auditions: Experienced singers are encouraged to make audition appointments. Location is Room MU-11 in the Music Building (next to Theater), of West Valley College, 14000 Fruitvale Ave, Saratoga. Spring rehearsals begin Feb. 3, every Tuesday night from 6 - 9:10 p.m. The West Valley Masterworks Chorale will sing in Carnegie Hall Summer 2009.  There are openings in all voices, especially Tenor & Bass. For more information, go to www.westvalleychoirs.org   

THEATER

Jan. 23 – Feb. 14
The Tabard Theatre Company presents The Little Prince at Theater on San Pedro Square: This whimsical adaptation of Antoine de Saint Exupery’s delightful novel speaks to the child in everyone. Directed by Andrew Ceglio, The Little Prince marks the third production of the Tabard’s 2008-2009 season. For a special treat, join cast and staff for an opening night reception following the performance. Scrumptious dessert offerings are donated by Charlie’s Cheesecake Works, a Tabard Community Partner. Show times are Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Visit http://www.tabardtheatre.org for special school performances and other information. Tickets are $22 general and $10 for children 17 years and younger. Senior & adult student discounts are available. Reservations are strongly recommended by calling the box office at 679-2330.

Jan. 31 – Feb 21
The Saratoga Drama Group presents “The Will Rogers Follies” at the Saratoga Civic Theater, 13777 Fruitvale Avenue in Saratoga. This highly entertaining musical brings to life the folksy wisdom and humor that characterized American legend Will Rogers. From his humble beginnings in Oklahoma to worldwide media fame, The Will Rogers Follies is a true crowd pleaser. Tickets are $20 – 27, and may be ordered by calling 266-4734. For more information, visit www.saratogadramagroup.com

Feb 13 - 14
Bay Area Showcase Chorus offers Singing Valentines: Running from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. both days, in-person deliveries will be available throughout Santa Clara, San Mateo counties and Tri-City areas, and phone “deliveries” will be made anywhere. Our performers are a special Valentine’s Quartet or Double Quartet. Cost is $15 - $30. To schedule your singing valentine, phone 973-1555 or for more information visit: http://www.singharmony.org/valentines2009

DANCE

Mar. 15
Ballet San Jose Audition Tour For 2009-10 Season: Dennis Nahat, Artistic/Executive Director of Ballet San Jose, announces open auditions for the company’s 2009-10 season, which runs from Sept. ‘09 – May ‘10. Requirements; bring headshot, resume and dance photo if available. Women must wear light or skin color tights and bring pointe shoes.  Men must wear light color tights and bring ballet shoes.  All dancers should bring character shoes. Audition will include ballet class, pointe work and partnering. No pre-registration required.  Please arrive at least 20 minutes early to fill out the audition application and pay any fees. Location is 40 North First St, from 1 – 3 p.m. – phone 288-2820 for directions. Fee: $20 registration (Member of AGMA, fee is waived). For additional information, contact Les Reinhardt, Stage Manager – 408-288-2820 ext. 235 or PSM@balletsanjose.org. If you are unable to attend, send a DVD or VHS highlighting your work to: Les Reinhardt, Stage Manager Ballet San Jose, 40 North 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113

CHILDREN/FAMILY

Jan. 30
Smucker’s Stars on Ice “On the Edge” tour returns for its 23rd season at the HP Pavilion at 7:30 p.m.:This all-new production features Olympic Silver Medalist Sasha Cohen and as a special guest, 2008 World Champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist Jeffrey Buttle. Cohen and Buttle will be joined by an outstanding cast of Olympic, World and National Champions. Show time is 7:30 p.m., and tickets for the Smucker’s Stars on Ice performance are on sale now and start at $25. They may be purchased at the HP Pavilion Box Office, by visiting www.starsonice.com, or by calling Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the Bay Area (408) 998-TIXS, (415) 421-TIXS or (510) 625-TIXS. Group (10+) information is available by calling 408-999-5841. A Portion of the Smucker’s Stars On Ice Proceeds to Benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Jan. 31
St. Timothy’s Lutheran School of San Jose will host an Open House for prospective families and students from 9 a.m. to noon. This WASC accredited school is noted for its strong spiritual and academic programs. Serving a pre-school through grade 5 population, parents, students, and alumni give the school high marks. Class sizes are small, ensuring strong and consistent student-teacher interaction. A rigorous academic curriculum, supported by strong Christian foundations, prepares the children for success and leadership in advanced grades at both public and private middle and high schools. Come and see for yourself what distinguishes St. Timothy’s from other local schools. Contact Gayle Renken, Principal, for more details, or visit the Open House at 5100 Camden Avenue, San Jose, CA 95124. Phone: 408-265-0244. www.stlcsj.org/school 

CLASSES

Jan. 26
The Almaden Valley Counseling Service announces its Winter Session of STEP (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting). This 7-week positive parenting class is for the parents of preschool, school age, and teenage children. All classes will be held from 7:15 to 9:15 pm. School Age class will be held on Monday nights starting Jan. 26, Teenage class will be held on Wednesday nights starting Jan. 28th, and Preschool Age class will be held on Thursday nights starting Jan. 29th. The cost is $110 for one parent or $165 for a couple. Contact AVCS at: (408) 997-0200 / staff@avcounseling.org. Visit our website for registration form: www.avcounseling.org. Location: 6529 Crown Blvd., Suite D, San Jose, CA 95120

Feb. 5
Boating Safety Classes: The US Coast Guard Auxiliary will be offering a boating safety course from 6;30 – 9 p.m. every Thursday night for nine weeks. Classes meet at the First Congregational Church, 1980 Hamilton Avenue (at Leigh Avenue). For more information, call Lynn Haydis at 723-0223 or William Shepard at 377-6118.

Feb. 7
Successful Backyard Birdhouses: Do you wonder why some people always seem to have baby birds in their yards? Where and how you mount the bird boxes and which boxes attract your local birds is critical to your success. Join Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens and Mike Azevedo, County Coordinator for Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society’s Cavity Nester Recovery Program for tips on attracting birds to nest boxes in your neighborhood. Learn which local birds use nest boxes, what areas of the city these birds call home and where those birds like their nest boxes to be placed. You can also help restore the cavity nesting bird population that has been declining with the Audubon Society’s program to put up and monitor nest boxes at parks, cemeteries and other open spaces. This workshop, sponsored by the Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens will be held at the GRP& G Visitor & Education Center, 438 Coleman Avenue in San Jose. Pre-registration is required by calling (408) 298-7657 or visit www.grpg.org to learn more. Hours are 10 a.m. – noon, fees are $10/members, $15/non-members

Feb. 9
Learn how to Prune Ornamental Shrubs & Trees: This free Metropolitan Adult Education Program (MAEP) World Garden Workshop will be held at the Erikson Adult Center, 4849 Pearl Ave, San Jose from 10 a.m. to noon. Master Gardener Sue Bell will teach gardeners of all skill levels how to prune and maintain ornamental shrubs and trees. To register for the workshop, call 723-6450 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday and ask to have your name added to the February World Garden Workshop list, or email your name and phone number to ritab@metroed.net. Sign-up early, as space is limited.

FIFTY-PLUS

Welcome Wagon Chapter #3: Women’s Social Group with activities that include Golf, Tennis, Hiking, Bridge, Canasta, Pinochle, Luncheons, Movies, Antiques, Book Club, etc. For more information, please email Gail:  gailmagg@aol.com Or call Veronika (408) 559-3734

VOLUNTEERS

Feb. 10
Join Ace Hardware in “New Faces for Helpful Places” renovation program: Ace Hardware stores in the San Jose area, along with Ace’s “Helpful Hardware Man,” Lou Manfredini, will be giving San Jose’s Santa Maria Urban Ministry a $10,000 renovation through our “New Faces for Helpful Places” program. Please join our team of volunteers at 9:00 am to help give this deserving organization the makeover it needs to continue to help San Jose’s inner city community. Location: 778 South Almaden, San Jose, CA 95110-2919.  Please contact or visit your local Ace Hardware store with any questions or for more information.

Good Sam Gift Shop Volunteers Needed: The Auxiliary of Good Samaritan Hospital invites you to join our team of dedicated volunteers and have fun while serving your community.  Our gift shop service is looking for enthusiastic and customer service oriented volunteers to help in both the shop and the stockroom.  A minimum commitment of four hours per week is expected.  No retail experience is necessary.  Please call the Auxiliary office (408) 559-2345 to have an application packet sent to you and to sign up for a one-hour information meeting.  Applications are also available at the Good Sam web site:  goodsamsanjose.com.” 

MISCELLANEOUS

Jan. 31
Free Electronic Waste Recycling Event: Held at the Almaden Community Center, 6445 Camden Avenue, San Jose, this event is sponsored by District 10 and the Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley. Hours are 9a.m. to 3 p.m. and all computer and electronic equipment is accepted including monitors, laptops, printers, copy & fax machines, PDAs, TVs, radios, DVD players, keyboards and more. Check our website at www.earthcarerecycling.com for a complete list of what we’ll accept. No refrigerators, ACs, batteries, or items with motor oil, please. For more information call Steve Ramona at 943-9943

Feb. 7
Leigh High School “Crab Feed 2009!” Held at LHS, 5210 Leigh Avenue from 6 – 9 p.m. All proceeds benefit Leigh’s Music and Arts programs. Early Bird Ticket prices are $37.50 or $42 after Feb. 1. To purchase online visit www.leighband.org or call 266-0328.

Ongoing
Marine Corps League: We meet the third Saturday of every month at 9 a.m. in various locations around the County in aid of former Marines and their families. We are a family member organization with youngsters and mothers, brothers and sisters and other relatives and friends of Marines as members and associate members. For more information, phone PR Officer Dick Whitaker, MCL Detachment #1122 Santa Clara County at 219-3024 or visit the MCL website at http://www.usmcleague.com/

Adopt a Rose for Valentine’s Day: With your donation of $50.00, Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens can help you select the perfect rose for adoption. Perhaps you will choose pink for grace, white for innocence, or red for that deep and undying love and respect you are feeling. We can also search our database of roses to see if your Valentine’s name matches one of our 3,900 historic roses. Your rose will be marked in the garden with an engraved plaque with your own personal inscription for one full year. To present your gift you will receive a beautiful Valentines box that includes a small box of decadent chocolates from Schurra’s Candy Factory, a large gourmet cookie from Café Too! at the San Jose Museum of Art, and two tickets for the Children’s Carousel at Arena Green. You will also receive a special gift card announcing your rose adoption. Gift packages will be available for pick-up, prior to Valentine’s Day, at the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens Visitor & Education Center located at 438 Coleman Avenue. For more information about adopting a rose for your Valentine, call 408-298-7657 or visit www.grpg.org.


HAVE AN ITEM FOR OUR CALENDAR?
We are seeking calendar items pertaining to the south bay communities we cover in our seven monthly community newspapers: Blossom Valley, Cambrian, Campbell, Evergreen, Santa Teresa, Willow Glen, Fifty Plus, and our weekly publication, Almaden Times Weekly. Items must be submitted by email or fax several weeks before the event. Send an email to candy@timesmediainc.com or fax to Candy Richter at 494-7078. Photos should be sent digitally as jpegs or mailed to Calendar, Times Newspapers, 1310 Tully Road, Ste. 107, San Jose, CA 95122. Due to the large volume of items received calendar requests left on voice mail cannot be used. Space is limited.