March 26, 2009

NEWS BRIEFS

Our City Forest schedules Earth Day activities

Tree planting nonprofit Our City Forest (OCF) will host THE GREEN FAIR April 18, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Willow Glen. The center of the action will be in the courtyard of Treehouse, a green toy store located at 1275 Lincoln Ave.

The event celebrates both National Earth Day and Arbor Day, and will feature free entertainment with flamenco guitarist John Clarke. Also featured will be free advice from certified arborists, Tree-Mobile tree tours, photos with the tree mascot "O2," a native tree sale and a green silent auction.

Kids and adults can pose for a photo with OCF's 7-foot "O2" tree mascot, then make their own nature-inspired photo frames. Tree enthusiasts can receive free advice at the Ask The Arborist booth and purchase trees and planters filled with herbs, vegetables or flowers. The green auction will offer tree art, sports memorabilia, arborist services, vacation packages, tree planting parties and more.

Making its debut will be OCF's Tree Mobile, which will tour passengers through nearby neighborhoods to view some of San Jose's magnificent heritage trees.

"The Green Fair is the perfect way to celebrate Earth Day. There's something for everyone to enjoy and it supports a nonprofit that makes sure every day is Earth Day," says Rhonda Berry, president of Our City Forest.

Donations and purchases are tax-deductible and will support tree planting, tree care and educational programs, all of which have been severely impacted by the state's budget crisis. OCF has provided nearly 50,000 free 15-gallon trees to neighborhoods, schools and agencies throughout the San Jose area.

For more information on this event and other OCF programs, contact Amanda Grebner at (408) 998-7337 x107.

Modified library hours

All branches of the San Jose Public Library system will be closed for staff in-service from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, March 27. Regularly scheduled hours will resume at 1 p.m.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., providing full service including telephone reference and online services. Periodic scheduling of staff in-service days enable all staff to participate in training necessary to respond to changing customer needs.