September 22, 2005

Calendar of local events

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

MUSIC
September 10 - 25
Opera San Jose presents “The Crucible” at the California Theatre, The Crucible, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, is one of the few widely recognized operatic masterworks of the twentieth-century, it is uniquely American, set in Massachusetts and steeped in the history and values of this country. Admission is $65 - $300. For tickets or additional information, call 437-4450 or visit www.operasj.org.

DANCE
October 6 – 9
Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley presents “Phaedra & Firebird” at the Center for the Performing Arts. The season kicks off in high gear with the World Premiere of a new setting of “Firebird” from Dennis Nahat. Danced to a groundbreaking score by Igor Stravinsky, this Russian fairy tale tells of Prince Ivan who captures the mysterious Firebird. To gain her release, the Firebird gives Ivan a feather, with the promise of her magic intercession if he should ever need it. Flemming Flindt’s “Phaedra” is based on the play “Hippolytus” by Euripides, and tells the tale of a queen whose lust for her stepson leads to his murder and her suicide, set to a commissioned score by Philip Glass. Phaedra explores the sexual intrigue and deception in the court of Athens, and the role the gods play in the lives of those mortals who think they are in control. For tickets and performance information, call 288-2800 or visit www.balletsanjose.org.

THEATER
September 9 – October 2
San Jose Repertory Theatre presents The World Premiere of “The Haunting of Winchester” Book and lyrics by Mary Bracken Phillips; Music and orchestration by Craig Bohmler. Directed by Michael Butler.For tickets, call the Box Office at 367-7255 or buy online at www.sjrep.com. Admission is $15 to $55.  Discounts available for students, seniors, teachers and groups: $30 - $50.

September 13 – 25
American Musical Theatre of San Jose presents a spell-binding version of L. Frank Baum’s beloved “The Wizard of Oz,” at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. Featuring a cast of 70, lavish special effects, and vivid pyrotechnics, this timeless presentation brings back all of the favorite songs from the 1939 MGM film, as well as ‘The Jitterbug” which was cut from the original film version. Directed by AMTSJ Artistic Director Tim Blair, this musical stars 15-year old San Jose native Kari Yancy as Dorothy. For tickets and additional information, call 453-7108 or visit www.amtsj.org.

September 21 – October 16
San Jose Stage Company, 490 South First Street, presents “Tenders in the Fog.” Using influences from Beckett to banshees to Bach, local playwright Trevor Allen spins the mystery of the fishing boat Trinity, presumed lost at sea off the foggy San Francisco coast. An ageless shanachie serves as the guide for this Celtic-flavored ghost story of three generations of Irish-American crab fishermen—fathers and sons each named James Bailey—haunted by their stormy pasts. Are the Bailey men tormented by reflections of the women they’ve loved and lost or being lured by ancient Sirens to a watery grave? Gala Grand Opening is September 24 at 8 p.m. For additional show times and tickets, visit www.sanjosestage.com.

CHILDREN/FAMILY
September 16 – October 8
Sunnyvale Community Theater presents “Sound of Music,” by Howard Lindsey and Russel Crouse, music by Rogers and Hammerstein. “The Sound of Music” is one of the most well loved family musicals based on the story of the Von Trapp family singers. For ticket and performance information, call 733-6611. All performances will be held at Sunnyvale Community Players, 550 E Remington in Sunnyvale.

September 24 – Saturday
The Almaden Valley United Church of Christ, 6581 Camden Avenue, will be hosting a Hawaiian Luau. In addition to fine Hawaiian food, the event will feature live and silent auctions. The proceeds from the event will go to a special Pastoral Housing fund. For tickets or more information call the church office at 268-0243.

September 24 – Saturday
Assemblymember Rebecca Cohn will be hosting the Stranger Danger Camp and Children’s Safety Resource Faire at Sartorette Elementary School, 3850 Woodford Drive from 10 a.m.

August 11 – 14
Children’s Musical Theater of San Jose presents “Sleeping Beauty” at the Montgomery Theater. CMT’s youngest performers cast a charm on the audience with a favorite childhood fairytale. This version, commissioned by Prince Street players, is filled with fairies, a funny villainess named Trollarina and few more magical spells than usual. Sleeping Beauty will feature beautiful sets and costumes and a large cast of 6- to 9- year olds, including many making their stage debut as CMT performers. For more information, call 288-KIDS or visit www.cmtsj.org. Admission is $13 - $20

August 15 – 19
The Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens are collaborating with History San Jose, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum & Planetarium, San Jose Museum of Art, Don Edward’s San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tech Museum and the Winchester Mystery House to present a full week of unique educational experiences. San Jose Safari Summer Day Camp is designed for children ages 7 – 10 years. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 25 p.m. Learn a wide range of safety tip from local law enforcement, fire safety and much more – fingerprinting and fingerprinting kits will be available. Starting point is the Guadalupe Gardens Visitor Center, in San Jose. Cost is $225 per child, per week. Space is limited - each session has only 15 spaces available! Please contact Education Coordinator Kary Wilson at education@grpg.org or 408-298-7657, or visit www.grpg.org.

September 24 – Saturday
The Reid Hillview Airport Association Annual Airport Day will feature, along with the usual Food, Fun and Festivities, the opportunity to meet, greet and hear stories of members of the Tuskegee Airmen Association by actual surviving WW2 members of that historic group. For more information, call Mark Kadrich, President of the Reid Hillview Airport Association at 313-6262 or contact by email at  starwizz@pacbell.com. the Reid Hillview Airport Association Web Site is www.rhvaa.org

September 25 – Sunday
The 29th Annual Almaden Art and Wine Festival will be held at Almaden Lake Park from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This premier event includes a juried arts and crafts fair, great food, fares from local wineries and breweries, live entertainment throughout the day, and great fun for the entire family. For additional information, visit www.almadenartwinefestival.com.

September 25 – Sunday
Teddy Bear Picnic at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo in San Jose: The Bay Area Bears, a Bay Area non-profit, invite you and your fuzzy friends to join them for the Happy Hollow Teddy Bear Picnic from 1 – 2 p.m. Bring a picnic, your blanket and your favorite teddy bear and enjoy a performance by the Bay Area Bears, larger than life costume characters. After the show meet all the critters from the Bay Area Bears. No picnic, no problem, the Kids Café will be open. Teddy bear donations will be expected that day for distribution to “bear-less” children in the community. For more information, call Happy Hollow Park & Zoo at 277-4193.

September 30 – October 1 – 2
Santana Row will transform into Little Italy, when the best of Italian cuisine, culture, and entertainment comes alive for the Italian American Heritage Foundation’s 25th Annual Italian Family Festa. This free three-day celebration will give the entire family an opportunity experience the vibrant and richculture of Italy. Activities include a cultural area with historical photo display, Italian cooking demonstrations, fabulous non-stop entertainment, grape stomping contest and shopping at the many wonderful arts and crafts booths along the row.

October 1 – Saturday
The 11th Annual Multi-cultural Harvest Festival at Emma Prusch Farm Park, 647 South King Road will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature live entertainement, a pumpkin patch, free wagon rides, garden displays, children’s activities, and much more. For more information call 926-5555. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Summer Camp Scholarship Program at Prusch Farm Park.

October 1 – Saturday
Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 15885 Los Gatos – Almaden Road in Los Gatos, will be hosting a free, fun Safety Awareness Day for children and parents from 10 a.m. to Noon. This event will include child fingerprinting by the San Jose Police Department, as well as safety information for both children and parents from local law enforcement. Children will learn age-appropriate safety tips and techniques, and can explore a fire truck, pet a mounted police horse, jump in the jump house, do face painting, and other fun activities. For more information, call 356-3525.

CLASSES
Ongoing:
South Bay Deutscher Schulverein, a German Saturday Language School, offers German language instructions at the Willow Glen Educational Park, Middle School Section, 2001 Cottle Avenue. The school offers pre-school/kindergarten through adult courses on Saturdays from 9:00 - 12:00, starting September 17. For more information visit our website www.sbds.org or call 266 5100. Please note that no information is available weekdays at the school location.

Fall Art Classes for Kids: The ArtHouse offers Fall fine art classes for kids ages 2-15. Classes include Little Picasso’s, a parent participation class, Masterpiece, which combines art history with  hands-on experiences, Drawing and Painting Techniques and Guest Artist Workshop where kids get the oportunity to work with a new artist each week. ArtHouse Kids, 1043 Lincoln Avenue, San Jose. For more information, visit www.arthousekids.com or call 975-9987.

HEALTH
September 24 – Saturday
Reformation Yoga and Pilates Studio, 1357 Dell Avenue in Campbell, hosts Community Day. Enjoy free Yoga and Pilates classes offered on Community Day. Classes start at 9am. Please see our website at www.reformationstudio.com for a full list of classes and details. Special promotions for membership and private training will also be offered that day.

Ongoing:
Bay Area Alzheimer’s Association now includes meetings at Kaiser Santa Teresa. Meetings are held in the San Jose Kaiser Family Health Center, Conference Room C, 3rd Floor, located at 276 International Circle. For more information call 800-660-1993.

FIFTY PLUS
October 1 – Saturday
Almaden SeniorNet, computer classes for adults 50 and over will hold registration at the Almaden Winery Community Center, 5730 Chambertin Drive off Blossom Hill Road. Registration for intermediate courses will be at 1:30 p.m. Registration for Computer Fundamentals will be at 3:00 p.m. All classes will be held at the Vineland Library, 1540 Blossom Hill Road. For more information, call Don House 268-1703 or visit http://www.snlcsj.org/.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Ongoing:
Happy Hollow Corporation, San Jose seeks Board members for Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, a respected and treasured San Jose entertainment attraction! Come share your expertise with other outstanding community members working on exciting upgrades at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo! For more information call Tammy Turnipseed at 277-3643.

Do you enjoy reading and helping others? Consider a richly rewarding volunteer opportunity as a Tutor in the adult literacy program - Partners in Reading. Sign up now for the September 15th orientation and training on September 17th and 24th. Fourteen hours of training, instructional materials, & on-going support are all provided free. No experience necessary. Required commitment of two hours per week for six months. Call the San José Public Library at 808-2361.

MISCELLANEOUS
September 24 – Saturday
The Original Rubber Stamp Convention: (Rubberama Stamp and Paper Arts Festival) An art rubber stamp convention at Parkside Hall that features many accessories, such as stationery, stencils, memory scrapbooking supplies, embossing goods, stamp pads, markers, etc. Learn to create your own hand-made greeting cards, invitations, scrapbooks, and much more. There are always on-going demonstrations during the show as well as free Mini-lectures and Make It and Take It classes. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 general, Children under 12 years are free. For more information, call 310-884-9700 or visit www.astampinthehand.com.

October 4 – Tuesday
Century 12 Champion invites the public to join the 13th Annual Charity Golf Tournament at the Cinnabar Hills Golf Course to benefit the Bill Wilson Center. Festivities begin at 10:30 a.m. with food and refreshments served. The shotgun start is set for Noon. There will be other contests on the course including a hole-in-one, longest drive and closest to the pin. The entry fee is $150.00 per player, which includes golf balls, brunch, a cart and dinner at which prizes will be awarded. For more information, contact Margot Hessling or Elise Erwin at 978-8000 of Century 21 Champion Fine Homes & Estates. People wishing to donate raffle items should contact either Margot and Elise as well.

Ongoing
Silver Creek High Class of 1985 Reunion: October 15, 2005 at the Hilton San Jose and Towers, 300 Almaden Blvd. Contact Michelle (Madden) Corbo at zc2mom@comcast.net or Erin (Maloney) Johnson at johnson@datapathway.com for more information.


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.