October 14, 2004

Calendar of local events

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

HARVEST
HAPPENINGS
October 15 – 31
Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos once again hosts The Haunted Forest, a variety of spooky sights to thrill the whole family. For the brave at heart, the Raglan Castle Walking Tour is a guided trek through the haunted forest that includes a witch’s house, the lair of the spider queen, a mysterious castle and graveyard, and a host of spooky characters to thrill and chill. Spooky Hollow give children 11 yrs and younger a haunt of their own, featuring the new Trick-or-Treat Street attraction. And of course there is the Wildcat Railroad, an age appropriate dark journey through the park. Children should dress for the weather, wear sneakers and bring a flashlight. Admission is $10 for the Raglan Tour, $4.50 for Spooky Hollow and Trick-or-Treat Street. Hours are 7 – 10 p.m. nightly, except Mondays Parking is $4.

October 16 - 17
The world-famous 34th annual Half-Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival attracts visitors from all over the Bay Area. Perfect for the whole family, this event features “monster” pumpkins the size of small cars, expert pumpkin carvers, harvest-inspired crafts, the tastiest pumpkin pie on the planet, the ultimate homespun parade, and three stages of blockbuster entertainment For more information, call 650-726-9652, or visit www.miramarevents.com.

October 29 – Friday
Fright Fest Haunted House Festival at the Alum Rock Youth Center, 137 North White Road in San Jose. This event features a haunted house, costume contest, music, prizes, food and carnival games. Admission is $4 without costume, $3 with costume, children under 3 yrs free. Hours are 6 – 10 p.m. For more information call 251-5757.

October 29 – Friday
Campbell’s historic Ainsley House will host evening flashlight tours from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The Anisley House tours will feature a guided walk through of the 80-year old house plus an evening of fun re-creating Halloween games form the 1920s and 30s. This family event will include hot cider, apples to dunk, candy and treats for the youngsters, and wholesome snacks for all in the Carriage House. The cost is $5 for museum members and $10 for non-members. Reservations are required by October 22. Call 866-2718 to reserve your spot. The Ainsley House is located at 300 Grant Avenue in downtown Campbell.

October 31 – Sunday
Free Harvest Carnival! Willow Glen’s 15th Annual Harvest Carnival will be held at Willow Glen Baptist Church at the corner of Hicks and Minnesota from 5-8 p.m. Families are invited to come and enjoy pony rides, a giant slide, a bounce house, crafts, games, a photo booth and lots of candy!! This event is free and open to all. For more information call 280-0611 or visit WGBC.net.

October 31 – Sunday
Haunt the Hollow - Halloween Event. Trick-or-Treat in Happy Hollow Park & Zoo on Sunday, from 2 - 5 p.m. Trick-or-treat stations throughout the Park & Zoo will provide a fun, safe and family friendly experience for all.
Happy Hollow will be open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on this event day. This event is included with regular admission of $5.50 per person. For more information, call Happy Hollow Park & Zoo at 408-277-4193.

DANCE
October 20 – Wednesday
The world-class Brigham Young University Company of Ballroom Dancers will be performing at 7 p.m., at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. This show is a high-energy, musical variety spectacular. Tickets are $5, $10, $15 and $25.
All seats reserved. To purchase tickets over Internet, visit www.alumnievents.byu.edu, and enter code 1809. For more information, call Kathleen Pickett, (650) 941-8057.

THEATER
October 26 – November 7
American Musical Theater of San Jose presents Cathy Rigby as “Peter Pan.” Rigby, whose name as become synonymous with Peter Pan, has played the part on Broadway, on a National Tour and in an Emmy Award winning A&E Special. In her farewell performance as the “boy who wouldn’t grow up, Rigby, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, will take flight in the 100th Anniversary of this immortal James M. Barrie tale. All performances will be at The Center for the Performing Arts in downtown San Jose. For tickets and additional information, call 1-888-455-7469, or visit www.amtsj.org.

MEETINGS
Ongoing:
Las Madres Adoption Group is a wonderful support system for those who have gone through the adoption process and are looking to share the joys and challenges of parenting an adopted child. We have regular play dates for newborns-5 years old and monthly “mom’s night out”. For more information, contact Barb Griswold at barbgris@aol.com or call toll free 1-877-LasMadres.
Oakridge Century Theatres in association with Las Madres Neighborhood Playgroups presents CineMamas! A morning out to the movies for moms and their little ones. This group meets every Tuesday at 10 a.m., There are three showings to choose from, baby-safe sound levels, cheerios at the concession stand and a relaxing atmosphere with other moms who understand kids are kids! Check CineMamas.com for a weekly update on what is showing. Kids under 3 are free!
Le Tip International, a business leads networking group meets every Tuesday at 7:15 a.m. at Denny’s Restaurant, 1140 Hillsdale Aveue. For more information, call 298-9131.

CLASSES
Ongoing
The New Almaden Community Center will be hosting a weekly yoga class on Mon/Wed/Fri. at 6 a.m. and on Tues/Thurs. at 7 a.m. Attendees should bring their own yoga mats, however, there are a limited number of pads available. For more information, contact Tara at 997-9383. Class fees are $6 each or $24 per week. Classes are appropriate for both beginner and intermediate levels.

HEALTH
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
Ongoing:
SeniorNet, computer classes for adults 50 and over still has openings in the following classes: Computer Fundamentals, e-mail A-Z, Managing Your Files, Photoshop Elements, CD Burning, Word Processing 1, Windows XP, Computer Security and Finding Things and People on the Web. To enroll in any of the course openings, contact Don House at 268-1703.
AARP Information Center needs volunteers to staff their office. Duties include helping seniors find various services and programs, and providing information on senior needs. The office is located at 840 Willow Street, Suite 300, at the corner of Bird and Willow Streets on bus route #25. The hours are Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call 278-1855.
The Geriatric Advisory Program is a service providing documented analysis, advice and resources to those caring for aging family members and is available through the Almaden Valley Counseling Service. Sliding scale fees available. 975-2988.

CHILDREN/FAMILY EVENTS
October 10 – November 15
Los Gatos Christian Church will be taking registrations for their Youth Basketball League. The League plays at Branham High School from November 20 through March 5, 2005. Both Boys’ and Girls’ teams will be available for participants in the 1st through 8th grades. For additional information, call Marge at 997-4642, or check the website at www.losgatoschristian.org.

October 17 – Sunday
The Youth Science Institute will once again host its annual Wildlife Festival, held at their Alum Rock Location, 16260 Alum Rock Avenue. This special event will feature over 20 environmental organization participants including regularly scheduled presentations at the Visitor’s Center, as well as face painting, crafts and the ever-popular owl pellet study. Event hours are from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information visit www.ysi-ca.org.

October 22 – Friday
The Friends of Guadalupe River Park and Gardens is hosting CRUNCH! an after school work shop that will be the “apple” of your child’s eye. Join us for a “crunchtastic” time tasting apples, creating apple art, using the seeds to make musical instruments, and putting together an apple pie to “take and bake” Participants should bring a rolling pin from home. This class is appropriate for children 5 years and older. Class location is 715 Spring Street; admission is $5 per child. All children must be accompanied by an adult. For more info, visit www.grpg.org. or call 2987657. Space is limited so reserve your spot early.

October 23 - Saturday
The Laurelwood Harvest Festival, 4280 Partridge Drive, will be held from 3- 6 p.m.. This family event features Carnival booths, games and food. All proceeds will help benefit the Laurelwood school and students.

October 23 – 24
Monterey Bay Aquarium is celebrating their 20th Anniversary weekend with free Sunday Admission for children and special activities. Saturday is “Shark Day” featuring a special presentation at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. by Peter Benchley, author of “Jaws” and renowned underwater photographer, David Doubilet, as well as appearances by the Monterey Jazz Festival’s All Star Combo at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. On Sunday it’s one big Birthday Bash with children’s entertainment, a guest appearance by comedian and actor, George Lopez, and birthday cake at 12:45 p.m. For more information, visit www.mbayaqu.org.

October 23 – Saturday
Le Petit Trianon Theatre, 72 North 5th Street in San Jose, will host a 2:30 p.m. Children’s Concert featuring the students of seven local violin and piano teachers. Musical selections range from “Star Wars,” and Disney, to the classic favorites of Vivaldi, Handel and Bach. Admission is $1 for children over 4 years, adults are encouraged to make a donation. For more information call Elizabeth Park at 257-2845.

MISCELLANEOUS
October 14 - 17
The Santa Clara County Convention Center will be the site of the 2004 Pacific International Quilt Festival. Come to see over 700 quilts and garments on exhibit. Event hours are Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.quiltfest.com

October 17 – Sunday
Spa R & R of Willow Glen will be sponsoring their annual Charity Day for the San Jose Family Shelter, 1590 Los Pulmas in San Jose, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Spa personnel will also be assisted by hair stylists and manicurists and will be available for mini facials, and neck/shoulder massages. Both Spa R & R and the San Jose Family Shelter will be accepting gently used donations of clothing. For more information, call Danita George at 926-8885.


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.