October 28, 2004

Calendar of local events

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

HARVEST HAPPENINGS
October 1 – 31
Frightfest 2004 is coming to Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo! This event will feature the debut of Shouka’s Night Time Splashtime Show. Frightfest happens each Friday, from 4 – 10 p.m., each Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and each Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. through the month of October. For more information, visit www.sixflags.com/marineworld.

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 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 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
Celebrate Halloween with some real creatures of the night at “Boo at the Zoo.” From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the San Francisco Zoo will present its 6th annual Boo at the Zoo, a special daytime Halloween event for little ghosts and goblins. Costumed kids can visit trick-or-treat stations around the park and event try the “Haunted Nature Trail,” featuring close up encounters w/ live animals. The Zoo asks that trick-or-treaters not wear masks, as they can frighten the animals. For more information, call 415-753-7080, or visit www.sfzoo.org.

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.

MUSIC
October 29 – Friday
The SJSU Wind Ensemble & Symphonic Band Concert will be held in the SJSU Concert Hall beginning at 7:30 p.m. The program will feature the Wind Ensemble performing new works with the featured trumpet soloist, Kale Cumings in Stephen Michael Gryc’s “Evensong” The Symphonic Band will perform “Angel Band,” “October,” “Night Dances,” and “Shepherd’s Hey.” Tickets are $7 general, $5 for students. For more information, call 924-4673.

October 29 – Friday
The Santa Clara Chorale presents their season opening concert, “Great Choruses from the Stage.” Come join the Chorale for an evening at the opera as they perform favorite opera choruses from the oratorios of Handel, Mendelssohn, and Haydn and from the operas of Verdi, Rossini, and Offenbach. The performance begins at 8 p.m. at Mission Santa Clara, 500 El Camino Real on the Santa Clara University Campus. Tickets are available at the door or by calling 369-1289. Prices are $18 for general admission; $12 for student/senior admission. For more information, contact the Santa Clara Chorale at 369-1289 or www.scc.org.

THEATER
November 6 – December 4
The West Valley Light Opera Association’s 40th Season will open with “Big River” at the Saratoga Civic Theater, 13777 Fruitvale, on Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. with a champagne gala. Weekend performances will continue through December 4. This tony-award winning musical is based on Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn.” This production is directed by Becky W. Brownson. For reservations and additional information, call 268-3777 or visit www.wvlo.org.

MEETINGS
November 1 – Monday
The annual San Jose Consortium “College Night” hosted by the East Side Union High School District will be held in the Evergreen Valley High School gymnasium, 3300 Quimby Road from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Over 100 colleges and universities are expected to send representatives. For more information, contact Jim DeDeigo at 347-5040.

Ongoing:
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!

CLASSES
Ongoing
Evergreen Village Square (Ruby at Aborn) offers a wide variety of performing arts classes for all ages. All elementary age classes are on Saturday afternoons and run for approximately 12 weeks per session. Adult and teen 12-week acting workshops are held on Friday evenings. For more information or to enroll, call 230-7873.
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.
Eastside Neighborhood Canter of Catholic Charities, 2150 Alum Rock Avenue, hosts several free senior assistance programs and social activities throughout the week. For more information and a list of offerings, call 251-0215.
ACE Tennis Academy offers tennis instruction for boys and girls ages 7-17, from beginner to tournament level players. Classes are offered on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. For more information and registration, phone 650-302-4250 or e-mail acetennis@sbcglobal.net.

CHILDREN/FAMILY EVENTS
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.

October 30 - Saturday
Take a trip back through time to the early days of “moving pictures” at the Divine Science Community Center’s Festival of Silent Movies. Films screen at 7:30 p.m. and the admission fee of $6 or $10 for two includes popcorn & a beverage. The Community Center is located at 1540 Hicks Avenue in San Jose. for a schedule and additional information call 293-3838.

October 30 – Saturday
Aztlan Academy San Jose, Inc. presents “Fiesta Mexicana XXXII” at the Montgomery Theater beginning at 8 p.m. Admission is $6 - $12 per person. For more information, call 984-0342, or visit www.aztlanacademy.org.

November 6 – 7
The San Jose Reptile Show & Sale will be at Parkside Hall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. 35 professional reptile breeders and educational groups will be on hand to answer questions and show their reptiles. Admission is $7 - $13 general, children ages 6 – 12 years are $4 each.

November 14 – Saturday
Los Mestizos Folklorico Dance Group presents “Fiesta Folklorica” for one night only at the Montgomery Theatre, at 7 p.m. Admission is $10.00 prior to the event and $15.00 on the day of the event. Experience a night full of Mexican Culture, Music and Dance as adult and child dancers perform various regional dances of Mexico. All proceeds from this event go back into the group funds to help sponsor activities and instructional lessons. For more information visit, www.losmestizos.org.

MISCELLANEOUS
October 30 – Saturday
Diana Cornelius, author of “A L.I.F.E. Blueprint: Spirituality Designed for the Non-Religious,” will be presenting a free lecture from 10 – 11:30 a.m. at PlaneTree Health Library, located at Mission Oaks, 1581 Los Gatos-Almaden Road in Los Gatos. Reservation are recommended by calling 358-5667 or visit www.planetreesanjose.org.

November 4 – Thursday
Boulevard Financial Group will be hosting a Veterans day dinner. The cost of each ticket will include a donation to Disabled American Veterans (www.dav.org) and the Freedom Alliance (www.freedomalliance.org) scholarship fund for the children of service members killed in the line of duty. Tickets cost just $40, and there are sponsorship opportunities for as little as $100. For more information, call Dave Roche at 356-7957.

November 6 – Saturday
“Outdoor Photography of the Southwest.” The public is invited to hear Ed Grossmith and George Stone speak about Southwest nature photography at the Almaden Valley United Church of Christ (Congregational), Fellowship
Hall, 6581 Camden Avenue, San Jose. The discussion begins at 8:30 a.m. For more information, call 268-0243.

November 6 – Saturday
Cedar Grove Elementary, 2702 Sugar Plum, will be holding its 2nd Annual Craft Fair to raise funds to purchase a school sign. Sponsored by the PTA, this event includes raffles, bake sale and more. Come start your holiday shopping from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

November 6 - Saturday
Holiday Boutique Benefiting Hospice of the Valley will be held at the Masonic Hall, 131 East Main Street, Los Gatos from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This event will be hosted by Creative Hands, a collective group of local artisans. Proceeds from this event will benefit Hospice of the Valley, which provides compassionate end-of-life care to adults and children facing life-limiting illness and provides bereavement support to families and loved ones. For additional info, visit www.hospicevalley.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.