By 'Exotic edibles' at garden club
Katie Wong will discuss “Exotic Edibles for the Bay Area” at the Tuesday meeting of the Garden Club of Los Altos, Creekside Room, Los Altos United Methodist Church, 655 Magdalena Ave.
Wong is a member of California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc., the largest amateur fruit growing organization in the world with a primary focus on semitropical fruits and uncommon fruits and vegetables.
The program starts at approximately 1:30 p.m. and visitors may attend for a $5 fee.
Salute to the musical
The Los Altos History Museum will feature a “Salute to the American Musical” 7 p.m., Thursday, featuring Joseph Marchi, formerly of Canada College. The evening will feature recordings of show tunes and Marchi will offer anecdotes about the songs and their performers.
The event is being held in conjunction with the “Red, Hot and Blue” exhibit on the history of the American musical theater on loan from the Smithsonian at the Los Altos museum.
The museum is located at 51 S. San Antonio Road, behind the main library. For more information, call 948-9427.
Russian/American Fair set for Sunday
The annual Russian/American Fair will be held at the Albert L. Schultz Jewish Community Center, 655 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday. The fair will be followed by a concert at 7 p.m.
The center will be transformed into a Russian village, complete with ethnic food, entertainment and activities for all ages. The entertainers will include clowns and acrobats of the Las Vegas circus troupe Arlekino. There will also be clowns, face painting and a petting zoo.
General admission is $5; seniors and children under 12 pay $3; admission is free for children under six.
At 7 p.m., cantor Svetlana Portnyansky will sing Russian, Yiddish and American favorites. Concert tickets are $20-35. For more information, call Boris Vladimirsky at 493-9400.
New GOP chairman to speak locally
Shawn Steel, the new chairman of the California Republican Party, looks to bolster grass-roots Republican activism for the 2002 elections when he speaks at 7 p.m., June 27, at the Palo Alto Elks Lodge, 4249 El Camino Real.
Hosting him will be the South Peninsula Area Republican Coalition (SPARC). SPARC was formed late last year with members from Woodside to Mountain View. Its aim is to support local GOP candidates and issues, and participate in local events and educational forums.
Steel’s talk will be preceded at 6:30 p.m. by refreshments and hors d’oeuvres. For reservations, call SPARC President Duffy Price at 948-0596. Admission is $20 for SPARC members and $25 for non-members.
Retired teachers to meet
The California Retired Teachers Association Mid-Peninsula Division No. 54, which covers North Santa Clara County and San Mateo County will be having their monthly meeting 1 p.m., Monday, at the Community Bible Church, 2050 Miramonte Ave., Mountain View. This will be the last meeting until fall.
For more information, call 967-4449.
Music For Minors docents
Music For Minors, a non-profit organization providing music education to children in local elementary schools, invites volunteers to train as music docents. All volunteer docents receive a college-accredited training beginning in September. Classes run 2 1/2 hours long and are offered twice a week in Los Altos and San Mateo, running through the first week of December.
For more information, call 941-9130.
Nakamatsu to perform for CSMA
World-renowned pianist Jon Nakamatsu, 1997 winner of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will be performing at a special gathering to celebrate and benefit the Community School of Music & Arts’ project to build the Center for Arts Education. The state-of-the-art facility, to be built off San Antonio Road in Mountain View, will become the permanent home for the 33-year-old non-profit organization.
The private performance, scheduled for early this month, is being hosted by CSMA supporters Bob and Jan Fenwick at their Los Altos Hills home. Attendees at the event will not only hear Nakamatsu perform, but they will also have the opportunity to talk with him.
For information about CSMA and its programs, visit the school office at 253 Martens Ave., Mountain View, call 961-0342 or see www.arts4all.org.
