Open Studios features artists
Silicon Valley Open Studios 2006 will feature 21 area artists among the approximately 330 artists participating in this year’s event. Local residents will display their artwork in their homes Saturday and Sunday, the first of the event’s three weekends in May.
Members of the Open Studios board and steering committee have works on display through Sunday at Main Street Cafe & Books, 134 Main St., in Los Altos.
For more information and locations, visit www.svos.org.
Plant Society hosts sale
The California Native Plant Society is holding a native plant sale 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills.
California native plants thrive without amendments, fertilizers or pesticides and offer incomparable habitat value. At the sale, you can choose from scores of hard-to-find native plants: from deergrass and monkey flower to redbud and blue-eyed grass, from orchids and lilies to ferns, sedum and buckwheat.
For more information, visit www.cnps-scv.org, e-mail cnps_scv@yahoo.com or call 691-9749.
SPARC sponsors talk on capitalism
The South Peninsula Area Republican Coalition (SPARC) has scheduled “Ayn Rand’s Defense of Capitalism: Why America Needs It Now” featuring Dr. Yaron Brook, president of the Ayn Rand Institute and a prominent advocate for Objectivism, 6:30 p.m. tonight at Main Street Cafe & Books, 134 Main St.
Brook will discuss novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand’s answer to the question: How should we defend economic freedom against its many enemies? Brook argues that freedom-loving Americans need to understand Rand’s defense of economic freedom because capitalism today is poorly defended.
The cost is $10 and includes dessert and wine/beverages.
For more information or to RSVP, call 917-9125, e-mail reserve@sparcgop.org or visit www.SparcGop.org.
Cuesta Park Annex provides natural gallery
Save Open Space Mountain View (SOS-MV) has scheduled art and a walk 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the Cuesta Park Annex.
Local artists and photographers, inspired by the natural beauty of the annex, will share their works and the process of capturing that beauty with visitors.
SOS-MV is a group of residents united to preserve natural, open space in Mountain View. The Cuesta Park Annex is a city-owned parcel adjacent to Cuesta Park on Cuesta Drive between Miramonte Avenue and Grant Road.
For more information, call 938-3726, 938-4245 or e-mail saveopenspace@pacbell.net.
Pancake breakfast benefits Relay For Life
Los Altos Rancho Merchants and Covington Elementary School are sponsoring the annual pancake breakfast 8-11 a.m. Saturday at Los Altos Rancho Shopping Center, corner of Springer Road and Foothill Expressway.
Cost is $5 for adults, $3 for children and includes pancakes, sausage, coffee and juice. The morning will also feature musical entertainment, face painting, the Los Altos fire truck and drawings for prizes.
Proceeds will benefit the Los Altos Relay for Life. Relay For Life Los Altos/Los Altos Hills is a 24-hour walk that aims to raise awareness about cancer and raise money for the American Cancer Society.
To sign up for the June 24-25 relay, which takes place at Los Altos High School, call 917-7979 or visit www.losaltosrelay.com.
Discovery shops holding white sales
The American Cancer Society’s Discovery Shops in Los Altos and Menlo Park are holding “Everything’s Coming Up White” sales on selected articles of clothing, hats, shoes, jewelry and other items 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday Proceeds from the nonprofit stores go to the fight against cancer. For more information, call 949-0505.
store is located at 748 Santa Cruz Ave. For more information, call 325-8939
Farmers’ Market begins Thursday
The Los Altos Farmers’ Market, featuring a variety of fresh food offerings, is headed for downtown Los Altos every Thursday, beginning this week.
The market, in its seventh season, is scheduled 4-8 p.m. along State Street between Second and Fourth streets. Farmers will be selling produce, dried fruits and nuts, baked goods, flowers, eggs and fresh fish.
Ron Pardini, executive director of the Urban Village Farmers’ Market, the event coordinators, said new food vendors have been added this year, including those offering hot prepared meals and snacks.
In addition, local artisans will display handmade arts and crafts. Face painting, balloon twisting and other children’s activities will be part of weekly events, as will Trey Cromwell, a fire-eating and juggling entertainer.
The farmers’ market is sponsored by the Los Altos Village Association.
For more information, call (510) 745-7100 or visit www.los altos-downtown.org.
Apricots to Mountain Tops hike explores hills
Los Altos Hills Planning Commissioner Ray Collins is leading an Apricots to Mountain Tops hike that will explore hills and valleys by following the town’s pathway system of trails 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
The 3-hour hike will feature sweeping vistas, historic sites, an educational farm, unique riparian habitats and expansive wilderness within open space preserves, according to Collins. The walk encompasses a vigorous 6-mile loop that includes Packard Orchards, Byrne Preserve, Hidden Villa farm, the roadside path along Moody Road and a creekside path through open space.
To join Collins on the hike, meet at the pathway marker to Packard Orchards at Elena Road and Josefa Lane, next to Foothill College. Parking is available along Josefa. Bring water and a snack. No dogs, please. In the event of rain, the hike will be canceled.
Friends of Westwind sponsors dressage clinic
Friends of Westwind Barn is sponsoring a clinic with Erik Herbermann, a master of classical equine dressage, at Westwind Community Barn May 12-16. Herbermann is known internationally for his dedication to the classical ideals of horsemanship.
Space is limited. For more information, e-mail caesar@westwindcommunitybarn.org or call 941-6113.
Redwood Grove kicks off first fund-raiser
Redwood Grove Nature Preserve in Los Altos, under Program Director Keith Gutierrez, has launched its first communitywide fund-raising project in support of work such as upgrading the animal enclosures, materials purchases and classroom improvements.
The fund-raiser will invite families who donate to one of three scheduled events: 10-11:30 a.m. May 21, a Sharing Nature with Children workshop; 10 a.m. to noon June 4, Ohlone Day at Redwood Grove; and 10 a.m. to noon June 11, a Gold Rush program.
Redwood Grove offers programs in archery, nature classes, blacksmithing classes and a summer camp.
To donate, send a check for “Redwood Grove Programs” to 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos 94022.
For more information, visit www.redwoodgroveprograms.com.
