Community

Courtesy of Ann Hepenstal
Los Altos neighbors conduct an emergency preparedness drill. The next Community Emergency Response Team training course is scheduled Sept. 11-27 at Hillview Community Center.

Community Emergency Response Team training is open to Los Altos and Los Altos Hills volunteers willing to help their neighbors in the aftermath of a major disaster.

Local governments engage in emergency planning, and first responders such as police and firefighters are ready to help, but residents play a key role in disaster preparedness, according to CERT representatives. In the event of a major earthquake or other disaster, first responders will be inundated with emergency calls and will likely be unable to provide immediate help to local neighborhoods.

Pop-up park features live music, classes

The Downtown Green, the pop-up park on Third Street between Main and State streets, is now open and set to run through Sept. 3.

Events include live music performances, children’s activities, demonstrations and classes, and opportunities for relaxing in the sun or shade.

Town Crier File Photo

The Downtown Green, the pop-up park on Third Street between Main and State streets, is set to open Friday and run six weeks. Events will include live music performances, children’s activities, demonstrations and classes, and opportunities for relaxing in the sun or shade. Among the planned highlights are Friday concerts – this Friday’s scheduled performer is the classic rock cover band The Megatones – Yoga on the Green classes Sunday mornings and Saturday movie nights. Other special events are scheduled in conjunction with the weekly Thursday Los Altos Farmers’ Market on State Street. All events are free. For a calendar of events and more information, visit losaltosca.gov/recreation/page/downtown-green.

The Terrible Adult Chamber Orchestra (TACO) is scheduled to perform a concert featuring classical and popular music 6 p.m. Aug. 10 on the Downtown Green, the pop-up park on Third Street between Main and State streets in downtown Los Altos.

Supported by Los Altos Community Foundation, TACO is a social, low-commitment orchestra designed for musicians of all skill levels. No auditions or applications are required to join the group, which comprises adults “who love playing music for the simple pleasure of making music with others,” according to a TACO representative.

Town Crier File Photo
Taiko drum performances are staples of the annual Obon Festival.

While some shy away from change, the Japanese Buddhists at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple are all about embracing it. Members have even created ‘Change Happens” T-shirts that will be available for sale at the Obon Festival and Bazaar they are scheduled to host Saturday and Sunday.

According to Mike Inouye, the festival’s outreach director, the event has undergone logistical changes over the past few years to conform to updated safety codes and regulations. As a result, the layout of the festival will change and no longer be able to accommodate some carnival activities. Additionally, organizers won’t be able to serve the amount of rice, noodles and corn they have in the past because of new regulations on gas lines.

Courtesy of Diane Holcomb/Los Altos History Museum
Nomi Trapnell displays her certificates for winning the Appetizer category for her Apricot Brie Tartlets recipe.

Local residents and businesses entered recipes in a taste-testing competition sponsored by the Los Altos History Museum in conjunction with its inaugural Apricot STEM Fair June 24. The only rule: Recipes had to feature apricots.

  A roster of celebrity and People’s Choice judges voted for the winning recipes in three categories: Appetizers, Entrees and Desserts.