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Afternoon Piano Jazz Café on Friday Feb 20, 1:30 – 2:30pm at the Lafayette Community Center, 500 St Mary’s Rd., featuring Members of the Contra Costa Performing Arts Society. The music varies from show tunes and jazz standards to original compositions. There is no charge, but, a small donation would be appreciated. RSVP to Lafayette Senior Services at 284-5050.
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On Feb. 23rd, the Chamber Music Recital showcases some of Campolindo’s outstanding classical musicians performing solo and ensemble pieces. Finally, on Thursday, Feb. 26th the Concert and Symphonic Bands perform “The Dream of Abraham” by Daniel Bukvich, “Concert Overture,” by Keith Gates, and the West Coast Premier of “Symphony for Band," a piece by James A. Beckel, commissioned by the Campolindo Symphonic Band. All performances are free and open to the public, beginning at 7:30 in the Campolindo Performing Arts Center.

The Campolindo Jazz Band will be having its annual Dinner Dance on Saturday, Feb. 28, at Temple Isaiah from 6:30-10:00 PM. There will be fabulous music provided by the Campolindo Jazz Band under the direction of Harvey Benstein. There will be wonderful gourmet food, wine, friends, and even dancing. This is NOT just for Jazz Band Families, or even just for CampoMusic Families, but for the entire community. Tickets adult tickets are $50 each, tickets for students and teachers are $40 each, and premium wine can be reserved in advance for $20 per bottle. Reservation forms can be downloaded at www.campomusic.org. The deadline for receipt of reservations is Feb. 20.
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Generations in Jazz Presents the 9th Annual Lafayette Jazz Festival:
Thurs March 5th – Sunday March 8th. Enjoy performances by The Rossmoor Big Band, Double Take, Stanley Middle School Jazz Messengers, Faces of Jazz, Acalanes School Jazz Band, The Ray Brown Great Big Band and Contra Costa County Honor Jazz Bands. Tickets, venues and pricing available at the Lafayette Chamber, (925) 284-7404 or www.lafayettechamber.org.
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Enjoy the 40’s and 50’s music of Eddie Williams – a self-contained one-man show – a mix of vocals and instrumentation featuring Eddie on vocals, guitar and saxophone. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served while you listen to Eddie perform the music of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and more. Thursday, March 19 from 6:45 pm to 8:15 pm. This is event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP by March 16th to Candice Moses 925-377-7900 or
e-mail to candice.moses@aegisliving.com.

The Moraga Art Gallery presents “The Northern Lights” in Moraga through March 14th. The show will highlight artworks by local artists Vivien Hart and Nina Tyksinski. Vivien, who lives in Orinda, creates artful cabinetry knobs and pulls from fused glass, “functional art on a glass canvas.” Lafayette writer-turned-painter Nina Tyksinski’s recent paintings seek to capture the phenomenon of the northern lights using watercolor while placing them in local surroundings, including the Chapel at Saint Mary’s and Mount Diablo. The Moraga Art Gallery is a co-operative gallery of 20 artists in the Rheem Valley Shopping Center, 570 Center Street in Moraga (MoragaArtGallery.com).Open Tuesday through Sunday, 12-5 pm, 925-376-5407.
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"Objects of Affection," the new show at the Lafayette Gallery, 50 Lafayette Circle, runs through March 7th. The viewer is treated to multiple canvases offering a fine art gift for your object of affection. For this special show, gallery artists create 12"x12" canvases with their personal interpretation of affection in all its many guises. Gallery Hours: 11–5pm Tue.–Sat., 50 Lafayette Circle, 925-284-2788.
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Illuminated Sculpture runs through Feb. 22 at the Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. The exhibit will showcase sculptures using a variety of forms of illumination including gases, incandescent light and emerging mediums like laser, plasma, fiber optics and light-emitting diodes (LED).

The Joys and Challenges of Parenting Boys - PTA Parenting Book Club Discussion- Moraga - Thursday, Feb. 26, 7:00 - 8:30pm, Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School,1010 Camino Pablo, Moraga. Books: “Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons From the Myth of Boyhood” by William Pollack and “The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons From Falling Behind in School and Life” by Michael Gurian. Join our facilitator for the evening, JM English teacher Mr. Don Read for a discussion of these books and share your own parenting experiences and tips. You may register at the event or on-line (course #05-6108) at www.acalenes.k12.ca.us.
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Acalanes Parent Ed Presents: Drive Smart, Stay Safe. The California Highway Patrol offers this free class at Acalanes on Tue., Feb. 24th, 6-8 pm, Cafeteria. This program, sponsored by the CHP, is for parents and teens to attend together. It is designed to reduce the number of teenage injuries and deaths resulting from motor vehicle collisions. Space is limited, to register for the class, please sign up at: http://www.acalanes.k12.ca.us Class # 056214. Or email:
SENDME@SBCGLOBAL.NET.

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Mind in High School, College, and Beyond:
Helping Your Teen Thrive With Positive Self Image, Tue., March 3rd, 7pm – 9pm, Acalanes Theatre, no fee. Topics Include: Parent Influence Weight as a Cultural Obsession, Sexuality/Social Life---How self image affects decisions, eating and exercise. What happens when they leave home? Sponsored by Acalanes Parent Ed, for more information email lgsendme@sbcglobal.net.

The 10th Annual Sister-to-Sister summit, open to middle-school girls, will take place on Saturday March 7th from 9 am to 3:30 pm at the Orinda Intermediate School, 80 Ivy Drive, Orinda. The event is sponsored by AAUW and is planned and facilitated by volunteer high-school girls from the Acalanes Union High School District. Through fun activities, presentations, and small discussion groups, the middle school girls learn to become more supportive of each other, make healthy choices and develop leadership skills. The cost is $30. It includes a lunch, beverages, and a T-shirt. Parents are invited to drop-off their girls and stay for an hour parenting workshop on raising middle-school girls. Registration is required before Feb. 28th. For more information and registration go to www.aauwoml.org
or call (925) 942-0102.

Moraga Library lecture on Wed, Feb 25 based on current de Young exhibit through May 17, Warhol Live presents the first comprehensive exploration of Warhols’s work seen through the lens of music. Music included in exhibit: Elvis Presley, Velvet Underground, Rolling Stones, Liza Minnelli, Michael Jackson et al. Exhibit includes silkscreen paintings, album covers, illustrations, and photographs inspired by music and the performing arts.
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Affordable Housing in the Suburbs: What is it? Feb. 26, 7:00 to 9:00 pm, Moraga Library. Speakers from Nonprofit Housing of Northern California and Okamoto Saijo Architecture. Open to the public. Sponsored by League of Women Voters, and Social Justice Comm. of Mt Diablo U. U. Church, 55 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek Info: 283-3638.
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The 9th Annual Bookies Award Dinner, A Celebration of Books and the People Who Love Them, will be held on Thursday, March 19, at the Lafayette Park Hotel. This year's special guest author is Annie Barrows. Tickets are $50 each and include admission, dinner, dessert and Jacuzzi Family Vineyard wines. Proceeds benefit Project Second Chance, The Contra Costa County Library adult literacy program. Tickets go on sale Monday, Feb. 9 and can be purchased with a credit card by calling Fremont Bank at 510-723-5811. Book club reading lists will be on display. If you would like your club to be included, please email the titles and authors you read this past year to darraw944@astound.net.