Dove Gallery Competition Exhibit
Submitted by Carol Manasse Hamilton
On June 23, Dove Art Gallery in Milpitas is having the grand opening of its 5th annual “Art Competition Exhibit.” Fifty artists are competing for ribbons in various media, categories, and age divisions. Professional, emerging, and student artists will have works on display in this eclectic showcase of local talent.
San Jose artist Laurie Barna is exhibiting several works including a torn-paper collage entitled “Liberty Stars and Stripes.” As part of her “Liberty Series” of over 100 artworks, Barna depicts the Statue of Liberty against the patriotic backdrop of an American flag. Barna has several other works on display including an intriguing ink drawing titled “College Pastimes, 1972.”
Milpitas artist Mythili Kattupalli is exhibiting a vibrant acrylic painting titled “Perspective.” The facial features of a woman are woven into delicate rose petals. The artwork highlights a sensitive heart and promotes respect for women. Kattupalli has another acrylic painting on display that depicts the pain of the Ukraine war overlaying a sunflower which is the national flower of Ukraine.
Another Milpitas artist, Marcia Frederick, is exhibiting an original oil painting titled “Hacienda Garden.” The inviting scene shows beautiful foliage surrounding a stately adobe home. Additionally, Fredrick’s painting titled “Remembering Mount Shasta” shows a stunning mountain landscape as seen from a lakeside dock.
A student artist from Fremont, Devon Mandal, has several acrylic paintings on display. Her skillful depictions include a sea turtle swimming in the ocean, koi fish meandering in a pond and a stunning portrayal of a white horse. At age 15, Devon is competing against other high school students in this juried exhibit.
Three-dimensional art is also on display. Artist Paul Mussack from San Leandro is exhibiting a unique sculpture made from recycled objects. Titled “Sunny,” the playful sculpture portrays an anthropomorphic sunflower wearing a European folk-dress. Mussack is also showcasing a modern abstract painting titled “Drips and Zones.”
The public is invited to view this wonderful collection of artwork at the Grand Opening on Sunday, June 23 from 12 noon to 3 p.m.
Dove Gallery Competition Exhibit
Sunday, Jun 23 – Aug 11
Sundays: 12 noon – 3 p.m.
Dove Gallery at Park Victoria Church
875 S. Park Victoria Dr., Milpitas
Amateur Radio: 21st Century Style
Submitted by William Artelt, WB9YVM
Amateur Radio, or Ham Radio for short, might seem like an old-fashioned technology in the age of cell phones and Internet. But it’s actually seen a resurgence in the 21st century, offering unique benefits and skills:
- Communication Beyond the Grid: Unlike cell phones and the Internet, which can be reliant on infrastructure, ham radio allows communication even when the power is out or traditional networks are down. This makes it valuable for emergencies, disaster relief efforts, and remote communication.
- Global Reach: With the right equipment and conditions, you can connect with hams around the world, fostering international friendships and cultural exchange.
- Technology and Experimentation: Ham radio allows you to learn about electronics, radio waves, and even build your own equipment. It’s a great way to explore the technical side of communication.
- Community: The ham radio community is welcoming and supportive. Local clubs offer camaraderie, learning opportunities, and a chance to connect with people who share your interest.
National Operating Event in 2024
Amateur Radio Field Day, held annually in June, is a big event for ham radio enthusiasts in North America. In 2024, that’s June 22 and 23. Clubs and individuals set up stations all across North America. In Fremont, SBARA (South Bay Amateur Radio Association) will operate at Lake Elizabeth located at Paseo Padre Parkway and Sailway Drive. The event is like a combined camping trip, radio contest, and public outreach event, all rolled into one. Here’s a breakdown:
Amateur radio operators gather, often at parks or public spaces, and set up temporary radio stations. The goal is to make contacts with as many other amateur radio stations as possible over a 24-hour period. This is a friendly competition with points awarded for each contact and points awarded for installation type be it Solar, Battery, Generator or Commercial Power.
Field Day also serves as a giant emergency preparedness exercise. Participants practice setting up communications quickly and efficiently, simulating situations where traditional infrastructure might be damaged.
Many clubs use Field Day as an opportunity to showcase ham radio to the public. They answer questions, demonstrate equipment, and even let interested people try their hand at making a contact.
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) website has information on Field Day, including a club search tool to find participating clubs at their Field Day Locator. Even if you’re not a licensed ham radio operator yet, Field Day can be a great way to learn more about the hobby and see it in action.
SBARA invites you to join us!
If you live in Fremont and want to delve deeper into ham radio, here are some resources:
- The South Bay Amateur Radio Association SBARA (www.sbara.org). This Fremont-based club is a fantastic starting point. They hold meetings, license prep courses, and provide a space to connect with local hams.
- American Radio Relay League (www.arrl.org): ARRL is the national organization for amateur radio in the US. Their website offers a variety of information on getting started, licensing requirements, and the latest developments in the hobby.
- Online Resources: Websites like RepeaterBook allow you to find repeaters (stations that extend communication range) in your area. You can listen in (with the proper equipment) to get a feel for ham radio conversations. Additionally, YouTube has a wealth of channels dedicated to ham radio, offering instruction and tutorials, equipment reviews, and unique insights into the hobby.
By exploring these resources and reaching out to the SBARA amateur radio club, you can learn more about ham radio in the 21st century and see if it’s the right pursuit for you!
Radio Day
Saturday, Jun 22 – Sunday, Jun 23
Morning to afternoon
Central Park
Paseo Padre Pkwy & Sailway Dr., Fremont
www.sbara.org
Bay Philharmonic Presents Tchaikovsky Gold alongside masterful pianist Jon Nakamatsu
Submitted by Candy Culver
Bay Philharmonic is excited to announce its season finale “Tchaikovsky Gold” performance on Sunday, June 23, at their premier venue, Chabot College Performing Arts Center in Hayward. The music of Tchaikovsky has sparked the imagination of the world. From the dramatic 1812 Overture to the beloved Nutcracker, his music always touches the heart.
The concert presents two of Tchaikovsky’s most famous pieces alongside International Van Cliburn Piano Competition gold medalist, Jon Nakamatsu. Heralded as the “pianist’s pianist,” Nakamatsu’s touch on the keyboard is sophisticated and masterful, and he will perform the most famous piano concerto ever written. For this show, one of the first female Guest Conductors of the Bay Philharmonic, Lara Webber, and the Bay Philharmonic will share their passion for Tchaikovsky’s ultra-dramatic 4th Symphony, his musical biography of a hero overcoming fate to triumph with hope and victory.
“You’ll be so thrilled by Tchaikovsky’s music, Bay Philharmonic musicians, and the incredible talent of Jon Nakamatsu,” said Conductor Webber. “This show is sure to stir your soul!”
Individual show tickets are $25 to $67 and are available on the Bay Philharmonic website, BayPhil.org.
Tchaikovsky Gold
Sunday, Jun 23
3 p.m.
Chabot College Performing Arts Center
2555 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward
(510) 224-4141
bayphil.org
Downtown Hayward Street Parties
Submitted by City of Hayward
Immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of The Downtown Hayward’s Street Parties!
These lively gatherings unite our community, offering an eclectic mix of live music, delectable foods, wine and beer garden, and unique shopping experiences. Street Parties epitomize the essence of Hayward, serving as a testament to our community's spirit and charm.
On June 20, join the Street Party Car Showcase. We've carved out a spot where car enthusiasts can proudly exhibit their vehicles in a relaxed, community-centric setting. Showcase your wheels and mingle with like-minded enthusiasts, all while adding to the vibrant spirit of our downtown festivities.
Street parties, held June 20, July 18, and August 15, are public events with no admission fee. (For food and beverage vendors, complete the inquiry form on the Hayward website.)
Downtown Hayward Street Parties
3rd Thursdays: June 20, July 18, August 15
5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
B Street from Foothill to Watkins
(510) 537-2424
www.hayward-ca.gov
West Coast Blues Society and Juneteenth Hayward present Freedom Celebration
Submitted by City of Hayward
Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, will be observed in Hayward with a downtown event featuring live music along with exhibits and programs at Hayward Public Library during the month of June.
On Saturday, June 22, the West Coast Blues Society and Juneteenth Hayward will present the fourth annual “Juneteenth Freedom Celebration,” at Hayward Heritage Plaza with a blues festival, a variety of foods, vendors, and a beer and wine garden. Kicking off the musical performances will be Leo Oliver and The Blues Knockouts, Hayward’s residential Blues Band, followed by special appearance by the Russell City Memorial Blues Band, The West Coast Caravan of All Stars, featuring the legendary Fillmore Slim, all the way from the state of Mississippi, Mississippi Chuck Wallace, R&B crooner Karl Bracy, Michael Skinner singing Southern Soul and R&B, plus Reggie Rolls and other special guests.
Family- and youth-oriented activities and entertainment at the Juneteenth Freedom Celebration will include the Black Cowboy Coalition and Meekah, apparatus and demonstrations presented by the Hayward Fire, Maintenance Services and Police departments, Hayward Public Library bookmobile Curbie, and art and recreation features presented by the Hayward Arts Council Gallery and Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD). Hayward Public Library will also be marking the occasion with book displays and by decorating both library branches from June 10 through the end of the month.
Celebrated annually on June 19, Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day, is an observance of the effective end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, almost two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Union Army Major Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of both the Civil War and slavery to more than 250,000 enslaved Black people, one of the last group of slaves to be freed in the United States.
Juneteenth Freedom Celebration
Saturday, Jun 22
12 noon to 6 p.m.,
Hayward Heritage Plaza
835 C St., Hayward
www.hayward-ca.gov
Photo Collection of Historic Park Landscapes Released
Submitted by Flora Csontos
The East Bay Regional Park District is proud to unveil the Martin J. Cooney “Park Landscapes” online photo collection. This digital photo exhibit debuts a rare gathering of beautiful, nostalgic images that capture parkland and open space views of the East Bay from 1965 to 1981. At that time, the Park District was embarking on a period of considerable growth, tripling the number of Regional Parks to over 30. The Martin J. Cooney “Park Landscapes” collection has been carefully researched and curated by Park District Archives staff and volunteers, who have dedicated many hours to the preservation of the District’s history. As part of the ongoing 90th Anniversary celebrations planned throughout 2024, the photo collection is now available on the Park District’s Celebrating 90 Years webpage.
The release of the Martin J. Cooney “Park Landscapes” collection spans over 14 years of Park District photojournalism from the 1960s to the early 1980s. It memorializes landscapes, historic structures, and new parklands that later became part of the Regional Parks.
In 2016, Martin’s family donated over 15,000 negatives to the Park District, which were taken in the 1960s to1980s when the Martin J. Cooney commercial studio provided professional photography services to the Park District. While Martin took some of the photos, most were taken by Nancy McKay, who became an apprentice of Martin’s in 1968 while working in the Park District’s Public Affairs Department and serving as its primary photographer for over 37 years. Additional Cooney photo collections were donated in association with the Oakland Tribune archives and are housed at the Oakland Museum of California.
The four Cooney photo collections being released this year in commemoration of the Park District’s 90th Anniversary include People in Parks (already available on the Celebrating 90 Years webpage), Park Landscapes, Park District Workers, and Special Events.
Learn more at www.ebparks.org/celebrating-90-years.
Holly LaBarbera discusses debut novel at downtown Fremont event
By Stephanie Gertsch
On June 11, readers gathered in Downtown Fremont to hear Bay Area author Holly LaBarbera read from her debut novel All I Know (published by Buckberg Mountain Books). Originally planned for the small independent bookstore Banter Bookshop, the event drew so many registrants that it was moved to the Downtown Event Center. Pre-orders for the book also sold out. In discussion with fellow author Caroline Kim, LaBarbera talked about aspects of writing the novel and her process in general. Banter Bookshop owner Amy Davis introduced the authors and got the event started.
To set the tone, LaBarbera read a short passage from All I Know, where the 20-something protagonist looks back on an afternoon spent with childhood friends. The novel spans many years over the childhood and young adulthood of Kai Martin, as the character processes her complicated family dynamic. Much of the novel is about the bond between two families, especially between Kai and her childhood friend Josh, who she has a crush on. LaBarbera recalls that while writing her first draft, “It felt like they were leading me, like Josh and Kai were in my head telling me what was going on.” Originally, she conceived the book as a love story, but with editing it grew into a coming of age where the central character moves from childish naiveté, to doubt, to a more mature faith in humanity. “It’s actually Kai’s story. Josh is a big part of that, but it’s her story.”
As a psychotherapist, LaBarbera wanted to honor some of the themes that her clients have expressed with her (although of course in a fictionalized setting). The families in All I Know, are dysfunctional in many ways, dealing with alcoholism, depression, and abuse. Building empathy for the struggles people go through is also part of the story. For example, she relates that the character of Josh’s dad was a straightforward “black hat western guy” in early drafts, but over time this character gained more depth.
Many of the places that the characters move through are inspired by places LaBarbera has also lived in. For example, the house Kai grows up in is based on LaBarbera’s childhood home. Because the novel covers a long time period, letters are used as a framing device, often to convey how much time has passed. “You share things that you don’t talk about in letters,” LaBarbera explains. Letter writing is a theme in LaBarbera’s own life, as she was pen pals with her grandmother growing up. The ending of All I Know was the most difficult part to write, because LaBarbera wanted to provide closure on Kai’s story without spoon-feeding her audience all the details of the character’s growth.
Some of her favorite characters in the story were Kai’s no nonsense friend Dani and Kai’s supportive mom. She notes that having loyal people in your life can make a big difference when you’re struggling. But in the end, LaBarbera says, “[Kai] has to be my favorite because she lived in my head so much.”
Although All I Know is LaBarbera’s debut, it’s not the first book she’s written. LaBarbera began writing her first book, “5 Days,” when her second son was getting ready to go off to college. Inspired by a passion planner (an agenda focused on goal setting), she decided to tackle the goal of writing a book. Although she hadn’t studied writing before, she is a longtime reader and attender of book clubs. She puts it simply, “I read a lot, and I know what I like.” Later in the process she joined a Community of Writers workshop. LaBarbera’s mom was also able to connect her with an established editor who gave helpful feedback on the draft.
For LaBarbera, a first draft takes anywhere from six months to a year. Editing, on the other hand, can take years. She calls the process of editing “Relatively boring,” because “You have to keep doing it and read the same thing over and over.” Currently, LaBarbera has finished the first draft of her third book, and “5 Days” is in redevelopment to be published after that. The latest project didn’t flow as smoothly. However, LaBarbera admits, “But I think it’s a better first draft.” She also wrote it in sequence rather than working on scenes out of order.
The event ended with a Q&A where audience members were able to ask LaBarbera both about her process, and for general writing advice. (For example, how to portray non-stereotypical symptoms of mental illness in a way that resonates with readers.)
Banter Bookshop lists upcoming story times, book clubs, and author events on their website at https://banterbookshop.com/events. You can order All I Know at https://hollyclabarbera.com/.
Connect with the authors on Instagram:
Holly LaBarbera @hollytellsatale
Caroline Kim @Carolinekim.writer
U.S. News & World Report ranks Milpitas High School among the 2024 Best High Schools
Submitted by Scott Forstner
Milpitas High School (MHS) has been ranked 1,026th in the nation and 136th in California on the 2024 Best High Schools list by U.S. News & World Report. The rankings evaluate nearly 18,000 schools at the national, state and local level.
Milpitas High Scool, which includes 3,026 students in Grades 9-12, was also ranked 361st of 2,000 in STEM High Schools. MHS has one of the most ethnically and economically diverse populations in the country at 96.7%, making it a rich environment for learners.
The methodology focuses on six factors: college readiness; reading, math and science proficiency; reading, math and science performance; underserved student performance; college curriculum breadth; and graduation rates.
“The 2024 Best High Schools rankings highlight schools across the country where students consistently demonstrate academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor of education at U.S. News. “Having access to our data on the high schools can empower families as they navigate today’s educational environment and plan for the future.”
Parents and students can see how Milpitas High School compares to other institutions and how the rankings are calculated on USNews.com.
Milpitas Unified School District
www.musd.org
NASA Fest at Chabot: Grand Opening of new NASA Ames visitor center
Submitted by Isabel Lopez
A complete transformation is now underway at the NASA Ames Visitor Center at Chabot Space & Science Center. Significant changes will create a fully reimagined 360-degree experience, featuring new exhibits, models, and more.
At the new NASA Ames Visitor Center, visitors will enter a space of constant discovery, where new exhibits have been designed to continuously evolve. Here, visitors will step into the shoes of a NASA engineer as they explore firsthand the cutting-edge research and technology conducted at NASA’s Ames Research Center through our interactive exhibits and models. This is your chance to gain exclusive insights from individuals at the forefront of missions like Artemis, explore exciting artifacts, and learn about the latest space developments.
The NASA Ames Visitor Center at Chabot will reopen during our NASA Fest at Chabot event on June 22 and June 23.Join us for a weekend of astronomical fun for the whole family, celebrating the reopening and featuring special NASA guest speakers Parul Agrawal, Brian Barrientez, and Spyros Kasapis. NASA Fest at Chabot ticket prices are $30 for adults, $25 for youth (ages 3-12) and seniors, and $15 discount for members.
The exhibition is part of a larger partnership between NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley and Chabot Space & Science Center to re-envision STEM learning in Oakland. Together, the organizations are modeling innovative education approaches in museum experience, community engagement, and workforce development that have direct impacts and outcomes on Oakland youth.
NASA Fest
Saturday, Jun 22 – Sunday, Jun 23
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Chabot Space and Science Center
10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland
(510) 336-7300
Adults: $24; children 3-12: $19 (under 3 free); Students/Seniors: $19
Local History Museum Receives Aid from Newark Rotary Foundation
Submitted by the Washington Township Museum of Local History
The Washington Township Museum of Local History (WTMLH) would like to formally thank the Newark Rotary Foundation (NRF) for years of support for the collective local history of Fremont, Newark and Union City. Recently, the NRF granted the WTMLH $2,000 to update the presentation display technology inside the museum, as well as to purchase overlarge banners to display on the exterior of the museum. These banners will draw attention to the museum’s often-overlooked building in Mission San Jose, while also showcasing gems from the museum’s photo collection.
Thank you to the NRF for their generous support year after year. This funding helps the museum continue to keep history alive in Fremont, Newark and Union City. Visit the museum sometime. You can find information about the museum at www.museumoflocalhistory.org. For information about Newark Rotary, please visit https://portal.clubrunner.ca/6774/.
New Planetarium show grounds Chabot Space and Science Center in Ohlone culture and astronomy
By Stephanie Gertsch
“If you’ve ever heard a good story told, especially a Native story, the cosmology of the universe were the props,” says Andrew Galvan, an elder in the Ohlone community, and panelist at the June 9 premiere of the new planetarium show “Mur Taaraxtak”—or “Ohlone Skies”—at Chabot Space and Science Center in the Oakland hills. The museum’s domed theater explores the science of the moon and sun, mars, the Milky Way Galaxy, and cultural topics like the Mayan astronomy and the Zodiac. A collaboration with Café Ohlone, “Mur Taaraxtak,” looks at the skies from the perspective of the first people ever to do so, the Chochenyo speaking Ohlone of the East Bay.
Vincent Medina (who runs Café Ohlone with partner Louis Trevino), shared what this educational show means to the community. “As a kid, I came to the Chabot [Space] on field trips, and as much as I enjoyed it, it’s common to feel like we are often left out of the story altogether, even though right here, where we’re sitting, is in a very specific area of the Redwoods we’ve always lived in. This area right here is called Huichin.”
Combining descriptions of ancient traditions and beliefs about the night sky with 20th century photos of Ohlone community and footage of Trevino demonstrating acorn processing, “Mur Taaraxtak,” shows the fortitude of the Ohlone people. That even enduring the genocide of the Mission system, they are still living and observing their culture in an unbroken connection with their land. Medina says, “Anthropologists would erroneously write us off and make it sound like we left the earth, even though we never did. When we walked into different institutions throughout our homeland, we seldom would see ourselves being represented at all. And if we did, it wasn’t in a factual way.”
“Mur Taaraxtak” explores how Ohlone people tracked the Sun and solstices, the phases of the Moon, the Pleiades, Milky Way, and even eclipses. Much of this knowledge serves a practical purpose, as the Moon influences the tides and the best times to fish in the Bay and harvest oysters. Images of the natural landscape and Ohlone basketry are incorporated with the projections of the sky over the Planetarium dome. Chochenyo (with English translation) is used at various points in the program. Near the end is a recording of Ohlone community members Tina Laudani and Stacie Hungerford singing a Chochenyo lullaby. The word “Osse” describes both a star and the act of rocking a baby to sleep, and the song repeats, “My star, to you I rock to sleep.” Laudani and Hungerford also performed the lullaby to kick off the day’s events.
Due to a large turnout, the show was screened three times on June 9. In addition to the shows, Karuk weavers demonstrated traditional basket making, and display tables for the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center and for Native artist Jean LaMarr.
Of course, some beliefs and practices are for the Ohlone community only. But there is much knowledge the community is happy to share so that everyone can appreciate the language and storytelling, technology, culinary arts, and fortitude of the first people to ever live in the Bay Area. As the Ohlone community works to make sure their story is told, more people will be aware of the cruelty and injustice in local history. But the public will also know more about how the original people of this area have always lived.
Vincent Medina noted, “Change doesn’t have to be adversarial or scary. Change could be something we all benefit from together, where everybody is uplifted…Nobody wants to be fed lies, and nobody wants a sugar-coated version of history. But when we can acknowledge the truth and the beauty that’s indigenous to this area right here, us Ohlones are uplifted. And the public who’s not Ohlone is reminded in a positive way that this area has never been a new world, that this place is old and ancient, has an original identity that persists on.”
For more on Andrew Galvan, read the story by Hugo Vera on the preservation of the Ohlone Cemetery in our April 5, 2022 issue: https://tricityvoice.com/04-05-22/.
Chabot Space and Science Center
chabotspace.org
Park District Celebrating Juneteenth with Free Park Day
Submitted by Jen Vanya
The East Bay Regional Park District is celebrating Juneteenth with a Free Park Day on Wednesday, June 19, in recognition of the date when the last of the enslaved Black Americans were notified of their freedom. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally recognized celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. The East Bay Regional Park District is committed to enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and making the parks and agency more welcoming and reflective of the communities it serves.
Park District fees waived on Juneteenth include parking, dogs, horses, boat launching, and fishing. However, the fee waiver does not apply to swimming, camping, reservable picnic facilities (due to capacity limits), Park District concessions, state fees for fishing licenses, and watercraft inspections for invasive mussels.
Naturalist-led programs are also scheduled for the celebration of Juneteenth on Wednesday, June 19.
In the Juneteenth Celebration Walk enjoy a guided walk in the future Thurgood Marshall Regional Park: Home of the Port Chicago 50. Celebrate stories of Black history, the Civil Rights Movement, and the fight for freedom on this land. Come ready for a mostly paved 1.5-mile hike with views of Mount Diablo. All are welcome. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Ages 10+, registration required.
For the Juneteenth Celebration Hike at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont, enjoy a short walk in the marsh to commemorate the contributions and accomplishments of Black Americans throughout history, particularly in the realms of science, conservation, and art. 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. All are welcome, drop-in event; no registration required.
For more information, visit www.ebparks.org/Juneteenth.
Juneteenth Park District activities
Juneteenth Celebration Walk
Wednesday, June 19
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Thurgood Marshall Regional Park
2950 Peralta Oaks Ct., Oakland
Wednesday, June 19
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Coyote Hills Regional Park
8000 Patterson Ranch Rd., Fremont
Summer Concerts:
Concerts at Alameda County Fair
June 14 – July 7
Wednesday – Sunday (excluding July 4)
7 p.m. Gates open
8 p.m. Concert starts
https://annual.alamedacountyfair.com/concerts/
Tickets: $15 – $45 (purchase on fair website)
Groovin’ at the Grove
Fridays, June 28, July 12 & 26
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Gates open 4 p.m.
June 28: Opening: Fossil; Headliner Evolution The Ultimate Journey Tribute Band
July 12: Opening Sabrosito; Headliner Cisco Kid
July 26 Opening: One More Time; Headliner Tortilla Soup
Shirley Sisk Grove (by NewPark Mall)
39270 Cedar Blvd., Newark
Milpitas Summer Concert Series
Red, White & Boom fireworks and Concert
Thursday, Jul 4
5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Milpitas Sports Center
1325 E. Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas
Admission: $6 advance; $8 at the door
Friday, Jul 19
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Jive Machine
Creighton Park
1260 Creighton Ct., Milpitas
Summer Concert Series
Thursdays: June 27; July 11, 18, 25; August 1, 8
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
(Parking lots fill up by 5 p.m.)
June 27: Three Queens of Soul (Soul, R&B, Motown)
July 11: Momotombo SF (Latin Rock)
July 18: Wolf Jett (Americana)
July 25: Bombay Disco Co. (Bollywood)
August 1: 925 Band (Party Band)
August 8: You Should Be Dancing (Bee Gees Tribute)
Central Park Performance Pavilion
40000 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont
Summer Concert Series
Fridays, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
June 28: The Cheeseballs (Funk, Soul, R&B)
July 26: Neon Velvet (70s, 80s, 90s, contemporary hits)
August 23: East Bay Mudd (Classic Soul, R&B)
September 27: Foreverland (Michael Jackson Tribute)
The Block Plaza (near Koja Kitchen)
43806 Pacific Commons Blvd., Fremont
Niles Concerts on the Plaza
Saturdays: Jul 13, Aug 10, Sept 14
4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Bands TBA
Niles Town Plaza
37482 Niles Blvd., Fremont
www.niles.org
Summer Food Trucks
Special events:
Dale Hardware 110th Anniversary Block Party
Saturday, June 29
11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Dale Hardware
3700 Thornton Ave., Fremont
San Leandro Artisan Market
Saturday, July 13
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
222 Davis St., San Leandro
Castro Valley Pride
Saturday, July 20
12 noon – 5 p.m.
Castro Valley High School Tennis Courts
19221 Redwood Rd., Castro Valley
San Leandro Comedy in the Plaza
Saturday, July 20
5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
300 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro
Ongoing:
Niles Street Eats
Wednesdays
5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Niles Town Plaza
37592 Niles Blvd., Fremont
City of Fremont Concert Series
Thursdays: June 27, July 11, July 18, July 25, August 1
5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Central Park
40204 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont
Fremont Street Eats
Fridays
5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Downtown Event Center
3500 Capitol Ave., Fremont
Ohlone College Flea Market
Second Saturdays
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont
Summer Outdoor Movie Nights
Movies on the Lawn
June 14 – July 7
Wednesday – Sunday
6 p.m.
Alameda County Fairgrounds
Gates 8 & 12 off Valley Ave., Pleasanton
https://annual.alamedacountyfair.com/
With Fair admission
Aloha Movies
8 p.m.
July 12: Little Mermaid
August 2: Moana
Kennedy Community Park
1333 Decoto Rd., Union City
Friday, June 28
The Sandlot
Milpitas Sports Center
1325 E. Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas
At Independence Day Pool Party
cityofmilpitas.simpletix.com
Admission: $6 per person
Friday, July 26
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Delano Manongs Park
1650 McCandless Dr., Milpitas
Friday, August 9
The Mighty Ducks
Dixon Landing Park
Milmont Dr. & Jurgens Dr.
Other than June 28, admission is free; purchase reserved seating for up to six people for $12 on cityofmilpitas.simpletix.com.
Movies Under the Stars at the Smith Center
7 p.m. Vendors, food & fun
8:15 p.m. Movie starts
Wednesday, July 17
Encanto
(Face painting)
Friday, August 9
Grease Sing-a-Long
(Classic cars show)
Friday, September 6
Wonka
(Contest: Find a golden ticket)
Smith Center at Ohlone College
43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont
(510) 659-6031
$5 per person; $25 movie pass for four ($30 at the door)
International Day of Yoga brings new light to thousand-year-old practice
By Alfred Hu
International Day of Yoga is celebrated on June 21 in recognition of the Indian practice dating back thousands of years. Indian Prime Minister Modi voiced the idea for this event in his 2014 United Nations (UN) address. It received widespread support, with 177 nations co-sponsoring it in the UN General Assembly, and was passed unanimously. Subsequently, the first International Yoga Day was celebrated successfully on June 21, 2015 in cities including New York, Paris, Beijing, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul and New Delhi.
The word yoga, derived from the Sanskrit root ‘yuj,’ has meanings as varied as its many poses, but the general consensus is that yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices focusing on bringing harmony between mind and body, man and nature. It is also considered an art and science of healthy living. Yoga emphasizes breathing, flexibility and strength through a variety of postures, bringing important benefits such as improved strength, protection of the spine, increased blood flow and energy levels, improved sleep and stress management, lowered blood pressure and heart rate, better cognitive functioning and even improved mental health. Yoga is also built on ethical philosophies like non-violence (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), and self-discipline (tapas), which guide practitioners toward a lifestyle of harmony, respect, and compassion.
There are many different types of yoga and poses. Some popular types are Vinyasa (poses are synchronized with breathing in a meditative rhythmic flow), Hatha (focuses on balancing opposing forces and includes a mix of poses, breathing, and meditation), Ashtanga (six series of specific poses taught in order: fast paced and challenging), Anusara(focuses on alignment and has set patterns and flows designed to energize yogis and purify the mind) and Bikram (yoga done in a hot, steamy room focusing on 26 poses).
Yoga originated in the Indus-Saraswati River Valley of India over 5,000 years ago during the Vedantic era (Vedas are the oldest Hindu scriptures). The practice back then was described as consisting of sitting, breathing and meditating. The next phase in the evolution of yoga was around 3,500 years ago where moral guidelines such as truthfulness, self-inquiry, austerity and spiritual aspects such as karma were added. A millennium later, the Bhagavad Gita, the first scripture dedicated to yoga, was developed to emphasize social and personal responsibilities, as well as spiritual practices. The most important development in the next era, dating back 2,000 years, is the full description of yoga philosophy and practices in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The sutras included asana (yoga poses) in addition to moral responsibilities and spiritual practices.
In the West, yoga took off in the late 1890s and is often credited to Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902). He first came to the United States in 1883 and was soon organizing world conferences on the subject, describing yoga as a “science of the mind.” He translated yogic texts from Sanskrit into English. In 1893, he demonstrated yoga at the Chicago World’s Fair. As a result, other Indian Yogis and Swamis were welcomed in the West. Yoga has since developed more forms and reached enormous popularity around the world.
In the East Bay Area, local teacher Dr. Ketabchi teaches the discipline of yoga to the community. Formerly a computer science professor at Santa Clara University and founder of a software company, he decided to teach yoga a few years after his company was acquired in 2011. “I decided to do something different,” he remembers. “At the time, I was practicing yoga and I liked it. I also believed I could give back to the community through providing the opportunity to learn and practice yoga. Hence, I decided to start a yoga business called Worlds Yoga, Inc.” Still, there were challenges. “Worlds Yoga had four studios in Fremont, Milpitas, Union City, and Saratoga before COVID. I maintained only two of them in Fremont and Union City after COVID.”
Ketabchi developed his own philosophy as a yoga practitioner. “In my opinion, the main focus of yoga at the present time is health—physically meaning body and breath, mentally meaning the mind as the activity of our nervous system, and morally meaning social and personal responsibility and lifestyle. As such, I teach and promote what I call ‘The Yoga of BBML,’ BBML stands for Body, Breath, Mind, and Lifestyle” added Ketabchi.
Ketabchi teaches across yoga levels and styles, in person and online. He’s received positive feedback, although rebuilding has been slow after the COVID-19 pandemic. “Although the number of attendees in my classes have steadily increased since we restarted our on-site classes after the COVID shut down, some have not yet reached their pre-COVID level.” He plans to keep trying new techniques, approaches, and ideas, and incorporating them into his teachings. In addition, Ketabchi conducts teacher training programs, as well as yoga retreats. “Many of our regular yoga teachers in Worlds Yoga are the graduates of my 200 hours of yoga teacher training programs,” he added proudly.
Worlds Yoga in Fremont will hold a free yoga class on Friday, June 21 at 6 p.m. Refreshments will be provided after practice.
Fremont World’s Yoga
37353 Fremont Blvd at Peralta
https://fremont.worldsyoga.com/
What to Do if You Get a Bad Performance Review: Part 1
By Anne Chan, PhD, MFT
The specific criteria for measuring job performance are often unclear. For instance, how does one measure if an employee “collaborates well with other team members” or “has strong communication skills?” The nitty-gritty of these expectations might not be top of mind for employees and supervisors on a day-to-day basis. But these standards will suddenly take on great importance when it comes to your annual review. These fuzzy expectations can even have repercussions for whether you keep your job. It is not uncommon for employees to think that they were doing fine and suddenly be told, in the parlance of performance reviews, that they have “not met expectations.” In some cases, people are then put on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) and are eventually asked to leave.
So, let’s imagine you are in your boss’s office and your heart is sinking as she is listing all the things that you did wrong or that you need to improve on. Your heart may be beating fast, you may be sweating, and you may be feeling anger threatening to burst out of you. You may be in panic mode, worried that you are on the road to being fired. What is the best way to act or respond in this all-too-common work scenario?
Rational thinking and impulse control take a backseat when our feelings flare up. Hence, the first thing to do, at this point, is to not do anything. This may sound strange, but it is vital that you first take control of your emotions as opposed to reacting in them. You may feel like you should say something right away, but resist the urge to argue back or blame your boss, the company, or your co-workers.
When we are attacked physically or verbally, our brains are wired to recognize any perceived threat and react instinctively. However, lashing back at your boss will be a losing strategy. What you need to do is to buy time to calm down, collect your thoughts, and then respond. Here is what you can do under attack: Note what you are feeling in your body in the moment, e.g. your heart racing, your face feeling hot, your fists clenching. Do some slow cleansing breaths before you speak so you can gain control of your tone and words.
Next, ask for more time to process the review. You could say something along the lines of, “I’d like to have some time to think about your feedback. How about we schedule a follow-up in three days?”
Do not then rush to your buddy’s cubicle to vent. Again, it is natural and normal to need to talk to someone. But walls have ears – especially cubicle walls! You should also remind yourself that your buddy might not keep your confidentiality.
Instead, let your feelings out when you are home or in a private space. Cry, scream, shake your fists – do whatever you need to express your feelings and release them.
When you are in a calmer, less reactive frame of mind, get perspectives from trusted friends, mentors, career coaches, and previous colleagues. (I would recommend that you do not vent to current colleagues. No matter how much you believe they are on your side, you cannot be 100% sure that your confidentiality will be preserved.) It is important that you talk to people who will give you a balanced view and be honest about your strengths and weaknesses.
A bad performance review isn’t the end of the world – there are ways to respond to an appraisal that still uphold your dignity and professionalism. You are not completely helpless in the face of a performance review. How you respond to your review can change your boss’s perceptions of you and even garner his respect, believe it or not. Next month, I will cover what you can do to take control of the process and feel empowered.
Anne Chan is a career consultant and licensed psychotherapist in California. She specializes in helping people find happiness in their careers and lives. You can reach her at annechantcv@gmail.com © Anne Chan, 2024
EarthTalk
From the Editors of E – The Environmental Magazine
Dear EarthTalk: What is the so-called “Internet of Animals” project all about and how does it aim to help the conservation cause?
In the early 2000s, animal behavior specialist Martin Wikelski was reflecting on the value of monitoring wildlife, which had already been the bulk of his work for decades. Be it through putting GPS chips on birds to understand their migration patterns, or placing radio collars on coyotes to follow their movements through urban areas, it was undeniable that using technology to monitor the movements and physiology of wildlife species was the best way to learn more about their behaviors and habitats.
However, Wikelski knew from experience that monitoring animals had limitations. Only the largest mammals and birds could be monitored due to the large size of GPS technology, and the energy needed to complete monitoring projects was monumental. In an effort to make monitoring more viable on larger scales, Wikelski came up with the idea for an “Internet of Animals”: A satellite system that would continuously receive monitoring data from GPS chips placed on animals around the world.
Wikelski soon founded the International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space (ICARUS) program to bolster his efforts in monitoring smaller creatures. The idea was to develop a chip that was small enough to be placed on more than half of the mammalian species living on Earth, around 40 percent of all birds, and hundreds of reptilian species. These chips would collect temperature, location and accelerometer data and promptly send the data up to a network of low orbit satellites in Earth’s atmosphere called “CubeSats”, which would in turn send the signals to “Movebank”, an online public database. (Accelerometers are used to measure sedentary time, physical activity, physical activity energy expenditure, and sleep-related behaviors.) After decades of development and design, the technology has now been testing the project on smaller scales for more than half a decade.
If ICARUS succeeds in launching a sustainable, broad-scale version of the “internet of animals,” the benefits the project would bring to environmental research are nearly infinite. For starters, getting more consistent insight into animals’ behaviors and biology could help scientists understand the main threats to wildlife and their habitats to better conserve them.
Additionally, information on meteorology and climate could be provided by creatures that are especially sensitive to inclement weather and temperature changes; for example, elephant seals already provide more than 80 percent of our sea surface temperature data. And that’s to say nothing of the potential discoveries that could be made in biology and zoology to further inform our understanding of the climate crisis and conservation.
There are still many challenges that must be overcome before the internet of animals goes online. The GPS chips need to be reliable enough to give accurate data for months or years without malfunctioning, or else the project will not be physically or financially sustainable. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a device the size of a nickel. However, with the project already in testing, and financial backing being provided by NASA and several national governments, it may not be long before Wikelski’s dream becomes a reality.
CONTACTS:
ICARUS: Global Monitoring with Animals, https://www.icarus.mpg.de/en.
EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy Scheer & Doug Moss for the 501(c)3 nonprofit EarthTalk. See more athttps://emagazine.com. To donate, visit https://earthtalk.org. Send questions to: question@earthtalk.org.
EarthTalk
From the Editors of E – The Environmental Magazine
Dear EarthTalk: Which of the big tech companies are considered the greenest now?
As global demand for sustainable practices intensifies, the race among major tech companies to adopt green practices has become highly competitive. Many tech giants, including Microsoft, Apple and Google are pursuing demanding sustainability goals.
Microsoft has set the most ambitious target: to run entirely on renewable energy by 2025, to go carbon-negative by 2030, and to neutralize all past emissions dating back to 1975 by 2050. Also, Microsoft has mandated its suppliers report their emissions since 2021 and has implemented a carbon tax on its supply chain. In May 2024, the company signed the largest corporate clean energy deal, purchasing 10.5 gigawatts of carbon-free power from Brookfield Renewable Partners. Microsoft already sources electricity from solar and wind farms across America, Europe and Asia.
Transparency distinguishes Microsoft from other major tech companies: It has openly invested in carbon offset projects, such as installing clean stovetops in Kenya and protecting Indonesian forests, and has supported renewable energy infrastructure, including backup generation for Wyoming solar grids and energy storage batteries in Ireland. In 2020, Microsoft founded the Climate Innovation Fund, investing $1 billion in over 35 companies developing climate technology solutions for underserved communities.
Apple differs in that it mainly makes physical products. Apple hopes to limit its annual carbon emissions to less than 10 million ‘unavoidable’ metric tons by 2030 and reach zero net emissions via carbon offsets and removal. In 2022, Apple’s carbon footprint was a staggering 22.5 million metric tons, 75 percent produced during manufacturing and 20 percent generated during product use and transportation.
Since production accounts for most of Apple’s emissions, the company has prioritized material and energy sourcing. The 2019 MacBook Air’s external enclosure is 100 percent recycled aluminum, reducing the product’s carbon footprint by nearly half. Also, Apple is developing more durable and energy-efficient products and powering its production lines, offices and data centers with clean energy. And Apple has many carbon offset/removal projects, mostly to protect and restore wetlands, grasslands and forests.
Google has striven to neutralize its carbon emissions since its founding in 1998, and aims to exceed carbon neutrality by becoming carbon-free by 2030. Its carbon-free plan includes three phases: offsetting, reducing and eliminating emissions. For two decades, Google has used “high-quality” carbon offsets and renewable energy. However, Google’s lack of clarity about what constitutes “high-quality” makes it difficult to verify their sustainability claims. Since 2017, Google has increased reliance on wind and solar power and hopes to power all facilities soon with locally sourced carbon-free electricity. Sun and wind energy can be unpredictable and insufficient for large-scale tech operations. To address this, Google collaborated with its subsidiary DeepMind to develop machine learning systems that forecast wind farm output up to 36 hours in advance and worked with local authorities to optimize solar panel placement.
CONTACTS:
Ranking The Tech Giants’ Climate Commitments | Clim8 Invest
EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy Scheer & Doug Moss for the 501(c)3 nonprofit EarthTalk. See more athttps://emagazine.com. To donate, visit https://earthtalk.org. Send questions to: question@earthtalk.org.
Social Security Matters
By Russell Gloor, National Social Security Advisor, AMAC Foundation
Ask Rusty – I’m Working after age 65; Why Aren’t I Exempt from Medicare Part B Premium?
Dear Rusty: Why, as I continue to work after age 65 and have FICA taxes taken from my check, am I—or anyone—also compelled under the threat of penalties, rate increases, etc. to immediately take Medicare Part B? Am I not then effectively paying into the system twice? As more and more people over 65 continue to work, isn’t that a consideration that should be evaluated by Congress—if one is working past 65, above a specific level of income and paying FICA taxes, the Medicare Part B premium is waived? Signed: Working Senior
Dear Working Senior: FYI, 6.2% of the FICA payroll taxes you pay while working goes to Social Security, and another 1.45% goes to fund Medicare Part A (hospitalization coverage, which is free to you). None of the FICA payroll tax you pay from your work earnings goes to fund Medicare Part B (coverage for outpatient services), which is the part of Medicare for which you must pay a premium.
Said another way, your FICA payroll taxes do fund Medicare Part A, which is free to you, but do not provide any funding for Medicare Part B. Part B is funded from two primary sources—the premiums paid by beneficiaries, and the federal government from the general Treasury. Premiums from enrollees pay for about 25% of Part B healthcare expenses and the remaining 75% of Part B operating expenses are paid from the general U.S. Treasury (not from Social Security money).
So, it’s necessary to separate Part B from your thinking about the payroll taxes you pay while working—you’re not paying anything to fund Part B through your FICA taxes. You aren’t compelled to enroll in Part B (it’s optional), but if you don’t enroll during your initial enrollment period (three months on either side of the month you turn 65) and don’t have other equivalent “creditable” coverage from an employer, and you enroll in Part B later, a late enrollment penalty will apply (10% additional premium for each full year after age 65 you go without creditable healthcare coverage).
So, your premise in suggesting that Part B be free (the premium waived) if you’re working over a certain age or after an amount of time contributing to the program isn’t valid, because no one contributes to Medicare Part B through FICA payroll taxes—Part B beneficiary contributions are only made through premiums paid by those enrolled in it. And you don’t need to enroll in Part B if you have “creditable” healthcare coverage from an employer. The Part B non-enrollment penalty only applies if you enroll after your initial enrollment period has expired and didn’t have “creditable” healthcare coverage after you turned 65. “Creditable” is a group plan with more than 20 participants.
This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.
Social Security Matters
By Russell Gloor, National Social Security Advisor, AMAC Foundation
Ask Rusty – I’m Already Collecting Social Security – How Will My WEP Reduction be Calculated?
Dear Rusty: I don’t understand exactly how the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) works for my situation. I turned 62 in 2017 and am currently still working in a “non-covered” job, not paying into Social Security, but from which I will get a government pension when I retire. I began collecting Social Security at my full retirement age in 2021 and am now collecting $1,507 per month thanks to the cost of living adjustments since I started. Will my Social Security benefit be reduced by $587 if I retire this year? Signed: Confused by WEP
Dear Confused: You’re certainly not alone to be confused by WEP, and your situation is somewhat special because you started your Social Security (SS) benefits before taking your “non-covered” government pension. And, unfortunately, most tools and charts which suggest how much WEP will reduce your Social Security benefit don’t accommodate that nuance very well.
In your case, when you claimed Social Security at your full retirement age (FRA), you were awarded the full benefit you were entitled to, unreduced by WEP because you were not yet collecting your non-covered government pension. You were able to collect your full SS amount and receive each year’s full cost of living adjustments (COLA) to those higher amounts. What actually happens is that each person’s Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) is first determined at age 62, and Social Security applies an annually awarded COLA to their PIA (primary insurance amount), even if they’re not yet receiving benefits. You received your full PIA, including COLA, because you claimed at your full retirement age. But when you start collecting your pension from your non-covered government job, the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) will kick in and reduce your Social Security benefit.
The amount of WEP reduction depends on how many years you had contributed to Social Security from “substantial” earnings but, with 20 or fewer years, the maximum WEP reduction is determined by the year you turn 62 and doesn’t change. Since you turned 62 in 2017, your maximum WEP reduction, according to Social Security’s process, is $442.50 – lower than the $587 you suspect.
Nevertheless, due to the way Social Security calculates the WEP reduction, the reduction from your current amount will seem larger than the WEP maximum. And that’s because of the way Social Security applies the WEP reduction to your benefit. They start by first removing all cost-of-living increases since you were 62 from your primary insurance amount (PIA). They will then take your PIA (sans COLA) and subtract $442.50 (if you have more than 20 years of substantial SS-covered earnings they will subtract less), and then they will reapply all the cost-of-living increases since you were 62 to your WEP-reduced PIA.
What just happened, in effect, is that your previous (pre-WEP) COLA increases were removed from your PIA, and those same COLA percentages were reapplied to your smaller WEP-reduced PIA, to arrive at your new monthly benefit amount under the Windfall Elimination Provision. And that new amount will be lower than your previous SS benefit amount by more than the published maximum WEP reduction for the year you turned 62.
A word of caution: Timely notification to Social Security of your non-covered pension is very important. As soon as you receive your non-covered pension award letter, deliver it to your local Social Security office and request a WEP recalculation of your SS retirement benefit. The WEP recalculation will likely take months to process, during which time you will continue to receive your higher non-WEP SS benefit. That means you will be overpaid for the period between when your non-covered pension started and the month your new WEP SS payment began, and that overpayment must be refunded to Social Security.
This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.
Celebrate Pollinator Month by inviting a variety of pollinators to your garden
By Melinda Myers
Photos courtesy of MelindaMyers.com
June is National Pollinator Month and it’s a great time to celebrate all the pollinators that play an important role in producing food, fiber, medicine, and more that we rely on. When you think of pollinators, bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are likely the first that come to mind. But moths, wasps, beetles, flies, bats, and some other birds also help pollinate our gardens. More than 80% of all flowering plant species, including 180,000 different species and more than 1,200 crops, rely on them for pollination.
Like honeybees and Monarch butterflies, many of these pollinators are struggling and their populations dwindling due to pesticides and loss of habitat. Gardeners can make a difference by creating pollinator gardens filled with their favorite plants.
When designing a garden, select plants with different shapes, colors, and bloom times. You’ll attract a wide array of pollinators and provide them with a constant supply of nectar and pollen. Include bright white, yellow, blue, and ultraviolet-colored flowers to attract the bees. Add some tubular flowers with a spur or landing pad for the butterflies. They are especially fond of purple and red blossoms.
Don’t be in a hurry to squash those beetles you find meandering over your plants. Many do not harm the plant but rather move pollen as they travel throughout your garden. These generalists visit a variety of plants, but most often can be found pollinating large strongly scented flowers like Canadian ginger, magnolia, paw paws, and yellow pond lilies.
They can be annoying, but flies are also busy pollinating your flowers. They are generalists, like beetles, and tend to pollinate small flowers with shallow, funnel-like, or complex trap-like flowers. You’re likely to see them on annuals, bulbs, goldenrod, skunk cabbage, paw paws, and members of the carrot family.
It may be difficult to welcome the often dreaded and feared wasps and hornets to your garden. However, most are solitary, not all sting and some are predators or parasitoids that help manage garden pests.
Besides helping with mosquito control, bats pollinate over 500 species of night-blooming flowers around the world. They prefer those with a musty or rotten odor of mostly tropical and some varieties of desert plants.
Most of us enjoy watching hummingbirds visit our gardens and feeders. Hummingbirds are the primary bird pollinators in North America, carrying pollen on their beaks and feathers. They prefer brightly colored scarlet, orange, red, and white tubular flowers. Baltimore orioles are accidental pollinators spreading pollen as they feed on flower nectar while white-winged doves pollinate and spread saguaro cactus seeds.
Be sure to include milkweed, herbs, trees, shrubs, and grasses with foliage that caterpillars and others feed upon. Use native plants including trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses whenever possible. These plants have evolved with pollinators and provide the greatest benefit. Make sure the native plants you select are suited to the growing conditions and available space.
Don’t overlook cultivated plants that also attract and support pollinators. Many have flowers or foliage that benefit a variety of pollinators. Watch for bees visiting thyme, borage, and calamint flowers; hummingbirds sipping on salvia, cuphea, and verbena blossoms; and swallowtail caterpillars munching on dill, fennel, and parsley leaves.
Once you create a pollinator-friendly environment, give them time to discover your pollinator paradise. It may take time but once the word gets out you will be enjoying lots of pollinators and the many benefits they provide.
For more information watch Melinda Myers’ Underappreciated Pollinators webinar recording and download the handout (MelindaMyers.com).
Melinda Myers has written over 20 gardening books, including Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Union City Seeking Applicants for Commission or Committee Vacancies
Submitted by City of Union City
The City of Union City is pleased to announce that applications are currently being accepted for various vacant positions on the city’s advisory bodies. This is an excellent opportunity for residents to actively participate in local governance and provide direct input on important community issues.
The city is seeking individuals to fill the following positions:
Arts and Culture Commission: 2 Alternates
Economic Development Advisory Team: 1 Seat
Parks and Recreation Commission: 2 Seats
Senior Citizens Commission: 2 Seats, 1 Alternate
“Participating in one of the City’s advisory bodies is a great way for residents to directly impact the decision-making processes that shape Union City,” said Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernaci. “We encourage those who are interested in getting involved to apply and take advantage of this opportunity to contribute to the community.”
Applications are being accepted until July 12, 2024. For more information and to access the application form, please visit www.unioncity.org/commissions or contact the City Clerk’s Office at (510) 675-5448 or via email at cityclerk@unioncity.org.
By joining one of these commissions or committees, residents can help influence different policies and initiatives, ensuring that Union City continues to be a vibrant and inclusive place for all.
Homicide Investigation
Submitted by Fremont Police Department
On June 13, 2024, at approximately 11 p.m., Fremont Police Dispatch received multiple calls regarding a shooting at a drug store located within the Fremont Hub. Reporting parties stated that a security guard and another individual were involved in a verbal altercation. The altercation quickly turned into a violent encounter, which culminated with the security guard being shot and the other individual sustaining several stab wounds. Officers quickly arrived on the scene and provided life-saving efforts, but the security guard was pronounced deceased, and the other individual was transported to a local trauma hospital. This case remains an active investigation.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or with information regarding the incident, please contact Fremont Police Department’s Investigations Unit at (510) 790-6900. We also accept anonymous tips. Text ‘Tip FremontPD' followed by your short message to 888-777 or via the web at https://www.fremontpolice.gov/TIP.
Forty-one years of National Night Out
Submitted by Union City Police Department
National Night Out is celebrating its 41st Anniversary.
Union City Police Department (UCPD) will have one location to celebrate the evening in Union Landing this year. The purpose of this night is to allow local businesses, community groups, CIT professionals, and first responders in the community to partner with law enforcement for an upbeat night of fun and festivities.
Please help us celebrate our community partnerships and learn about safety awareness in our city and neighborhoods and suggestions for preventing the theft of autos and electronic devices.
We will have our Mobile Command Center vehicle, SWAT Truck, Drones, Robots, great food pop-ups, a DJ, activities/entertainment for the kids, and raffles: including gifts from local vendors.
Make sure to enjoy a delicious complimentary meal during the event from Texas Roadhouse and a complimentary NNO beverage from Starbucks, our official meal and drink sponsors of the UCPD 2024 NNO Block Party.
Thank you to all our many sponsors/ partners who make this event possible. If you would like to help sponsor this event by making a product or monetary donation or want to participate by having a booth, don’t hesitate to contact UCPD Community Coordinator Crystal Raine at UCPDCommunity@unioncity.org.
Visit https://www.unioncity.org/639/National-Night-Out
UCPD National Night Out
Tuesday, August 6
4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Union Landing Shopping Center (Between Columbia & Best Buy)
32115 Union Landing Blvd., Union City
https://www.unioncity.org/639/National-Night-Out
Fremont Football Fundraiser
Submitted by Fremont Football and Cheer League
Fremont Football and Cheer League is hosting their Pancake Fundraiser at the Newark Pavilion. Join in to enjoy a great pancake breakfast for a good cause. Breakfast plates include eggs, sausage, bacon and coffee or orange juice. A mimosa bar will be available at additional charge.
FFL Pancake Fundraiser
Saturday, June 29
Doors open: 8:30 a.m.
Serving: 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon
Newark Pavilion
6430 Thornton Ave., Newark
Tickets: $6 – $10
Union City’s Mark Green Sports Center
By Jack Alcorn
Photos courtesy of Union City
The Mark Green Sports Center has a full fitness center with weight lifting and endurance equipment, an aerobics room, locker rooms, and a 12,000 square foot gymnasium.
The popular local facility offers adult sports programs, open gym time for basketball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, and family fitness programming. Small Group exercise programs, personal training and fitness therapy at the center are great ways for the novice gym goer to stay in shape.
Activity and class offerings at the sports complex include:
- Aerobics
- Strength Yoga
- ZUMBA
- Senior Fitness
- Tai Chi
Nutrition workshops and special events to promote fitness, health and wellness occur throughout the year. Child care is provided at the center while parents focus on their fitness.
The Mark Green Sports Center is also available for private rentals on Saturday afternoons and evenings. The gymnasium can accommodate up to 500 persons banquet style, 600 for assembly, and has a full commercial kitchen.
A modest membership fee includes all group exercise classes and open gym sports offered by the Mark Green Sports Center. For more information visit www.unioncity.org/290/Mark-Green-Sports-Center.
Mark Green Sports Center
31224 Union City Blvd., Union City
(510) 675-5808
Oakland Strokes Rowing Club secures its 24th National title
Submitted by Arvind Ganesh
Photos by Kayla Schmah Photography
In a remarkable display of their commitment and dedication, the Oakland Strokes fielded a club record 69 athletes across nine boats in the US Rowing Youth National Championships. Six of those nine boats made the A final for their respective events, demonstrating the program’s quality across age categories and boat classes. This massive showing, the largest in the club’s history, saw them compete against over 8,000 athletes from 224 clubs across the nation.
On the Women’s side, the Varsity 8 finished 11th overall in the largest event of the competition, surpassing 20 other clubs. The 2V 8+ from the Strokes finished 7th overall, U17 8+ finished 6th, and U16 8+ finished 5th. Women’s Head Coach Allison Ray expressed her pride in the team’s performance, highlighting the depth of their strength and skill and the unwavering support they provided to each other. “The Oakland women have demonstrated the depth of our strength and skill. More importantly, we have witnessed how 36 athletes can support each other in every way. Building a team requires trust and passion. I’m immensely proud of all of them.”
On the Men’s side, the Youth 4- won the National title, posting a smashing time of 6:29.90 and besting the other 29 top clubs from the country. The Men’s Youth 8+ also reached the podium, finishing 3rd overall. The Men’s 2V 8+ finished 22nd, U17 2x finished 8th, and the Men’s U16 8+ finished 9th. Men’s Head Coach, Jovan Jovanovich, expressed his pride in the team’s performance, saying, “This victory is a testament to our athletes’ hard work and dedication. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Overall, the week was a resounding success for the club, a testament to the relentless efforts of these young athletes and the coaching staff throughout the year. With 37 Seniors graduating and embarking on their rowing journeys across the country at various D1, 2 & 3 programs, the future shines brightly. The younger crews are poised to build upon the experience and success of this year, and a new wave of rowers is set to join the High School program from the Middle School team. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about rowing and how you can try it out, whether it is through one of our Learn to Row summer programs or testing it out in the fall, check out Oaklandstrokes.org for more information.
Fremont opens new Pickleball Courts
By April Ramos
On Monday, June 3 the City of Fremont introduced the highly anticipated Central Park Knoll Pickleball Courts. Tucked between the Fremont Main Library and Fremont Police Station, and Lake Elizabeth, the Knoll Pickleball Courts are ready for free use to all Pickleball fanatics around the Tri-City area. The new location has eight standard pickleball courts on two elevation levels. The courts include permanent fencing, in- ground nets and posts, benches, a drinking fountain and a beautiful view of Mission Peak and Lake Elizabeth.
Just a week after the ribbon cutting ceremony where Mayor Lily Mei along with several city representatives were in attendance, Paul Stasi and Quang Vuong, were already taking advantage of the new courts, which they advocated for, for years. “We were there since the beginning. We had groups of people going to the city council meetings to voice their opinions about needing pickleball courts,” said Vuong.
Stasi and Vuong are part of the unofficial Fremont pickleball club. “It’s not an official club where there’s a president, take minutes and pay dues. It’s a loosely knit club,” explains Stasi. The club runs primarily from the messaging app WhatsApp. Members reach out to one another when looking for people to play with. “People say ‘anybody going down to play?’ You might say, ‘yeah, I can be there in 20.’ Then all of a sudden you have people to play with that you didn’t know, and the next thing you know you’ll be friends,” described Stasi. Although the club isn’t official, it has over 1,000 members on the ‘Fremont California Pickleball Club’ Facebook page.
With so many Pickleball enthusiasts, Vuong described the struggle of finding locations where players were allowed to play. “At [Fremont Tennis Center], they have 18 tennis courts and on any given day a good chunk of them are vacant. We asked them for two tennis courts to be converted, and for a long time they didn’t.” Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the US with over 200% growth in the last three years. (www.pickleheads.com) The decision to convert tennis courts to pickleball courts, and ultimately build a dedicated pickleball facility in Fremont was “a no brainer” to Vuong.
Although Stasi and Vuong are grateful the three-year process of a new court has come to fruition, they are still hoping for important additions to the facility. Some improvements include bathrooms, gates between the two elevation courts and lights. “These low intensity lights, they’re not for Pickleball,” Vuong points out about the lamp posts that were left from what was once an empty parking lot. “Luckily, during the summer dusk is around 8:30 p.m., but during the winter its 5 o’clock. So, imagine working folks during the weekdays. They have to wait for the weekends to play,” Vuong explained. “And it’ll be hours going to waste for these nice new courts,” added Stasi.
As for bathrooms, the city has placed portable restrooms near the courts. However, some players still choose to walk about four minutes to the nearest building restroom. Regarding the gate problem, Vuong has gotten creative by fashioning a makeshift fence with a small tarp so their game ball doesn’t roll down to the lower-level courts.
After the persistent efforts of local ‘pickleheads,’ the Knoll Pickleball Courts are a great start by the city to keep up with the demand of the fast-growing sport. Vuong shared, “All around the city there are a bunch of tennis courts unused, they would not make any space. But luckily after more than two and a half years they gave us [these courts].”
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The Spread of Graffiti and Gang Tagging
The purpose of this letter is to address the problem of graffiti and gang tagging in the Irvington District. My family has been residence of Fremont, since 1984 and we have certainly seen changes in the city, but not necessarily for the better. When we came here there was no graffiti or gang tagging!
When we moved to Fremont, Congressional Quarterly listed Fremont as one of the safest cities to live in with a population of over 100,000 people. Our city management has failed us over the years, and we now live with graffiti and gang tagging.
Over the past five years we have made numerous calls to the city, to Union Pacific, and BART, only to receive a bureaucratic run around. In the military we called this “shirking responsibility.” It is the old “not-me” syndrome. While the City of Fremont does have a staff to address graffiti, it has been no real help, and the spread of graffiti only continues to get worse and worse.
I do believe that the City of Fremont has the tools to stop the spread of graffiti and gang related tagging—but this issue seems to be ignored. We have called the police when we have seen individuals tagging walls, but the police have always arrived too late. Letters to Mayor Mei have gone unanswered.
Let me recommend a few approaches that might curtail, if not stop the spread of graffiti and tagging:
- Treat tagging and graffiti as a litter violation. There are laws on the books to stop and clear littering. The fines are large and can be elevated to a criminal offense. Maybe the litter law can be amended to include graffiti, which is a form of visual littering and uses profanity.
- Include graffiti as part of the city’s weed abatement program. It might be easier to cite BART or Union Pacific under a modified abatement policy. My recommendation is that the city needs to cite owners of buildings, walls, or any place that graffiti appears. If anyone fails to make the correction, they are fined and if they fail to pay the fine, they are taken to court; and/or
- The city set up motion cameras in threat/risk areas. The cameras can be temporary, as they should be moved to various locations in the city that have been pre-surveyed. Fines for anyone caught tagging or making graffiti marks should be similar to litter fines. Initial fines of $1,000 and for habitual taggers, much greater fines.
The individuals who participate in graffiti are few, but the threat is likely to increase with the expansion of housing. I suggest that you visit Irvington and personally witness the problem of graffiti along BART and Union Pacific rail lines.
I suspect that addressing the issue of graffiti and tagging with BART and Union Pacific will not be a simple challenge, but we were successful with weed abatement policy. The City needs to take culprits to court and see that they are fined.
We do not wish to have these repulsive, unsightly eyesores that tell people this is gang territory. The City leadership can do more, only if they take the issue more seriously.
Sincerely yours,
COL. Brian A. Barlow (retired)
Fremont
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Illegitimate 5150
On June 4, 2024, my sister Tracy drove herself to the ER at Stanford Hospital due to chest pain and was afraid she was experiencing a heart attack. Shortly after, she felt better and was ready to leave. Her fiancée was there to take her home and take care of her, and I arrived within soon after to be there for her.
She was then interviewed by doctors/nurses/social workers there and was issued a 5150, which is up to a 72-hour legal psychiatric hold in the county of Santa Clara, forcing her to stay against her will. In the county of Santa Clara, you must be licensed and have a certification number to issue 5150. The physician that issued it to my sister did not have the certification. I have this in writing from the board and it is easily searchable online.
The 5150 my sister was issued also was incomplete and missing critical information, including the required phone number of the patient advocate hotline, making it invalid. The social worker told me to contact the patient advocate, and when I pointed out the number was missing, she gave me a number. I called about a dozen times and asked the hospital, doctors, and nurses to have a patient advocate come see us multiple times. But we never saw one or heard back from one.
On June 5, my sister was transferred from Stanford to Fremont Hospital despite my objection that there was no CT scan done and a medical cause for the chest pain was not ruled out. The doctor told me they wanted to do one but never got around to it.
Fremont Hospital is in Alameda county where my sister was held for the 5150 for extra holding. Then they turned the 5150 into a 5250 which allows them to hold her for up to 14 more days. The law in California is cut and dry regarding mental health holds. A 5150 and 5250 can only be held if they are 1.) A danger to themselves, 2.) A danger to others, or 3.) gravely disabled, meaning they cannot provide for their own food, shelter, and basic needs.
None of these apply, as my sister was not and is not a danger to herself or others, she lives in San Carlos, has ample access to funds, and can care for herself and also her dog. She is far from disabled.
However, even if patients are considered gravely disabled (which is what they are citing as the reason for my sister’s hold), assistance from friends or family members to provide food, shelter and basic personal needs is enough to qualify patients for release. My sister has a fiancée who will care for her, and I’m willing to care for her as well. She also has a brother nearby and her father and mother, who are all willing to help.
On June 6, we communicated this via email, via fax (three numbers), in person, via phone, and via a couriered letter delivered to the facility (with video evidence of receipt). The physician that wrote the 5250 is disregarding our statement and is illegally issuing a 5250.
I have observed and documented several infringements of basic rights, blatant disregard for the letter of the law, as well as an egregious misuse of professional trust. I have evidence, testimony, legal recordings, and am ready to provide more information.
TLDR: Illegitimate 5150 issued at Stanford leading to boarding at Fremont hospital with intention to force medication against religious beliefs.
Yeni Melchiore
Fremont
Temple Beth Torah welcomes new Rabbi Sara Weissman
Submitted by Cindy Monroe
Temple Beth Torah, a reform congregation in Fremont, is pleased announce Rabbi Sarah Weissman as the new rabbi of Temple Beth Torah beginning July 1, 2024. Rabbi Weissman has years of experience as a pulpit rabbi and a wealth of knowledge to share with us.
Rabbi Sarah was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She attended Amherst College in Massachusetts and graduated summa cum laude in 2003 with a degree in religion. In 2008, Rabbi Sarah was ordained at the New York campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. As a student, she worked as a teaching and research assistant to Dr. Eugene Borowitz, one of the leading theologians of the Reform movement.
Previously, Rabbi Sarah served as assistant/associate rabbi at Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills from 2008-2024, where, in addition to her pastoral and pulpit duties, she oversaw the adult education program and caring committees.
She currently serves on the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) Ethics Committee, which ensures that Reform rabbis abide by the highest standards of ethical conduct.
Rabbi Sarah and her husband, Eric Weissman, are proud parents of a son, Maverick.
Please join us in welcoming Rabbi Sarah to our community. Shabbat services take place weekly on Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m. Rabbi Sarah’s first Shabbat service will be on Friday, July 5, 2024.
Temple Beth Torah
42000 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont
www.bethtorah-fremont.org
Honor Roll
University of Maryland Global Campus Dean’s List
- Julius Beck of Hayward
- Toney Chaplin of Hayward
- Siosifa Faanunu of Hayward
- Jonathan Pascual of Fremont
- Rhonda Whitney of Hayward
- Lianyi Zheng of Union City
Hofstra University Provost’s List
- Varun Sridhar of Fremont
DeSales University Spring 2024 Dean’s List
- Diya Stephen of Fremont
University of Iowa Spring 2024 Dean’s list
- Emmily Patneaud of Newark
Woman’s 2023 death was first fatal black bear attack on a human in California records, officials say
Associated Press
A woman found dead last year in a mountain community was the victim of the first documented fatal black bear attack on a human in California, authorities said.
The death occurred in Downieville, a tiny town in the Sierra Nevada, two hours northeast of the state capital, Sacramento TV station KCRA reported Wednesday.
On Nov. 8, Sierra County sheriff's deputies checking on the welfare of a resident who hadn't been seen for a few days found a broken door and bear scat on the porch, Sheriff Mike Fisher told the station. Inside were the remains of Patrice Miller, 71.
“It appeared that the bear had probably been there several days and had been feeding on the remains,” Fisher said.
It was initially believed that Miller died before the arrival of the bear and that it may have been drawn by the scent.
Meanwhile, there were many reports from concerned citizens about a bear repeatedly returning to the house. A state depredation permit was issued and a bear was trapped on the property and euthanized, according to Fisher.
Then came the findings of Miller’s autopsy, which were first reported by The Mountain Messenger, a local weekly newspaper.
“Patrice had passed away due to a bear mauling or a swipe and a bite to the neck area,” Fisher said.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that it was the first record of a deadly black bear attack on a human in the state.
“It’s a big deal,” said Steve Gonzalez, a department spokesperson. “That doesn’t happen in California. Normally a bear is going to stay away from you, a bear that hasn’t been normalized to human behavior.”
Investigators learned from Miller’s daughter that her mother had a constant problem with bears trying to get into her home, and that she had physically hit one.
Another bear then became a problem in Downieville and was euthanized after trying to break into a school gym, resulting in a significant decrease in bear activity, the sheriff said.
DNA tests confirmed that the first bear euthanized was responsible for killing Miller.
Bears breaking into homes or trash cans in search of food have become a problem in California — from Lake Tahoe in the Sierra down to the foothill suburbs of Los Angeles, where some have been known to raid refrigerators and take dips in backyard pools and hot tubs.
Couple rescued from desert near California’s Joshua Tree National Park after running out of water
Associated Press
A couple hiking in the desert south of Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California was rescued after running out of water, authorities said.
On Sunday, the man called 911 and reported that his girlfriend was dehydrated and weak, according to a statement from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office posted Monday on social media.
A search and rescue helicopter crew was dispatched on June 9, when temperatures reached triple digits, to the area known as Painted Canyon and found the couple huddled in a dry creek bed, the office said.
A video posted online by the Sheriff's Office shows the helicopter hovering above the couple lying on the desert floor, with the man trying to shield her with his body from the blazing sun and wind. The man and woman were then hoisted into the helicopter one by one.
The couple was flown to a landing zone where an aeromedical helicopter rushed the woman to a hospital “due to her severe condition,” according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit’s Rescue 9 post. The man was transported to a local hospital by ambulance, the sheriff’s office told SFGATE.
The deserts of Southern California are among the hottest areas in the state. On June 9, weather stations near the Painted Canyon area saw highs ranging from 100 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 to 40.6 Celsius), according to the National Weather Service.
“Please remember as the temps increase take more water than you think you will need, have a hiking plan, and tell two people where you are going,” the Sheriff’s Department said.
Victim identified in Southern California homicide case, 41 years after her remains were found
Associated Press
A victim whose skull was found by children in a Southern California city in 1983 has been identified 41 years after her remains were first discovered, authorities said.
The Orange County Sheriff's Department identified the victim Friday as Maritza Glean Grimmett, a Panamanian native who moved to the U.S. in the late 1970s. Grimmett was 20 years old at the time of her disappearance, authorities said in a news release. The investigation involved a DNA analysis using Grimmett's remains that helped investigators identify relatives.
After children discovered Grimmett's skull while playing in an area that is now part of Lake Forest, a city about 43 miles (69 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles, about 70% of her remains were excavated from the ground. In the decades that followed, authorities were not able to identify the victim.
In 2022, a DNA sample from Grimmett's remains was sent to Othram Laboratories, a forensics group based in Texas, the sheriff's department said. A missing persons program within the U.S. Department of Justice funded the DNA extraction and testing. Authorities later discovered “a direct family line” for Grimmett and contacted one of her distant relatives in 2023, they said.
The relative recommended the findings of the forensics investigation be posted to a Facebook group focused on women who went missing in the 1970s and 1980s, the sheriff’s department said. A month after the findings were posted, a woman reached out to investigators and said she believed she was the victim’s missing mother.
Relatives later submitted DNA samples to authorities, who identified the victim. The investigation is ongoing.
Continuing Events:
Mondays, June 10 – August, 29
Beginners Bharatanatyam for Kids
5:00 pm – 5:45 pm
Have you been enchanted by the Indian classical dance, Bharatanatyam, and wanted to try it? Here is your chance! Join us to learn some basic dance steps, hand gestures and sitting postures that introduce you to this dance form. This is a series of 12 weekly classes, held every Monday.
Recommended for kids, ages 8-12. No prior experience required. Registration required. Your single registration will register you for the entire series. Please enter your child’s name, not the parent’s.
Fremont Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont
(510) 745-1400
Mondays and Thursdays
Food Garden Volunteer
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Learning from experienced gardeners.
LEAF CR Stone Garden
55 Mowry Ave., Fremont
volunteer@fremontleaf.org
Volunteer agreement form is required.
Tuesdays
East Bay Games Meet
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
German/Euro style board games and card games.
Swiss Park
5911 Mowry Ave., Newark
(510) 936-2523
meetup.com/east-bay-games
Tuesdays
East Indian Seniors R
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Anyone who is retired and of Indian origin or interested in Indian culture is welcome to join us.
Age Well Center at Lake Elizabeth
40086 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont
(510) 790-6606
Second and Fourth Tuesdays of the month
Tuesdays
LEGO® Time
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Use your imagination and engineering skills to create your own LEGO® designs.
Centerville library
3801 Nicolet Ave., Fremont
(510) 795-2629
Drop-in. For everyone.
Tuesdays
Music and Storytime
11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Join us for stories, music, and movement.
Cherryland Community Center
278 Hampton Road, Hayward
(510) 626-8522
For babies, toddlers, kids, and preschoolers.
Tuesdays
Comfort & Joy Ukulele R
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
A group of ukulele players with volunteer leaders to practice familiar songs as well as learning new.
Age Well Center at Lake Elizabeth
40086 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont
(510) 790-6606
Wednesdays
Folk Dancing Social R
9:00 am – 10:30 am
Join together in the wonderful spirit of dancing and savor the beautiful music from all over the world.
Age Well Center at Lake Elizabeth
40086 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont
(510) 790-6606
Wednesdays
Book Club AWC R
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
The book club meets for stimulating discussions.
Age Well Center at Lake Elizabeth
40086 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont
(510) 790-6606
Second and fourth Wednesdays of the month
Thursdays
International Folk Dancing R$
11:15 am – 1:00 pm
Celebrate the cultural roots and traditional life of various countries.
Age Well Center at South Fremont
47111 Mission Falls Ct., Fremont
(510) 742-7529
In English and Chinese.
Thursdays
Bocce Ball Class R
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Learn how to play Bocce Ball.
Age Well Center at South Fremont
47111 Mission Falls Ct., Fremont
(510) 742-7529
Rain will cancel class.
Thursdays
Chinese Calligraphy Social R
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Bring your own supplies and socialize and have fun while doing calligraphy.
Age Well Center at Lake Elizabeth
40086 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont
(510) 790-6606
There is no teaching on site.
Thursdays
Historic Days
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Ride a narrow-gauge train, tour the beautifully restored Patterson House Museum. Every historic day ends with an animal feeding at 3 pm. This is a drop-in program; no registration is required. Disabled accessible. Ardenwood admission fee applies.
Ardenwood Farms
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
(510) 544-2797
Thursdays
Chinese Music Ensemble R
1:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Open to all who are interested in performing traditional Chinese music.
Age Well Center at Lake Elizabeth
40086 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont
(510) 790-6606
Thursdays
Family Board Game Night
3:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Play together with family and friends, or make some new friends at the library.
Centerville library
3801 Nicolet Ave., Fremont
(510) 795-2629
Board games will be provided.
Thursdays
The Peaceful Poets
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Join a Milpitas-based group of writers and appreciators of poetry.
Milpitas Public Library
160 N Main St., Milpitas
(408) 262-1171
For teens, adults, and seniors.
Last Thursdays of the month
Thursday, June 13 – August 3
54th Annual Textile Exhibition
Thursday, Jun 13 – Saturday, Aug 3
Thurs – Sun; 12 noon – 5 p.m.
Artwork will showcase a variety of textile techniques including quilting, macrame, wearables, sculpture, hand-dyed/painted fabrics, and much more.
Olive Hyde
123 Washington Blvd., Fremont
(510) 791-4357
Thursdays and Saturdays
Story Time
10:30 am – 11:00 am
Picture book story time
Banter Bookshop
3768 Capitol Ave. Ste. F, Fremont
(510) 565-1004
bit.ly/3VFpbc
Fridays and Saturdays
Free Telescope Viewings
7:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Join Chabot astronomers on the Observatory Deck for a free telescope viewing!
Chabot Space and Science Center
10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland
(510) 336-7300
chabotspace.org/calendar
Weather permitting.
Saturdays
Laugh Track City R$
8:00 pm
Series of improvised games and scenes
Made Up Theatre
4000 Bay St. suite B., Fremont
(510) 573-3633
madeuptheatre.com
Saturdays
Free Beginner Pickleball Lesson
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Free pickleball lesson taught by a USPA professional.
Hall Memorial Park
304 La Honda Dr, Milpitas
(408) 586-3210
Drop-in. Weather permitting.
Saturdays
Teen Cohort for Outdoor Education R$
10 am – 4 pm
Meet new friends, build outdoor skills, and get to know your community as we participate in activities, such as Hayward Shoreline Hike and Clean-Up, Quarry Lakes Excursion; Coyote Hills Excursion; Fishing; rock climbing on our 28-foot rock wall, hiking; and a Sulphur Creek Guided Tour.
Ashland Community Center
1530 167th Avenue, San Leandro
Noel Munivez: (510) 317-2303
Sundays
Farmyard Games
1:00 pm
Join us for some old-fashioned fun! Try your hand at classic American pastimes including stilts, sack races, and the potato-spoon race. This is a drop-in program; no registration is required. Ardenwood admission fee applies.
Ardenwood Farms
34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont
(510) 544-2797
Sundays
Practice Your English: Group Conversation for Adults
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Improve your conversation skills by chatting with other people about everyday topics in a friendly, welcoming group
Castro Valley Library
3600 Norbridge Ave., Castro Valley
Sundays
Weekly meditation Session R
8:30 am – 9:30 am
Explore the effortless way to ultimate bliss.
India Community Center
525 Los Coches St., Milpitas
(408) 934-1130
samarpanmeditationusa.org
info@indiacc.org, info@samarpanmeditationusa.org
Sundays – Saturdays
Recreational Swim $
12:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Attractions may vary.
Silliman Activity and Family Aquatic Center
6800 Mowry Ave., Newark
(510) 578-4620
bit.ly/3nxo0is
Sundays
Larry “O” Teen Workshop
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Used bikes, bike parts for sale and bike repair.
Larry Orozco Teen Workshop
33623 Mission Blvd., Union City
(510) 675-5487
www.unioncity.org/723/Larry-O-Teen-Workshop
RobertS@unioncity.org
Donation accepted.
Second and fourth Sundays of the month
Upcoming Events
Friday, June 21
54th Textile Exhibition Opening Reception
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Artwork will showcase a variety of textile techniques including quilting, macrame, wearables, sculpture, hand-dyed/painted fabrics, and much more.
Olive Hyde
123 Washington Blvd., Fremont
(510) 791-4357
Saturday, June 22 – Sunday, June 23
South Asian Mental Health Conference $R
Saturday – In Person
Sunday – Virtual
8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sessions on breaking stereotypes around mental health in South Asian Culture.
Cal State East Bay Hayward
25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., Hayward
Register on Eventbrite
Tickets: $55 – $150
Saturday, June 22
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Spaghetti Feed
All you can eat food and drink
Beer and Wine extra
Prizes, Silent Auction, Kid Zone
4:00 pm – 7:30 pm
38801 Blacow Road, Fremont
510-793-6285
Saturday, June 22
Rhythm Builders
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
Join The Rhythm Builders on an interactive journey through rhythm, song, and movement! They will be hosting a fun and interactive performance for children and their caregivers. Children will enjoy songs, movements, and playing instruments.
Fremont Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont
(510) 745-1400
Sunday, June 23
Tchaikovsky Gold
3:00 pm
For this concert we’re presenting two of his most famous pieces alongside International Van Cliburn Piano Competition gold medalist, Jon Nakamatsu. Heralded as the “pianist’s pianist,” Jon’s touch on the keyboard is sophisticated and masterful, and he’ll perform the most famous piano concerto ever written. Jung-Ho and the Bay Philharmonic will share their passion for Tchaikovsky’s ultra dramatic 4th Symphony, his musical biography of a hero overcoming fate to triumph with hope and victory.
Chabot College Performing Arts Center
25555 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward
Monday, June 24
Washington Hospital Trauma Center Ribbon Cutting
5:30 pm
Morris Hyman Critical Care
Pavilion Lobby
Washington Hospital
2000 Mowry Ave., Fremont
Tuesday, June 25
Bollywood Dance for Kids
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Join us to groove to Bollywood music, learning the fusion of dance steps that is Bollywood Dance. This dance form incorporates different dance styles including bhangra dance, hip-hop, Arabic and jazz dance. Recommended for kids, ages 8-12. No prior experience required.
No registration required. Limited seats available. Tickets will be handed out at the Children's Service Desk, 15 minutes prior to the start of the program.
Fremont Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont
(510) 745-1400
Wednesday, June 26
Fremont’s 2024 State of the City Address
1:00 am
Fremont Mayor Lily Mei will present the annual State of the City Address
Fremont Downtown Event Center
3500 Capital Ave., Fremont
Wednesday, June 26
Pygmy Goats with 4-H
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Learn how to care for animals, good hygiene, and all the opportunities Alameda County 4-H provides. After the presentation there will be an opportunity to meet and pet a real pygmy goat! This presentation is appropriate for children ages five and up. Space is limited. Free tickets are available on a first come, first serve basis. Tickets will be distributed outside in the breezeway to the right of the main entrance, starting at 12:45pm.
Fremont Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont
(510) 745-1400
Wednesday, June 26
Bri Crabtree & Silly Circus Show
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Family-friendly circus show from award-winning performer, Bri Crabtree! Laugh along to this comedic show, marvel at the magic tricks, and enjoy some circus performances.
Castro Valley Library
3600 Norbridge Ave., Castro Vally
(510) 667-7900
Saturday, June 29
Coventry & Kaluza Circus Show
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
Award winning circus comedians, Coventry & Kaluza, bring a variety of skills and thrills to their show which features juggling, acrobatics, music, comedy, dog tricks, and high numbers hula hooping. It’s interactive fun for the whole family!
Fremont Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont
(510) 745-1400
Saturday, June 29
Dale Hardware’s 100th Anniversary Block Party
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
The Tri-Cities residents are invited to come celebrate with us as we fire up the grills and serve delicious barbeque for our neighbors. The event will also include product demonstrations, children's games and activities, special day-of- offers and much more!
Dale Hardware
3700 Thornton Ave., Fremont
(510) 797-3700
Saturday, June 29
Rhythm Builders
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
Get ready to make some noise! Join the Rhythm Builders for an interactive session of stories, movement, and music. Connect with your sense of rhythm this summer and find your own beat.
Newark Library
37055 Newark Blvd., Newark
(510) 284-0675
http://www.therhythmbuilders.com/
Saturday, June 29
Bohème Out of the Box
1 p.m. – Bohème Out of the Box
4:30 p.m. – Out of the Box: Encore Concert
Kennedy Park Amphitheater
1333 Decoto Rd., Union City
(510) 675-5445
www.sfopera.com/box
www.unioncity.org/589/Arts-Culture-Studio-11
Sunday, June 30
Indigo Dyeing
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
We will use clothespins and rubber bands to create patterns on cotton fabric. Indigo is a very magical and special dyeing process. This workshop will be messy and dye may permanently stain clothes and temporarily stain skin. Please wear old clothes that you don't care about! All materials will be provided.
San Lorenzo Library
395 Paseo Grande, San Lorenzo
(510) 284-0640
Monday, July 1
Digital Business Basics Bootcamp
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
This comprehensive program is designed to provide you with the essential tools and strategies needed to succeed in the digital landscape.
John Gibson – (510) 284-0675
Newark Library
37055 Newark Blvd., Newark
Tuesday, July 2
Firecracker Slime
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Create your very own concoction that is stretchy, fluffy, and oh so fun to play with! All materials are provided. Slime is washable. Suitable for kids, ages 5+. This activity is messy, please dress accordingly; some child-sized aprons will be available. Please register for this event as space and supplies are limited.
(510) 284-0640
San Lorenzo Library
395 Paseo Grande, San Lorenzo
Tuesday, July 2
Mystery Book Club
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Fellow mystery lovers, join us on the first Tuesday night of each month for a lively discussion of classic and current mysteries. Read this month’s selection, drop in and join the fun! The club will be discussing The Killing Hills by Chris Offutt.
Castro Valley Library
3600 Norbridge Ave., Castro Valley
(510) 667-7900
Thursday, July 4
Parade and Free After Party
11:00 am – 1:30 pm
Food Trucks, Entertainment, Games, Giveaways, and more.
Fremont Downtown Event Center
3500 Capital Ave., Fremont
Friday, July 5 – 7; Saturday, July 11 – 13
Ohlone College Presents Grease
8:15 pm
This is the Live Show staring Ohlone Students After a whirlwind summer romance, Gang leader Danny Zuko and good girl Sandy Dumbrowski are unexpectedly reunited when she transfers to Rydell High.
Ohlone College
Smith Center Amphitheatre
43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont
(510) 659-6000
Smithcenter.com
Saturday, July 13
Niles Concert on the Plaza
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Great Music – Great Community
Niles Town Plaza
37592 Niles Blvd., Fremont
Wednesday, July 17
Magical Mark
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Magical Mark is a full-time professional magician who has been delighting audiences across the greater Bay Area for over 7 years. This interactive program brings everyone together for an experience that is both entertaining and inspiring.
Castro Valley Library
3600 Norbridge Ave., Castro Valley
(510) 667-7900
Friday – Sunday, July 19 – August 4
StarStruck Theatre Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
This summer join StarStruck as we step into the enchanted world of Broadway’s classic, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, an international sensation that has been produced in 37 countries worldwide. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, the stage version includes all of the wonderful songs written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice. The original Broadway production ran for over thirteen years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Ohlone College
Smith Center
43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont
starstrucktheatre.org
(510) 659-6031
Tickets: $25 – $35
Tuesday, July 30
American Red Cross Blood Drive
11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Blood drive
Castro Valley Library
3600 Norbridge Ave., Castro Valley
(510) 667-7900