I just found out that the largest and most comprehensive news blog covering Contra Costa, CLAYCORD, has included this blog, Beyond the Creek as part of the Friends of Claycord section. This is a huge honor to be included as Claycord sets the benchmark in terms of delivering local news from around Contra Costa.
Lamorinda Music, located at 81 Lafayette Circle in Lafayette, is expanding in a big way, taking over the entire Lafayette Health Club space which closed earlier this month. In addition to four more studios, a classroom will be added, as well as a high-end guitar shop run by The Waybacks former guitarist and singer Stevie Coyle, who will also offer guitar lessons. Visiting musicians will occasionally perform as well, with refreshments from nearby The French Bakery. Sweet! The expansion should be completed sometime in July.
The guitar shop will be situated on the right side:
The new space is already being used for some classes:
This expansion is going to be great for the music community in Lafayette and I look forward to checking it out when it’s completed.
Loot Antiques, located at 3598 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette, next to Pizza Antica, is closing most likely by the end of June. They would like to relocate somewhere within Lafayette so stay tuned for their new location. In the meantime everything in the store is 30% off so drop by for some good deals.
Word on the street is that a cupcake chain will be moving in at some point but this has yet to be confirmed.
From an email:
Wednesday May 23, 2012
Welcome Mr. Ricardo March Vice President, Varela Hermanos Award Winning Ron Abuelo Rums from Panama
You are invited to learn about & taste these great Panamanian Rums
Gather on the aft Deck 6:00
Dinner at 6:30Menu
Yucca Chips
spicy tropical dip
Canal Sparkler
Ron Abuelo AñejoFirst Course
Prawn & Hearts of Palm Salad
(mint, cashews, red bell pepper passion fruit, lime & rum dressing)
Barú Vista
Ron Abuelo Añejo 7 yearMain Course
Plantain Crusted Corvina
(shellfish essence, habanero, mango, rum, butter lobster – annatto rice)The San Blas Cocktail
Ron Abuelo Añejo 12 yearDessert
Abuelo & Coffee Flan
(caramelized pineapple, chantilly cream, grated nutmeg coconut shortbread)
Ron Abuelo “Centuria”
Abuelo & Salted Peanut TruffleReservations Required. $60.00 tax and gratuity not included.
Spotted across from Miramonte High School in Orinda on Moraga Way. The owners really went all out decorating with numerous bear sculptures, a bench, and other animals over the past couple of years. Great job!
When the lease for the Soccer Post in Lafayette was up late last year word on the street is that in order to make room for a restaurant they moved down to 3400 Mt. Diablo Blvd. (near Hank and Frank Bicycles) in Lafayette. Turns out that restaurant was supposed to be a French brasserie headed by master chef Patrick Farjas, but that plan has been shelved, in part by comments he made dissing the Lafayette restaurant scene. I think that may deserve its own post…
Back in February when the hearings on the Sufism Reoriented Sanctuary were happening, I noted that Contra Costa Supervisor Supervisor Gayle Uilkema was not present at the meeting, instead listening in by phone. A reader pointed out that she was getting treatment for cancer, and on Saturday Supervisor Uilkema passed away due to complications from ovarian cancer. She made a big impact on Contra Costa, especially Lafayette, as explained in the Times article:
Uilkema was elected to the Lafayette City Council in 1978, serving five terms as well as four stints as mayor.
In 1996, she was elected to a supervisor post, serving Central Contra Costa. She was instrumental in finalizing the Lafayette Library and Learning Center and the Veterans Memorial Building in that city.
RIP Gayle Uilkema. You will be missed.
If you live in west downtown Walnut Creek, which includes the areas within the map boundaries above, which include the Almond-Shuey neighborhood, you may apply to be part of the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) which will, according to the plan website:
focus on making it easier to walk and bike between the BART station and downtown; and plan for new homes and businesses between Mt. Diablo Blvd and the BART station, while preserving the Almond-Shuey neighborhood.
The West Downtown Specific Plan will be a community-driven plan that defines a vision for the area and develops a regulatory framework for future development and public improvements. The Specific Plan Area is generally bounded by Ygnacio Valley Road at the north, California Boulevard at the east, Mount Diablo Boulevard at the south, and I-680 at the west.
Applications are due in by 5pm on Thursday, May 24th:
The CAC is expected to meet a total of seven times through December 2013, by which time the committee will have completed its task of creating a draft Specific Plan for the further review and approval by the City Commissions and City Council. Meetings will be scheduled on the second, fourth, or fifth Tuesday of the month from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. The first meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, June 12, 2012.
Anyone thinking about doing this? If so, please keep us informed on the progress!
From the Animal Rescue Foundation website:
Sunday, May 20, 2012
10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Broadway Plaza – Walnut Creek
Fundraising Pet Walk
Registration 8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Walk 10:30 a.m. SharpBest Dressed Pet Contest
Immediately following Pet Walk on main stagePet Wellness Fair and Vendor Booths
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.Follow your passion for pets to the 12th annual Animals on Broadway! Join ARF in celebration of the special bond we share with our furry friends at this spectacular free community event that brings people and pets together.
Kick off the festivities with the nearly one mile Pet Walk to help dogs and cats in need of a second chance. Help ARF reach our goal of raising $75,000 to support our life-saving work by registering to walk with or without your pet. Get a head start collecting pledges with your own easy-to-create fundraising webpage, or in person with our printable pledge form.
After the Pet Walk, head to the main stage for the Best-dressed Pet Contest and cheer on your favorite dapper dog and fanciful feline participating in the Walk.
Delight in the many offerings for pet lovers lining both sides of the street: have your dog washed by ARF volunteers, shop vendor booths showcasing pet items and children’s activities or listen to live music from SixString. Many dogs and cats will be available for adoption — visit the ARF Adoption Mobile and many other rescue group booths to fall in love!
Visit the Pet Wellness Fair for an assortment of individual services such as nail trimming, weight assessment, dental check, ask the vet, certified doggie massage, blood panel and rabies vaccination for a small donation to ARF. Donate $25 for a Pet Passport which entitles furry festival-goers to receive all these services. Micro-chipping and additional low-cost vaccination will also be available at the VIP Petcare Services booth.Animals on Broadway brings out the best, rain or shine! Gather up the family and join ARF and the Broadway Plaza retailers in Walnut Creek to celebrate Animals on Broadway — and don’t forget to bring your “best friend.”
From the Contra Costa Crisis Center website:
When: Saturday, May 19, 2012
Where: Heather Farms Park (Ygnacio Valley Road & North San Carlos Drive, Walnut Creek)9:00am Check-in
10:00am Walk begins
11:00am Food, Music, and Friends
Registration $20 individiual, $30 family
Fee includes T-shirt, food, and entertainmentTo Register as a Walker Now Click Here
To Sponsor a Walker Now Click Here“The mission of the Contra Costa Crisis Center is to keep people alive and safe, help them through crises, and connect them with culturally relevant resources in the community. 24-hour crisis and suicide prevention lines, face-to-face grief counseling programs, homeless services, youth services, and 211 information and referral programs
are offered free of charge.”