Photo by flickr user redyaffle

The Walnut Creek Open Space staff are giving a talk titled, “Why Trees?” from 7 – 8pm this evening at Howe Homestead Park.

We’ll be discussing the facts and fancies about three of the most common trees found in the Open Space — the oak, sycamore and walnut. Learn about the benefits to wildlife from these species as well as cultural information from around the world. We’ll be in the Dutch Kitchen at Howe.

View Larger Map

4 Comments

With a few hours to spare I decided to check out the new 21 Jump Street movie at the Century movie theater in downtown Walnut Creek. The times popped up on Google immediately so I headed out for a 2:25 showing.

I get there and they ring me up for a $14 ticket. For a moment I thought I was hallucinating that I was in Manhattan, because a movie ticket in Walnut Creek can’t be more than $8. And then I remembered about the special XD movie theater with special seats, audio and a larger screen. Not wanting to lose out on seeing the movie I shelled out the $14 and decided to see what’s so special about the XD theater. Would it be worth the extra 75%? Put simply, no way. The theater was rather empty considering it was opening weekend, so I think most people would agree.

Lesson learned: when you check for movie times at the Century theater in downtown Walnut Creek, make sure you steer clear of the XD showings.

4 Comments

Be on the lookout for a toy that looks like a bus as pictured above. In 2007, they were handed out in Antioch, Bay Point, Concord, Pittsburg, Richmond, San Pablo, Martinez and Brentwood, but may have ended up in Walnut Creek and Lafayette. From an email:

Dear Beyond the Creek,

I would like to alert you to a lead contamination health crisis here in CCC involving toys containing up to 2100 ppm (which is 21 times the current federal limit).

This situation was not reported to the general public here in Contra Costa County, CA, and as the danger remains, I feel the public has a right to be more fully informed about the matter. Moreover, it seems that the agency violated the federal Consumer Product Safety Act, which requires that any distributor of hazardous toys involving a recall is required to immediately report it to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They admittedly did not do that, nor did they report it to the State of California public health officials, and it’s not confirmed that they actually informed our county’s lead poisoning office, which may be required by law as well.

Read the rest after the jump

1 Comment