Vallejo's most popular holiday event is back, with the 20th anniversary of the Meyer Factory Outlet Sale kicking off in December.

For two decades, Meyer has offered bargain-hunters incredible savings on premium cookware brands with this once-a-year sale that draws shoppers from all over the Bay Area.

And the spirit of giving back continues through Meyer's yearly partnership with the Humane Society of the North Bay, itself celebrating a 30th anniversary of service to the homeless animals in our community.

Shoppers can donate the shelter animals at the register, or drop off individual cash and check donations even without a purchase; either way, Meyer generously matches all contributions to the Humane Society up to $15,000.

Great bargains and good deeds! Make the most of it December 1st through 12th at two locations: 525 Curtola Parkway, Vallejo and 2001 Meyer Way, Fairfield. Information, call 707-551-2800 or visit hsnb.org.

Click here to download the flyer! 

Richard LeMieux, author of Breakfast at Sally's: One Homeless Man's Inspirational Journey, will be presenting at Touro University California on Thursday, November 10, 2016. LeMieux will discuss his experiences being homeless and his efforts to assist others who are homeless. The presentation is free and open to the community and will take place from 6:30-8 pm at Touro University Lander Auditorium,1557 Azuar Drive, Mare Island, Vallejo, CA 94592. A reception and book signing will follow the event. We will also have many local organizations present who work with the homeless in the Bay Area.

Richard LeMieux once had it all - a happy marriage, a beautiful home, cars, boats, and vacation extravaganzas. But within a moment's notice, he lost it all. He was penniless, estranged from his family and friends, and living out of a van with his canine companion, Willow. And for a while, the Salvation Army (a.k.a. Sally's) provided his only meals. It was just a matter of time before LeMieux was diagnosed with depression at a mental hospital after attempting suicide. In Breakfast at Sally's, LeMieux brings to life his experiences of being homeless, and presents his odyssey with quirky,
diverse, and endearing characters that encompass the homeless people of Bremerton, Washington. Composed on a secondhand manual typewriter at various locations, LeMieux provides a rare and intimate look at how the other America lives. He shows how one man, beaten down and alone, is able to reconnect, find good people, and ultimately with their help, persevere.

This event is sponsored by NorthBay Healthcare, Recology, and Shelley Berkley and is part of the ongoing social justice series presented by Touro's Master's of Public Health program.

Date/Time: Thursday, November 10, 2016 from 6:30 - 8:00pm
Location: Lander Auditorium, Touro University, 1557 Azuar Drive, Vallejo 

Teach choir and change the lives of children! A member of our Chamber, the Young Artists Conservatory of Music (YACM) is providing a music program for low income children in the Vallejo City Unified School District. YACM is teaching 36 choir classes in 9 schools with 2,000 children under instruction. This is being supported in part by other members of our Chamber, including the Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Fund and Travis Credit Union. YACM is looking for additional choir instructors who are available on one or more weekday mornings. This is a paid, part-time opportunity. If you know of anyone who may be interested in this opportunity, please have them email:  [email protected].

"She's the real deal, right in there with Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington." - Bryan Gould, Swing Fever big band

Denise Perrier has built an international reputation performing in festivals, concert halls, jazz clubs, and other venues around the world. In her early twenties, Louis Armstrong heard her sing at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel and hired her for his Las Vegas review, after which she went on to tour Western Europe, Latin America, Scandinavia, Russia, and The Far East.

Born in Louisiana and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, she first toured Australia five decades ago and has since performed in more than two dozen countries. Her tireless itinerary means she is often introducing herself to new Bay Area jazz fans when she gets back home.

"Perrier's work is big, rich, melodic, and hits home with a remarkable punch. She has that swirling, dancing, ingratiating intimacy usually associated with Continental vocalists... a real pro." - San Francisco Examiner

In 2014 she sold out six performances of her Dinah Washington tribute show at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and she also headlined at SF Jazz. Whether performing in an intimate supper club or a large venue, singing a haunting melody like Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Dindi" or laying down a smoking version of Teddy Edwards' "Don't Touch Me," Denise Perrier thrills audiences with her sultry contralto and emotional lyric interpretation.

"A commanding singer with a big, warm voice and a stylish delivery." - Jazz Reviews

Part of what makes Perrier such a beguiling singer is the way her dry sense of humor and supple phrasing reveal layers of irony in familiar standards. Her voice is matched by a supremely elegant stage presence, with which she passionately delivers moving interpretations of jazz standards and blues classics. For her December 4 show in Vallejo, Denise will be performing holiday-themed songs in addition to a selection of favorite jazz and blues standards.

For this concert, Ms. Perrier will be accompanied by her all-star quartet, consisting of saxophone, piano, bass and drums.

"Denise Perrier is more than a good singer. She is a complete entertainer" - KCSM

This will be the 37th concert presented by the Vallejo Jazz Society since its inception. Previous concerts have featured such Bay Area notables as Smith Dobson V, Wesla Whitfield, Clairdee, Lavay Smith, Larry Vuckovich, Paul Hanson, Pamela Rose, Calvin Keys, Kenny Washington, Noel Jewkes, Roger Glenn and many more.

Tickets for the concert are $15 ($7.50 for VJS members) and may be purchased at the door or online at www.vallejojazzsociety.net. Refreshments, including beer & wine, will be available for purchase.

Location: Empress Theatre, 330 Virginia Street, Vallejo
Date/Time: Sunday, December 4, 2016, 5pm