The Lafayette Res Run for Education is a fundraiser for the programs and services of the Lafayette but also for support our health and wellness programs at our local public schools. Last year we set a record and distributed beneficiary checks totaling $42,568.75! Can we beat that in 2022? Learn more and register at www.lafayettechamber.org/resrun.

Register now for the 5k, 10k, or 2 mile fun run/walk option on Race Day, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022 or join the virtual Reservoir Challenge which “runs” through Oct. 22.

Register HERE! Prices increase Saturday, October 15 at 12am! Packet pickup starts Monday, October 17.

It's their Grand Opening here in Lafayette, 11am-4pm on Saturday, October 15!

Five Little Monkeys is located at 3527 Wilkinson Lane, Lafayette.

Lafayette Chamber members meet at 10:30am, Ribbon Cutting promptly at 11am. Learn more here.

Yo Pros Fall Networking Mixer! Wednesday, October 19, 5-7pm at Headlands Brewing Company, 3420 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette. Bring your business cards!

Let's welcome trick-or-treaters back to downtown Lafayette! This free, fun, family-friendly event promoted by your Lafayette Chamber will be held Friday, October 28, 4pm-6pm.

Information about the event and the list of participants will be posted here: https://lafayettechamber.org/trick-or-treat.

Mixpo 2022 combines the best of a mixer and a business expo. Chamber members are encouraged to attend as a guest or attend as an exhibitor and host a booth space (limited space available). If you would like to participate as a vendor please contact AJ.

REGISTER HERE for MIXPO 2022!

Chris Helfrich is a social entrepreneur and nonprofit leader committed to finding innovative solutions to community-based issues and problems. Currently, Chris is President and CEO of Stephen and Ayesha Curry's Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, which he helped launch in July 2019.  

Learn more about the speaker and the event here: https://lafayettechamber.org/breakfast

Registration is required as NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE DOOR. $35 per person

Join us Sunday, December 4, 2022, 4:30pm-6:30pm in Lafayette Plaza Park! 

Presented by your Lafayette Chamber, and sponsored by Branagh Development and local Lafayette Realtor Dana Green Team, who together are also sponsoring the environmentally-friendly downtown Lafayette twinkle lights for the 2022 Holiday Season.

Learn more at https://lafayettechamber.org/holiday.

A Friend of the Chamber membership provides a way for community members to support the efforts of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. We are 75 years strong and our mission continues “To promote and maintain a healthy business climate and to preserve and enhance the quality of life in Lafayette.” 

All aspects that make up a community are important to us: schools, residents, churches and synagogues, community organizations, activities, and the city government. Chamber members work with representatives of all these groups for the betterment of our community. A lifetime Friend of the Chamber membership is $150 per family. Learn more here>>

Please consider supporting our arts community. Did you miss our nonprofit email blast? Read it here!

Have an event to share with our community? Add it to our Community Calendar!

I am a 65 year on and off again resident of Lafayette and graduate of Acalanes and Cal Berkeley. I spent 12 years operating a produce store and juice bar in Lafayette and Walnut Creek. After an opportunity for reflection I decided to pursue working with wood as that has been my passion since I was 10 and built 20 or so skateboards. My brother and I began doing wood display cases for Sennelier art products but eventually settled on doing hardwood floors. This financed eventually a complete woodshop and over time a large collection of rare and highly figured wood with the eventual goal of working on furniture featuring this wood. Finally I retired this year and I am building beautiful furniture as art. - Steve Johnson, Wood Whisperer. Learn more here!

Get ready for shorter days and longer nights with a handcrafted fused glass LED nightlight. They look stunning in any room and create a warm and inviting ambiance that adds a sense of relaxation instantly. Translucent glass looks beautiful during the day and night. Many colors are available online at www.WhitchurchGlassDesigns.com.

Over the next couple of months, Cynthia's gearing up for the holidays. Glass coasters and small plates make excellent hostess, employee/customer appreciation, and year-end gifts. Learn how she makes her designs and keep up to date on studio projects by following her on Instagram @WhitchurchGlassDesigns. 

Lafayette artist and resident, Cynthia Whitchurch creates her art by melting and bending colored glass into custom molds producing beautiful pieces including bowls, plates, dishes, coasters, night lights and more. She welcomes the opportunity to partner with local retailers to showcase her work. Contact Cynthia at [email protected].

For more information send me an email: [email protected] or call (925)286-9346.

Prints of my work are also available on www.fineartamerica.com (search Tom Taneyhill).

FACEBOOK @taneyhillart

INSTAGRAM @taneyhillart

If you like California land you will like my work! I paint the joy I see in our landscapes. Most of my work is done on location within 60 miles of Lamorinda. I paint Napa, the Bay, small farms, orchards, and trees that I fall in love with. Teresa Onoda, www.onodaart.com.

I currently reside in Moraga CA. My website is www.metzgallery.com and Instagram @jaweedmetz and email [email protected].

Enumero Cribbage Boards are hand crafted in small batches using beautiful, warm hardwoods and richly colored inlay. Each and every board is unique in its appearance, name, and the series (or batch) it belongs to. I humbly believe that an Enumero Cribbage Board will be played on and enjoyed for generations to come.

Cribbage and cutting boards have been recently re-photographed to show the exquisite detail. View etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/enumerocribbageboard.

Dinart is all about finding joy in creativity and all the good energy that we need to carry with us everyday and everywhere we go. To fulfill this goal I came up with the idea to transform my watercolor painting to different types of custom wearable arts. My hand-crafted art pieces can be seen at www.etsy.com/shop/dinartgift and din-art.com. Currently, my handmade painting jewelry is available online and is also sold exclusively at a local high-end boutique in Oakland, CA. Every collection has a name which is inspired by my personal journey such as Self Love, Harmony, Courage, Wisdom, Hope, ....

To learn more about me and my art, please refer to the above links. I was recently highlighted in the Lamorinda Weekly & Rossmoor News.  

For more information about Art Room by Chari please visit art_room_by_chari on Instagram or call 510.381.4634.

Upcoming events at the Ruth Bancroft Garden & Nursery:

Friday, October 14^th @ 5pm-7pm - Wine Tasting at the Garden

Every Wednesday and Thursday we have children’s programs! Workshop Wednesday and Story Time Thursday. Here is a link to our children’s events calendar: https://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/childrens-programs

Thursday, October 27^th @10am Dry Garden Botany Series - Join us for the inaugural Dry Garden Botany Series designed for the plant enthusiast interested in taking a deep dive into the Garden’s unique plant collection. The series is designed with webinar and in-person based lectures. 

Our October selection is awards winner film from Estonia. It was selected as the Estonian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. The film will open at the Orinda theatre on 10/14/22 for at least one week and at the Jarvis Conservatory on 10/15/22. This is a bay area premiere and exclusive presentation.

Synopsis: What would you do if one day a newborn baby was put on your hands and said: take it or leave it. One sleepy Saturday morning a 30-year-old construction worker Erik gets some earth shattering news: his ex-girlfriend Moonika who he hasn't even seen for the past six months is about to go into labor. She however is not ready for motherhood and if Erik doesn't want the kid either, the little girl will be put up for adoption. Take it or leave it! Trailer: https://youtu.be/BduuhD5-_0E

Screeners for review are available upon request. For further information please check our web site at www.internationalshowcase.org.

October 14th, 15th, 21st & 22nd *Pay-What-You-Can on Oct. 15th

Tickets: $25 https://www.townhalltheatre.com/the-body-play

Open House: October 15 at 6pm

More info: https://www.townhalltheatre.com/open-house

Join us for a beverage and play some improvised theatre games. These one-night-only classes are a great way to stretch your boundaries, meet new people, and have some laughs! Classes are open to improvisers of all skill levels. Registration/More info: https://www.townhalltheatre.com/adult-education

Register/More info: https://www.townhalltheatre.com/winter-2022-23

Screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at 8:30pm

October 15th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the Moraga Art Gallery located at 432 Center Street in Moraga's Rheem Shopping Center. 

The exhibit will remain open until November 6th, Wednesdays - Sundays from noon to 5:00 pm.  For more information, visit www.moragaartgallery.com or call 925-376-5407.

Join us for live music by Chris Ahlman, arts, crafts, games, cornhole, bounce house, prizes, and free food courtesy of the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church Foundation from Abel’s Taco Truck and much more. Invite your family, friends, and neighbors. All are welcome!

Sunday, October 16, 2022 11am-1pm, Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, 49 Knox Drive, Lafayette, CA 94549 

The exhibit Born to be Wild at the Main Street Arts Gallery in Martinez, showcases the artwork of 23 Lamorinda Arts Alliance member artists. 

On view through October 16th, the work includes stoneware, porcelain, woodturning, mixed media, collage, photography, relief print, and paintings in watercolor, oil, and acrylic.

The Main Street Arts Gallery is located at, 613 Main Street in Martinez, California, and is open Wednesday - Saturday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, and Sunday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.

Lamorinda Arts Alliance website: www.laa4art.org

Artwork by: Judith Rohrer, Playground, mixed media

In September, new exhibitions opened at Saint Mary's College Museum of Art (SMCMoA). 

Fake It Till You Make It: A Quest for Authenticity explores how authenticity is defined and determined in institutions, museums, and among art experts and artists. From forgeries to Tourist art, Pop Art to NFTs, these selected works from the college collection question value and originality in art history through ways of seeing.

Interdisciplinary Voice comprises faculty, scholars, and staff across campus responding to objects in the Saint Mary's College Museum of Art permanent collection. Offering a space for dialogue, these voices interpret the selected works to facilitate conversation, provoke ideas, and consider academic and interdisciplinary perspectives and approaches to art.

The exhibitions are on view Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through December 11, 2022. Admission to exhibitions and programs are free. More information can be found at www.stmarys-ca.edu/museum.

Image credit: Attributed to Marco di Tiziano Vecellio (1545-1611), Copy of Girl with a Platter of Fruit by Titian (c. 1555) c. 1570, Oil on canvas, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Robert D. Dunn, Saint Mary's College Museum of Art Permanent Collection [0-106]

The Lafayette Public Art Committee is excited to announce the opening of an exhibition of Lafayette artist Yana Verba's work entitled "Ukrainian Song" at the Library Public Art Gallery. The gallery is located in the lobby of the Don Tatzin Community Hall at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. The exhibit will run from now through January 18, 2023. Click here for more details.

The vibrant acrylic paintings in the exhibition echo the Ukrainian mosaics that could at one time be found in almost every Ukrainian city. As a result of the war these mosaics are slowly disappearing under the cities’ ruins and under Russian bombs. Verba grounds her art practice in a language of abstraction, using rhythmic patterns, colors, and movement. Inspired by Modernists of the early twentieth century, she is currently working on a series of paintings that echo Soviet monumental art and Soviet Ukrainian mosaics. Click here to read more about artist Yana Verba.

A simultaneous exhibit in the Public Art Display Case at the library offers a window into the diversity of Ukrainian culture. The materials feature books about Ukrainian artists and Soviet porcelain figures.

Come by Del Cielo Brewing Co. on Friday, October 21 to try each of the FUcancer IPAs on tap. There will be a raffle and proceeds benefit breast cancer prevention initiatives. Event starts at 5:00, first raffle happens at 5:30 (and every 30 mins after until 9:30), Sebastian Saint James band starts jammin at 6:00. Learn more here.

From Ireland: “A heartfelt and charming comedy.” - Film Ireland Magazine

Bringing the best in international and independent filmmaking to Walnut Creek! OCTOBER COMING ATTRACTION from Mountain Shadow Film Society.

SYNOPSIS: It’s been two years since Róise lost the love of her life, her husband Frank. She is now isolated in grief, cut off from family and community. The arrival of a mysterious dog, who seems intent on connecting with Róise, heralds a huge change, but is it for the better? Róise imagines that this dog is her beloved Frank, reincarnated. While her son worries that his mother has lost her mind, the local community seem to embrace the idea of Frank’s return! Róise is happy once more but is there a future for her with a dog-husband? Drama / Comedy 87 min. - from Ireland, with English subtitles. TRAILER

NOTE: CURRENT HEALTH SAFETY PROTOCOLS TO ATTEND A MOUNTAIN SHADOW SHOW REMAIN AS FOLLOWS: ID, PROOF OF COVID VACCINATION + ONE BOOSTER, MASKS. We limit capacity in the room, and have four additional air purifiers to enhance safety for our audiences. Learn more at https://www.mountainshadow.org.

Lamorinda Art Council - You're Invited to Art of Mixology 2022! 

The 9th Annual Art of Mixology, our largest fundraiser of the year, will take place in Orinda Theatre Square on Saturday, October 22, from 4:30-7pm.

Your ticket includes:

Standard Ticket: $75; Patron Ticket: $125 (Patron Ticket includes $50 tax deductible donation to LAC). Buy tickets now before we sell out! https://lamorindaarts.org/product/ticket-mixology-2022

The Lamorinda Arts Council presents abstract clay monoprints by Pamela Stefl Toki, photography by John Brown, books and collages by Suellen Cox and watercolors and Chinese brush painting by Linda Kam in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library during October.

Exhibit preview: https://lamorindaarts.org/product-category/orinda-library-online-gallery/

The Lamorinda Arts Council is pleased to invite artists to submit a 2D or 3D artwork entry for the “Ekphrasis 2023 Project” show at the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library. This creative ekphrastic project is a collaboration of the California Writers Club, Diablo Branch (CWC), the Lamorinda Arts Alliance (LAA) and the Lamorinda Arts Council (LAC). The culmination of the project will be an exhibition of fine art works that inspire literary works, and literary works that inspire fine art works, all on display to be enjoyed by the public and fellow art and literary enthusiasts in May 2023 in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library. Workshop attendance is optional and is intended for those who have questions and want more information before signing up. Additional workshop dates TBA. For more details, including entry deadlines, see prospectus here: https://lamorindaarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Ekphrasis-Prospectus-Final.pdf

Ekphrasis Workshop #2: Focus on Responders

When: Thursday, October 27 from 6-8pm (Deadline to register: Monday, October 24)

Where: Zoom (CLICK TO REGISTER)

The Lamorinda Arts Council invites you to show up as your favorite literary or artistic character at its free program in the Lafayette Library. Emerging writers read from their work surrounded by artwork from local artists. In this way art literally “embraces” the spoken word. The final 2022 program will be a Webinar hosted by AEW alumni Denise Nomura and Natalie Samuels Wheeler in November; date TBD. Visit https://lamorindaarts.org/art-embraces-words/ for more information. This program is made possible by a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Lafayette. More info: https://lamorindaarts.org/art-embraces-words-events/

Join those who love art, literature, music and everything in between at The Coop, 32 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette, from 3-5 p.m. Time for some artsy conversation about the creative journey with friends of the Lamorinda Arts Council. Look for our framed Piccassoesque poster of a crazy art lady – that’s us! No host bar. Next event Sun., Nov. 27, same time and place. Just show up. Questions? Email [email protected].

The Diablo Symphony Orchestra opens its Jubilation (60th) Season on October 23 with Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 and Aaron Copland’s Canticle of Freedom featuring the San Ramon Valley Chorale. Nicholas Weathers, winner of the DSO’s 2021-2022 Yen Liang Young Artist Competition, also performs the adagio movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. Weathers is currently pursuing a BA in clarinet performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The concert begins at 2:00 p.m. at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek.

Connections to folk music and folk traditions form a thread throughout the 5 concert season, with programs ranging from the folk-song-inspired Mahler symphony to a new family chamber opera based on the stories of Br’er Rabbit. The Blackhawk Chorus joins the DSO on December 10 for a program of holiday favorites that also premieres Alex Saratsky’s upbeat Double Concerto for Violin and Cello with violinist Anna Presler and cellist Leighton Fong. 

Visit www.diablosymphony.org for details of the full season and its collaborations with Festival Opera and the Berkely Choro Ensemble. The season’s guest artists include Orinda native and violinist Juliana Athayde, daughter of the recently retired Stanley Middle School music director Bob Athayde. Now concertmaster of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and an Associate Professor of Violin at the Eastman School of Music, Juliana returns in February for a performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. The orchestra will be joined by the winner of the upcoming Yen Liang Young Artists Competition (this year for pianists) for Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in April. Other major works presented during the season include Florence Price's Dances in the Canebrakes and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4. And a new work by local composer Jean Ahn is featured in the season’s closing concert.

Creekside Commons Main Hall, 1035 Carol Lane, Lafayette

Download the flyer - Here 

Pre Purchase Tickets or Donate - Here

The holidays are fast approaching! Shop early AND shop often November 1 through November 15 and support the Lafayette Park Theater Renovation Campaign using the special code PARKTHEATER 2022 at Five Little Monkeys, now open in La Fiesta Square. AND thanks to a match from two generous Lafayette families, the funds raised from this shopping event AND EVERY DONATION MADE TO THE PARK THEATER TRUST UNTIL DECEMBER 31 will be doubled dollar for dollar, up to $350,000!

In addition, our popular Park Theater logo tee shirts, tote bags, water bottles, and collectible pins and are available for purchase at Lamorinda Music, 81 Lafayette Circle. All proceeds benefit the Park Theater Renovation Capital Campaign.

A special Thank You Shout Out to The Hideout Kitchen and Jazz Saxophone Recording Artist Shawn Raiford for the fantastic evening they provided on October 5 at the Hideout. Over 100 guests were treated to fabulous food and sublime music on a beautiful fall evening that included a delightfully quick-paced fund-a-need by local auctioneer legend, George Noceti. Over $72,000 was raised in support of the Park Theater’s Renovation Capital Campaign and highly anticipated rooftop terrace and wine bar. 

And one last note - The Park Theater Trust will be treating Lafayette’s little ghosts and goblins during the Chamber of Commerce’s delightful Trick or Treat Street, Friday, October 28. Visit us from 4PM to 6PM at the Park Theater lobby for fresh-popped popcorn from the Park’s BRAND-NEW POPCORN MACHINE (courtesy of the Community Foundation of Lafayette). Spread the word to friends and families - light up the Park & light up Lafayette! See parktheatertrust.org for more info.

Fun Night with your friends, Open Bar, Great Food, lots of laughs, and you are helping the KIDS. Learn more and register here: https://nphusa.org/event/pokerca.

Folk music finds its way into the next Gold Coast Chamber Players concert, Folk Inspired on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at 7:30 pm at the Don Tatzin Community Hall in the Lafayette Library, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette. Brahms’ “Spring” Quintet, is featured along with quartets by two female composers, Grażyna Bacewicz and Florence Price. This diverse program features the passionate Telegraph Quartet and GCCP violist Pamela Freund-Striplen. Come hear why GCCP was awarded Best Concert Series of the East Bay for two consecutive years! Single tickets are $15-45 and are available online at www.gccpmusic.com or by calling (925) 283-3728. 

The California Independent Film Festival to return on November 10^th

After a three-year hiatus the California Independent Film Festival (CAIFF) will be returning to the Orinda Theatre on Thursday, November 10^th, 2022. This will mark the 23rd California Independent Film Festival.  The last festival was in August 2019.  The CAIFF Board made the decision to not have any streaming film festivals during the pandemic.  One of the most important parts of a film festival is people coming together in person to celebrate the art of filmmaking, states CAIFF Executive Director, Leonard Pirkle.  

We are very excited to see the film festival return with a new Program Director, Efi Lubliner, who has carefully curated a collection of exceptional film from around the world, states CAIFF President and Founder, Derek Zemrak. As Efi says, “There are no lemons in this film festival”. For example, the Opening Night Film, Last Film Show, from India was just announced that it will be India’s submission to the 2023 Academy Awards. We are honored to have the Last Film Show, and that people in the Bay Area will be able to see this amazing film, first on Thursday November 10^th at the historic Orinda Theatre. What a great way to start the 23^rd California Independent Film Festival. Another film that will be screening is A Man of Integrity, directed by Mohammad Rasoulof. The film is of note for having won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017. Additionally, given the widespread news of the current civil unrest and human rights violations causing protests in Iran, the director, Rasoulof, has been arrested several times and has had his passport confiscated. His films have consistently brought him into direct conflict with the Iranian Government. A Man of Integrity, is a film that is timely and of international importance.

Barrie Chase will be receiving the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday, November 12^th at 7PM followed by a screening of the comedy classic, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, World. Ms. Chase will be in attendance and is the last remaining principal cast member from It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, World.  Ms. Chase’s other notable classic film was Robert Mitchum’s thriller, Cape Fever in 1962, plus she appeared numerous times on-screen with Fred Astaire.

On Monday, November 14^th at 7PM, at the Orinda Theatre, festival goers will be singing and dancing in the aisle while watching Grease on the big screen.  Director Randal Kleiser and actor Barry Pearl will be attending and will be doing a Q &A after the movie. Mr. Kleiser will be receiving the 2022 Golden Slate Award, which is given out each year by the CAIFF to an individual for directing excellence. Mr. Kleiser’s other directing credits include, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976), The Blue Lagoon (1980), White Fang (1981), Big Top Pee-wee (1988) and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992), just to name a few.

Program Director, Efi Lubliner is proud to announce, that of CAIFF’s 24 selected films, 4 are USA premieres, 7 Bay Area premiers as well as 7 Contra Costa County premieres.   Plus, 6 filmmakers from around the world will be doing Q &As after their movie screenings via Zoom. Efi states that “I am proud of the quality and variety of films that will be screened at CAIFF”.

Other highlights for the festival include FREE family movies on Saturday and Sunday at 10AM. On Saturday November 12^th at 10 AM, we will be showing Cat’s Don’t Dance (1997) with lead animator, Dave Woodman in attendance and on Sunday November 13^th the Danny Kaye classic film The Court Jester will be playing at 10AM. Filmmakers, Honorees and CAIFF organizers are available for interviews upon request. https://www.caiff.org

https://www.lesherartscenter.org/events/holiday-events

Join Diablo Ballet for their 29th Season which opens this November 11 - 12 at the Lesher Center for the Arts with an expanded full-length production of Julia Adam’s smash holiday hit, The Nutcracker Suite. The Diablo family and their daughter Clara, return to the Nutcracker Suite at the Fairmont Hotel for another Christmas Eve adventure. Clara’s dream expands, taking her on a magical journey through the land of sweets that will include students from Diablo Ballet School with new sets and costumes. This whimsical ballet is a perfect kick-off to the holidays and is sure to delight all audiences. For tickets visit: diabloballet.org or call (925) 943-SHOW.

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