THURSDAY, SEPT. 3 

“Redefining Our Relationships: Guidelines for Responsible, Open Relationships” A workshop with Wendy-O Matik at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Young People’s Symphony Orchestra Auditions for ages 12-21 from 4 to p.m. For application and information see www.ypsomusic.net 

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at 2402 Central Ave. To schedule an appointment go to www.helpsavealife.org 

Circle of Concern Vigil meets on West Lawn of UC campus across from Addison and Oxford, Thurs. at noon and Sun. at 1 p.m. to oppose UC weapons labs contracts. 848-8055. 

Fitness Class for 55+ at 9:15 a.m. at Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

FRIDAY, SEPT. 4 

Golden Gate Audubon Society Field Trip to Jewel Lake in Tilden Park Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the parking lot at the north end of Central Park Dr. for a one-mile, two-hour-plus stroll through this lush riparian area. Leader Phila Rogers 848-9156. www.goldengateaudubon.org 

Kensington First Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. with art, music and refreshments from the merchants of Colusa Circle and The Arlington. 525-6155. 

Meditation I: practice of the body at 7 p.m. at Center for Transformative Change, 2584 Martin Luther King Jr Way. Cost is free-$45. To register call 888-976-2426. 

Berkeley Women in Black weekly vigil from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. Our focus is human rights in Palestine. 548-6310. 

Stand With Us Stand for Peace Stand with Israel vigil every Friday from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. www.sfvoiceforisrael.org 

Berkeley Chess Club meets every Fri. at 7 p.m. at the Hillside School, 1581 Le Roy Ave. 843-0150. 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 5 

Walking Tour of Oakland City Center Meet at 10 a.m. in front Oakland City Hall at Frank Ogawa Plaza. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. 

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for ages 4-6 years, accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS. 

Poultry Pals Come get to know our neighborhood birds at the Little Farm from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Tilden Park. 544-2233.  

Meet the Spirit of the Rabbit through shamanic journeying with Suzanne Savage from 1 to 5 p.m. at Rabbit Ears, 377 Colusa Ave. Kensington. Advance registration required. 525-6155. 

Whacky Weekend at Playland-Not-At-The-Beach Sat. through Mon., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 10979 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. Costs is $10-$15. 932-8966. www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. at 2 p.m. and Sun. at 11 a.m. and 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Lawn Bowling on the green at the corner of Acton St. and Bancroft Way every Wed. and Sat. at 10 a.m. for ages 12 and up. Wear flat soled shoes, no heels. Free lessons. 841-2174.  

Open Shop at Berkeley Boathouse from 1 to 5 p.m. at at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Take part in constructing a wooden boat or help out with other maritime projects. No experience necessary. First time is free, cost is $10 per day. 644-2577.  

SUNDAY, SEPT. 6 

Friends of Five Creeks’ Picnic on the Creek from 3 to 6 p.m. at Codornices Creek and the Ohlone Greenway, opposite 1200 Masonic, on the Berkeley-Albany border. Free; drinks and snacks provided. Bring finger foods, musical instruments, games for the big grassy area. 848-9358. www.fivecreeks.org 

Butter Churning Party Help mix up some fresh butter to spread on toast with jam, and learn all about milk and its cultured concoctions, from 10 a.m. to noon at The Little Farm, Tilden Park. 544-2233. 

Cows and Culture Learn how they have been an integral part of human civilizations for thousands of years, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Little Farm, Tilden Park. 544-2233. 

Single Payer Health Care Not War Planning meetings at 4:20 at Peoples Park. For more information call 390-0830. peoplespark.org 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. at 2 p.m. and Sun. at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Tibetan Buddhism with Dave Abercrombie on “Putting Knowledge to Work” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000.  

Sew Your Own Open Studio Come learn to use our industrial and domestic machines, or work on your own projects, from 2 to 6 p.m. at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Also on Thurs. from 2 to 6 p.m. Cost is $5 per hour. 644-2577.  

MONDAY, SEPT. 7 

Open House at The Little Farm in Tilden Park from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with wheelbarrow races, ice-cream making, and animal care. 544-2233. 

Time for Lunch Campaign to Get Real Food in Schools with Congresswoman Barbara Lee from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park. For information see www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch 

Community Yoga Class 10 a.m. at James Kenney Parks and Rec. Center at Virginia and 8th. Seniors and beginners welcome. Cost is $6. 207-4501. 

East Bay Track Club for girls and boys ages 3-15 meets Mon. and Wed. at 6 p.m. at Berkeley High School track field. Free. 776-7451. 

TUESDAY, SEPT. 8 

AC Transit Community Workshop Learn about proposed service changes in AC Transit’s Service Adjustments Plan, and give your input before final decisions are made, at 6:30 p.m. at North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. www.actransit.org 

Tuesdays for the Birds Tranquil bird walks in local parklands, led by Bethany Facendini, from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Today we will visit Sibley Regional Preserve, Fish Ranch Road. Bring water, field guides, binoculars or scopes. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 544-2233. 

Lawyer in the Library Sign up in advance for a free 15 minute consultation with an attorney. From 6 to 8 p.m. at the Albany Library, , 1247 Marin Ave. Sponored by the California Barr Assoc. 526-3720, ext. 5. 

Morris Dance Workshop at 7:30 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. No experience necessary, all welcome. www.berkeley-morris.org 

Family Storytime for pre-schoolers and up, at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 6 to 8 p.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Registration required. 594-5165. blackstoneA@usa.redcross.org 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

End the Occupation Vigil every Tues. at noon at Oakland Federal Bldg., 1301 Clay St. www.epicalc.org 

Homework Help Program at the Richmond Public Library Tues. and Thurs. from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at 325 Civic Center Plaza. For more information or to enroll, call 620-6557. 

Street Level Cycles Community Bike Program Come use our tools as well as receive help with performing repairs free of charge. Youth classes available. Tues., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. from 2 to 6 p.m. at at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland Uptown to the Lake to discover Art Deco landmarks. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of the Paramount Theater at 2025 Broadway. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. 

Food Justice: Its What’s For Dinner Benefit for City Slicker Farms with Mollie Katzen, author of the Moosewood Cookbook, local organic buffet dinner, film preview of Food Stamped, and a panel discussion with local food justice activists at 6 p.m. at the David Brower Center. Sponsored by The Progressive Jewish Alliance. Tickets are $5-$55 sliding scale. www.brownpapertickets.com 

“Solar Energy: Saved by the Sun” A documentary on new designs, materials and technologies, at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.Humanist Hall.org 

5th Annual 9/11 Film Festival, premiering “Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup” with guest speakers Dylan Avery, Richard Gage, David Ray Griffin from 6:15 to 11 p.m. at the Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. Tickets $10. www.sf911truth.org  

Poetry Writing Workshop with Alison Seevak at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, , 1247 Marin Ave. All welcome 526-3720, ext. 16. 

Fond Farewell Series: Consumers’ Last Rights with Karen Leonard, death rights activist at 7 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. www.gracenorthchurch.org 

Green Living Project: South America A multi-media presentation on projects in Brazil, Peru and Ecuador at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Welcoming Your Jewish Baby at 2 p.m. at Lehrhaus Judaica, 2736 Bancroft Way. Cost is $36 for five sessions www.lehrhaus.org  

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes. 548-9840. 

Theraputic Recreation at the Berkeley Warm Pool, Wed. at 3:30 p.m. and Sat. at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley Warm Pool, 2245 Milvia St. Cost is $4-$5. Bring a towel. 632-9369. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/ 

vigil4peace/vigil 

Teen Chess Club from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the North Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda at Hopkins. 981-6133. 

Berkeley CopWatch Drop-in office hours from 6 to 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 10 

Berkeley School Volunteers, New Volunteer Orientation from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Bring a photo ID and two references to the orientation. Returning volunteers do not need to attend. For further information 644-8833. 

Small-Garden Discovery Walk For walkers age 50+ to explore small, charming Albany and North Berkeley late-summer gardens that need little water or fertilizer. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic. Free but numbers limited; register at Albany Senior Center. 524-9122.  

“Salute to Sisterhood” honoring African American environmental champions at 5:30 p.m. at Lake Merritt Sailboat House. RSVP to 763-9523.  

5th Annual 9/11 Film Festival “Anthrax War” with guest speakers Eric Nadler and David Ray GriffinFrom noon to 10 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $10. www.sf911truth.org 

East Bay Mac Users Group Meeting with Clinton Gilbert and Tom Kramer on SoundStudio and GarageBand, at 7 p.m. at Expression College for Digital Arts, 6601 Shellmound St., Emeryville. Free. ebmug.org 

Improv Acting Play fun improv games. Intro. Improv ongoing on Thurs. at 7 p.m. Intermediate Improv at 8:15 p.m. at Berkeley YWCA, 2600 Bancroft Way. Cost is $12 for Intro classes, $45 for 6 Intermediate classes. www.berkeleyimprov.com  

Babies & Toddlers Storytime at 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

Circle of Concern Vigil meets on West Lawn of UC campus across from Addison and Oxford, Thurs. at noon and Sun. at 1 p.m. to oppose UC weapons labs contracts. 848-8055. 

Fitness Class for 55+ at 9:15 a.m. at Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

FRIDAY, SEPT. 11 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll search for spiders, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-327-2757. 

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds. We will search for spiders from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m.. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS. 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Jill Tucker, Education Writer, San Francisco Chronicle on “East Palo Alto’s Amazing Eastside College Preparatory School” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $15, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 527-2173. www.citycommonsclub.org 

Presentation on Senior Cohousing with Charles Durrett, cofounder of cohousing in the U.S and author of “The Senior Cohousing Handbook: A Community Approach to Independent Living” at 7:30 p.m. at Builder’s Booksource, 1817 4th St. 845-6874. www.seniorcohousing.com  

Womansong Circle An evening of participatory singing for women in commemoration of September 11, 2001 at 7:15 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, Small Assembly Room, 2345 Channing Way. Suggested donation $15-20. No one turned away. www.betsyrosemusic.org 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Children’s Hospital Outpatient Center Basement, 747 52nd St., Oakland. To schedule an appointment go to www.helpsavealife.org 

Berkeley Women in Black weekly vigil from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. Our focus is human rights in Palestine. 548-6310. 

Stand With Us Stand for Peace Stand with Israel vigil every Friday from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. www.sfvoiceforisrael.org 

Berkeley Chess Club meets every Fri. at 7 p.m. at the Hillside School, 1581 Le Roy Ave. 843-0150. 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 12 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market String Band Contest with twenty old-time string bands competing from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Civic Center Park. 548-3333. 

AC Transit Community Workshop Learn about proposed service changes in AC Transit’s Service Adjustments Plan, and give your input before final decisions are made, at 10:30 a.m. at AC Transit General Offices, 1600 Franklin St., Oakland. www.actransit.org 

Walking Tour of Historic Oakland Churches and Temples Meet at 10 a.m. at the front of the First Presbyterian Church at 2619 Broadway. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com 

Walking Tour- Temescal: A Bit of Old Italy Meet at 10 a.m. in front of Genova Delicatessen, 5095 Telegraph Ave. in Temescal Shopping Plaza. Sponsored by the Oakland Heritage Alliance. Cost is $10-$15. 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Friends of the El Cerrito Library Annual Book Sale Sat. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sun. from noon to 4 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave. in El Cerrito. www.ccclib.org 

Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park Tasty, Touchable Tours of the East Bay’s Spanish and Mexican past from 2 to 4 p.m. at at 1870 Antonio Peralta House, 2465 34th Ave., Oakland. Tours are $2, campfire cooking activity is free. 532-9142. http://peraltahacienda.org  

Richmond Memorial Civic Center Grand Reopening with music, art center activities and fim showings of Richmond’s history, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 450 Civic Center Plaza and 27th St.  

Brooks Island Voyage Paddle the rising tide across the Richmond Harbor Channel to Books Island to explore the island’s natural and cultural history, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. For experienced boaters who can provide their own kayak and safety gear. Cost is $20-$22. Registration required. 1-888-327-2757. 

Ardenwood Shakespeare Festival and Renaissance Faire from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $13-$18, $8 for children 12 and under. www.ardenwoodfaire.com 

Archeological Dig in Tilden Discover the skills you neen to become an archeologist and learn about Tilden’s past, from 2 to 3 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. For ages 7-12. 544-2233. 

Fix Your Own Double-Hung Windows A Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association Workshop at 2 p.m. at BAHA’s McCreary-Greer House, 2318 Durant Ave. Cost is $15. Advance registration required. 841-2242. http://berkeleyheritage.com  

Rabbit Adoption Day from 1 to 4 p.m. at Rabbit Ears, 377 Colusa Ave. Kensington. 525-6155. 

PeaceGames Training for educators, organizers and students of all ages to understand the intersections of war, militarism, gender, race and class fro 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Women of Color Resource Center, 1611 Telegraph Ave., Suite 303, Oakland. Cost is $75-$200, sliding scale. For information call 444-2700, ext. 305. www.coloredgirls.org 

“Disarmament Work in a Global Economic Crisis: Connecting Issues; Building Movements” with Andrew Lichterman at 7 p.m. at the Home of Truth, 1300 Grand Ave., Alameda. Sponsored by the Alameda Public Affairs Forum and Western States Legal Foundation. Suggested donation $5-$10. www.alamedapublicsaffairsforum.org 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at St. Barnabas School Hall, 1400 Sixth Ave., Alameda. To schedule an appointment go to www.helpsavealife.org 

Origami Workshop with Margot Wecksler at 2 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. All ages welcome 526-3720, ext. 16. 

Grandparents Weekend at the Beach at Playland-Not-At-The-Beach Sat. and Sun. at 10979 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. Costs is $10-$15, grandparents $5. 932-8966. www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org 

Free Family Dance Event from 10 a.m. to noon at Luna Kids in the Sawtooth Bldg, J2525 8th St. at Dwight Way, 644-3629.  

San Francisco Boys Chorus Auditions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Oakand For information email auditions@sfbc.org  

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. at 2 p.m. and Sun. at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Lawn Bowling on the green at the corner of Acton St. and Bancroft Way every Wed. and Sat. at 10 a.m. for ages 12 and up. Wear flat soled shoes, no heels. Free lessons. 841-2174.  

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

Open Shop at Berkeley Boathouse from 1 to 5 p.m. at at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Take part in constructing a wooden boat or help out with other maritime projects. No experience necessary. First time is free, cost is $10 per day. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

SUNDAY, SEPT. 13 

Solano Stroll from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. along Solano Ave. in Berkeley and Albany.  

Friends of Alameda Wildlife Refuge Workday Help prepare habitat for the California Least Terns. Meet at 9 a.m. at the main refuge gate at the northwest corner of the former Naval Air Station in Alameda. www.goldengateaudubon.org 

Family Hike Around Jewel Lake in Tilden Park to learn about animal groups and classifications, and what makes each group so special, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. For meeting point call 544-2233. 

Growing up Aquatic Learn to use a net to discover what insects and amphibians are growing up aquatic, and which are about to make their terrestial debut at 1:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 544-2233. 

Flowers Piece by Piece Dissect flowers and use a microscope to learn about flower families, for ages 8 and up from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 544-2233. 

Ashby Village Community Meeting Information on a grassroots organization which provides resources to seniors to enable them to remain in their own homes, at 2 p.m. at West Berkeley Family Practice, 2031 Sixth St. 208-2860. www.ashbyvillage.org 

Walking Tour- Mills College Campus Meet at 2 p.m. in front of Mills Hall on the Mills College Campus. Sponsored by he Oakland Heritage Alliance. Cost is $10-$15. 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Old Time Radio East Bay Collectors and listeners gather to enjoy shows together at 4 p.m. at a private home in Berkeley. For more information please email (at Yahoo, to DavidinBerkeley).  

Gone Fishin’ Family Fun Day with face painting, sing-a-long, art activities and more from 1 to 5 p.m. at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. 644-4930. www.expressionsgallery.org 

Mind Power Collective’s Sunday Salon Creative on transforming and empowering our schools and communities at 3 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Friends of the El Cerrito Library Annual Book Sale from noon to 4 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave. in El Cerrito. www.ccclib.org 

Benefit for Tristan Anderson at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5-$20. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Single Payer Health Care Not War Planning meetings at 4:20 at People Park. for more information call 390-0830. peoplespark.org 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. at 2 p.m. and Sun. at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Tibetan Buddhism with Jack Petranker on “Exploring Consciousness” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

Sew Your Own Open Studio Come learn to use our industrial and domestic machines, or work on your own projects, from 2 to 6 p.m. at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Also on Thurs. from 2 to 6 p.m. Cost is $5 per hour. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Sept. 3, at 7 p.m., at 2118 Milvia St. Nabil Al-Hadithy, 981-7460.  

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Thurs., Sept. 3, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7429. 

Planning Commission meets Wed., Sept. 9, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7416. 

Waterfront Commission meets Wed., Sept. 9, at 7 p.m., at 201 University Ave. 981-6737. 

Commission on Early Childhood Education meets Tues., Sept. 10 , at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5428.  

Community Health Commission meets Thurs., Sept. 10, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5356. 

West Berkeley Project Area Commission meets Thurs., Sept. 10 , at 7 p.m. at the James Kenney Recreation Center, 8th & Virginia. 981-7418.  

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Sept. 10, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. 981-7430. 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 3 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Somewhere in Between” New works by Laura Borchet. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at Eclectix Gallery, 10082 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. Also “The Tattoon Show” tattoo and cartoon art. Exhibitions run to Oct. 4. www.eclectix.com 

“Inspiration form the Bay and Beyond” Artwork by Anthony Holdsworth, Diane Abt, Rebecca Haseltine and Charles Rhone. Opening reception at 4:30 p.m. at MTC, 101 8th St., Oakland. Exhibition runs to Sept. 25.  

“Isaura: A Life in Focus” Photographs on the Afro-Brazilian dancer, at Berkeley Pubic Library, 2090 Kittredge St. Exhibit runs to Sept. 30. 981-6240. 

“Up Against the Wall: Berkeley Posters from the 1960s” at the Berkeley Historical Society, Veterans Memorial Building, 1931 Center St. Exhibit runs to Sept. 26. 848-0181. 

“Metamorphosis” Paintings by Laila Espinoza at Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. Exhibition runs to Oct. 4. 524-2943. 

“A New Page: Painting in the 4th Dimension: Bedri Baykam” Opneing reception at 6 p.m. at Alphonse Berber Gallery, 2546 Bancroft Way. Exhibition runs through Oct. 17. alphonseberber.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Frederick Aldama in Conversation with Marcial Gonzalez on “Your Brain on Latino Comics: From Gus Arriola to Los Bros Hernandez” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585.  

Poetry Flash with C.S. Giscombe and Kit Robinson at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 525-5476. 

Poetry at the Albany Library with Lynne Knight and Carolyn Miller at 7 p.m. at 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720. 

Alison Gopnik discusses “The Pholosophical Baby: What Children’s Minds Tell Us about Truth, Love, and the Meaning of Life” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

A Night of Entertainment Benefiting the Street Level Health Project, Afro-Peruvian, Bolivian, Mongolian, traditional Peruvian, and Aztec music and dance, at 8 p.m. at La Peña, 3105 Shattuck Ave. 533-9906. www.streetlevelhealth.org 

“Stomping the Blues” at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Blues dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Meldrum, featuring Gene Hoglan, at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082.  

The Deep at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

FRIDAY, SEPT. 4 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre “Awake and Sing!” through Sept. 27, at 2081 Addison St. Tickets are $15-$55. 843-4822.  

Berkeley Rep “American Idiot” at 2025 Addison St., through Oct. 11. Tickets are $32-$86. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Central Works “Machiavelli’s The Prince” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., through Sept. 19. Tickets are $14-$25. www.centralworks.org 

Galatean Players Ensemble Theatre “Rivets” A musical based on Rosie the Riveter and Richmond’s Kaiser Shipyards, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. on board the SS Red Oak Victory, 1337 Canal Blvd., Berth 6A, Richmond, through Sept. 27. Tickets are $15-$20. Rosies, WW2 Veterans and uniformed soldiers, free. 925-676-5705.  

Masquers Playhouse “Loot” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, and runs through Sept. 26. Tickets are $18. 232-4031.  

Woodminster Summer Musicals “Brigadoon” at 8 p.m. at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joachin Miller Rd., Oakland, through Sept. 13. Tickets are $25-$40. 531-9597.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Surface Strata” Paintings by Chris Trueman, Kevin Scianni, Alison Rash, Maichael Cutlip, Joshua Dildine, Jay Merryweather, and Eric Ward. Opening reception at 5:30 p.m. at Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th St., Oakland. Exhibition runs to Oct. 31. 465-8928. 

”Heads and Tails” paintings by Julia Alvarado and and JoAnn Biagini “New Work” mixed media by JoAnn Biagini. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Mercury 20 Gallery, 25 Grand Ave., Oakland. 701-4620. w 

Robert Rickard, metal wall art at Christensen Heller Gallery, 5829 College Ave., Oakland, through Nov. 1. 655-5952.  

“You Are Here” Art about person and place and “In Memorium: Women’s Lives Taken by Violence” Group show. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at Frank Bette Center for the Arts, 1601 Paru St., Alameda. 523-6957. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

La Gran Noche de la Música Argentina with Marcelo Ledesma at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $16-$18. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Quinn Deveaux & the Blue Beat Band at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10, $8 with bike. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Reptiles Reunion with David Gans, at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082.  

Todd Shipley at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Ray Cepeda at 7 p.m. at Fondue Fred Restaurant, 2556 Telegraph. 549-0850. 

Joshi’z 3 at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 5 

CHILDREN  

Babes in Toyland Puppet Show at 11 a.m. and 2 and 4 p.m. at at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. 296-4433. activeartsttheatre.org 

THEATER 

Shotgun Players “The Farm” Sat. and Sun. at 4 p.m. at John Hinkel Park, Southhampton Ave., through Sept 13. Suggested donation $10. 841-5600. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Stone Soup Improv Comedy at 8 p.m. at Temescal Arts Center, 511 48th St. at Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $7-$10. www.stonesoupimprov.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

Julie Alvarado “Heads and Tails” paintings and JoAnn Biagini “New Work” mixed media. Artists’ talk at 1 p.m. at Mercury 20 Gallery, 25 Grand Ave., Oakland. 701-4620.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Saturday Afternoon Gallery Acoustic featuring Boundless Gratitude from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Frank Bette Center for the Arts,1601 Paru St., corner of Lincoln, Alameda. Open mic signups at 1:30 p.m., music starts at 2 p.m. frankbettecenter.org 

Baba Ken & West African Highlife Band at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. African dance lesson at 9 p.m. Cost is $10-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Ritmojito at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Paul Manousos at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Pocket Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Boatclub, Headslide, The American Professionals at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

SUNDAY, SEPT. 6 

CHILDREN 

Ladybug Picnic at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Light on Lake Merritt” Digital photography by Laura Sutta, through Oct. 31 L’Amyx Tea Bar, 4179 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

John Allen Cassady and Violet Monday, music and stories at 8 p.m. at Art House Gallery, 2905 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 472-3170. 

Novella Carpenter reads from “Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

José Saavedra and Walter Morciglio present their new album “Conversos,” contemporary Puerto Rican poetry put to song at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $8. 849-2568.  

George Cole, swing, jazz, Americana, at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Americana Unplugged: Savannah Blu at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

MONDAY, SEPT. 7 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Gateswingers Jazz Band at 7:30 p.m. at 33 Revolutions Record Shop and Cafe,10086 San Pablo Ave. at Central, El Cerrito. 898-1836. 

TUESDAY, SEPT. 8 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Art in a Box” Reception at 7 p.m. at The Compound Gallery, 6604 San Pablo Ave., Oakland, www.thecompoundgallery.com 

“Sticky Earth” New ceramics by NIAD artists opens at NIAD Center for Art & Disabilities, 551 23rd St., Richmond, and runs through Oct. 30. 620-0290. www.niadart.org 

THEATER 

“Take This Recession, Please” with comedian Darryl Littleton at 9:30 a.m. at LEAP, 440 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, and 6:30 p.m. in the Richmond Main Library, 325 Civic Center Plaza. Free. 620-6561. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Susan Schweik discusses her new book “The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. www.universitypressbooks.com 

Lang Lang “Journey of a Thousand Miles” in conversation with Sarah Cahill at 7:30 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC campus. Cost is $10-$20. 642-9988. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Tom Rigney & Flambeau at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Singers’ Open Mic with Kelly Park at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Stephen De Staebler, The Sculptor’s Way” opens at the Richmond Art Center, 2540 Bartlett Ave., Richmond. 620-6772. www.therac.org 

FILM 

Cine Cubano Film Fest “La Ultima Cena” at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $7-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert Music by Cindy Cox at Hertz Hall, UC campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Vocal Soiree & Benny Watson Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Agapi Mou, Balkan, at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Celu’s Silver Kittens at 7 p.m. at Fondue Fred Restaurant, 2556 Telegraph. 549-0850. 

Sonic Safari at 7 p.m. at Chester’s Bay View Cafe, 1508 Walnut St. 849-9995. 

Alexis Harte at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 10 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash Anthology reading for “Beyond Forgetting: Poetry and Prose about Alzheimer’s Disease” with contributors at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 525-5476. 

Sophia Raday “Love in Condition Yellow” the story of a Berkeley peace activist and an Oakland police officer in the Army Reserve at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Story Hour in the Library with Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, at 5 p.m. in the Morrison Library, 101 Doe Library, UC campus. 642-3671. http://storyhour.berkeley.edu 

M.J. Ryan will discuss her latest book “AdaptAbility: How to survive change you didn't ask for” at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. 526-7512. 

Nami Mun, reads from “Miles From Nowhere” at 7:30 pm at Books Inc., 1344 Park St., Alameda. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Adam Bowers Band at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13-$15. 525-5054.  

Berkeley Old-Time Music Convention with Alice Gerrard, the Till Boys, Eric & Suzy Thompson at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage, 2020 Addison. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Rogerio Botter-Maio Group featuring Harvey Wainapel at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Twilight Hotel and Sweet Talk Radio at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Mojo Stew at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

FRIDAY, SEPT. 11 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre “Awake and Sing!” through Sept. 27, at 2081 Addison St. Tickets are $15-$55. 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.  

Berkeley Rep “American Idiot” at 2025 Addison St., through Oct. 11. Tickets are $32-$86. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Central Works “Machiavelli’s The Prince” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., through Sept. 19. Tickets are $14-$25. www.centralworks.org 

Galatean Players Ensemble Theatre “Rivets” A musical based on Rosie the Riveter and Richmond’s Kaiser Shipyards, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. on board the SS Red Oak Victory, 1337 Canal Blvd., Berth 6A, Richmond, through Sept. 27. Tickets are $15-$20. Rosies, WW2 Veterans and uniformed soldiers, free. 925-676-5705. galateanplayers.com 

Impact Theatre “See How We Are” A contemporary adaptation of “Antigone.” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., through Oact. 17. Tickets are $12-$20. impacttheatre.com 

Masquers Playhouse “Loot” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, and runs through Sept. 26. Tickets are $18. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

Shotgun Players “This World In A Woman’s Hands” The story of the WWII Victory warships and the African-American women who built them, with live acoustic bass by Marcus Shelby. Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at The Ashby Stage. 1901 Ashby Ave. Tickets are $18-$25. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Woodminster Summer Musicals “Brigadoon” at 8 p.m. at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joachin Miller Rd., Oakland, through Sept. 13. Tickets are $25-$40. 531-9597.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Divergence” ACCI Gallery’s annual abstract exhibition featuring the work of nine Bay Area painters: Susan Adame, Cathy Coe, Mary DePaolo, Patricia Kelly, Susan Putnam, Jane Reynolds, Mitchel Rubin, and Bob and Leslie Carabas. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at 1652 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527. www.accigallery.com  

“Read This Digit” Group show of digital prints on paper and canvas. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at K Gallery, Rhythmix Cultural Works, 2513 Blanding Ave., Alameda. www.rhythmix.org 

“Triple Threat” Solo shows of works by Patch Wright, Renee Castro, Sandra Hart. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at Autobody Fine Art, 1517 Park St., Alameda. 865-2608. www.autobodyfineart.com 

“Until the Violence Stops” a documentary about violence against women in conjunction with the exhibition “In Memorium” at 7:30 p.m. at Frank Bette Center for the Arts, 1601 Paru St., Alameda. 523-6957. 

FILM 

“Pizza” at 6:30 p.m. at Charles Chocolates, 6529 Hollis St., Emeryville. 652-4412, ext. 311.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“American Surveillance” A lecture by photographer Richard Gordon on the legacy of the 9/11 attacks at 7 p.m. at the Center for Photography, 105 Northgate Hall, School of Journalism, UC campus.  

Don Brennan and Avotcja will read their poetry at 7 p.m. at Nefeli Caffe, 1854 Euclid Ave.  

Mike Miller reads from “A Community Organizer’s Tale: People and Power in San Francisco” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mo Rockin’ Project, world music, at noon at the Kaiser Center Roof Garden, on top of the parking garage, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland. Free. www.KaiserCenterRoofGarden.com 

Point Richmond Summer Concert with Whogas, funk, rock, reggae, at 5:30 p.m. and Richie Barron, blues, at 6:45 p.m. at Park Place at Washington Ave. in downtown Point Richmond. www.pointrichmond.com 

Sentimiento y Compás, flamenco, at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Amendola vs Blades, organ and drums, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Audrey Shimkas & Her Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $15. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Tito Gonzalez y su Nuevo Proyecto at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Berkeley Old-Time Music Convention with Benton Flippen, Paul Brown, Terri McMurray and John Schwab at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage, 2020 Addison. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazz Mojo at 8 p.m. the Art House Gallery and Cultural Center, 2905 Shattuck Ave. Donation $5-$10. 

Yard Sale, The Happy Clams, The Low Rollers at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Justin Anchetta at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Strange Angel, blues, at 7 p.m. at Fondue Fred Restaurant, 2556 Telegraph. 549-0850. 

The Works at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 12 

CHILDREN  

Dorina Lazo Gilmore introduces her picture book for children “Cora Cooks Pancit” at 3 p.m. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. www.asiabookcenter.com 

“Roti Rolled Away” with author Anjana Utarid at 1 p.m. at The Museum of Children’s Art, 538 9th St. Oakland. Free. 465-8770. www.mocha.org 

Babes in Toyland Puppet Show at 11 a.m. and 2 and 4 p.m. at at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. 296-4433. activeartsttheatre.org 

THEATER 

Shotgun Players “The Farm” Sat. and Sun. at 4 p.m. at John Hinkel Park, Southhampton Ave. Suggested donation $10. 841-5600. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Alameda Civic Light Opera “Hair” Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Kofman Theater, 2200 Central Ave., Alameda, through Sept. 27. Tickets are $30-$34. 864-2256. www.aclo.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

Berkeley Camera Club Group Photography Show. Reception at 2 p.m. at The LightRoom, 2263 Fifth St. 649-8111. www.lightroom.com 

“Lines” color photographs by Nicole Gim. Reception for the artist at 6 p.m. at Photolab, 2235 Fifth St. Exhibition runs to Sept. 26. 644-1400. www.photolaboratory.com 

“This Long Road” work by Derek Weisberg, Crystal Morey, and Ben Belknap. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at The Compound Gallery, 6604 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. Exhibition runs to Oct. 11. 655-9019. thecompoundgallery.com 

“It’s Gonna Be Awesome” new work by Narangkar Glover. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Blankspace, 6608 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. Exhibiton runs to Oct. 11. 547-6608. www.blankspacegallery.com 

“Stephen De Staebler, The Sculptor’s Way” Opening reception at 4:30 p.m. at the Richmond Art Center, 2540 Bartlett Ave., Richmond. 620-6772. www.therac.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Contemporary British Verse with poets Julia Bird, Roddy Lumsden and Hannah Sullivan, reception at 7 p.m., reading at 8 p.m. at Jered’s Pottery, 2720 San Pablo Ave. 845-4370. 

Kathy Walkup discusses artists’ books at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market String Band Contest with twenty old-time string bands competing from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Civic Center Park. 548-3333. 

Music on the Main from 1 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the corner of Macdonald Ave. and Marina Way, next to the Richmond BART station. www.richmondmainstreet.org 

Jonathan Sandberg and Emma Gavenda in a benefit concert for Albany School Music Programs at 7:30 p.m. at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Palache Hall, 2837 Claremont Blvd. Tickets are $25-$50 sliding scale. brownpapertickets.com. 

Giacomo Fiore Solo guitar music of Britten, Ohana, Takemitsu, Tippet and others, at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864. www.trinitychamberconcerts.com 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra “Apotheosis of the Dance” works by Hayden and Beethoven with Steven Isserlis, cello, at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $30-$75. 415-252-1288, ext. 305. 

“Reach Out and Bring Happiness!” The Oakland-East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus 10th Anniversary Celebration concert, presenting choral highlights from the past ten years with Stephanie Lynne Smith and the Lesbian Gay Chorus of San Francisco, at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Alameda, 1912 Central Ave., Alameda. Tickets are $12-$20. 800-706-2389. oebgmc.org 

Kolectivo 9/11 with Chilean artists living in the US, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Ray Obiedo & Mambo Caribe! at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Benton Flippen & The Mostly Mountain Boys at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Introduction to clogging at 7 p.m. Cost is $15, $5 for children ages 5 and up.525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Tom Paxton at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage, 2020 Addison. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Ray Cepeda at 7 p.m. at Fondue Fred Restaurant, 2556 Telegraph. 549-0850. 

Backyard Tarzans at 7 p.m. at Chester’s Bay View Cafe, 1508 Walnut St. 849-9995. 

LT3 at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Mancub, Caldecott, Ansel at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Pocket Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SUNDAY, SEPT. 13 

CHILDREN 

Mt. Diablo String Band with caller Paul Silveria at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

THEATER 

PEN Oakland Writers Theatre “A Night of Short Plays” at 4 p.m. at West Oakland Senior Center, 1724 Adeline St., Oakland. 681-5652. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Light on Lake Merritt” Digital photography by Laura Sutta. Opening reception at 5 p.m. at L’Amyx Tea Bar,4179 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash with Jenny Browne and Cheryl Dumesnil at 3 p.m. at Diesel, 5433 College Ave., Oakland. 525-5476. 

Opera Piccola Play Reading and open mic poetry at 4 p.m. at Opera Piccola Performing Arts, 2946 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. Free, donations accepted. www.opera-piccola.org  

Charlie Haas reads from his novel “The Enthusiast” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Nrityanjali” an Odissi dance performance with Guru Jyoti Rout and the artists of Jyoti Kala Mandir at 5 p.m. at Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. Tickets $12-$18. www.jyotikalamandir.org 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra “Apotheosis of the Dance” works by Hayden and Beethoven with Steven Isserlis, cello, at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $30-$75. 415-252-1288, ext. 305. 

Rebecca Riots, Funky Nixons in a benefit for Tristan Anderson at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $5-$20. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Anna Estrada & Her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Americana Unplugged: Old Time Cabaret from 3 to 7 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Nikila Badua aka Mama Wisdom at 5:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Blame Sally at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage, 2020 Addison. Cost is $20.50-$21.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

“Ashkenaz is always the place for me in the Bay Area,” said Baba Ken Okulolo. “Ashkenaz is home.” The Nigerian music master will be playing with the West African Highlife Band, 9:30 p. m. this Saturday at Ashkenaz, after an African dance lesson by Comfort Mensah. 

Along with Baba Ken, the band features Soji Odukogbe, Nii Armah Hammond, Lemi Barrow, Rasaki Aladokun and Pope Flyne. 

Vocalist, bassist, producer Baba Ken, now heads several African music groups in the East Bay—besides the West African Highlife Band, Kotoja (Afro-Beat); and the acoustic, traditional Nigerian Brothers—besides teaching and presenting school programs in African music. 

First seen in the states as bassist with King Sunny Ade’s African Beats on their 1985 tour, Baba Ken comes from Urhobo ethnic stock, born in Aladja, a fishing village in Nigeria. At 8 years old, he was sent to the city of Warri, for the Anglican missionary schools there. On short-wave radio, he began listening to a broad range of music: jazz, Afro-Cuban, rhythm & blues and Congolese. 

After apprenticing himself to his guitarist uncle, Miller Okulolo, Baba Ken sat in with the Harmony Searchers and other bands. Discovered by a talent scout for Dr. Victor Olaiya, a great Highlife bandleader, he moved to Lagos, at first one of three bassists with Olaiya’s big band, then the only one. He later started up Afro-rock band Monomono with vocalist Joni Haastrup, touring West Africa and Europe by the early ‘70s. He also performed with Steve Rhodes’ African Voices and his own group, Positive Vibrations, putting out his own disc, Talking Bass. The Nigerian Journalists Association voted him top bassist five times. 

“I first passed through Berkeley, performing at the Greek Theatre,” with King Sunny Ade’s star juju music band. “I was very, very impressed by the reaction of the audience to the music. They were very hospitable; I felt at home. I made up my mind that this was where I’d plant myself if I came to the States—and that’s exactly what I did!” 

“There were a lot of African bands in the Bay Area then,” Baba Ken continued, “Zulu Spear, Mapenzi, O.J. Komode ... the live scene was very vibrant, with most of them playing at Ashkenaz, booked two nights in a row on the weekend. The place would be packed, with everybody having a good time. It was very promising.” 

Baba Ken started Kotoja, with American and other Nigerian musicians, playing a mix of jazz, funk, Afro-beat and juju. the group has two CDs on Mesa Recordings and one on Putumayo.  

The West African Highlife Band was founded just a few years back, inspired by a request from the late David Nadel, to revive the hits of the era of Highlife. Their first CD, “Salute to Highlife Pioneers,” has been released by Inner Spirit/Stem’s. Pope Flyne was lead vocalist with Ghana’s Sweet Talks and teaches locally; Soji Odukogbe was Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s lead guitarist for five years, with a background in spiritual music; Nii Armah Hammond was a founding member of the Ghanian band Hedzoleh Soundz, who recorded with Hugh Masakela and were one of the first African pop groups residing in the Bay Area; Lemi Barrow has played traps extensively with African, Brazilian and African-American groups. 

Baba Ken plays and sings his own roots music, bringing it to the schools with the Nigerian Brothers, teaching by “emulating the village lifestyle through drumming and singing, [which] enables students to build and enjoy perfect teamwork” and “breaking music into the simplest forms, with particular examples and body language.” 

He recalls mixing different styles of music from different places from very early in his career. “When I was still back home in Africa, every song released in America was heard the first week in Nigeria. There was a direct relation. We were very familiar with the top hits released here. We’d copy them, play our own indigenous music and mix in the influence of American and European music. We called it Afro-Funk. A lot of people have been going back and forth, trying to make a new way in their music from different things. Music has been a two-way road.” 

He noted that his annual end-of-the-year Music Night Africa, an event he’s hosted for the past nine years to showcase all his groups and special guests (“It’s a long night, 8 p.m. ‘til 2 a.m.”), will be at Ashkenaz Dec. 5. 

“I’ve been here now 22 years plus,” Baba Ken said. “The tide goes up and down; I’ve seen them come and go. Some of my fans have been with me 22 years; they come, and invite other people to come with them. It’s very encouraging how dedicated they are to me. I’ve tried to branch out, to showcase African music in its various forms, from the historical past of it, the traditional acoustic village music, to cocktail music, to getting down to dance—for young and old, I’ve got all the avenues covered; I’m there, making mind, body and soul happy.” 

From disaster 

Shipwreck, whole families crawled 

To the tenements, and there 

Survived by what morality 

Of hope 

Which for the sons 

Ends its metaphysic 

In small lawns of home. 

George Oppen’s poem parallels the conflict in Clifford Odets’ first play, Awake and Sing!, now onstage at the Aurora Theatre, directed by Joy Carlin: the children of immigrants moving out of the settlements and buying into notions of respectability—and their own children bridling at it. 

Odets would revisit this theme in some of his later plays and screenplays. One variation that appears here and elsewhere: the self-sacrifice of an immigrant grandparent so a grandchild can escape what the grandparent sees as a corrupt, loveless home. 

Awake and Sing! was Odets’ first play. A frustrated actor with the Group Theater, he said whatever dramatic technique there was in the play did not get into it consciously, but through his skin. And the dialogue in particular is surprisingly supple—and not particularly linear. It’s not so easy to predict where a character will go with the train of thought and words another initiated. Speeches—which can have the cloying, if uplifting quality of an anthem—are buffered by quick exchanges and don’t seem overwrought.  

Odets also has his own way of offsetting some of the more charged lines, by a third character acting as ironic or sarcastic chorus in the interstices of what’s said, one character to another. 

Grandfather Jake—Ray Reinhardt in a wonderful depiction of the old socialist chased to kennel by his own daughter, listening to Caruso on his gramophone rather than the troubled, uncommunicative sounds of the family house—proves to be a Cassandra, and later, ironically, an atheist prophet from Scripture, as he tries to rouse the others to the commitment to life he could not fully give. 

Ellen Ratner as Bessie, the domineering mother of the menage, Jake’s daughter, leans hard on the tiller, controlling her grown children’s lives, yet speaks her piece, heavy with resentment when they rebel (“It’s no law we should be stuck together like Siamese Twins”): “Maybe you wanted me to give up 20 years ago; where would you be?” A worshipper of Mammon, but the only one with enough force of will to keep the family from flying apart. 

Even her absurd, lapdog husband (Charles Dean, playing hapless Myron with sensitivity and humor) refers to her as sick, half-admonishing the offspring. The little gems of obliviousness he scatters prove less comic relief than a pathetic burlesque of irony, whether eternally quoting Teddy Roosevelt in the days of Franklin (“When you have a problem, sleep on it!”) or reacting to a sharp remark by his daughter: “Our Henny will say anything; she takes after me.”  

There’s an asymmetric balance of power—or terror—in the household, involving Morty (Victor Talmadge), Jake’s son, a successful merchant who dismisses his father’s jeremiads; boarder and seemingly cynical veteran Moe Axelrod (Ron Gnapp); and callow son-in-law Sam (Anthony Nemirovsky, who doubles as Schlosser, neighbor and messenger of bad news, as in Greek Tragedy), who’s been dragooned unawares into marrying Hennie (Rebecca White), delivered unto him like tainted chattel. 

Hennie and Ralph (Patrick Russell), the third generation, understand each other with almost a sense of complicity. Their grandfather’s blessings stay with them, and they extend them to each other in a resolution that is also something of a reversal, an exchange of the usual end to rebellion in who escapes to a new life, who stays on and endures. There’s hope, through new understanding, that the materialistic curse of the parents and the resentment of the young have both been sloughed off. 

Carlin’s solid cast delivers an ensemble show, each coming up with their character’s special moments.  

Ron Gnapp, entering while flipping a coin—shades of George Raft—then watching the proceedings with the eagle eye of the outsider, before intervening deftly, yet wholeheartedly taking sides, joins Reinhardt and Dean in providing some of the play’s choicest moments, issuing a racy commentary on many of the others in period slang. 

“Awake and sing! ye who dwell in dust.” Grandfather Jake, who maybe just missed wrestling with the angel, invokes jubilation after lamenting, “In my day, the propaganda was for God; today, for success.” But, though unlooked for, a kind of deliverance is waiting. “In this boy’s life, the Red Sea will open again.”

Every year the Berkeley Art Center presents a juried exhibition. This year’s jurors were Rene de Guzman, curator at the Oakland Museum of California and formerly curator at the Yerba Buena Center, and Kate Eilertsen, who was director of the Art and Crafts Museum as well a temporary head of the Berkeley Art Center and is now the director of the Sonoma Valley Art Museum. Their judicious selection spared us the fare to which we have been subjected at the ubiquitous art fairs and group shows, which are based on the fashions and vulgarities of the art market. In fact, many of the pieces in this show retain the mark of authenticity. It was also a good idea to choose more than a single piece by most of the artists. 

White is the outstanding color in this show: Emily Clawson presents three pinhole drawings in which, on white sheets of paper, she manages to depict life in the depth of the ocean as experienced in her scuba diving. Henry Navarro, an artist who was trained in Cuba, shows white paper collages in which cut pieces of white paper were pasted together to form white portrait heads. Iris Charabi-Berggren has shredded large sheets of white paper which serve as woven networks for realistically drawn birds. Mariet Braakman exhibits an evocative large drawing, called Land of Memories #13 (2006) in which a large rock has fallen between two vertical forms, consisting of a multitude of small graphite lines. The rock on its downward journey is stuck in this memorable symbol of frustration. 

The first images encountered by the visitor to the show are two colorful narrative drawings by Leigh Barbier, depicting an imaginary world of gnomes and sprites wandering in a fantasy world of mountain and forests. Next to these, and in great contrast, are two consummate pencil drawings by the well-known artist, Jonathan Solo. She Loves Me (2009) is an androgynous bust of a mustachioed male head and sensitively drawn woman’s breasts. This puzzling image is placed in the lower right-hand corner of the sheet, balancing the composition with void space. In three amazing dawings by Alex Zecca he manages to create the perception of spacial illusion on a two-dimensional surface. These meticulous paintings with their perfect finish arrest the eye resulting in vibrating sensations.  

Deer Contemplating Plan B (2009) by Masako Miki is a delight to view. Here is a deer standing on a very shaky scaffolding, which is about to collapse. And Miki must have had fun when decorating this non-structure with wallpaper segments showing the French fleur-de-lis, the British lion and the Irish shamrock. None of these national ikons help the poor deer. Julie Garver took photographs from many angles of the old C&H sugar factory in Crocket and the sliced them into a weft and warp woven picture. In her artist’s statement she writes that she wanted “to show how beautiful a working industrial building can be.” Yet it resembles photographs of the ruins of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City after it was bombed in 1995. Certainly, a good work of art is open to various interpretations and is completed only by the viewer’s response. 

Juried @ BAC 2009 

Annual juried exhibition featuring works on paper, through Sept. 20. 

Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 

644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org

In her book Long Time Passing, Susan Galleymore asks a question: “Are mothers supposed to simply sit and wait while their children are imperiled?”  

The answer seems simple, except that, when the subject is war, it never is. It is certainly an ancient question, one undoubtedly asked by Greek mothers as their sons and husbands sailed off to storm the towers of Ilium.  

For Galleymore, the question began when her son told her he was being deployed to Iraq. “I was numb with a cascade of terrifying images: my son hesitates before he shoots—how could he not hesitate—and is himself shot; my son’s body riddled with bullets; my son shooting into a crowd of civilians; my son begging for handouts like the Vietnam veterans on San Francisco’s streets.” 

Those are images that would paralyze most people, but not Galleymore. Instead of sitting at home, flinching each time Iraq came on her television, she set out on an odyssey to answer the question, not just for herself but for mothers in Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and the grim corridors of Walter Reed Army Medical Center. 

What she found was “ordinary women with families and everyday duties and jobs” bound up by “their suffering—both deeply personal and extraordinarily universal.” 

Galleymore, who emigrated to the U.S. from South Africa when she was in her early 20s, began her quest by signing on to a Code Pink trip to Iraq in order to visit her son. That is not like catching a plane back East. Her “visit” takes her through Iraq’s fearsomely dangerous roads, into hospitals, police stations, Internet cafes and Baghdad’s “green zone,” the American enclave nicknamed the “Emerald City.”  

Along the way, she gathers impressions, images and interviews. She is a careful reporter with a writer’s eye for detail, and she pays attention to what people say and how they look.  

Some of her encounters with GIs and Iraqis have an almost surreal quality. Take the encounter with a soldier at Camp Anaconda, a giant U.S. base deep in the heart of the restive Sunni Triangle. What kind of food do the solders get at base? she asks a G.I. 

“We get all kinds, Domino’s Pizza, Round Table, McDonald’s, we got it all,” he answers. 

“Do you eat Iraqi food?” 

“Nah, we don’t see any of that here.” 

“Do you ever get off the base?” 

“Nah. We can’t do that. We’d be killed if we stepped off the base without armor and weapons and lots of buddies to back us up.” 

In many ways this is a book about conversations. Galleymore talks with Iraqis, U.S. soldiers and, eventually, her son, and then sets out on a Middle East walkabout. She talks to mothers in Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, refugees in Syria, and—through author and photographer Robert Darr—Afghans. She also speaks to Afghanis in the United States, as well as soldiers’ mothers. 

As a reporter, Galleymore is refreshingly low key, careful not to make herself the story—one who keeps the focus on her subjects. The drama of the book comes from how she unwinds the stories people tell. One example is a tense encounter between Israeli soldiers and Sihan Rashid. Rashid is an American–born Palestinian who now lives in East Jerusalem and works as a counselor at a Palestinian center. 

On a freezing winter day in the West Bank, she and scores of Palestinians are stopped at an Israeli checkpoint, one of the hundreds that make life a misery for the inhabitants of the Occupied Territories. For two-and-a-half hours they sit, until Rashid, admitting she is scared, leaves her car and confronts an Israeli soldier. 

He shouts at her that there was a suicide bombing the previous day and that is why the cars are being held up. She argues with him: “Yes, but I didn’t do it. You cannot blame me or these hundreds waiting here.” He repeats his statement about the suicide bombing, but she refuses to back down. He finally pleads “orders,” and calls his captain. The officer too pleads “orders,” but she stands her ground, and 15 minutes later the roadblock is lifted. 

It takes a certain grade of steel to live under an occupation. 

Long Time Passing could be a depressing book. Mothers and the death or maiming of their sons and daughters does not make for easy reading. But this is less a story about death than about life. Even in the midst of tragedy—and is there any worse tragedy than the loss of a child?—the basic humanity of people comes through, the “universality” that the author talks about. 

The book is more than a series of conversations, however. There is history and politics, and Galleymore even makes a stab at trying to understand the tension between individualist American culture and the complex communities of family and residence that typify much of the Middle East. 

For instance, she found that mothers in the Middle East are puzzled as to why American mothers let their children become soldiers, and they find the answer that an 18-year-old in the U.S. can do what he or she pleases. Incomprehensible. What each group considers common sense is, in fact, “loaded with cultural assumptions.” 

Galleymore lives in the Bay Area and sees her book as an organizing tool. She is a counselor for the G.I. Rights Hotline and hosts a radio program, “Raising Sand Radio.” She says she does house book parties “to actually engage people in storytelling as a way toward more effective activism.” She asks people to host a house party, at which she shows up to tell her story, answer questions and sell books. She sees these book parties as a springboard to creating networks of progressive activists. 

Galleymore can be contacted at susan@motherspeak.org, and her book may be purchased at mothersspeakaboutwarandterror.org or motherspeak.org.  

Long Time Passing: Mothers Speak About War and Terror 

By Susan Galleymore. Pluto Press. $21.95