Olfactory Adventures of Our Fair City

It's THURSDAY, March 24, 2011. The magician Harry Houdini would be 137 years old today, if he had escaped from death. Rain is predicted for the rest of the week, perhaps the rest of the month. It's harsh out there, with the rain and the cold air blowing around. Maybe this is a good time to do something nice for anyone you see who doesn't have a home. A little kindness - a dollar, a smile, any kind of nod to humanity - won't replace the luxury of four warm walls, but it might help a little. For all of its ability to bluster, debate and argue, this town has a giant heart. It also has courthouses, and that is why Martinez was the set of the movie "Tucker" in the 1980s. Starring Jeff Bridges, it was a Francis Ford Coppola bio-pic about a man who took on the auto industry and lost. The Martinez appearance comes as Tucker is walking down some courthouse steps. The steps he walks down are those of the Superior Court on (yes) Court Street. I know, because I was there covering the shoot as a young star-struck reporter for the News Gazette. I didn't mention it in yesterday's column about Martinez in the movies because I'm now an old reporter with a geezer's memory.

1. We have an entry to our Marketing Martinez contest that I like quite a bit. Full disclosure - the entrant is my 13-year-old stepson Max, so he won't quality for the prize. Nevertheless, as we were walking down Main Street yesterday, he said he smelled Chinese food. Since we were nowhere near a Chinese restaurant, this struck him as odd. He said: "that's Martinez - you never know what it's going to smell like." Smells like a winner to me. Please email me your marketing ideas: jim.caroompas@patch.com.
2. Tonight is the opening performance of "Alice in Wonderland" at . Showtime is 7 p.m. and the performances run tomorrow, and next Thursday and Friday. Be there. These kids are awesome.
3. This weekend is the SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day celebration. It's the third one, and since rain is predicted (see above), this year's event will be held in the warehouse at 333 Ferry St. See the story by Marlene Vasilieff in Martinez Patch later today.
4. Our own Pat English from has been selected to be one of the chefs in attendance at the Toyota Farm to Table Tour, this Sunday at the Walnut Creek Farmers Market on Locust Street. This is a chance to see how chefs use ingredients grown by local farmers in their sublime concoctions. Check it out.
5. While we're on the subject, our own resident chef, Lesley Stiles, will tell you what to do with this season's luscious bounty of green garlic and asparagus. Look for that as well, coming up today on Martinez Patch.