Out and About in Martinez

June 1 - Rankin Aquatic Center lap swimming begins! June 7 - 8 - Lioness Garage Sale - 8:00 am to 3:00 pm - 4430 Haag Road - Martinez June 7 - Fridays on the Main - 6:00 to 8:00 pm through August 30 - Downtown Martinez - Cars, Arts & Crafts and live music. June 8 - Celebrate World Wide Knit Day - 2:00 pm - Calling all Knitters to pack up your needles and join us as we knit and Crochet together. Get inspired by knitwear designs from your community. Bring in your projects and knit with new friends. Check out many items for sale. All proceeds from the sale of knitwear benefit the Martinez Senior Center and the Friends of the Martinez Library. Additional information: 925.646.9920 June 8 - Debra Dodson of Martinez Arts Association Presents the Second Annual "Free to Be" Exhibit, which centers on the Pride of the LGBT Community. This year's exhibit is inspired by and dedicated to Ryan Andresen, the Boy Scout of Moraga, whose compelling story and message of Tolerance will be celebrated during Pride month. Artwork may include elements of Ryan's story or your own personal experience, or elements from this year's theme for the 2013 Pride Parade: Embrace, Encourage, Empower. This year's exhibit is called: Free to Be 2: A Salute to Ryan Andresen Courage ~ Honor ~ Tolerance! Reception: Saturday, June 8, 2013, 6-9 pm - 411 Ferry Street, CA 94553 - Exhibit will be displayed from June 1 to 30. June 9 - 4th Annual Bike the Bridges hosted by Special Olympics Northern California - 7:00 am - Registration - 4:00 pm - Historic Martinez Waterfront - This is an excellent opportunity for the community to support and fundraise for local Northern California Special Olympics athletes while bicycling the scenic 25, 65 or 100 mile ride through the local countryside and over the Carquinez and Benicia bridges. Riders and non-riders can enjoy lunch provided by Outback and a beer garden hosted by various breweries. For Registration and additional information: http://www.sonc.org/events/our-fundraisers/letr-bike-bridges June 11 - 6:30 – 7:30 pm - Photography educator Jerry Ott, (www.darkroomz.com) will be on hand to give tips on how to take great summer digital photographs using your own equipment. Adults and teens are invited to practice their photography skills on our stuff animal subjects who will be visiting the library for the “Stuffed Animal Sleepover & Midnight Feast.” Enter your pictures into our photography contest and receive a gift card from a local restaurant. Contest rules will be available at this event. Additional information: 925.646.9920 June 15 - 16 - King of the County BBQ and Music Festival - Waterfront Park - FREE admission & parking - 11:00 am to 6:00 pm - additional information: 925.228.2345 June 19 - Henry A. McNamara Post 29 of the American Legion is hosting speaker Ashley Baughman, Martinez Chamber of Commerce 2013 Young Woman of the Year and the Soroptimist International of Martinez recipient of the 2013 Violet Richardson Award. Ashley is a senior at Vincente Martinez High School in the New Leaf program. - 930 Ward Street - 7:30 pm - Call: Jeff Roubal for reservations or information: 925.957.1662 - This is a FREE event and open to the public. June 22 - Vintage Fashion Show and Luncheon - proceeds to benefit Central County Homeless Outreach - for information or reservations: ggerlack@aol.com June 23 - Farmer’s Market 25th Anniversary Celebration - 10:00 am to 2:00 pm - Main Street June 25 - Law Enforcement Torch Run - 7:00 am - Noon - Brentwood to Pleasant Hill; Danville to Pleasant Hill; Pleasant Hill to Martinez to Benicia - Cheer on your local law enforcement heroes as they carry the torch for Special Olympics during a run from city to city and culminating in Davis for the Special Olympics Summer Games. June 30 - Loaves & Fishes Summer Garden Party “Food for Thought” - Celebrating 30 years of service in Contra Costa County - Hacienda De Las Flores - Moraga - Food, Wine, Music, and Auction - register online: www.loavesfishescc.org Upcoming Events: July 4 - Martinez Celebrations - 8:00 am - Flag Raising at the Veterans Memorial Building - 8:00 - 10:00 am - Pancake Breakfast - Roxx on Main - 10:00 am Parade down Main Street - additional information: director@mainstreet.org July 11 - Martinez Chamber Mixer - 5:30 to 7:30 pm - Boys and Girls Club of the Diablo Valley - 1301 Alhambra Avenue - www.martinezchamber.com July 20 - Port Chicago Commemoration July 29 - August 2 and August 5 - 9 - John Muir Mountain Day Camp August 2 - Personal Emergency Preparedness Class “PEP” - from 10 am to 12:30 pm - Martinez Senior Center - 818 Green Street - Spend 2 hours learning how to prepare yourself and your family to be ready when a major disaster strikes. We will cover what basic supplies you need, equipment you should have and plans you should make to insure your family is ready to meet this challenging time. Email: Martinez.CERT@gmail.com indicate the PEP class, give your name, email address and telephone number. www.MartinezCERT.org August 3 - Peddlers Faire - Downtown August 3 - 6th Annual Beaver Festival - 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at the corner of Marina Vista and Alhambra Avenue - FREE - www.MartinezBeavers.org August 6 - National Night Out - 6:00 - 10:00 pm - Partner with the Martinez Police Department to celebrate America’s Night Out Against Crime, turn on your porch light and join a local block party or neighborhood celebration to have a great time while learning more about crime prevention. To set up a block party or celebration, contact your designated Neighborhood Policing Area Officer at the Martinez Police Department. August 18 - Art in the Park - Susana Park August 24 - Muir Heritage Land Trust Fresh Aire Affaire September 26 - 29 - Eugene O’Neill Festival 12th Annual September 28 - 29 Italian Street Painting Festival - Downtown Martinez September 28 - Martinis on the Plaza October 5 - Pasta Feed for the Run for Education October 6 - Run for Education October 12 - Martinez Historical Society Home Tour October 12- Martinez Restaurant Tour October 19 - Zombie Brew Crawl October 27 - Halloween Spooktacular December 6-8 - Holiday Frolic Snow Park - Downtown Martinez December 14 - Santa Beer Crawl FREE ongoing activities in Martinez: EVERY MONDAY - First Congregational Church’s coffee venue, The Coffee Break at 1229 Court Street on Mondays - FCC is offering this service to Martinez businesses, residents and visitors as a way to say welcome to our community. We are inviting you to be our guests and enjoy great coffee or tea and home baked goodies, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. every Monday. Stop by on your morning break, after your Monday morning walk or bike ride with friends – check it out and spread the word! The 4th and 5th Fridays of each month through October - Historic Martinez Ghost Walks - 1½ hour guided walks. For additional information: director@mainstreet.org Martinez Museum, www.martinezhistory.org or 925.228.8160; the John Muir National Historic Site, www.nps.gov/jomu or 925.228.8860; the Shell Museum, open Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, Pacheco Boulevard and Arreba. Martinez Farmer’s Market Thursday (Court Street) and Sunday (Main Street), 10:00 am - 2:00 pm If you have events you would like added to the calendar please send information to: ggerlack@aol.com See you around Martinez...