Arts & Events

COMMUNITY MUSIC CENTER -more-

FIRST COVENANT CHURCH OF OAKLAND -more-

"BAY AREA HEART GALLERY," -- Exhibit consists of photographs of children, youth and families, accompanied by their compelling stories. The joint exhibit opens in the Alameda County Administration Building, 1221 Oak Street, Oakland and at the Eden Area Multi-Service Center, 24100 Amador Way, Hayward. -more-

ALTARENA PLAYHOUSE -more-

A GREAT GOOD PLACE FOR BOOKS -more-

A440 GALLERY -- -more-

ASIAN ART MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO The Asian Art Museum-Chon-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture recently unveiled its new building in San Francisco's Civic Center. The building, the former San Francisco Public Library, has been completely retrofitted and rebuilt to house San Francisco's significant collection of Asian treasures. The museum offers complimentary audio tours of the museum's collection galleries. -more-

AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM AND LIBRARY AT OAKLAND The Oakland Public Library's museum is designed to discover, preserve, interpret and share the cultural and historical experiences of African Americans in California and the West. In addition, a three-panel mural is on permanent display. -more-

COUNTERPULSE -more-

ACTORS THEATRE OF SAN FRANCISCO -more-

924 GILMAN ST. -- All ages welcome. -more-

"Nobody would ever call you the ethereal sort!" An arch gathering of English types, intent on having fun at a medium's expense—while one hopes to pick up a few quotable mannerisms for his book—prove the conduit from the beyond, as author Charles Condomine (Stanley Spenger) finds himself a flesh-and-blood bigamist when his late wife Elvira (Erin J. Hoffman) is summoned by Madame Arcati (Chris Macomber), making an unwitting menage-a-trois that seriously challenges his second marriage to Ruth (Shannon Veon Kase), in Noel Coward's preternaturally funny Blithe Spirit by Actors Ensemble of Berkeley at Live Oak Theater (1301 Shattuck at Berryman), Fridays and Saturdays at 8 through August 21. ($12-$15; 649-5999; aeofberkeley.org) -more-

A group of current and former UCLA students, living locally during the summer, provided Berkeley with a most charming and vigorous dramatic interlude this past week. -more-

This week, normally the high summer layover, will see a slew of activity onstage. Shotgun's opening The Norman Conquests, Alan Ayckbourn's trilogy, directed by Joy Carlin, on Friday, and Woodminster mounts that perennial summer favorite, The Music Man, in the glades of Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland Hills, directed by Joel Schlader, with choreography by Harriet Schlader (Sadly, her husband James, co-founder with Harriet of Woodminster musicals almost a half-century ago, died in May). -more-

“If you want peace, work for justice.” -more-

A tip of the hat to John Westlake for alerting me to the recent publication of the 51^st Supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union checklist, essential reading for any active or recovering birder. As happens every year, the AOU has voted to accept or reject a number of proposed changes in bird nomenclature for the Western Hemisphere and Hawai’i. This includes the recognition of new species (splits), the demotion of old ones (lumps), taxonomic reshufflings at various levels, and changes in common and Latin names, sometimes just to correct the gender of the Latin. The process is an incidental boon to publishers, who can justify new editions of Peterson, Sibley, National Geographic and the other standard field guides. -more-

Washington DC is a swamp in more ways than one. But an estimated 30,000 desperate homeowners have or will be coming to DC in the middle of a heat wave to attend the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America’s Save the Dream event. (NACA is one of many HUD-approved housing counseling agencies trying to help homeowners modify their mortgages under HAMP.) These events bring together housing counselors and representatives from lenders and mortgage servicers in one place so homeowners can meet face to face and attempt to work out a modification and avoid foreclosure. Homeowners started lining up Thursday night outside the Convention Center, though the event didn’t open till Friday morning. -more-

ASHKENAZ -more-

CARMEN FLORES RECREATION CENTER -more-

"3RD ANNUAL MARTINEZ BEAVER FESTIVAL," -- Aug. 7. Come celebrate the relationship between beavers, the community and watershed. There will be music, environmental displays, tours, children's activities and more. Event takes place at "Beaver Park,'' 495 Alhambra Ave., Martinez. -more-

ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM Ardenwood farm is a working farm that dates back to the time of the Patterson Ranch, a 19th-century estate with a mansion and Victorian Gardens. Today, the farm still practices farming techniques from the 1870s. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free with regular admission. -more-

ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM Ardenwood farm is a working farm that dates back to the time of the Patterson Ranch, a 19th-century estate with a mansion and Victorian Gardens. Today, the farm still practices farming techniques from the 1870s. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free with regular admission. -more-

"SUN SPHERES," -- "Sun Spheres'' is a trio of mosaic sculptures by artist Laurel True at the intersection of Ocean and Granada Avenues in the OMI District of San Francisco. -more-

"3RD ANNUAL MARTINEZ BEAVER FESTIVAL," -- Aug. 7. Come celebrate the relationship between beavers, the community and watershed. There will be music, environmental displays, tours, children's activities and more. Event takes place at "Beaver Park,'' 495 Alhambra Ave., Martinez. -more-