Around Town: Woodside artist wins Jane Gallagher award Around Town: Woodside artist wins Jane Gallagher award (October 20, 2004)

Woodside artist Jim Caldwell will receive the first Jane Gallagher Award from the Committee for Green Foothills at a fundraising event in Woodside Saturday, October 30.

"Nature's Inspirations: Celebrating the Arts" will honor the late Mrs. Gallagher, a member of the Green Foothills board. Her paintings reflected her passionate love of the Peninsula landscape and her zeal to defend it.

Mr. Caldwell, one of a dozen Bay Area landscape painters selected to show at the event, is a well-known artist with works in collections from here to Paris and Japan.

Assemblyman Joe Simitian will lead the live auction at 5:30 p.m. The event runs from 4 to 7 p.m.

Tickets at $75 each are limited and must be obtained in advance. Other paintings may be viewed or tickets obtained at www.greenfoothills.org/art. Tickets also may be obtained by calling 968-7243.

Calvin Trillin to speak

Author and reporter Calvin Trillin will be guest speaker at the Pathways Hospice Foundation's "One From the Heart" awards breakfast on Thursday, October 21, starting at 7:30 a.m. at Hyatt Rickeys in Palo Alto.

Mr. Trillin, a longtime staff writer for the New Yorker, is the author of "Remembering Denny," and "Messages from My Father." Tickets are $75 per person. For reservations or more information, call 229-1201. Pathways Hospice is based in Mountain View.

Shopping benefit

Seven nonprofit organizations, including Pathways and TheatreWorks, will benefit from a day of shopping at Bloomingdale's in the Stanford Shopping Center, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday, October 26.

Customers may purchase a $10 charity ticket and receive a discount of 15-20 percent off many items.

The event will have two fashion events (a petites' fashion show and luncheon and an evening cocktail runway show), live music and Halloween cookie decorating for kids.

Tickets may be purchased at the door the day of the event. For more information, call 463-2167 or check Bloomingdales.com.

Hidden Villa restores olive grove

Hidden Villa, an organic farm and wilderness preserve in Los Altos Hills, is restoring its olive grove, estimated to be 150 years old, said Associate Director Jackie Lundy.

The trees are believed to have been planted by missionaries when the property was a Spanish land grant, she said. Olive expert Pedro Corona is helping with the project, designed to keep the trees productive for another 150 years or more, said Ms. Lundy.

Trees are pruned so they don't fall, as many older trees have. The canopy became so heavy that limbs and trees were intertwined and causing severe breakage, said Ms. Lundy. This is unhealthy for the trees, and a severe safety hazard, she said.

Work began in the orchard along Moody Road, and will move to the other trees.

"If we do not do this work, the trees will fall apart and destroy themselves," said Ms. Lundy. "They will look like they have had a bad haircut for a while, but then will have beautiful new shoots of growth."

Contest welcomes ideas for new state laws

If you're the type of person who finds yourself thinking, "There ought to be a law" regarding matters of concern to you, Assemblyman Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, has got a contest for you.

The fourth annual "There Oughta Be A Law" contest is now under way, and residents in Mr. Simitian's 21st Assembly District have until 5 p.m. October 22 to submit proposals for new laws.

The winner or winners of this year's contest will have their bill ideas introduced as legislation, be invited to the state capitol to have lunch with Mr. Simitian, and have the opportunity to testify at a committee hearing on their bill.

Applications for the contest may be downloaded at http://www.assembly.ca.gov/simitian. To request a form by phone, call the assemblyman's office at 688-6330.

Environmental Volunteers

The Environmental Volunteers organization, whose members have been teaching Bay Area school children hands-on natural science for more than 30 years, is seeking volunteers. Volunteer training programs are scheduled for this fall. For more information, call Hillary at 961-0545.

Family Creek Day

People of all ages who would like to have fun in a local creek, and learn about it at the same time, are invited to the first Family Creek Day at Woodside Elementary School, 3195 Woodside Road in Woodside, on Sunday, October 24, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Activities will include scavenger hunts based on different themes related to the creek. Participants -- kids and adults alike -- will be looking for plants, rocks or geologic features, shapes in the creek channel, or maybe wildlife. The event is sponsored by the San Francisquito Creek Watershed Council

For information or to sign up, call Pam Sturner at 962-9876, ext. 304; or e-mail PamS@Acterrra.org.

Menlo School stages 'Comedy of Errors'

Menlo Middle School will present "The Comedy of Errors," Shakespeare's farce set in Rome, at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, October 22 and 23, and 1 p.m. Sunday, October 24, in the Middle School Commons.

Twenty-five middle school students will take part, including local eighth-graders Natalie Johnson of Portola Valley and Ben Ross of Menlo Park, and seventh-grader Ryan Denenberg of Portola Valley.

The action centers around two sets of lost twins, separated in their youth, trying to find one another.

Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for adults. Tickets may be reserved or picked up at the school bookstore.

Halloween parade

The Selby Education Foundation is hosting its third annual Halloween parade at 4 p.m. Sunday, October 31. Kids in costume will march to Selby Lane School accompanied by the Woodside High School Marching Band and members of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, the California Highway Patrol, the Atherton Police Department and the Menlo Park Fire Protection District.

The parade starts at the corner of Idylwild and Santa Clara avenues, and marches down Himmel Avenue to the school. For information, contact Mara McNeal at mmcneal@apr.com or at 462-1111, extension 573.

Civilian POWs luncheon

Bay Area Civilian Ex-Prisoners of War will meet for lunch on Saturday, October 23, at the Radisson Villa Hotel in San Mateo. Social hour begins at 11:30 a.m., followed by lunch at 12:30 p.m. Cost is $22 per person and guests are welcome. Marjorie M. Wagstaffe of Menlo Park is vice commander. For more information, call her at 324-3086.

Canada designer sale

The fashion design department of Canada College in Woodside will hold its 13th annual designer sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, October 23, in the student activities center on the Woodside campus.

The event will showcase 65 designers who will offer fashion garments, accessories and jewelry.

A student fashion show will be held at 1 p.m. in the Main Theater. There is a $6 donation for the sale with proceeds going to student scholarships, library materials and new classroom equipment. Lunch and refreshments will be available. For more information, go to www.artistryinfashion.com.

Garden Club anniversary

The San Francisco Garden Club will celebrate its 78th anniversary with a benefit luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco on Wednesday, October 20, according to its president, Martha Woollomes of Atherton.

The event will have a reception, silent auction, luncheon and a program featuring Shane Connolly of London, who was floral designer for Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee. Tickets can be purchased from the San Francisco Garden Club by calling 415-776-9530.

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