Around Town: Arts & Olive event at Canada College Around Town: Arts & Olive event at Canada College (September 28, 2005)

Canada College will hold its eighth annual Arts & Olive Festival on Sunday, October 2, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Canada College in Woodside. Admission is free.

The festival will include olive and olive oil tastings, food from local restaurants, wine and beer, crafts and live entertainment.

There will be olive curing demonstrations and talks about olive tree cultivation and production.

The Kids' Corner will have a storyteller from the Redwood City Public Library, Mr. Buddy the clown, and performances by the National Puppet Theatre.

Canada College is located at 4200 Farm Hill Blvd., on the site of a former olive orchard. For more information, go to www.olivefest.org.
Author event Friday at Burgess center

Authors Jym Marks and Dorsetta Hale will read from their poetry and nonfiction works on Friday, September 30, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Burgess Recreation Center in Menlo Park.

The free event is part of the ongoing Spoken Word series sponsored by Markstyle Production Society and the Menlo Park Community Services Department.

Aspiring writers are invited to read from their works during an "open mike" period that will follow the featured authors' readings.

Mr. Marks has published numerous books of poetry and motivational writings. Known in some circles as Menlo Park's "barber poet," he owns and operates Markstyle Center on Willow Road, a combination barber shop and African-American bookstore.

Ms. Hale is author of "Twenty Three Poems and a Likely Story" and a book of essays, "The Coast is Clear." An emergency public safety dispatcher at the San Francisco International Airport, Ms. Hale "writes in between emergencies," she says.

For more information on the event or the Spoken Word series, call Mr. Marks at 325-5257.
Friends for Youth golf tournament

Friends for Youth, a nonprofit organization providing mentoring services to at-risk youth, will hold its 18th Peninsula Golf Challenge at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club on Monday, October 10.

The event will include a full round of golf, plus lunch and dinner, and live and silent auctions. Auction items will include San Francisco Giants luxury boxes, a Giants jersey signed by Willie Mays, and resort and vacation home getaways.

The cost is $350. Tickets for the dinner and auction only are $125. To purchase tickets call 368-4444.

Friends for Youth has been providing support to youngsters ages 8 to 17 for 26 years.
Legal Services golf tournament

More than 100 golfers are expected to tee off at Stanford Golf Course on Monday, October 10, to benefit Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, a nonprofit organization offering legal help to residents of Belle Haven, East Palo Alto, and nearby area.

Community Legal Services has a staff of five and a large number of volunteer attorneys.

There are still some openings for the golf tournament, which will include lunch and dinner. For more information, call Andy Cohen at 326-6440 or Steve Dennis at 327-4200.
First County Counsel talks on court history

Thomas F. Casey III, San Mateo County's first county counsel, will speak Thursday, September 29, on the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office as a career path to the judiciary. The program starts at 2 p.m. in the San Mateo County History Museum, located in the Old Courthouse at 750 Middlefield Road in Redwood City.

Mr. Casey will describe one of county's more colorful district attorneys, George Buck, who later served as the county's only judge for 42 years, from 1890 to 1932.

The program is free with the price of admission to the museum, which is $4 for adults and $2 for students and seniors. For information, call 299-0104.
Menlo Park talk on vision aids

As part of its Saturday Series, the Menlo Park Library will present Judy Adams of JBliss Imaging Systems to discuss "Living with Low Vision" at 11 a.m. Saturday, October 1.

Ms. Adams will talk about low- and high-tech vision aids, as well as computer options for reading and e-mail. There will be examples of various devices to try.

The library provides free van service for Menlo Park seniors and people with disabilities. Call 330-2512 to schedule a pick up.
History museum seeks docents

The San Mateo County History Museum is looking for docents to serve at the museum, the Woodside Store, and at Sanchez Adobe.

Volunteers work one or two days a month. The next docent training session will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, October 1.

Transportation will be provided to the adobe and Woodside Store. For more information, call education director Carmen Blair at 299-0104, ext. 33.
USGS talk: mercury in aquatic ecosystems

"Toxic Mercury in Aquatic Ecosystems: Why Quality Trumps Quantity" will be the subject of the next public lecture at the U.S. Geological Survey at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 29, in Building 3, at 345 Middlefield Road in Menlo Park.

Microbial ecologist Mark Marvin-DiPasquale will discuss how mercury gets into air and water and poisons wildlife and humans. He will also address why fish in the Florida Everglades are just as contaminated as those in San Francisco Bay, despite being exposed to far less mercury.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For information, call 329-5000.
World Affairs talk on water resources

Can the fresh water resources of the world be managed in a cooperative manner? Or will they continue to be a source of conflict? This is the topic of water expert Peter H. Gleick at a lecture sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Northern California on Wednesday September 28, at 7:30 p.m., in the Los Altos Public Library at 13 South San Antonio Road.

Dr. Gleick is a 2003 MacArthur Fellow and co-founder and president of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security.

The free lecture will be preceded by a reception at 7 p.m. For information, call 415-293-4600.

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