This year, the Computer Recycle Committee is working in collaboration with Goodwill Industries. Together, the team has established a goal to receive 17,000 lbs of electronic waste on this day. You may be aware that the Goodwill San Mateo facility focuses a significant portion of its business to “green recycling” of computers and other electronics. Aside from this work, Goodwill uses this business to educate and retrain a transition workforce. This is a great chance for our community to contribute to the cause!

Firefighters from throughout the Bay Area are registering now for the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, during which they will carry the names of fallen FDNY firefighters with them as they enter an Oracle building and climb the equivalent of 110 flights of stairs — the number of floors in the World Trade Center. At 8:30 am on that day there will be a brief ceremony and speakers, followed at 9 am by a moment of reflection accompanied by bagpipes. At 9:05 am, the firefighters begin their untimed climb. Family, friends, and media can follow their progress as they exit the building several times, to restart climbing stairs to accomplish the 110 floor equivalent.

Community members who wish to volunteers can participate by helping to pass out water to the firefighters, handle pre-registration packets, and handle other tasks on that day. Donations on-site can be made to the Redwood City Create-a-Smile Foundation, with proceeds forwarded to the Widows and Orphans Fund of the Fire Department of New York.

More details will be provided as the date approaches. In the meantime, information and firefighter registration is available at http://www.redwoodcity911memorialclimb.com/ or by contacting Redwood City firefighter/paramedic Michelle Noack at mnoack@redwoodcity.org or 408-205-5521.

Each Target Family Day includes great food specialized for a particular culture, hands-on cooking booth with Chef Steve Cortez, themed face painting by Fairy Faces, hands-on art stations with FREE projects, street performers, bounce houses, and a lot more! Here are the cultural themes and dates — the first two were in July. The next will be on:

Sunday, August 8, 2010, 11 am — 3 pm: Latin Theme

• The Latin Rhythm Boys
• Pi–ata making
• Carmen’s Taqueria
• Andy Z and the Andyland Band
• Benny & Bebe’s European Magic Circus
• Heather Rogers – Magician
• Bay Area Parent Celebration Booths

Sunday, September 12, 2010, 11 am — 3 pm: Hawaiian Theme

• Kapalakiko Hawaiian Band
• A Polynesian Performance – Dance Instruction
• Lei Making
• Hawaiian BBQ
• Na Wai Ola Hawaiian Dance
• Happy Birds

These free events, occurring throughout the summer, are sponsored by the City of Redwood City and its Redevelopment Agency, Civic Cultural Commission and Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.

The Redwood City Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department provides recreational facilities and activities for all ages and interests, and supplies building and custodial services for City buildings. Redwood City Parks also operates the Fair Oaks Community Center, providing social, educational, and cultural activities, as well as information, referral, and counseling services to persons living in Redwood City and neighboring communities. Redwood City Parks is more than you think! Its website is located at www.redwoodcity.org/parks

2/18 (Thu) – Seasonal Sustainable Gardening:  Vegetables/Ornamentals
4/7 (Wed) – Seasonal Sustainable Gardening:  Utilizing Compost Biology
5/6 (Thu) – Vermicomposting Extravaganza:  Lecture & Demo
7/15 (Thu) — Planning & Understanding Drought Tolerant Gardening
8/11 (Wed) –  Seasonal Sustainable Gardening:  Winter Veggie Garden Prep
9/21 (Tue) – Alternatives to Landscape Waste & Pollution:  Rethinking Lawns
10/6 (Wed) – Sustainable Gardening Foundation:  Compost & The Soil Foodweb
11/16 (Tue) – Guest Speaker, tba

History

The Arts & Olive Festival at Cañada College began in 1998 as part of Cañada’s 30 year anniversary celebration to benefit student scholarships. The festival has since grown to be one of the largest scholarship fundraisers of the year providing much needed financial assistance to students. The celebration now brings together more than 70 vendors consisting of some of the olive industry’s top experts to provide the community with olive education, olive and olive oil tasting, olive related products, and an abundance of quality art works and gifts. This year’s festival will also serve as a kick-off to the Cañada College Performing Arts Series, sponsored by the Associated Students of Cañada College, bringing some of the Bay Area’s most spectacular performers to the Peninsula.

Cañada College has had a special relationship with olives since its inception. When the college was built in the late sixties, the olive trees were carefully removed during construction and planted in a temporary location under the protective custody of the San Mateo Community College District’s Buildings & Grounds experts. The olive trees were replanted in time for the college’s official opening in 1968. Thirty-five years later, the trees are thriving and are an integral part of the campus. The graceful leathery olive trees bearing gray-green leaves haven’t changed much in thirty-five years. However, the college has charged into the future with a brand-new look for its classrooms, state of the art facilities and innovative programs that improve access to higher education and provide local industry with a highly qualified workforce.

These are informational meetings, and are not intended to take public comment regarding the Saltworks Project EIR (those meetings are coming up this fall and winter).

Also on August 23, in addition to the environmental review process presentation the Council will consider amendments to contracts with consultants that will sustain the environmental review and public meetings/information process (with costs to be reimbursed by the developer).

During both meetings City staff and City consultants will explain the proposed environmental review process and outline the opportunities for public involvement and participation. In brief, the presentations will explain that the remainder of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 will be utilized for a detailed Scoping Process for the Saltworks Project EIR. “Scoping” refers to the CEQA process whereby the lead agency (in this case the City of Redwood City) invites the public, including other local, state, and federal agencies to share their views regarding what project-related information and analyses they feel should be included in the EIR.

Please plan on attending one or both of these important meetings so you can learn about the upcoming environmental review process, and how you can be involved.

This is a great opportunity to get outside, enjoy some of Redwood Shores’ beautiful summer weather, and help to clean up and beautify Redwood Shores’ levees for the benefit of all of Redwood City. Each year, dozens of excited volunteers remove tons of debris including tires, wood, rubbish, and the typical flotsam and jetsam that accumulates. Every piece of refuse removed is important, no matter how small! 

The levee cleanup day is a fun and meaningful volunteer community event that helps the environment, and helps to beautify Redwood Shores. And for non-Redwood Shores volunteers, it’s a great opportunity to learn about the beauty of the Redwood Shores levees, enjoy the sight of a variety of wildlife, and experience incredible views of the bay. 

After the cleanup, a free barbecue for the volunteers will be served at Mariner Park, as a small ‘thank you’ for helping to beautify and enhance this important Redwood City resource. 

Contact Pete Hughes with any questions, at 650-594-0783 

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This is a day for the Shores community to come visit the school. The principal Cherie Ho and the teachers are excited to be able to show off the new school. All the classrooms will be open to view. Take a minute and come and check out the new school we believe you’ll be proud to see the latest addition to the Shores.

MilkShake Werks is known for its creamy homemade milkshakes and ice cream, and on Saturday the first person to finish a child’s size milkshake will win the grand prize including a trophy, $50 MilkShake Werks Gift Card and a t-shirt. Prizes will also be awarded for 2nd and 3rd places.

This event is MilkShake Werks’ latest effort in a fundraising push for schools which has included their “Brain-Freeze” Ice Cream Eating Contest and ongoing donations of proceeds from sales of all scoops and shakes made with their Birthday Cake ice cream flavor. Owner Leslie Widmann noted, “we’re very excited to reach our 3rd anniversary, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to include our local schools and families in a really fun afternoon!”

MilkShake Werks is located at 256 Redwood Shores Pkwy. in Redwood Shores, just off Hwy 101. Their phone # is (650) 654-3131. They’re open Monday through Saturday from noon to 9pm and Sunday from noon to 8pm. To learn more about “Shake-It” visit MilkShake Werks on Facebook or www.milkshakewerks.com.

– Leslie Widmann