Erez Shek, Kelly Ground, Stewart Lyle and Juliet Heller (Photo by Sierra Young).

Hapgood Theatre in Antioch presents the genius of Stephen Sondheim, Broadway’s most innovative and influential artist, who is at the center of this revue. It’s a dazzling array of some of the composer’s landmark shows that revolutionized the musical theatre with their masterful craft and astounding creativity.

After the fabulous response that last season’s Forever Plaid received, the theatre promised that musicals would continue to-2011 Season. The sophistication, wit, insight, heart and-lyricist’s best-known songs features numbers from Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Anyone Can Whistle, written with musical theatre giants Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne and Richard Rodgers, and Pacific Overtures, not to mention the classics West Side Story, Gypsy called “the greatest talent writing contemporary musicals,” and Do I Hear A Waltz?

Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne, Richard Rodgers(Music & Lyrics), Ned Sherrin (Book), Jeremy Messmer (Director),(Scenic Design), Kirk Stefferud (Costume Designer), Jason Miller (Lighting), Josy Miller (Artistic Director)

Side by Side by Sondheim runs through February 6, 2011.

*Special performance with talkback on Thursday, February 3 at 8pm.*

All performances are at the Nick Rodriguez Theater, 213 F Street in Antioch.

Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm.

Tickets: $25 for Adults/ $15 for Seniors & Students. Tickets are available through the box office at 925.219.8545 andwww.hapgoodtheatre.org.

Press Quotes:

“These witty, romantic, perceptive songs confirm, if confirmation were needed, Sondheim’s unrivaled place in today’s musical theater.”

—THE NEW YORK TIMES

“If there was any doubt that Stephen Sondheim is the greatest talent writing contemporary musicals, this show erased it.”

—WILLIAM RUHLMANN

On January 20 at approximately 11:20 a.m., Antioch Police were notified of an occupied suspicious vehicle in front of a house in the 4500 block of Imperial Way. The concerned reporting party stated that the vehicle was unfamiliar to the neighborhood.

Upon arrival, patrol officers located the vehicle and contacted a sole male inside. The male stated he was there because he was hired to clean up a house. Officers went to the house to confirm the story, and were greeted at the front door by another male. Patrol officers immediately recognized evidence of a marijuana grow operation inside of the house. Three males were inside of the house.

Detectives were called to the scene and determined the operation to be an illegal grow that had recently been processed. The occupants inside of the house were in the process of dismantling the equipment. The marijuana grow had consisted of approximately 500 plants. Several bags of the plants were still on scene, yielding approximately two pounds of finished product.

While on scene, a fifth individual arrived in a moving truck, and was arrested along with the four individuals being detained. The house appeared to be a rental. The actual owner has yet to be determined.

Arrested were Duong Tran, 44; Thiet Nong, 46; Vinh Tran, 46; and Cuong Hoang, 28 – all San Francisco residents  They were sent to the Martinez Detention Facility on charges of illegal marijuana cultivation – with the exception of the subject in the suspicious vehicle, who was released pending further investigation.

This is another example of teamwork between the alert citizens of Antioch and the Antioch Police Department.

The following is from the Antioch Police Officers Association website:

The Antioch Police Officers’ Association concluded its membership meetings Tuesday and Wednesday nights with an agreement reached between the City of Antioch and the Police Association to continue the current police contract concessions until March 1st of this year.

The action averts the 6 police officer layoffs for that period of time.  Those officers were originally slated to be laid off on january 2nd. This is a direct result of productive talks at the table and a desire of all involved to work toward a common goal of keeping the City financially solvent during a time of economic crisis.

Tom Fuhrmann-President
Antioch Police Officers Association

The Antioch Police Department is excited to announce the 21^st installment of the Neighborhood Cleanup Program. This is a collaborative community effort, which involves active participation from United Citizens for Better Neighborhoods (UCBN), community volunteers and the Antioch Police Department Crime Prevention Commission, Neighborhood Watch Program and the Public Works Department.

Collectively, “We,” everyone who works and lives in Antioch, can make a difference and improve the quality of life. It’s our community and it’s our chance to make a difference.

The City of Antioch Neighborhood Cleanup program is not just for residential neighborhoods. It is a program that will change venues on a monthly basis and it will include business and commercial areas as well. Neighborhoods that are free of trash and refuse are inviting, and a clean community instills a sense of community pride. 

The 21^st Neighborhood Cleanup event will occur on Saturday, February 5, 2011 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.  Volunteers should report to Meadow Creek Park located at 4707 Vista Grande Drive. Curb side parking should be plentiful. Volunteers will receive instructions and the equipment necessary to accomplish the goal. The targeted area is within walking distance.  Excluding inclement weather, future Neighborhood Cleanup events are scheduled for the first Saturday of every month and the locations will be announced in advance.

Remember, cleaning up your neighborhood can make life better for your family, your neighbors and your community!

Alvin Harvey

On Jan. 12 Antioch police arrested  Alvin Harvey, 22, of Pittsburg, for the murder of  Jason Reddic, 28, on December 29 at 1504 Sycamore Drive in Antioch.

Antioch officers spotted Harvey, who was wanted on a parole violation, riding as a passenger in a vehicle in Brentwood. The car was being driven by Harvey’s girlfriend, Jeffintae Westbrook, 22, of Concord, according to police.  The vehicle pursuit went from Brentwood to Pittsburg, where Harvey fled the car on foot.

Harvey was apprehended by assisting Pittsburg PD officers.  Westbrook was also arrested. Harvey was found to be in possession of cocaine. He was arrested and booked at Martinez Detention Facility for the parole violation and cocaine possession.

Harvey has since been questioned by homicide detectives about the murder of Jason Reddic. On Jan. 18 Harvey was subsequently booked for this murder.

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El Campanil Children’s Theatre and The Vagabond Players Announce Auditions for THE KING AND I.

Auditions will be held at El Campanil Theatre, 602 W. 2nd St. Antioch, CA 94509

• Saturday, January 22, 2011  9:00AM-1:00PM  Dance Auditions
• Sunday, January 23, 2011    1:00PM-8:00PM Vocal Auditions

Call Back will be held at El Campanil Theatre, 602 W. 2nd St. Antioch, CA 94509

• Monday, January 24, 2011 – 6:30 – 9PM  

King & I will be presented at El Campanil Theatre as well as several senior facilities in the surrounding area.

Director – Sharon Redman
Musical Director – Joan Cifarelli
Choreographer – Cassandra Montgomery

Show opens on Thursday, May 5th and closes on Saturday May 28th with 10 performances.       

Cast:

Principals: (soloists):
3 Women (Anna, Lady Thiang, Tuptim)
2 Men (King, Lun Tha)
2 Boys (Unchanged voices) (Louis,  Prince Chulalongkorn)

Minor Leads: ( Dialogue)
5 Men ( kralahome, Interpreter, Phra Alack, Edward Ramsay, Captain Orton)

ENSEMBLE:
Wives: 10 Women
Slaves/Etc.: 8 Males
Dancing Ensemble: 15 Female

King’s Children: 12+ Elementary or Middle School including I (one) kindergarten female.

More Information or register online:

http://www.elcampaniltheatre.com/childrens_theatre.htm

(925) 689-3368

Antioch’s third annual celebration of Martin Luther King Day, held this year at the Deer Valley High School auditorium, gave pause for stock-taking Antioch’s report card of tolerance and embraced diversity.  If you are swayed by TV and San Francisco print dailies, aggressive outsider advocacy groups, and a cluster of criminally-investigated citizens turned civil litigants, Antioch could appear dismally failing. It’s habitually smeared as a bastion of bigotry.

The proof, though, is in the pudding. We might start by asking, who do the good citizens of Antioch choose to lead them?  Our former Mayor, Mary Rocha, is Latino, as were council members Manny Soliz and Ralph Hernandez.  Reggie Moore, who recently lost a reelection bid, was defeated by a fellow African-American, top vote getter Wade Harper.  On the school board side of the ledger, Wade Harper moved on and African American Teri Lynn Shaw was defeated.  Tellingly, our two comprehensive high schools have Latino Louie Rocha and African American Clarence Isadore at the helm.  Our former A.U.S.D. Superintendent, Deborah Sims, is African American.  Two recent Antioch Citizens of the Year, Gary Gilbert and Iris Archuleta are African American. My wife, Cynthia., a Filipino-American, won 2/3 of the Antioch vote on her way to County Board Trusteeship. Seems, then,  the bigot designation simply doesn’t reconcile with Antioch’s  track record.

By Dr. Brandon Roberts, DC

     Much of our health care system has been based on the germ theory which simply speaking says that germs cause disease and we should kill all the germs. While certainly there are times when this may be true, as a system of health care and as a general rule it has been ineffective.

     Our attempt to wipe out “bugs” has created an assault on our immune systems, placed many of our bodies out of balance and, according to The Telegraph, leads to 10,000 deaths per year through the creation of super bugs who have adapted to this assault. The Interference Theory of Dis-ease takes a much different approach and if you incorporate this philosophy into your lifestyle you will be more likely to enjoy a long, active healthy quality of life from birth to 100 years and beyond.

     The first basic premise of the Interference Theory is that your body has within it an Innate Intelligence which has been with you from the moment of conception, and holds the blueprint for you to live an active healthy life. This Innate Intelligence is the vitalistic energy that distinguishes a living being from a corpse.

     The second component of this theory is that the expression of this intelligence can be interfered with and become wholly or partially blocked. When this happens, dis-ease, or lack of ease, results causing dis-harmony, weakness, and imbalance within the body that in turn, if left uncorrected, will lead to disease.

     The third component of this theory includes adjustments that are designed to remove the interference so that your Innate Intelligence can cause spontaneous healing and give your body the best opportunity to function at its highest level for a lifetime.

     There are two types of interference that lead to dis-ease. The first type is lifestyle interference and the second type is nerve interference. While these interferences can interact with each other, and exacerbate the other, they must be removed independently in order for your body to express its innate potential.

Nerve interference results most often from injuries to the spine which interferes with the communication between your brain and your body and also the other direction from your body to your brain.

     This communication pathway is necessary for your body to express health and vitality. For example, your heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach, leg muscles and every other cell tissue and organ require healthy nerve supply without interference for these individual parts to function properly and interact with each other in a healthy way. If your spine is injured during the birth process, childhood falls, accidents or from stress, this causes pressure in your nervous system, interference, which creates dis-ease.

     Too many people wait for a crisis and treat the symptoms of dis-ease through drugs and surgery rather than removing the interference to create ease. The side effects from this can be devastating especially if this is done over time. Removing the interference provides a healthier long term solution so that your body can express its true health potential over the course of your lifetime.

     Lifestyle interference includes the choices that you make regarding food, thoughts, and your environment. Lifestyle interference is caused by eating unhealthy foods, such as white sugar, white flour, starches, processed foods and foods that are filled with manmade chemicals that cause interference to your body’s natural state of ease.

     Stress, excessive sitting, smoking, negative thoughts and lack of exercise are other sources of lifestyle interference that, as a part of your lifestyle, can decrease both the quantity and quality of your years. If you want to live an active healthy quality of life, avoid sickness, and express your full potential for yourself and your family then it is important that you remove the interference from your life and keep it out of your life for the rest of your life.

     Our office is committed to helping you and your loved ones achieve this goal so that you can enjoy a healthy 2011 as well as a sensational century.