Something Fishy by Michele Eaken

The Arts & Cultural Foundation of Antioch’s continues their partnership with Antioch’s Umpqua Bank and features five artists in their upcoming exhibit. The bank is a perfect venue for local artists to showcase their work, which changes every two months. The featured artists for the May-June are: Michelle Eaken, Arturo Garcia, Donna Merry, Paul Schorr and Peter J. Ruegg.

The new exhibit begins May 1st and continues through continues through June 29th.  The free artist reception is Wednesday, May 6th, from 5:30 – 6:30 PM.  Please attend the reception to show your support for these outstanding artists.

Umpqua Bank is located at 3700 Lone Tree Way and is open Monday-Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM, excluding bank holidays.  For more information or if you are an artist who would like to participate in future exhibits visit www.art4antioch.org or call Diane Gibson-Gray at (925) 325-9897.

The Black Diamond Middle School band and orchestra.

By John Crowder

On Saturday, March 21, three ensembles of students from Black Diamond Middle School (BDMS) performed at the 2014-2015 California Music Educators Association (CMEA) Bay Section Solo/Ensemble Music Festival at San Jose State University, achieving two excellent and one superior rating.

Then, on Friday, March 27, at the CMEA Large Ensemble Festival held at Deer Valley High School (DVHS), both the Advanced Orchestra and the Festival Band received awards. Superior is the highest rating possible, and Excellent the second-highest.

Excellent ratings were earned by the String Trio of Jeremiah Franco, Joseph Griego and Sophia Thoman and the Woodwind group of Tiffany Danh, Brianna Keleti, Tia Zaiser, and Julian Uy. The superior rating was earned by the Percussion Duo of Abraham Moina and Patrick Queiroz.

A composite Superior Rating in performance and an excellent rating in sight-reading was achieved by the Advanced Orchestra. The Festival Band topped the rankings, and earned the coveted Unanimous Superior rating in performance, and another Superior in sight-reading.

The talented students making up the music groups will be performing in concert at the BDMS Open House, 6:00 p.m., on Thursday, May 7, then again on Tuesday, May 12, at the BDMS Spring Concert.

Phyllis James, principal at BDMS, credited the hard work of music teacher Damian Ting for much of the success of the music program.

“His caring and concern for our students is only surpassed by his love of music,” she said.

The Contra Costa County Fair is currently looking for individuals interested in volunteering at the 2015 Contra Costa County Fair, May 28th – May 31st.

Contra Costa County Fair volunteers play an important role in helping to make the annual Fair a success. Plus, the Fair is a great place to give your time, learn something new, and have some fun.

The Fair is looking for volunteers to help in the exhibit department, livestock area, agricultural education, fairgrounds classroom and museum, gardens, and office.

Teen and adult volunteers are encouraged to participate. Volunteer applications are now available at www.ContraCostaFair.com. (See bottom of web site). Simply fill out the form and return it to the Fair office by Friday, May 15, 2015.

This year’s Contra Costa County FAIRadise is May 28^th – May 31^st.

For information, visit www.ContraCostaFair.com or call the Fair Office at (925) 757-4400.

Enter at the Fair Office or on-line – it’s fun and easy!

Want to enter something in this year’s Contra Costa County Fair? Imagine the thrill of winning a blue ribbon at the Fair for a special talent. Think you own the best pig, bake the most delicious apple pie, make a beautiful quilt, or have an uncanny knack for making crafts? Be sure to enter the Contra Costa County Fair’s competitive exhibits – and join the thousands of Contra Costa County residents who enter exhibits each year in the Fair. There are hundreds of categories and specialty contests for adults and children.

Now is the time to complete the paperwork for those entries. The Contra Costa County Fair’s Exhibit Handbook, which includes all the information you need to enter exhibits, is now available on the Fair’s website at www.ContraCostaFair.com. Both paper entries and online entries are currently being accepted. Simply visit the Fair Office in Antioch or log-on to the Fair’s website at www.ContraCostaFair.com to complete the entry process.

The Fair is accepting paper entries until April 25^th and on-line entries will be accepted until May 1. In order to accommodate exhibitors, the Fair Office will be open from 8am – 5pm on April 25^th to accept paper entries. If you prefer to enter online, visit the Fair’s website from now until May 1^st at midnight to complete the process.

This year’s Contra Costa County Fair is May 28^th – May 31^st. For information, visit www.ContraCostaFair.com or call the Fair Office at (925) 757-4400. If you’re interested in receiving a copy of the Fair’s free electronic newsletter, visit the Fair’s website to sign up.

Includes Pittsburg native Johnny Steele

Award-Winning “3 Still Standing” Film Screening

with Live Comedy from the Stars

Saturday, April 18, 2015 8:00PM

with After Party at EJ Phair

Three stand-up comedians seek fame and fortune in the hottest comedy scene in the world: San Francisco in the 1980s. There they meet rising stars Robin Williams and Dana Carvey. Success, it seems, is just one good stand-up performance away. Soon, Will Durst, Larry ‘Bubbles’ Brown and Johnny Steele are being courted by agents and studios. We follow them on a 30-year journey that is both hilarious and moving, through comedy’s boom and bust, and into their current scramble to survive as artists. 3 Still Standing offers a rare glimpse into the art and business of making people laugh.

After the screening the three stars, Larry ‘Bubbles’ Brown, Will Durst, and Pittsburg native Johnny Steele, will present comedy and commentary about the film. This is a night you don’t want to miss.

Performance(s):
Saturday, April 18, 2015 8:00 PM

Ticket(s):
Single tickets are $25

Tickets with after party at EJ Phair are $41

For more information, visit www.pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com.