November 6, 2007

CALENDAR

Unless otherwise noted all phone numbers are in the 408 area code.

MUSIC

Nov. 17 – Dec. 2
Opera San José continues its 2007–2008 season with Jules Massenet’s Werther. Eight performances are scheduled at the California Theatre, 345 South First Street in San José. The highly romantic Werther (1892) features a young man infatuated with a virtuous heroine instead of the typical courtesan. This ravishing opera features the hopes and dashed dreams of the quintessential romantic, a young poet named Werther, whose ardent passion for Charlotte is frustrated when he discovers that she is betrothed to another man. Ultimately, he finds that he cannot continue to live without her. In French with English supertitles, Conductors are David Rohrbaugh, Bryan J. Nies. Tickets are $66, $78 and $88 from the box office. Call 437-4450 or www.operasj.org to order or for additional performance information.

THEATER

Nov. 14 – Dec. 23
San Jose Stage Company presents the Tony-nominated comedy, “A Tuna Christmas” It’s the night before Christmas in Tuna, the third-smallest town in Texas. In this sequel to “Greater Tuna”, presented by San Jose Stage Company to sold-out houses last season, the beloved citizens of Tuna are trying to cope with seasonal traumas such as a disaster-prone little theatre production of “A Christmas Carol” and a yard-decorating contest that’s being sabotaged by a mysterious Christmas phantom. Directed by Randall King, “A Tuna Christmas” features Kevin Blackton and Tim Hendrixson. Previews begin at The Stage, 490 South First Street, San Jose, on Nov. 14-15, at 7:30 pm and on Nov. 16, at 8 pm, with a Gala Opening on Nov. 17, at 8 pm. Tickets are $20 - $45 and may be ordered by calling 283-7142 or online at www.sanjosestage.com.

DANCE

Nov. 15 - 18
Ballet San Jose will present Dennis Nahat’s dance materpiece “Carmina Burana” in a fully-staged production designed by the late David Guthrie. Set to Carl Orff’s landmark musical score of 1937, Nahat’s highly theatrical interpretation of “Carmina Burana” features the entire company of 40 dancers, the 56-member Symphony Silicon Valley, 100-voice Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale, and the 30-voice Cantabile Youth Singers. Due to the subject matter of this performance, “Carmina Burana” is suggested for mature audiences. Performances of “Carmina Burana” will be at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $25 - $82 with discounts available for students, seniors and groups.  Purchase through the Box Office by calling 288-2800. Tickets are also available online at www.balletsanjose.org

CHILDREN/FAMILY

Nov. 10
Rolling Hills Middle School East Coast Trip Carwash Fundrasier: RHMS will be holding a car wash fundraising event at the First United Methodist of Campbell (corner of Winchester and Hamilton) from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Nov. 14- 17
Rolling Hills Middle School presents “Mulan Junior” Travel back to the legendary, story-telling days of ancient China with this action-packed stage adaptation of Disney’s Mulan. The Huns have invaded, and it is up to the misfit Mulan and her mischievous sidekick Mushu to save the Emperor! Mulan Junior is a heart warming celebration of culture, honor and a fighting spirit. Staged at RHMS, 1585 More Avenue, Los Gatos. Show times are 7:30 p.m., tickets - $10/General, $8/Students 13 and under. To purchase tickets, visit http://www.rhmsmusical.net/

Nov. 15
Veritas Christian Academy, 400 Llewellyn Avenue, Unit 2 in Campbell is holding an Open House.
Veritas is a classical Christian school, with grades K-12.  The VCA Open House will begin at 7 p.m.  This is a great opportunity to come and meet teachers and students, and learn about the school.

Nov. 15 - 19
Santana Row’s “Light Up The Row” Annual Tree Lighting & Holiday Festival: Santana Row celebrates its fifth anniversary with a favorite holiday tradition – the annual tree lighting ceremony and holiday festival. Kick off the holiday season with live holiday entertainment, horse-drawn carriage rides and a special appearance by Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA, not to mention the lighting of more than 500,000 twinkling lights adorning the neighborhood! Festivities take place throughout Santana Row from 6:30-9 p.m., with live music, choirs, carolers, hot chocolate sampling and activities for children and families. The tree lighting ceremony will take place on 11/15 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in Park Valencia, on Olin Avenue between Santana Row and Winchester Blvd. For more information, call 551-4611 or www.santanarow.com

Nov. 23 – Dec. 31
Celebrate the season with a visit to the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department’s 9th Annual Fantasy of Lights. Vasona Lake County Park will once again be transformed into a fantasy of thousands of colorful twinkling lights and many animated displays. The event is open nightly, including holidays, from 6 to 10 pm through New Year’s Eve. Visitors can enjoy the holiday spectacle from the comfort of their vehicle as they drive through the holiday lights and spectacular displays. Admission is $12 but holiday revelers on a budget can visit Fantasy of Lights Monday - Thursday only, Nov. 26 - Dec, 13, 2007, and receive the “Early Bird” admission price of only $10 and receive two pairs of free 3-D glasses and a gift bag with valuable coupons from local vendors, while supplies last. While there will be no additional discount for bringing a canned food item benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank this year, visitors are encouraged to do so to help ensure a happy holiday season for all. Visit www.parkhere.org and click on “Fantasy of Lights” for general information.

Dec. 2
The 2007 San Jose Holiday Parade will begin at 8:30 a.m. in downtown San Jose with the live NBC11 broadcast beginning at 9 a.m. For further information on the San Jose Holiday Parade and all the exciting events of parade weekend, go to www.sanjoseholidayparade.com.

CLASSES

Ongoing
Mindfulness (Vipassana) meditations. Alternate walking and sitting Vipassana meditations. Every Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Sitting Vipassana meditations are held every Sunday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Both sessions are free. Classes are held at the Mindful Living Alliance Insight Meditation Center, 419 California Street in Campbell. For more information call Tony at 732-3322 or 505-5190, or e-mail MLA899@Gmail.com, or visit www.MindfulLivingAlliance.org.

Foundation of Family Values now offers a variety of weekly parenting classes with support groups at the Campbell Community Center. Sessions include licensed therapist facilitators, some free meetings, Fathers support group, etc. For more information, session dates and course descriptions, visit http://www.fofv.org. Foundation of Family Values seeks to enhance the core values of modern families through creating innovative programs in combination with providing resources that facilitate the intellectual development of parenting ethics and responsibilities in the best interest of children. Families of all Political, Religious, Sexual Preference, Economic, and Racial Categories are supported. FFV is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organization.

FIFTY PLUS

Ongoing
AARP Campbell Area Chapter 5151 meets the third Tuesday of every month at 9:30 a.m. in room Q-80, Campbell Community Center, 1 West Campbell Ave for informative and fun programs.  Visitors from all communities are welcome. Call 378-6996

VOLUNTEERS

AARP Information Center needs volunteers to staff their office. Duties include helping seniors find various services and programs, and providing information on senior needs. The office is located at 840 Willow Street, Suite 300, at the corner of Bird and Willow Streets on bus route #25. The hours are Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call 278-1855.

Hospice of the Valley has opportunities for volunteers with a variety of skills for patient and family services, community outreach, fundraising events and office support. Training is provided. For more information, call the Hospice of the Valley’s Director of Volunteer Services at 559-5600 or email request@hospicevalley.org.

MISCELLANEOUS

Nov. 6 – Dec. 24
Start your Christmas shopping early and purchase heirloom quality, handmade lace covered Christmas ornaments. Vintage as well as contemporary handmade lace is used to cover these special, one-of-a-kind ornaments. Ornaments come in many sizes and range from $5 to over $50. All proceeds from this annual sale go towards the maintenance of the Lace Museum. Lace Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. and is located at 552 South Murphy Avenue in Sunnyvale with free parking. 

Nov. 10
Branham High School E-Waste Fundraiser: Hosted by the campus-based SPARE Recycling club, the community is encouraged to bring old computers, CPUs, monitors, TVs, stereos, DVDs, VCRs, phones, printers, fax machines, and other electronic discards. Anything made of metal (appliances, metal furniture, stainless steel, brass, copper, etc. will be accepted. Drop off hours are 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the BHS parking lot (Meridian at Branham.)Proceeds benefit the BHS campus programs AND help the environment.

Nov. 14
Hospice of the Valley hosts, “Getting Through the Holidays,” a special community workshop that offers emotional support and practical ideas for getting through the holiday season without a loved one. Adult members of bereaved families from the community are encouraged to attend this workshop from 7 - 9 p.m. at Hospice of the Valley, 4850 Union Avenue, (near Hwy 85 and Samaritan Dr.) San Jose. A donation to Hospice of the Valley is appreciated. To RSVP call 559-5600 ext. 460. For information, visit www.hospicevalley.org.

Nov. 15
The Rotaract Club of Silicon Valley presents “Politics and People” speakers forum featuring Dolores Carr, DA Santa Clara County; Pat Dando, CEO SJ/SV Chamber of Commerce; and Patricia Mahan, Mayor, City of Santa Clara. This special event will be held at Eulipa Restaurant, 374 South First Street, San Jose at 7 p.m. Hear this expert panel discuss relevant issues, how they made it to the top in their fields and why they are so passionate about what they do. Admission is $5. Proceeds support the programs of The Rotaract Club of Silicon Valley. For more information, visit SVrotaract.org.

Ongoing
The Hearing Loss Association of Silicon Valley meets on the third Wednesday of each month (except July and August) at the Moose Lodge, 1580 Hamilton Avenue in San Jose. Meetings begin at 12:30 p.m. Our mission is to improve the world of communication for people with hearing loss through information, education, support and advocacy. Visitors are welcome. For more information, call 229-1041 or visit www.hearingloss.org.


HAVE AN ITEM FOR OUR CALENDAR?
We are seeking calendar items pertaining to the south bay communities we cover in our seven monthly community newspapers: Blossom Valley, Cambrian, Campbell, Evergreen, Santa Teresa, Willow Glen, Fifty Plus, and our weekly publication, Almaden Times Weekly. Items must be submitted by email or fax several weeks before the event. Send an email to candy@timesmediainc. com or fax to Candy Richter at 494-7078. Photos should be sent digitally as jpegs or mailed to Calendar, Times Newspapers, 1310 Tully Road, Ste. 107, San Jose, CA 95122. Due to the large volume of items received calendar requests left on voice mail cannot be used. Space is limited.