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October 11, 2013
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Clayton Theatre Company brings live theatre back to Endeavor Hall TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
JULIE PIERCE
MAYOR’S CORNER
Local schools, arts keep shining Congratulations to our own Clayton Valley Charter High School! We knew that the effort to become a charter high school would bring improved performance, and it has surpassed expectations. CVCHS Executive director Dave Linzey says in his newsletter, “The official Academic Performance Index (API) numbers for the 2012-13 school year have been released by the California Department of Education and our 62 point growth is incredible. How incredible, you ask? CVCHS has the highest API growth for comprehensive schools (elementary, middle and high) in Contra Costa County and the highest growth for large
See Mayor, page 13
Family seeks answers in death of Weston Tanner, 21 PEGGY SPEAR Clayton Pioneer
UNDAUNTED BY THE CHALLENGES OF STAGING A MUSICAL IN CLAYTON’S HISTORIC ENDEAVOR HALL, Roxanne Pardi and her cast of 11 are halfway through rehearsals for “The Robber Bridegroom,” a clever blend of melodrama and musical comedy. Spurred by strong community support, Pardi and her group cheerfully work around the limitations of the tiny theater. The show opens with preview performances Oct. 16 and runs through Oct. 26.
It all started ten years ago with a dream. This week, that dream goes up in lights when Roxanne Pardi and her passionate band of mostly local performers open with “The Robber Bridegroom,” at Endeavor Hall. Pardi, a Clayton voice and piano teacher, and choreographer LaTonya Watts, Pardi’s former student, first began talking about bringing live theater to Clayton more than ten years ago. Pardi, herself a performer, loves the whole idea of little theatre. “It’s a different experience than going to the Lesher or the Orpheum,” says Pardi. “It’s small, intimate – a totally different vibe.” Pardi put her dream in motion two years ago when she and Watts formed The Clayton Theatre Company. Community support was enthusiastic from the get-go. “It was huge. Everyone from my colleagues and students to the CBCA and the city of Clayton were cheering us on.” The challenges were many, the
See Theater page 14
Museum cooks up tasty new exhibit PEGGY SPEAR Clayton Pioneer
Things are getting spicy at the Clayton Museum this fall. Just in time for holiday baking, a new exhibit, “Shakers & Bakers,” showcases unique and historical items found in everyday kitchens – specifically, aprons, salt and pepper shakers and measuring cups. As Clayton Historical Society volunteer Mary Spryer realized, these simple items can carry surprising histories, and are an unassuming glimpse into
our history and culture. “At the museum, we love showcasing collections of local residents,” she said. “I realized that we had a nice collection of vintage aprons in our possession, Then I started looking at home, and I realized I had several that were passed down from my own grandmother.” Some of the aprons in the collection are elaborate, some are whimsical. “There is even one decorated with artillery from World War I,” she says. “Each of the aprons are rich with personal history.”
Spryer says that the popularity of televised food shows have brought aprons back into vogue, but that the simple garment has been worn throughout history to protect clothing. “Aprons can be a personal statement, or just have personal significance, like my grandma’s aprons.” But aprons aren’t just the property of kitchens, she says, as she will also feature historical aprons from trade, such as one worn by an old Clayton blacksmith. The apron collection is just part of the exhibit. It will also
feature Clayton resident Lorraine Henney’s extensive sets of salt and pepper shakers – not all vintage, but all entertaining, Spryer says. Resident Sharon Barrington will also add her collection of vintage measuring cups, many made from Depression-era glass. “Shakers & Bakers” will open on Saturday, Oct. 13. The museum is open on Wednesdays and Sundays from 2-4 p.m. and by appointment. For more information, visit the museum at 6101 Main St., call 925-6720240, or visit claytonhistory.org.
New law sure to challenge drivers, cyclists PEGGY SPEAR Clayton Pioneer WESTON TANNER
Family and friends of Weston Tanner are still shocked and saddened by the loss of the 2010 Clayton Valley High School graduate, even as curious details of his death are still emerging. Tanner, 21, was pronounced dead at the scene after the car he was driving crashed into a tree on Marsh Creek Road near the
See Tanner, page 13
It’s ironic to think of the gently sloping roads along the lush foothills of Mt. Diablo as a war zone. But that’s what they become sometimes as cyclists and cars jockey for position, resulting in altercations ranging from an errant middle finger to dangerous collisions. Now, a new bill signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last month hopes to put the brakes on motorists who would drive too closely to cyclists. Known as the “Three Feet for Safety Act” – or the “three-
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feet rule” – AB 1371 requires motorists to give bicyclists a three feet cushion on all roads. It will go into effect Sept. 16, 2014. “This is a common sense measure to protect cyclists on our roads,” said Assembly Member Steven Bradford (DGardena), who authored the bill. “This bill is a great reminder that we all have to work together to keep our roads safe for all users.” For Clayton cyclist Jennifer Jay, it’s all about working together – and that doesn’t happen enough, she says. “People are rude,” Jay says of
drivers along Marsh Creek and Morgan Territory Roads. “Sometimes they even throw things at you.” Yet drivers often say that cyclists hog the roads, backing up traffic, darting in front of them and causing safety issues for drivers. Walnut Creek resident Kristen Giatzis lives off of Northgate Road, a popular route for cyclists traveling up Mt. Diablo. She says that she doesn’t see that cyclists share the roads well at all. “On Northgate Road, I see many cyclists spreading out into the oncoming lane,” she says.
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“It’s dangerous because there are a lot of blind curves and gravel shoulders.” What Giatzis sees as encroachment may be a simple safety maneuver, Jay says. “It’s dangerous for cyclists to ride on gravel, so that’s why we stay on the paved roads.” According to the National Highway Safety Administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation, 677 pedal cyclists were killed in 2011. More than 48,000 cyclists were injured that same year, constituting two percent of people injured in car accidents and marking a nine percent increase Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Sports Shorts . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Sports Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Teen Reads . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 TeenSpeak . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Weather Words . . . . . . . . . . .7
DOCENT BARBARA FOGERSON models an apron featured in the “Shakers & Bakers” exhibit opening Oct. 13 at the Clayton Museum.
in injuries from 2010. Jay says she doesn’t know how effective the “three-feet rule” will be, but that anything that reminds drivers to share the roads with cyclists is good. 3-FEET VS. DOUBLE YELLOW This is not the first time a law protecting cyclists has come up in the Legislature. Similar bills have failed five times. Some
See AB 1371, page 12
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