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April 2019 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 1
& APRIL 2019
BRINGING BACK THE NATIVES: INSPIRING GARDENERS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE By Jody Morgan
CHROMATICA PERFORMS WORLD PREMIERE OF “O TIME” BY DANVILLE-NATIVE COMPOSER
Chromatica, the popular Danville-based chorus, will perform the world premiere of “O Time,” a piece it commissioned from Stacy Garrop, a noted composer who graduated from Monte Vista High School in Danville in 1988. She now lives in Chicago. In 1986, Stacy was in her sophomore year at Monte Vista. She took an AP music theory class with Jay Lehmann. “The teacher was a jazz trumpet player, and he said one night to go home and write a piece of music. The minute he said this, it was like this door opened that had always been shut. Suddenly, there it is, and you’re looking at a whole new room, and all these colors are there. I just didn’t want to leave it. So,
See Chromatica continued on page 18
Students in 5th and 8th grade Pledge to Humanity (PTH) groups teamed up with another local charity, Winter Nights, to fund-raise for a good cause recently. The 5th grade PTH “Goodness” group, that includes students from Rancho Romero and San Ramon Valley Christian Academy, baked brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and cupcakes and encouraged Safeway shoppers to indulge themselves. Despite the wind and the rain, they raised close to $200. The proceeds will cover the cost of a small petting zoo, that came to the Winter Nights shelter on a recent Saturday morning and surprised the children. In addition, the industrious PTH group “Hope’ composed of 8th graders from Stone Valley, cleaned out their closets and hosted a well attended garage sale. The team was excited to raise enough money to pay for a magician to visit the families staying at the Winter Nights shelter during the weekend of their stay. We are grateful to everybody who had a hand in making these two events possible and very proud of our warm-hearted PTH students.
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Bringing Back the Natives (BBTN), now in its 15th season, began as an annual one-day tour of private gardens in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties featuring native plants, pesticide-free yards, and water-conserving practices. The 2019 self-guided tour on Sunday, May 5th from10am-5pm includes 35 gardens ranging in size from a tiny pocket oasis to an extensive wildlife-welcoming preser ve. Scheduled talks and musical entertainment are provided in many locations. With added events including hands on workshops, access to native plant nurseries, consultations by designers specializing in landscaping with natives, and a website with extensive information, BBTN currently offers resources year-round tailored to the needs of East Bay gardeners from Native birds depend on native flowers and the insects they nurture. Photo by David Harper. novices to experts. Alive with birdsong since its 2015 transition from lawn to native landscape, Maria Sargent’s Danville garden is on the tour for the third time this year. Sargent relates: “Growing natives in my front yard has changed my mind set in terms of what I appreciate. I love having the garden filled with birds. I often have five birds using the birdbath at a time.” Maria demonstrates how to make and maintain mosaic birdbaths at 2PM. From 11AM-1PM, Mike Theilen plays acoustic guitar and sings songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s. Delighted that her low-maintenance natives need no fertilizer, Maria finds the reaction of her neighbors rewarding. “I feel good when neighbors walk by looking at the plants and listening to the birds. I feel I have made a small difference – especially when they stop to ask about a particular plant they want to put in their own yard.” A 2018 tour visitor wrote: “I especially liked the plant selection at Maria’s garden and how the design supported bird habitat. The longer I stayed in her garden, the more I liked it!” Sargent had never considered gardening with natives until she attended a program with Pete Veilleux of East Bay Wilds. Captivated by his message, she
See Natives continued on page 19
The Editors Serving the communities of Alamo, Diablo, and Danville
Volume XIX Number 4
Volume X Number 4
3000F Danville Blvd. #117 Alamo, CA 94507 Telephone (925) 405-6397 Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do not necessarily reflect that of The Editors. The Editors is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.