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September 2012
Serving the Lafayette Community Come Take a Hike
Lafayette Art & Wine Festival The 17th Annual Lafayette Art & Wine Festival, featuring art, wine, beer, music, and shopping, is scheduled for Saturday, September 15th from 10am to 7pm, and Sunday, September 16th, from 10am to 6pm, in downtown Lafayette. Free parking is available at the Lafayette BART station. There will be a free event shuttle to and from the BART parking lots and free valet bicycle parking (located at 81 Lafayette Circle, just behind the Art Stage). With more than 275 arts and crafts booths, the fair offers a unique variety of gifts and display pieces created by local and regional artists. Look for ceramics, photography, prints, paintings, blown glass, sculpture, jewelry, and much more. The “Local Artists Alley” features Lamorinda artists that are members of the Lafayette Gallery and the Lamorinda Arts Alliance. The Gallery and Art Room (next to the Art Stage) will be open throughout the event. At the Premium Wine Pavilion, you’ll find a selection of high end wines. There will be a KidZone as well as bands playing a continuous mix of jazz, blues, zydeco, bluegrass, and ROCK on three stages. New this year will be Craft Beer Land and Food Truck Land. For more information, visit www.lafayettefestival.com.
Did you know that one can hike from the Lafayette Reservoir over Quail Ridge to Happy Valley School, then up Panoramic to Briones Park? This trail, named for former trails activist and mayor Walter Costa, is just one of many to be blazed by members of the Lafayette Hiking Club.
Founded 30 years ago by avid hiker and trails advocate Kathryn Peterson of Lafayette (the bridge from the Lafayette Community Center to the Lafayette Community Park is named in her honor), the Lafayette Hiking Club boasts a roster of 180 hikers. Ten to 12 usually take part in the organized hikes.
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Seventeen Point Two Million
Aging Successfully in our Community
By Ashley Hagin
Few things in life are certain, but there is one thing everyone can count on – aging. All of us will one day be faced with issues related to growing older, whether it is taking care of our aging parents or an older relative, or growing older ourselves. In spite of the many mental and physical challenges associated with aging, we can educate ourselves about the process and hopefully make the experience less stressful and even enjoyable. Helping senior citizens, their loved ones, and caregivers navigate the challenges of aging is the focus of the 4th Annual Symposium for Seniors sponsored by the Lafayette Community Foundation (LCF), Saturday, October 13th at 8:30am at the Lafayette Orinda Presbyterian Church. A full agenda will include guest speakers, resource providers, refreshments, and door Volume V I- Number 9 prizes. Event sponsors include BrightStar, 3000F DANVILLE BLVD #117 ResCare, and the Stratford. ALAMO, CA 94507 Marechal Duncan, Co-chair of the Telephone (925) 405-6397 LCF’s Liaison Committee for Seniors, Fax (925) 406-0547 Carol Federighi, Mayor of Lafayette, and editor@yourmonthlypaper.com Teresa Gerringer, Chair of the LCF, will Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher greet attendees. Dr. Alan Brast, Ph.D will The opinions expressed herein belong to the and do not necessarily reflect that of Laspeak about “Aging Gracefully with the writers, fayette Today. Lafayette Today is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising herein, Mind/Body Connection.”
Seventeen point two million. This is the number of households in 2011 that faced food insecurity, an ungainly term that the United States Department of Agriculture uses to describe hunger. Seventeen point two million families, or one out of every six Americans, have inconsistent access to adequate food; families depending on food assistance programs are typically limited to poor food options. So what can be done? The Urban Farmers, a Lafayette, CA-based non-profit organization that uses fruit trees to highlight the plight of the unsustainable industrial food system, is tackling the problem of hunger head on. Siamack Sioshansi, executive director of The Urban Farmers, explains that the organization’s goal is “to feed the poor the good food we want to eat: fresh, healthy, local.” The process is simple. Local residents register backyard fruit trees with
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