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October 2015
Serving the Lafayette Community
Diablo View Rotary - A Club for a New Generation By Fran Miller
Pass by Walnut Creek’s Buon Vino on Locust St. on a Tuesday night, and you will likely see a happy group enjoying the tasting room’s varied products. But this isn’t just a random group, and this isn’t just a wine tasting event. From 5:30 to 6:30pm each Tuesday, the Diablo View Rotary Club of Walnut Creek meets at this location to socialize, plan their volunteer projects, and yes, to enjoy a little wine.
The Youth Commission’s Haunted House
Self-dubbed as the ‘Happy Hour Club,’ Diablo View Rotary, established in 2008, is the newest of the area’s many Rotary Clubs. Their leadership strives to move beyond the traditional old-school perception of Rotary as a male-dominated organization and caters to a diverse younger crowd, mostly those in their mid
See Rotary continued on page 18
Building a Pedestal By Fran Miller
When Campolindo woodshop teacher Don Dupont presented to his furniture design class the challenge of creating a book pedestal for the Lafayette Library, he wasn’t sure what might transpire. The request came from Dupont’s friend, former LLLCF board member Ron Olowin, who knew the caliber of Dupont’s students’ work. “I loved the idea,” said Dupont, who has been teaching woodworking and design at Campolindo for 15 years. “One student, a very creative lad named Matin Amanat, came up with the basic idea of a stack of books, echoing the bronze ‘Speechless’ out on the lower patio. I worked with him on refining the design and the technique for creating the books, and soon, other students became involved in its construction. This was in the spring of 2013 when Matin was a senior. Work was picked up the following year and last academic year, 2014-15, it finally came to fruition.” Several students had a hand in making the stand, and their names and graduation years are engraved on the binding of the uppermost volume of the
See Pedestal continued on page 20
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Get ready for spooks and scares at the Lafayette Youth Commission’s 12th annual Haunted House on Friday October 23rd and Sunday, October 25th, at the Lafayette Community Center, located at 500 St. Mary’s Road in Lafayette. This is a special year for the Haunted House as it will be one of the first ever events held in the newly built Jennifer Russell Building. Youth Commission leaders worked with the new building’s design team during early planning phases to specifically create a series of mounting loops for easy installation of the vast Haunted House maze. The result promises to be the biggest and best maze in Haunted House history, with Halloween tricks and treats at every turn. A not-so-scary version of the ghoulishly fun Haunted House takes place from 5-7pm, and the very scary version will be held from 7:30-9:30pm both nights. The cost for ages 7 and under is $3, and ages 8 and over is $5. All proceeds are donated to various causes supported by the Lafayette Youth Commission. The Commission advises the City Council on issues
Children’s Book Festival
See House continued on page 19
The Lafayette Library’s Children’s Book Festival will be held Saturday, October 24th from 11am-2pm. This is a free event with five outstanding well known children’s authors and illustrators. There will be readings by each author, books available for sale, book signing, and other activities. Gennifer Choldenko, best known for Al Capone Does My Shirts, will introduce her newest book, Chasing Secrets. Once again, San Francisco is the back drop for her novel, this time in the early 1900’s. Thacher Hurd (thacherhurd.com) has written and illustrated more than 25 books for children, including his NY Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year, Zoom City. Jordan Jacobs (www.j-jacobs. com) brings his passion for mummies, castles and Indiana Jones into his writing, including his popular Samantha Sutton series. Elisa Kleven (elisakleven.com) is a
See Festival continued on page 14
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