Concord Celebrates 50 Years of Jazz with Concert Series Aug 1-10

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Salvio Pacheco Square in downtown Concord sits across from Todos Santos Plaza, which pulsates with everything from live Latin jazz to Concord’s world champion Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of jazz in Concord, and in a nod to the late Montclair and Concord Dave Brubeck is being celebrated Aug. 1-10 with Take 10 — 10 days of jazz events. – Photo Courtesy of Visit Concord

EASTBAYTIMES.COM: July 12, 2019

It was the first jazz standard in the country to sell a million records. Dave Brubeck’s syncopated 5/4-time hit “Take Five” is one of the most recognized songs in the jazz genre — but did you know Brubeck’s connection to Concord helped spawn the Concord Pavilion and the famed Concord Jazz record label? Continue reading →

Happy Wanderer: Guerneville is Epicenter of Hot Russian River Culinary Scene

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Old fashioned Guerneville 5 & 10 in downtown Guerneville. Photo by Ginny Prior

EASTBAYTIMES.COM: June 14, 2019

It’s the trifecta of topography — the redwoods, the river and the ocean. Add 130 wineries to the mix (from the Russian River Valley American Viticultural Area), and Guerneville comes up as the perfect setting for a culinary adventure. Continue reading →

The big cheese appears in Montclair

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Ginny Prior/for Bay Area News Group Farmstead Cheeses and Wines’ chief cheese monger, Jeff Diamond, “cracks a parm” — slices open a giant Parmesan cheese wheel — for food and wine writers recently at his Montclair store.

MONTCLARION: May 20, 2019

As far as cheese goes, it was a beaut — 85 pounds of fresh Parmesan, a wheel so big it took a young clerk to flip it. Farmstead Cheeses and Wines’ chief cheese monger, Jeff Diamond, treated journalists to a show the other night. “Cracking a ‘parm’ is a very cool thing,” he quipped. “And I’m always excited when I can show folks how it’s done.” Continue reading →

Four Days on Mount Diablo

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“Four Days Diablo” hikers dine recently at Curry Canyon Ranch in the shadow of Mount Diablo. At least three Montclarions participated recently in the soft-adventure hiking and camping trip along the 30-mile Diablo Trail linking Walnut Creek to Brentwood.

MONTCLARION: May 9, 2019

Montclarions Steve and Carolyn Balling have hiked all over the world. So has Oakland’s Shirley Langlois. But there’s a place in their own backyard that keeps calling them back — Mount Diablo. Continue reading →

Town Crier: Montclair raises over $10K for Antioch Court project

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Ginny Prior/for Bay Area News Group Kent Steinwert, the chair of Farmers and Mechanics Bank (F&M), appears recently in front of the new building his bank financed in Montclair. F&M will occupy one of three new spaces in the building.

MONTCLARION: April 25, 2019

It’s been 15 some years in the making, but plans are moving forward to transform Montclair’s Antioch Court into a pedestrian plaza. A handful of us reminisced the other night about our meetings back in the early 2000s, when we first started exploring this concept. With the Montclair Village Association behind it, the money is starting to come in for a community space on a little street with so much potential. Continue reading →

Happy Wanderer: L.A.’s West Third Street a perfect ‘pet-cation’

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A group of hikers and a dog take a break while trekking above Hollywood in Runyon Canyon, one of the most popular dog destinations in Los Angeles, which in turn is possibly one of the planet’s most pet-friendly places for travelers. (courtesy of Danny Roman)

EASTBAYTIMES.COM: April 18, 2019

In Travels with Charley, author John Steinbeck takes his wife’s poodle, Charley, on a soul-searching journey and discovers what many of us know today — that traveling with pets is rewarding. A survey of travelers by TripAdvisor found that 53 percent of us sojourn with snorkies, schnauzers and other pets — unbred and not. Continue reading →

Town Crier: What you can do about the Oakland hills’ neglected roads

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MONTCLARION: DEC. 2018

Potholes and parking are making us crabby. And yes, the two are related because they add stress to driving on increasingly crowded Oakland roads. The pitted streets read like a laundry list: Park Boulevard, Thornhill Drive, Valley View, Shepherd Canyon, Tunnel … and on and on. Critics note despite Oakland’s high property taxes that never seem to quench our city’s thirst for spending, streets like Thornhill have been on the repaving list for years. Continue reading →

Town Crier: McCallou’s moving into new Montclair digs

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MONTCLARION: March 7, 2019

The blustery month of March is bringing winds of change to Montclair. McCaulou’s 40-plus-year hillside home is becoming a multiuse space. Doesn’t sound very sexy, but it could be a game-changer for Montclair Village. Longtime landlord Ed Hirshberg attended a broker’s open house last week to discuss plans for the Medau Place landmark that his father bought in 1953. Continue reading →

Town Crier: Montclair Parking Garage proves prolific mural canvas

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MONTCLARION: January 24, 2019

An artist once told me that everything is a canvas. Even a drab concrete slab can be transformed into an inspiring art installation. Enter the Montclair Parking Garage, which has rapidly become a kind of open-air gallery. Twelve murals — some up to 50 feet high — now adorn the ramp walls, including the latest piece by Shannon Hood and Victor Garcia. Continue reading →