In brief: Concord’s popular Music & Market concerts to return June 6

CONCORD

The city of Concord has announced that its popular concert series, Music & Market, will return June 6 to Todos Santos Plaza for the summer and early fall.

The four-month concert series features a lineup of talented local artists representing an array of musical genres. The events also include a vast farmers’ market hosted by the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association (PCFMA), where visitors can shop all the great produce, snacks, home goods and more that the Bay Area has to offer, including food trucks.

The concerts will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. every Thursday from June 6 to Sept. 26 (excluding July 4), with the farmers’ market running from 4 to 8 p.m. The full concert lineup for this year’s Music & Market concert series can be found online at cityofconcord.org/DowntownEvents.

— city of Concord

WALNUT CREEK

May 13 golf tournament to fundraise for the school district

The Walnut Creek Education Foundation (WCEF) has opened registration for their third annual “FORE! Education Golf Tournament” at Rossmoor’s Dollar Ranch golf course May 13.

Funds raised are invested in our Walnut Creek public schools to support the education of 5,000 students. This year, WCEF will raise $1.5 million to fund critical programs and salaries not paid for by the state. This includes weekly art, music and science lab classes for elementary school students, as well as a credentialed librarian.

Middle school students have access to more electives including robotics, computer programming and world language. High school students benefit from a fully staffed Wellness Center, advanced placement classes for college readiness, dozens of visual and performing arts classes, four world languages, career pathways in medical and engineering fields and so much more.

These opportunities are available because our community supports public education and donates to WCEF every year. Interested in playing? You can sign up online at wcefk12.org/golf or donate at wcefk12.org/donate.

— WCEF

PITTSBURG

Adult Education Center hosting county spring job fair May 1

A Contra Costa County spring job fair will be from 10 a.m. to noon May 1, featuring more than 40 employers seeking to fill more than 250 open full- and part-time positions.

The free job fair will be in an outdoor setting at the Pittsburg Adult Education Center at 1151 Stoneman Ave., where plenty of free parking will also be available. Attendees are asked to simply bring their resumes and dress for success.

For those who need resume, free resume reviews will be provided from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 24 in Room #23 at the Pittsburg Adult Education Center. At the same time in the same room the next day, free “inside” information on how to succeed at job fairs will be presented.

For questions, contact event organizer George Provol at gprovol@pittsburgusd.net or 925-473-2400, ext. 4964.

— George Provol

City’s new illegal dumping ordinance takes effect Thursday

Pittsburg has taken action against illegal dumping by increasing fines under a recently adopted ordinance to $1,000 per incident — the maximum allowed by the state. The city also retains authority to hold any owner and/or operator of a vehicle used for illegal dumping accountable for citations and the cleanup cost.

The ordinance becomes effective Thursday. The city will use its network of automated license plate reader cameras to capture license plates of vehicle used for illegal dumping and lead officials to their registered owners. In cases of ongoing dumping, the abatement cost of a property may be charged to that property’s owner.

“Illegal dumping has increasingly become an issue throughout the region, and the city of Pittsburg spends $100,000 annually on the cleanup of illegally dumped debris,” said Jordan Davis, the city’s director of community and economic development.

“Items dumped are often large, heavy, maybe hazardous or contain hazardous materials requiring a lot of processing to pick those up and also to dispose of them.”

Davis said the city estimated more than 1,200 tons or 306 cubic yards of debris in 2021 and 288 cubic yards in 2022. City Manager Garrett Evans said as far back as 2017 that the city picked up 632 mattresses and 361 couches or sofa chairs in a year.

For more information, contact the Pittsburg Community and Economic Development Department at 925-252-4039 or visit pittsburgca.gov.

— city of Pittsburg

CONCORD

High school robotics team to compete in championship

For the first time, Concord’s Clayton Valley Charter High School (CVCHS) is sending a robotics team April 24-27 to Dallas for the VEX World Championship, the largest robotics competition in the world.

With more than 40,000 teams worldwide, CVCHS team 94517x is one of 2,400 top teams qualified to compete in the championship. More than 30,000 student competitors and more than 50,000 attendees, from every U.S. states and more than 50 countries will be there.

‘We are excited to compete with and against the friends we made and new ones we’re meeting from all over the world,” says Eric Catalano, the school’s team captain and one its programmers. Also part of the team are master builder Santi Martinez, quartermaster Alex Mihalov, CAD designer Will Gallagher and documentation manager Asher Wan.

You can learn more about the VEX World Championship online at bit.ly/3THg22C and donate to the school’s team at bit.ly/3VDjvlk. Your tax-free charitable donation will support the costs for registration, travel and lodging. Any amount is welcomed and appreciated! .

— JoAnna Castillo, CVCHS robotics coach

LAFAYETTE

Nursery school’s annual Science Day of Discovery on May 4

Lafayette Nursery School’s 47th annual Science Day of Discovery will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 4. Make a volcano explode, shoot a rocket, make slime, dig for dinosaur bones and test your senses. These are just a few of the many hands-on activities that will be on hand during this great experience for the whole family.

Experiments are designed for children preschool ages through third grade. Proceeds are donated to a local math or science-based charity.

The cost is $5 per child, and the event will take place at in the Lafayette Nursery School at 979 First St. in Lafayette. For more information, visit lafayettenurseryschool.org online or call the school at 925-284-2448.

— Chelsea Bowman

Lifestyle Tour of area homes to raise funds set for May 4

For 25 years, the Lifestyle Tour presented by Lafayette Juniors has continued to be one of Lamorinda’s most beloved events and the group’s largest fundraiser. The Lafayette Lifestyle Tour is a self-guided event featuring beautiful Lafayette homes with masterfully designed, unique and awe-inspiring indoor and outdoor spaces.

This year’s tour will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 4, and funds raised will directly support Lafayette Juniors’ local beneficiaries: Hospice East Bay, CASA of Contra Costa County and Girls Crushing It. Tickets are available online at lafayettejuniors.org.

— Lafayette Juniors

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