This issue is all about beans, berries, bytes that have bit it, and Bicycles that have not.

The Coastside Farmer’s Market is a proud supporter of The HEAL Project - a home grown, hands on, award winning program that brings local agriculture into the classroom.  Farmers John ( both Muller and Giusti) are regular guest teachers in the classroom, and due in part to their wise council (and wise cracks) the HEAL Project garden is now a fully certified agricultural producer, and beginning this week, the kids from the HEAL Project will be offering their produce for sale at the Half Moon Bay location every other week through the summer.  Big News: This is the ONLY public School in the State ( that we know of) to become a Certified Agricultural Producer, and the only one qualified to sell their products at a Certified Farmer’s Market. It’s kind of a big deal.

The HEAL Project, like many worthy public benefit enterprises on the Coast is, as ever , under threat of extinction, due entirely to funding challenges.  You can help support the HEAL Project in a number of ways and buying some of their Fava beans and blanching them, grinding them up in a Cuisinart with lemon juice, olive oil and a dollop of tahini is a good start.  You can also attend a benefit concert with The Santa Cruz River Band we a co-producing this Friday night, May 30 at the Odd Fellows Hall - 526 Main Street, upstairs from Tokenz and M Coffee -

Or , you can clean out your garage, attic or office and bring your end-of-life electronics to the Coastside Farmer’s Market on June 7th for a FREE e-waste recycling event the Market is co-sponsoring with Reece Computer Systems and ASL, who guarantee that ALL the recycling is done here, in California, and not shipped overseas.

By the year 2030, roughly one in three San Mateo County residents will be age 65 or older. How can the community prepare?

You’re invited to help develop the answer. This Friday, May 30th at the San Mateo County Events Center, seniors, planners, elected officials and anyone else with an interest in this important topic is invited to a summit: Livable Communities for Successful Aging.

The purpose is to allow members of the community to identify characteristics of developments that will be attractive to residents as they age and remain in San Mateo County. The forum is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (doors open at 8:30 a.m.) at the Event Center, 2495 S. Delaware St., San Mateo.

The forum is sponsored by the County of San Mateo, the San Mateo County Association of Realtors and Samtrans. To register or for more information, visit http://www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/successfulaging or call (650) 363-4526.

Seton Coastside will open it’s newly remodeled gift shop on Monday, June 2, 2008 at 12:00pm. The gift shop will be a great asset to the residents on the coast. It will feature all new gift items, greeting cards and snacks. The gift shop benefits the residents at Seton Coastside by providing them with a place to shop and helps to support the activities provided for them at the facility.  Volunteers are needed to operate the gift shop once a week for 4 hours. Contact Marilyn Levene at 650-991-6567.  The shop will be open daily from 11:30am-3:30pm. Drop by and visit!

We’re having a large bake sale from which all proceeds will go to fund the building of a new play area for the kids in our community.  There will also be a big rummage sale - lots of great items!!

It’s on Sunday June 1st - from 9am until 1pm - at the Pillar Ridge Mobile Home Community Clubhouse on Culebra Lane in Moss Beach (right behind the Half Moon Bay Airport - parallel to highway 1). There’s plenty of parking and an indoor space too.

I’ve found that quite a lot of people who live here on the coast are unaware of the existence of our little community - or have no clear idea of who we are that live here. We’re a varied bunch - lots of interesting and different people, many who help support the greater community. I know a few post on these very boards!

There’s a lot of kids here and many are not able to be taken (for many reasons) over to the wonderful Moss Beach park, or to the other parks in the area. We have a very old, decrepit play structure at the moment which desperately needs upgraded. Therefore, any support with this venture will be much appreciated. Any and all donations of rummage/baked goods will be received greatfully and all proceeds will go to the play area! If anyone has any free time to distribute flyers or help out on the day, that would be wonderful!

Are there maybe any local musicians out there, willing to donate an hour of time to provide entertainment? I’m sure with the generosity and inventiveness of the folk in this area we’ll have a great event. Thanks in advance for your help.

Julie Sarab

Please feel free to contact me directly at:
treetattoo (swirly at sign) yahoo.com

Every year, Coastside Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts join scouts from all over the Bay Area on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend to decorate the 138,000 graves of veterans and their families at the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno. We participated in this important activity yesterday. The day started out drizzly and cold, but dried up as it proceeded. Click on any photo to see our album.

Coastside civic and non-profit groups, educational organizations and municipal agencies will share in the $95,000 in grants and donations announced today by the Half Moon Bay Beautification Committee.

The largest single contribution ($25,000) went to the on-going maintenance and beautification of the Main Street downtown core. Among the efforts are seasonal planting of flowers, installation and repair of old-fashioned wooden benches, litter removal, cleaning, and year-round maintenance of Main Street.

Some of the organizations receiving funding include the Coastal Repertory Theater ($12,000), San Mateo County Sheriff Explorers Program ($5,760), I.D.E.S. Society ($5,000), Sonrisas Communty Dental Clinic ($4,800 for equipment), Coastal Arts League ($3,000 for the Pumpkin Festival poster design contest), City of Half Moon Bay ($2,500 for Mac Dutra Park bathroom restoration), HOPE Services ($2,500 for bicycles and art supplies), Coastside Fire Protection District ($2,250 for emergency warning and lighting stations), City of Half Moon Bay Parks & Rec ($2,200 for programs), Half Moon Bay Girls Softball League ($2,100 for field maintenance/mower and mulch), Coastside Adult Day Health Center ($2,000 for Alzheimers program), Senior Coastsiders ($2,000 for nutrition program), Half Moon Bay High School Grad Night ($2,000), and Coastside RotaCare Clinic ($2,000 for educational materials).

Additionally, $7,000 in college scholarship money will be awarded to Half Moon Bay High School students. The scholarships are named in memory of founding festival members Dolores Mullin, Patsy Dutra and Melvin Mello.

This year’s 38th annual Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival will be held October 18-19, 2008. For information, call 650-726-9652 or visit http://www.miramarevents.com.

There’s still time left to volunteer for Senior Coastsiders’ annual Home Rehab Day. It’s the coastside’s one day home repair event where people pitch in to make the homes of local seniors safe and accessible, with some gardening on the side because beauty increases mental well being.

Home Rehab Day takes place on Saturday June 7th form 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Volunteers of all levels are welcome; come one, come all, individuals, group members, people 12-90 are invited to pitch in and make a difference in the lives of their neighbors, friends and family.

Just call 726-9056 for more information or go to http://www.seniorcoastsiders.org to sign up. 

On Saturday May 10 at 10:30 Half Moon Bay Library will celebrate it’s annual Dad & Me @ the Library Day with a puppet show by the renowned Puppet Art Theater.  In addition to the show each child will receive a free book and will be given the opportunity to sign up for a library card.

On Saturday May 3rd at 6:00PM Lucia Gonzalez, award winning author of BOSSY GALLITO, SENOR CAT’S ROMANCE, and STORYTELLER’S CANDLE, will delight families with stories, poems, and puppetry.

On Friday May 2nd at 7:00Pm join children’s book author Pam Mayer for an interactive workshop that will expose the “7 Myths About Writing a Children’s Book”.