Gary Bartz appears with bassist David Certain, drummer Greg Bandy and pianist Roger Friedman. With over 30 recordings as a leader and more than 100 recordings as a guest artist, Gary Bartz has taken his rightful place in the pantheon of jazz greats. This expressive altoman’s career from hard bop and electric funk through the acoustic avant-garde is a  testimonial to a steadfast belief in the power of music to soothe, challenge, spark a crowd to full freak, or move one person to think.

Parking is in the back of the building. Doors open at 3 pm for buying tickets and saving seats. Music starts at 4:30, goes to 7:30 with an intermission. Reserved priority seating for members. $30, with a $5 discount for those under 25.

A very special tea party will take place Sunday, April 23rd at the historic Montara Grammar School (home of the Susan Hayward School of Dancing) 496 6th St. Montara. There will be 2 sittings:  1:30-3:00 and 3:30-5:00. There will be a selection of teas, savories and sweets served by characters from Alice’s Wonderland. Featured among the food will by recipes from the former Village Green Restaurant (owned by Susan Hayward) including their legendary scones and lemon curd.

There will be entertainment: a special sneak preview of the Mad Tea Party scene from the Susan Hayward School of Dancing production of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. There will also be an opportunity to have photos taken with the characters. The event would be a very special Mommy and me afternoon, or a treat for a special friend or Grandma. Proceeds will benefit the Susan Hayward School of Dancing. Tickets are $25.00 per person or $40.00 for two people, available by calling Shannon at 726-0753.

On Friday, March 31, Cunha’s drama class performed The Phantom Tollbooth, a play based on a book that many adults still remember as their favorite.

Click on the photo to see Coastsider’s album of the play.

The Half Moon Bay Rotary held its annual benefit dinner and auction at the Ritz Carlton on April 1, 2006.  The Coastside Opportunity Center was there taking portrait photos, with the proceeds going to charity, and Coastsider helped with the logistics. All the pictures from the party are now in an album in Coastsider’s Gallery.  We’ve uploaded full-size versions for the first time, so participants can order their prints from Shutterfly or download them for printing themselves.

We planned to post this sooner, but things have been a little hectic the last few days.

This year’s Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show has been cancelled.  The organizers cancelled the event because the ongoing rain made it impossible to prepare the fields at the airport for parking for the April 30 event. The closure of Devil’s Slide also created an air of uncertainty around the event. Dream Machines is the annual largest fundraiser for the Coastside Adult Day Health Center.

The county Resource Conservation District invites Coastsiers to the first Blue Circle meeting in San Mateo County.  Sponsored by the SMC RCD, The Blue Circle is a quarterly community forum for sharing ideas, information and resources for the goal of natural resource management, education, and stewardship.

The meeting is at 3:00pm on Thursday, March 30, 2006.  It will be held at the Harbor House in Princeton [map].

The program is titled, “Coastside Water—Then and Now—How did we get here, where are we going:  A detailed historical perspective”.

This informal talk includes speakers Hank Sciaroni, Retired Farm Advisor, University of California; Farmer John Muller, Half Moon Bay; and Al Wanger, California Coastal Commission.  A Blue Circle Social featuring food, beer, wine, and a raffle will follow.

The organizers promise “no agenda, no minutes, no action items.  Check your guns at the door and enjoy the company of like-minded people who care deeply about the resource future of San Mateo County.”

RSVP at 650-712-7765 or by email to

Carol Keiper, Marine Biologist, will discuss the mighty albatross and other migratory seabirds, where they come from, their amazing migration, and threats to their survival and what we can do to help save them.

This free lecture will be Thursday Evening March 23, 2006 7:00-9:00pm, Point Montara Lighthouse. This is part of a lecture series is sponsored by the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and  Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association. For reservations and registration for all lecture series events, please contact or 561-6625, ext 311. 

Conga player Poncho Sanchez leads one of the most popular Latin jazz groups in the world today, paying homage to a tradition that was born when Afro-Cuban rhythms merged with bebop. You can sample his work at his website.

Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society is located at 311 Mirada Road, Miramar. Parking is in the back of the building. Doors open at 3 pm for buying tickets and saving seats. Music starts at 4:30, goes to 7:30 with an intermission. Reserved priority seating for members. $35, no member red tickets for this performance, with a $5 discount for those under 25.

This spring, to celebrate 25 years of ocean protection, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary will offer a series of free monthly lectures on the Coastside, announcing research and discoveries concerning sanctuary wildlife: sea otters and sea lions, albatross and other seabirds. Each is followed by related weekend fee-based excursions into the realms of these creatures and the scientists who study them. Reservations for all events are with Dru Devlin at , or 415/ 561-6625 ext. 311.

Click “read more” to see the list of events.

Friday night, Coastside Film Society presents five short films produced by Coastsiders.  The organizers say that the films are very kid friendly, although “Twilight” has a dark theme and is last in the program.

Click “read more” for descriptions of the films and other details.