Community, Cultural, Political, Activist, and General Events

Most of the items listed here are posted exactly as received from the organization presenting the event. We at the Journal are not responsible for content accuracy.

Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Imagine a Nuclear-Free Future

On the 68th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace will host a peace walker from Japan and an evening with three distinguished speakers, each offering visions for a nuclear-free future.

August 3 – 9 Peace Walk
The Reverend Gyosen Sawada will walk for peace from Vandenberg Air Force Base to the gates of Diablo Canyon.  There he will fast and vigil August 7 - 9.  Members of the public are welcome to join him on any segment of his journey.
·         August 3 –walk begins 8-8:15am. He plans to walk 16 miles each day and will spend the first two nights at the Guadalupe Catholic Worker House.
·         August 4 and 5 -  The walk continues.
·         August 6 - Hiroshima Day: community members are invited to join Rev. Sawada in front of San Luis Obispo City Hall at 8 am for a moment of prayer and brief remarks. The walk continues at 8:30 am, arriving at the gates of Diablo Canyon early evening. Rev. Sawada will begin a three-day Fast for Peace.
·         August 6-8 – three-day fast from 8am-5pm at the gates of Diablo Canyon
·         Aug 9 - Nagasaki Day: Rev. Sawada will fast and vigil at Diablo Canyon, 8am-noon. 
·         For more information, contact Sherry Lewis 805-503-9022sherry.lewis66@att.net

August 9: Commemoration 7 - 9pm
Steynberg Gallery
1531 Monterey Street
San Luis Obispo, CA
Donations to support the work of Mothers for Peace will be welcomed.

Reverend Gyosen Sawada of Nipponzan Myoho-ji Temple will share his views on the connection between nuclear weapons and nuclear power. 
August 9 culminates his Peace Walk from Vandenberg AFB to the gates of Diablo Canyon and his 3-day fast there.  Community members are encouraged to join all or part of the Peace Walk.  See details below.

Chikako Nishiyama is a former government official from Fukushima Prefecture.  She survived the earthquake and tsunami and has become a vocal opponent of nuclear energy.

Cecile Pineda will read from her powerful and poetic book -Devil's Tango: How I Learned The Fukushima Step by Step.

SLO COUNTY DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE LABOR DAY

San Luis Obispo County Democrats invite the public to celebrate Labor Day with them on Monday, September 2nd, from 11:00 to 3:00 at Santa Rosa Park, San Luis Obispo.

The day will include special guests Congresswoman Lois Capps, State Board of Equalization candidate Fiona Ma, other local politicians and a great tri-tip BBQ.

County Democratic Party Chair Pat Harris says:  This our 56th annual celebration of Labor Day and of the strong bonds between the Democratic Party and organized labor.  In a time when the middle class is losing ground in the United States, we feel it’s more important than ever to celebrate the incredible positive impact that unions have had on our way of life.

Tickets for the BBQ are still only $20 each, $10 for children—and children 5 and under are free.  Tickets are available at the SLOCDP headquarters at 3592 Broad Street, Suite 100 (between 10-2, Monday through Friday) and online at ActBlue.

For more information on this or other Democratic Party activities, please call 546-8499 or visit the Party’s website.

Volunteers Needed to Help Plant Eelgrass in Morro Bay

Morro Bay National Estuary Program and partners are seeking volunteers to help with the Morro Bay Eelgrass Recovery Program. Working alongside eelgrass restoration specialists, professional divers, and Estuary Program staff, volunteers will be part of an effort to improve the health of the Morro Bay estuary. This year's goal is to plant 8,000 bundles of eelgrass across a two-acre area on the bay floor. Volunteers will work two-hour shifts between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on planting days, Aug. 19 – 24.

Helpers won't even need to get their feet wet. Most volunteers will work at tall tables set up on the beach, assembling bundles of eelgrass that will be planted by divers. Volunteer divers are also needed. Participants will gain an inside look at the science and planning involved in helping to restore eelgrass in Morro Bay. Eelgrass beds are considered to be one of the most productive ecosystems on the planet, providing valuable protective habitat for sea life. 

To sign up as a volunteer, or to learn more about the Morro Bay Eelgrass Recovery Program, visit  Morro Bay National Estuary Program is a non-regulatory, non-profit organization that brings together citizens, local government, non-profits, agencies, and landowners to protect and restore the Morro Bay Estuary for people and wildlife. The Estuary Program conducts monitoring and research, restores natural habitats, and educates residents and visitors on how to keep Morro Bay clean and healthy.

SLO Quilters announce their "Auction and Wine Tasting Experience" to be held Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013, at the Vet's Hall in San Luis Obispo.

Doors open at 5 p.m. for preview of the Live Auction items (featuring a variety of quilts as well as non-quilt items) and wine and beer tasting, featuring wines from Edna Valley Winery and Black Hand Cellars, and beers from Sierra Nevada. The Silent Auction (also featuring quilts and other non-quilt items) will start at 5 p.m. and run through 9 p.m. The Live Auction will start at 7 p.m. A Boutique, selling quilted and hand-crafted items, will be open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

This event will also display the quilts SLO Quilters entered in the Ultimate Guild Challenge through the American Quilters Society's Quilt Show, Aug. 14-17, 2013, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Admission is $10 per person, which includes two (2) tasting tickets, yummy food and your live auction paddle registration! Additional tasting tickets can be purchased for $1 each, until 9 p.m. Proceeds from this event will help support SLO Quilters, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, whose purpose is to further educate and promote the art of quilting, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Noor Foundation Free Medical Clinic in San Luis Obispo.

Tickets for can be purchased through any SLO Quilters member or contact Smitty Price at (805) 550-5636 or ssprice@charter.net - also check out our website, SLOQuilters.org, for more information.

Swearingen & Shoemake Headline Jazz Concert - August 18

An afternoon of jazz, great food, vintage wine and soft drinks is promised at St. Benedict's 16th Annual Jazz Concert on Sunday, August 18, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. The swinging duo of vocalist Inga Swearingen and vibraphonist Charlie Shoemake headlines the event, backed up by the popular Real Time Jazz Group, consisting of Darrell Voss, percussionist/band leader; Dylan Johnson, bass; Jeff Miley, guitar; and Karl Welz, saxophone.

The $30 admission includes top notch entertainment, gourmet wine courtesy of J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines; and delicious appetizers from "The Singing Kitchen."  Tickets are available at Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo; at the Abundance Thrift Shop in Los Osos; or reserved by calling 471-6759. Limited quantities will be sold at the door.

Proceeds will benefit the ministries of St. Benedict's Episcopal Church, located at 2220 Snowy Egret Lane in Los Osos, at the intersection of Los Osos Valley and Clark Valley Roads. Information at St. Benedict's.org.

Morro Bay Seeks Pictures of the Past

 As the city's 50th anniversary approaches, Morro Bay residents are taking a look back at the people, places and events that helped make the community what it is today. Anyone with ties to the area is being asked to leaf through family photo albums and find pictures that could be used during a citywide celebration next year to mark 50 years since Morro Bay became a city on July 17, 1964. "We're particularly looking for actions shots – a fire breaking out or an event taking place," said Morro Bay photographer Garry Johnson, who is gathering photos for the celebration. "We're concentrating on the past five decades, but we're interested in photos from any period."  While pictures of the sun setting behind Morro Rock may be beautiful, they don't necessarily tell a story about the city's history. Johnson said celebration organizers are most interested in finding photos that illustrate life in the community.

 The 50th anniversary celebration is still in the planning stages, Johnson said, and organizers are looking at a number of ways that the photos might be used. "It depends on what we have to work with," he said. "We'd like to get 10 pictures from each decade – the '60s, the '70s, the '80s, etc. – and make them part of a huge display. It would be a portable presentation of photos that could be moved to different locations around town." He said a book or other commemorative publication is also being considered. Johnson assured that those who contribute photos will receive appropriate credit and that they will be able to keep their originals.

 "We will copy them and get written permission to use them," he said. He noted that the search is not limited to photos from the past 50 years. If  people have older photos of historical significance, he and his fellow organizers would be interested in seeing those, too. Johnson is working with Bill and Tracy Shewchuk at Suite 1 Gallery. For more information, call Johnson at (805) 772-3738, or send email. Or, photos can be taken to the gallery at 601 Embarcadero, Suite 1, Morro Bay.

Morro Bay Art Association is hosting a San Luis Obispo County juried show titled, “Palette Talent“, August 8, 2013 to September 30, 2013. Cash awards and ribbons to be awarded. Carry in date is Tuesday August 6th, 10am-2pm, with pick up for juried work on the same day between 5pm-6pm. Those chosen for exhibit will remain. Entries must be original oil, pastel, acrylic or watercolor; with a limit of no more than 36” on a side including frame, and a maximum of 2 entries per artist. $35.00 non members/$25.00 members.  Entry form is posted on the web site: Art Center - Morro Bay and also available at Art Center Morro Bay 835 Main Street, Morro Bay. Contact 772-2504 for more information. Reception August 11, 2013 at Art Center Morro Bay.

Whale Watch Out of Santa Barbara Tuesday, August 27 Read More

Items listed on this page are submitted by various community groups and are posted as received. If you have an upcoming event you would like to have posted here, send email to Events Editor. If appropriate, we will be happy to list it.

Visit various local city sites for their upcoming events listings: Los Osos, Morro Bay, Cayucos, Cambria.

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