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.

The Carmen Project - A City-wide Arts Collaboration, San Luis Obispo

The Carmen Project: two performances of Georges Bizet's beloved opera will be presented in San Luis Obispo on Saturday, October 12th at 7pm and Sunday, October 13th at 2pm in Harman Hall at the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo's Christopher Cohan Center. These two performances of the complete and fully staged opera, will herald an unprecedented, city-wide collaboration between Central Coast Children's Choir, Civic Ballet San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College Concert Choir, Opera San Luis Obispo and San Luis Obispo Symphony, with an internationally acclaimed cast of principals joining over 150 members of San Luis Obispo's vibrant arts community. October is National Arts Month, and San Luis Obispo is celebrating in style!

For more information see our July Opera SLO column.

Editor to Present “Book Publishing 1-2-3: From the Writer’s Fingers to the Readers’ Hands”

Sprinkled with stories and tips (for example, how to connect with literary agents), this program is designed to empower and inspire writers of all levels. We’ll start with a look at today’s dynamic book business, including traditional vs. electronic and self-publishing. Next up? Literary and editorial tips to help writers refine their craft, followed by practical ideas for marketing and selling books and other written work.

Additional highlights: Writing exercises, a handout with behind-the-scenes info, and Q&A.

Tues., Sept. 10, 10–11 a.m., The Carlton Hotel (6005 El Camino Real, Atascadero).

Cost: $15; no pre-registration needed.

Presenter: Laurie Gibson, the Central Coast editor who has helped more than 150 first-time authors prepare their work for publication. She’s also edited or proofed well over 250 books for numerous publishers, including recent editions of novels like “The Color Purple” and “Mrs. Dalloway,” as well as books by musician Jimmy Buffett and business guru Brian Tracy. Laurie taught editing at UCLA Extension for several years.

Questions? Contact Laurie: eaglet5223@mypacks.net or (831) 646-4507.

Avocado & Margarita Festival Celebrates Morro Bay’s Hidden Treasures

Best known as a super seaside getaway, Morro Bay has something else to shout about:  It’s home to some of the greatest avocados on Earth.

The same mild climate that attracts birds, sea life and fun-loving tourists to the Central Coast creates perfect growing conditions for creamy, rich avocados. To celebrate the harvest season in style, Morro Bay presents its seventh annual Avocado & Margarita Festival.

 On Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 14 and 15, Morro Bay’s waterfront Embarcadero will be filled with live music, refreshing margaritas, ice-cold beer and tasty avocado dishes that begin with guacamole and just keep going.

 Saturday’s entertainment will include music by Joey V and Bringing It Back, Lenny Blue Band, Bobby Santa Cruz, Al “Shival” Redwine and Jill Knight. Scheduled for Sunday are Shameless and The Dave Miller Band.

 Booths selling arts, crafts and specialty foods will be set up throughout the venue. Members of the California Avocado Commission will be on hand with recipe books and everything you’ve ever wanted to know about avocados.

 Participants can enter contests for Best Fiesta Costume, Best Sombrero and Best Avocado Recipe. In addition, there will be a free drawing for a year’s supply of avocados.

 Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $2 per person, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Morro Bay High School Music Boosters. For details, go to AvoMargFest.

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.

SLO Quilters announce their "Auction and Wine Tasting Experience" to be held Saturday, September 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, SLO Quilters, for more information.

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.

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.