(Contra Costa County, CA, April 29, 2022) — The Pioneer Calendar lists local events, performances and activities for the whole family.

If you’d like to submit your event to the Pioneer Calendar page, please send email to us at Calendar@pioneerpublishers.com.

In the Community

Clayton Gardens Tour. Sponsored by the Clayton Historical Society, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 6-7. Event begins at the Clayton Museum, 6101 Main St., and features in-person tours of five gardens. $35 in advance; $40 in person. For tickets and more information, visit claytonhistory.org.

Clayton Valley Garden Club Plant Sale. Includes vegetables, natives, perennials, succulents and color bowls, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. May 7, Endeavor Hall, 6008 Center St., Clayton. For details, visit www.claytonvalleygardenclub.org or call 925-276-2299.

Concerts in The Grove. 6-8:30 p.m. Saturdays, May 7-Sept. 10, downtown Clayton. Reserve a spot with chairs or blankets starting at 4 p.m. Free but donations welcome. May 7: The Fundamentals with “Red Hot Rockin’ Soul.” May 21: Night Moves and Creedence Classic Revival, two classic rock tribute bands. June 4: Brickhouse with dance-rock. June 18: Pride and Joy SF, featuring Motown’s greatest hits. July 2: The Boys of Summer, an Eagles tribute band. July 16: Cut Loose with your favorite rock, pop and R&B. July 30: Mixed Nuts dance music. Aug.13: The Houserockers, powerhouse of rock and soul. Aug. 27: The Sun Kings, a Beatles tribute band. Sept. 10: East Bay Mudd with classic soul, funk and R&B. For more details, click here.

Digital Art Showcase. Featuring work from Mt. Diablo Unified School District’s Art & Digital Media Pathways. Opening reception 5-7 p.m. May 9 in the Grand Court at Sunvalley Shopping Center, 1 Sunvalley Mall Road, Concord. Artwork will then be displayed at various locations throughout the mall May 11-25.

Contra Costa County Fair. May 12-15. Contra Costa Event Park, 1201 W. 10th St., Antioch. Visit www.contracostafair.com for details.

Mental Health Awareness Resource Fair and Fundraiser. Mental health information, stroll for health, music, kids’ zone and more, 9 a.m.-noon May 21, Todos Santos Plaza, downtown Concord. Sponsored by the Contra Costa branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Visit www.namicontracosta.org for details. Register for the stroll at https://secure.frontstream.com/nami-in-motion-2022.

Pleasant Hill Art, Wine & Music Festival. Arts/crafts, wine/beer, food court, kids zone and live music, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. May 21 and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. May 22, downtown Pleasant Hill. Sponsored by the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce. For details, visit www.pleasanthillchamber.com/art-wine-music-festival.

Animals on Broadway. Fundraiser, pet walk and outdoor festival, sponsored by the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF), 11 a.m.-1 p.m. May 22, Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek. Sign up at arflife.org/help/aob.

Concord Historical Society Spring Fundraiser. Includes the dedication of the Dave Brubeck Stage and a performance by his sons, Chris and Dan, 5:30 p.m. May 27, Event Center, 1928 Clayton Road, Concord. $100-$150. For more information, call Lloyd Crenna at 415-722-7100 or click here.

Sunset by the Lake Concerts. 6-8 p.m. every two weeks beginning Sunday, May 29, at the lake by Pleasant Hill City Hall, 100 Gregory Lane. May 29: Unauthorized Rolling Stones. June 12: Tom Rigney & Flambeau. June 26: Frankie G & the Conviction. July 10: The Bell Brothers. July 24: East Bay Mudd. Aug. 7: Cut Loose. Aug. 21: The Landbirds. Sept. 4: The Big Jangle. For more information, contact community relations manager Geoff Gillette at 925-671-5229 or ggillette@pleasanthillca.org.

Concord Crawl. Art and Wine Walk in downtown Concord to benefit educational scholarships for local women and girls, 1-4 p.m. June 18. Sponsored by the Concord branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). $27 before April 30. $30 at the door. For tickets, click here.

Farmers Market. Sponsored by the Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays, Todos Santos Plaza, Concord. pcfma.org.

Clubs

SIR Branch 19 Monthly Luncheon. Milt Momita will talk about life in the internment camps of Japanese-Americans during the World War II, 11 a.m. May 5, Greenery Restaurant, 1551 Marchbanks Dr., Walnut Creek. Guests welcome. For more information, visit www.sirinc2.org/branch19 or call 925 338-1996.

Outdoors

“People of Color: Evening Walks & Talks.” Hosted by naturalist Claudia Munoz, conducted bilingually in English and Spanish. 6-8 p.m. May 4, Briones Regional Park. Meet at the Bear Creek Staging Area on Bear Creek Road about five miles east of San Pablo Dam Road near Orinda. Also, 5-7 p.m. May 6, Diablo Foothills Regional Park. Meet at the Orchard Staging Area at the end of Castle Rock Road past Northgate High School in Walnut Creek. Free; registration not required. For information, call 510-544-3176.

The arts

“Talking Pictures.” Featuring a wide spectrum of media, motifs, formats, sizes and price points, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday through May 7, Valley Art Gallery, 1661 Botelho Dr., Suite 110, Walnut Creek. Details at valleyartgallery.org or 925-935-4311.

“Our Town.” Center Repertory Company’s take on the drama about ordinary people and their relationships, through May 7, Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. For tickets, call 925-943-SHOW or go to www.lesherartscenter.org.

“Oliver!” Pittsburg Community Theatre presents the popular family musical based on the novel “Oliver Twist,” May 5-8 (new dates), El Campanil Theatre, 602 W. 2nd St., Antioch. For tickets, call 925-757-9500 or visit www.elcampaniltheatre.com.

“Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits” auditions. 3-5 p.m. May 1 and 7-9 p.m. May 2, Endeavor Hall, 6008 Center St., Clayton. No appointment needed but prepare a two-minute monologue and 32 bars from a Broadway show. Download audition form at www.claytontheatrecompany.com. Show will be performed in October by Clayton Theatre Company.

“Coppélia.” Diablo Ballet presents the family-friendly fantasy, May 20-21, Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $25-$52. Virtual viewing May 27-June 5, $37 per household. For tickets, call 925-943-7469 or visit www.lesherartscenter.org or www.diabloballet.org.

Diablo Women’s Chorale Spring Concert. Featuring movie songs from the 1950s to the 2010s, 3 p.m. May 22, Hillside Covenant Church, 2060 Magnolia Way, Walnut Creek. $15-$25. Purchase tickets at brownpapertickets.com or call 1-800-838-3006.

Submit calendar items to Calendar@pioneerpublishers.com.

Bev Britton

Copy Editor at The Concord Clayton Pioneer | bevbritton@sbcglobal.net

Bev Britton graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of North Dakota and moved to the Bay Area with her soon-to-be husband Jim in 1986. She was features editor at the Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek before becoming managing editor of the Contra Costa Sun in Lafayette in 1995. She retired from newsrooms in 2001, but an ad for the Clayton Pioneer drew her back in. The family moved to Lake Wildwood in the Gold Country a few years ago - but working at the Pioneer keeps her in touch with her old neighborhoods in Concord and Clayton.