Robert Semple Elementary to host murder mystery dinner theater show, "Death by Dessert"

(Originally published in the 5/1/16 edition)

We've heard of death by chocolate, but this is ridiculous.

Or maybe it is not so ridiculous. After all, the murder mystery dinner theater show, “Death by Dessert,” does go toward funding Robert Semple Elementary. It also will make for a very fun Friday night out for all.

The play centers around two families in Little Italy who own competing Italian restaurants. The families have long been at odds with each other, and this comes to a head when Maria, the owner of the building that houses these two restaurants, is found dead. With such bad blood between the two clans, everyone becomes a suspect.

Attendees will be able to cast their votes as to who they think killed Maria, and the winner will receive a prize and take photos with the cast. The cast will include members of Robert Semple, Mary Farmar and Matthew Turner Elementary's drama clubs as well as drama club alumni and Benicia Middle School advanced drama students. 

Since the setting of two Italian restaurants is sure to make audience members hungry, Robert Semple Student Council and drama club students will be providing an exquisite dinner for the evening. People who purchase tickets will get to choose from one of two entrees: baked ziti with Italian sausage or capellini pomodoro with garlic. Additionally, they will be able to choose from one of two delicious, non-fatal desserts: apple torte a la mode or cheese cake. Audience members will also get to enjoy salad and bread and butter with their entree. 

“Death By Dessert” will take place on Friday, May 13 at Robert Semple Elementary School, located at 2015 East 3^rd St. Check-in will begin at 5:45 p.m. Tickets are $40, which will include one entree, one dessert course, bread and butter, a salad, coffee and a raffle ticket. They can be purchased at RSE.BeniciaUnified.org. For more information, call 747-8360.  

JFK Library in Vallejo will celebrate National Poetry Month

(Originally published in the 4/8/16 edition)

   April is National Poetry Month, which means bards worldwide will have a chance to share their literary skills with others. Four local poets will be doing just that as part of the John F. Kennedy Library's National Poetry Month poetry reading and open mic night event. Other local scribes will be encouraged to join in.

   The event will be hosted by Genea Brice, Vallejo's poet laureate. Brice was named as the city's first poet laureate last summer and has led the Poetry in Notion meetings monthly at the JFK Library, where poets gather to share their love of the art form.

   “We are honored to have Genea Brice hosting this event,” library associate Jeff Kingman said in a statement. “She brings lots of talent and energy to her post as Vallejo’s first Poet Laureate. Genea has a special way of reading her work that makes the poems come alive—like music.”

   Brice will be joined by Kingman as well as Kyrah A. Ayres and Benicia's very own Johanna Ely. Ely is a member of the Benicia First Tuesday Poetry Group and has had her work published in two poetry anthologies, “Across the Genres” and “A Word for All Seasons.”

   After the readings by the four poets, there will be an open mic session where attendees will have the opportunity to show off their poetic abilities. The public will be able to sign up at the beginning of the event.

   The event will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 16 in the Joseph Room of the JFK Library, located at 505 Santa Clara St. in Vallejo. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served. For more information, visit SolanoLibrary.com or call the library at (866) 572-7587.  

Grad Night fundraiser to be held at Panda Express

 (Originally published in the 4/7/16 edition)

   Chinese restaurant chain Panda Express will be hosting a fundraiser for Benicia High School's Grad Night tomorrow at its Benicia location.

   Grad Night is held the night of Benicia High's senior class graduation as a way for recent grads to have a fun, safe evening following their big milestone. The night will feature food, games and other activites and will be held Saturday, June 11 from 9 p.m. to approximately 3 a.m.

   However, funds are needed to put Grad Night on, so Panda Express will be holding a fundraiser tomorrow from noon to 10 p.m. The proceeds from all menu items purchased during this time will go toward Grad Night.

   Panda Express is located at 804 Southampton Road. For more information, contact the restaurant at 745-3763. Additional Grad Night fundraisers will be held at Kinders BBQ, Wednesday, April 20; Round Table Pizza, Tuesday, May 3; and Panda Express again Friday, May 20.

Registration for Open Studios begins

(Originally published in the 3/15/16 edition)

May is just around the corner. Soon, the weather will heat up, the air will be filled with the aroma of barbecues and Benicians will be treated to a sample of their town's most talented artists. 

   Benicia Artists Open Studios will be held May 7 and 8, featuring more than 50 of Benicia's artists both on First Street and in the Arsenal. Artists will open the doors to their studio spaces to let visitors see what kinds of art they are currently working on and chat with Benicia artists. Artists may even do live demonstrations, and patrons might have an opportunity to buy some art.

   Visitors will be able to ride a SolTrans shuttle from the Arsenal to many of the stops along First Street, including Lindsay Art Glass and galleries like Plein Air Gallery and Gallery 621.

   For artists who would like to have their work showcased at Open Studios, visit ArtsBenicia.org. You can print out an application form with a check payable to Arts Benicia, or you can make your payment over the phone by calling (707) 747-0131 from Wednesdays to Fridays. All payment information will be secure. The fee is $75 for Arts Benicia members and $85 for non-members. Both the form and payment are due no later than Wednesday, April 6. 

   Open Studios will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, May 7 and Sunday, May 8. For more information, visit ArtsBenicia.org.

SolTrans offers free rides for Route 20 travelers

(Originally published in the 3/6/16 edition)

   Planning on taking the bus from Benicia to Vallejo in the next two months? Don’t worry about having a thick wallet. If you take SolTrans’ Route 20 in March or April, you will be able to ride for free.

   In a promotion that began on Tuesday and will run until Friday, April 29, those who take Route 20 will not have to pay a cent. Route 20 begins at the corner of 3rd and H streets in Rancho Benicia and its stops include City Park, the Southampton Shopping Center, Solano Community College’s Vallejo campus and Gateway Plaza, where riders will have easy walking access to Costco, Home Depot and the Target Shopping Center. 

   If you are planning on using your Clipper card, SolTrans staff advises against it. Those who tag their Clipper cards during this promotion will be charged the regular fare.

   Route 20 operates from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. Buses leave every hour. 

   In other SolTrans promotions, students who ride the bus during spring break from Monday, March 21 to April 1 will ride for free. This promotion is valid for students ages 6 to 18. College students who ride the bus must present a valid student ID.

   For more information, visit SolTransRide.com. 

Photo by Nick Sestanovich

True 'puppy love" to be celebrated at adoption event Saturday

(Originally published in the 2/9/16 edition)

   This Valentine’s weekend, you will have the opportunity to bring home a cuddly critter. No, not a teddy bear. It is something better: a living, breathing dog.

   Pittsburg-based animal rescue organization Umbrella of Hope will be partnering with Benicia pet store Pups ’N’ Purrz for its Valentine’s-themed adoption event “Love is All You Need” Saturday.

   Umbrella of Hope and Pups ’N’ Purrz have hosted several events over the years, although Pups ’N’ Purrz Owner James Long says the organization did not come by the store as much last year because of the weather.

   “Now that the weather’s getting a little bit better, in January I asked them ‘When are you guys coming out in February?’” he said. ‘They said ‘How does Feb. 13 work,’ and I said ‘That works fine for me. It’s a Valentine’s weekend.’”

   In honor of Valentine’s Day, all dogs will be available to adopt for $14. Long also says that those who adopt dogs at this event will get a 10 percent discount off their first purchase. 

   Long ultimately hopes that people walk away with a new friend ahead of Valentine’s Day.

   “Hopefully, people will come out and find their new love for Valentine’s Day,” he said. “February is the month of love, and I’m trying to promote Valentine’s Day as well as I can for pet owners. Why can’t humans celebrate Valentine’s Day with their animals?”

   The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 13. Pups ’N’ Purrz is located at 422 First St. For more information, call the store at 748-7433.

Solano County Friends of Animals hoping to adopt out 1,000th cat this weekend

(Originally published in the 1/20/16 edition)

   Solano County Friends of Animals will be holding adoption events at Pet Food Express and PetCo this weekend. Active member Pat Holcomb says the group is hoping to adopt out its 1,000th kitty since the opening of the Cat Center at Pet Food Express 10 years ago this weekend.

   Solano County Friends of Animals is a volunteer-driven, nonprofit group that does not euthanize its foster animals.

   “We take in kittens that the Humane Society is trying to pass off to Fairfield, which is a kill shelter,” Holcomb said.

   Holcomb believes this weekend will be the best way to cap off a productive year for the organization.

   “This year has been kind of crazy,” she said. “We had a lot of adoptions before Christmas, a surprising number of adoptions this January and a long kitten season. We’re hoping to make this a celebration.”

   Holcomb says that the animals that are available for adoption have been spayed, neutered and tested for problematic diseases, and they are socialized and healthy. 

   The adoptions will take place from 3 to 6 p.m., Friday, Jan. 22; noon to 3 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 23 and noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 24 at Pet Food Express, located on 838 Southampton Road. Kittens will be available to adopt for $75, and cats 1 year and older will be $40. Holcomb says there will be a special prize for the lucky 1,000th adoptee. Additionally, there will be more adoption events at PetCo in Vallejo, located at 161 Plaza Drive. The hours will be the same, although there will be no Friday adoptions. For more information, contact Solano County Friends of Animals at 552-3323. 

Five dogs find new homes at Pups 'N' Purrz event

(Originally published in the 12/23/15 edition)

   People packed Pups ’N’ Purrz for the pet supply store’s last adoption event of the year Saturday. 

   The store partnered with Pittsburg-based animal rescue organization Umbrella of Hope. The organization was aiming to adopt out a minimum of four pets to reach its 275 mark for the year, but five dogs ended up being adopted.

   The animals who found new homes this weekend were 5-year-old poodle/schnauzer mix Diego, 1-year-old chihuahua Gertrude, 4-year-old chihuahua Aura, 8-year-old schnauzer/Jack Russell/Tibetan terrier mix and Raphael and 16-year-old chihuahua Cybele. 

   Cybele’s adoption was particularly emotional for Pups ’N’ Purrz owner James Long, himself an owner of three senior-aged chihuahuas.

   “When that dog got adopted, I welted up a little bit,” he said. “I was happy to see that somebody adopted a dog that was that old.”

   Long was very pleased with the results, noting that neighboring businesses told him they were receiving more customers than usual. He also believes that the people who adopted the dogs were not just picking them up as Christmas gifts as none of them had children.

   “For them, this is a pet they’re going to have, not just like a Christmas gift,” Long said. “It’s an animal they wanted to adopt.” 

   Pups ’N’ Purrz will be hosting two more adoption events in January. The first will be with Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 3, and the second will be another Umbrella of Hope event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9. Pups ’N’ Purrz is located at 44 First St. For more information, contact (707) 748-7433.

Cybele, a 16-year-old chihuahua was one of five dogs adopted over the weekend. (Photo courtesy of James Long)

Small Business Saturday a success in Benicia and beyond

(Originally published in the 12/3/15 edition)

   All across the nation on Saturday, shoppers showed their love for independently run businesses for Small Business Saturday.

   The holiday was founded in 2010 by American Express to get people to support their local merchants. Small Business Saturday typically is held the day after Black Friday.
   According to the Post-Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey from the National Federation of Independent Business and American Express, a record 95 million consumers shopped on Small Business Saturday this year, which marks an 8 percent increase over 2014. Additionally, roughly $16.2 billion was spent at small businesses, up 14 percent from the $14.3 billion that was spent last year.

   That success was realized in Benicia, one of the many towns that participated.

   “Studio 41 had a great day,” Benicia Main Street Executive Director Nancy Martinez said. “We certainly did at Benicia Main Street. We had Downtown Dollar promotions available for the first people who showed up (at Benicia Main Street) at 11. When I got here at 11, there were already 10 people at the store.”

   According to Martinez, restaurants drew a lot of customers, including Dianna’s Bakery and Cafe, which had just opened up two days prior. Romancing the Home almost had a line out the door, Martinez said.

   “I saw a lot of people on the street Saturday,” she added. “I’m hoping they were out shopping and not just walking their dogs.”

Furry friends find new homes at weekend's pet adoptions

   (Originally published in the 11/11/15 edition)

Pups ’N' Purrz held its 3rd annual Adoption Day By the Bay over the weekend, and the store was able to find homes for several different pets.

   The First Street pet supply store partnered with other Bay Area adoption agencies- Umbrella of Hope, CARES and Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation- to adopt out dogs and cats. The event expanded to two days, which meant more opportunities for people to pick up a new friend.

   On Saturday, four chihuahuas were adopted: 5-year-old Fiona Apple, 5-year-old Jersey Mac, 8-year-old Megladon and 7-year-old Fuji Apple. 

   Sunday, however, was a day for the cats. Crush and Fanta, both 7 months old, found new homes where they will be able to continue their young lives with loving families.

   “It was a great turnout for both days,” Pups ’N’ Purrz owner James Long said. “Some people were looking for certain animals, and the agencies that didn’t have them on Saturday had them on Sunday, so I think expanding to two days helped.”

   The next adoption event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday Dec. 6 at ARF, located at 2890 Mitchell Drive in Walnut Creek. Additionally, Umbrella of Hope will be holding an adoption event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 19. The agency is located at 4080 Railroad Avenue, Suite C, in Pittsburg. Pups ’N’ Purrz is located at 422 First St. 

Benicia gift boutique set for Saturday, Nov. 14

(Originally published in the 11/10/15 edition)

   Many people wait until after Thanksgiving to buy their Christmas gifts, but it never hurts to start shopping even earlier. This Saturday, Benicia residents can buy more than the usual store-bought junk.

   As they have for the past 12 years, 10 Benicia women will be hosting a gift boutique where they will be selling handmade crafts out of a garage. 

   “We started making crafts years ago and decided that we’d like to do a little boutique for buying in Benicia so that people had another choice for affordable Christmas items,” participant Linda Ormond said. 

   All items are hand-crafted by the sellers. The gifts include stained glass, wine barrel crafts, knitted hats and scarves, quilts, jewelry, dog treats, holiday rice pilaf, pickled beets and more.

   “It’s a way of giving people quality homemade items,” Ormond said.

   The boutique will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1332 Bonita Bahia, located off West 13th Street. The items will range from $2 to around $100. 

   For directions or more information, contact Ormond at (707)-373-5494.