Events & Info

A beginning hula workshop geared to kids and kids at heart will take place in connection with the Sigmund Stern Grove festival on Sunday, June 27th at the West Meadow from 12noon till 1pm. This is in conjunction with the hula performance of Oakland’s Academy of Hawaiian Arts and the music of the award winning duo, Hapa. As with all the summer events at Stern Grove, this performance and the workshop are free of charge and open to everyone. Bring a blanket and a picnic. The Hapa with AHA performance begins at 2pm. Get there early as this will be very well attended. (For anyone who saw Lilo and Stitch, the music was performed by Mark Keali’iho’omalu who is the Kumu (leader/teacher) for AHA.) Kainani Hartnett will be leading the hula workshop.

From May 27, 2010 through June 20, 2010 a production of Woody Guthrie’s American song will be running at the Marin Theatre. Woody composed many songs which have become a part of our musical heritage and this is a wonderful chance to see and hear his work on a live stage. For more information go to www.marintheatre.org

Saturday, February 20th 2010. 12:30 to 5pm near 1780 Fourth Street in Berkeley.
12:30 storytelling for the under 12 set
1:30 Martial Arts demonstration
2:30 The Lion Dance (expect lots of excitement and loud noise)
Free!
This is a wonderful event in which local children often take part.

This is a wonderful chance to get up close and personal with wild birds and animals and the people who love them. There are walks, exhibits, artists, films, soundscapes. They have really good organic, vegetarian food as well as the usual non-veggie fare. For walks bring warm clothes, good boots and binoculars/cameras. This festival takes place on the migratory path for many of the wild birds species coming through the Bay Area at this time of year. There is also a chapel with antique Tiffany glass panels which is open during the festival.

February 5 - 7th, 2010
Mare Island, Vallejo, CA
Wildlife Expo, Building 897
Saturday and Sunday 9am to 4pm
www.SFBayFlywayFestival.com
707 649-9464 or 707 557-9816

If you haven’t been to revels, you gotta go.  Take the kids.  Very kid friendly.  There’s singing-dancing-cavorting-merrie making big time.   and ooooh, the costumes.  They’ve presented this pageant in our area for 24 years.  Many Sing Thing alumni have participated and this year Jessica and her mom, Jennifer, alumnae of our SF group, are both participating.  If you haven’t gotten filled with holiday spirit (& it’s pretty difficult these days) I guarantee that this will do it.  We try to go twice because it is such a joy and we love the music.  Lots of singing and they include the audience, too.

In celebration of the winter solstice, this year Revels is exploring the music, dance, stories and traditions of old Bavaria.

Dates are December 11-13 and 18-20, 2009

Held at Oakland’s Lake Merritt in the Scottish Right Theatre, 1547 Lakeside Dr., Oakland

www.californiarevels.org for more information

Tickets are $12-$50 and there are discounted shows, special prices for children and matinees and early evening shows so kids can get home and get to bed.  The theatre is located right across the street from the new Chalet restaurant.  There is some discounted parking at the oakland museum and it is near the 12th street BART station.

It is held at Oakland’s Lake Merritt at the Scottish Rite Auditorium

We at Sing Thing have our holiday parties and they are among the favorite evenings of our year.  Have you ever wanted to share that with your friends and families?  Please think of me if you are planning a family/friends holiday get-together.  For forty years I have done Christmas/Chanukah/solstice gatherings all over the Bay Area.  My rates are moderate and my own students get a 20% discount.

This one almost slipped by unnoticed by me.  You’ll be fascinated by the website.  AAAARGH!  June 20-21st      www.norcalpiratefestival.com

We all love sea shanteys.  Dress up.-lots of stuff for kids.  Some venerable performers I’ve sung with (or along side of) for years at Renaissance and Dickens fairs.  Don’t miss Dogwatch Nautical Band.  These folks have zeroed in on sea music for as long as I’ve done Sing Thing and longer (since many of them were performing where and when I was in my youth).  I just couldn’t choose one genre of traditional music, but they did and they are the experts.  Did I mention that it is free?  It is and so is the Salmon-Aid Festival.  (Thank goodness there are two days this weekend-one day for each festival.)