Redwood City | Redwood City E-News

Join with friends, family, neighbors, and new friends at Redwood City’s beautiful new Courthouse Square for this exciting cultural event celebrating Cinco de Mayo - on Friday, May 2nd starting at 5 pm! Enjoy art, music, dance, crafts, and fun for the whole family.

The weather is turning wonderful, the restaurants are open, and downtown beckons! Join the fun for Cinco de Mayo, Redwood City style, on Friday May 2nd.

Silicon Valley Open Studios is a great annual activity where hundreds of Silicon Valley artists open their studios to the public. This free event lets families discover some exciting new artistic talent, or get up close and personal with favorite artists.

Redwood City and other peninsula cities feature many great artists that you can visit from 11 am to 5 pm on Saturday May 3 and Sunday May 4. Visit www.svos.org for all the information, or pick up a free Silicon Valley Open Studios map/guide at the Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 2, or at City Hall.

Thousands of Bay Area residents tour Open Studios each year to meet local artists, view their work and creative processes, and purchase art. Open Studios’ artists work in a

wide range of mediums, including photography, assemblage/collage, book binding, ceramics, digital art, drawing, fiber art, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, papermaking, pastels, pottery, prints, quilts, and sculpture. Join the fun and show your art appreciation!

The second two weekends in May feature open studios from other Silicon Valley areas - be sure to check www.svos.org for details.

Artists shown - above left: George Halliday Hopf-Lovette, Redwood City; above right: Beth Mostovoy, Redwood City

Kick off Mother's Day Weekend on Saturday, May 10th with a special

Mother’s Day Kids Concert, sponsored by Citrine New World Bistro.

First, from 10:30 to noon kids can join in the fun at our Parks Department Craft Tables, where they'll create those very special Mothers Day Cards, along with tissue paper flowers (that will never wilt!).

Then, from 11 am - 1 pm, everyone will enjoy performances by Andy Z and Dr. Noize!

Andy Z draws children into the story with a mix of finger plays, sing-a-longs and pure body movement songs. Musical genres include rock, classic brit pop, classic kid, country, hip-hop, the blues, and Irish music. Andy's solo shows are ideal for kids 3 to 7 years of age, but can be enjoyed by all.

Dr. Noize released his first recording i n 2007, and w ithin two months it had spawned a national #1 hit song — Banana — on XM Kids Radio! As word spread, the buzz spread from kids to parents to college music professors, and earned awards ranging from a Parents Choice Award to being named one of Dr. Toy’s Top 100 Toys Of The Year.

Be sure to bring canned food or make a donation to support Second Harvest Food Bank and receive a free raffle ticket to win prizes from Citrine! And, the Downtown Business Group's “I Love My Mom” award will be presented to the essay contest winner.

This fabulous family event is presented by Citrine New World Bistro, as well as Redwood City and its Redevelopment Agency and Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department.

7th Annual Pet Parade

It’s the wildly popular annual event inviting children, adults and families to show off their pets of all types and sizes, whether fur, feathers, or scales, and vie for a $100 Grand prize award for the very best entry winner! Go online for details and entry forms.

This is not just a Pet Parade; it is a community event that will include a Pet Parade and much, much more. It all takes place on Saturday, May 31st from 11 am - 3 pm. The Parade starts at 12:30, in our beautiful downtown location on Broadway and Theatre Way.

Everyone is invited to join the fun, and bring their pets or just the family to enjoy all of the activities. Contest categories include:

Best pet costume
Best pet/companion costume
Best pet and owner look-alike
Most unusual pet
Best pet trick

Families will enjoy shopping for gift and pet items at our vendor booths (and special-edition “Seventh Annual Pet Parade” Tee shirts will be available), and the local restaurants and outdoor vendors will be open for the hungry crowd. A DJ will be on stage and many animal Rescue Groups will bring pets for adoption, and the Peninsula Humane Society and their Adoption Van will have information about their free spay and neuter programs. All participants should bring water for themselves and their pets!

The entire pet-loving community is invited to bring their pets or special stuffed animal-costumes are encouraged for pets, and for humans, too! Get the registration form at any Park and Recreation location; print the form on the City’s website, or sign up at 11 am on the day of the Pet Parade.

The event is free - there is a $5 per entry fee to be judged in the contest. There is no fee to just walk along and be part of the Pet Parade!

This event is sponsored and hosted by Redwood City, the Redwood City Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department, the Redwood City Parks and Recreation Commission, and the Redwood City Redevelopment Agency.

**************************

It's a multicultural, socially responsible, and eco-friendly event that brings a fabulous array of art to the community. Fair trade crafts are being promoted at the five main art galleries in Redwood City, compiling over 75 local artists, bringing inspiration, culture and entertainment this spring and summer to the entier Peninsula.

Art Walk takes place every second Saturday of the month from April through September, starting at 7 pm. The next one is Saturday, May 10th.

Bring the family for an Art Walk - wander from gallery to gallery, take in the art and culture, and enjoy the new dining and entertainment options in our revitalized downtown.

Visit www.redwoodcityartwalk.com for more information. This event is sponsored by The Redevelopment Agency of Redwood City.

"Are You Ready?" is a quick and informative introduction to disaster preparedness. It's perfect for individuals, families, or groups that don't currently have the time to attend our more-intensive Community

Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, and it provides the basics of how to survive after a major emergency. The Redwood City Fire Department provides the training materials and instructors, you provide the interest and enthusiasm!

This FREE one-to-two hour class covers the basics of what to do before, during, and after a major emergency. You will learn how to:

"Are You Ready?" is a great lead-in to our CERT training program - class size is limited, so sign up for an upcoming session now!

Redwood City’s emergency high-speed telephone notification system, CodeRED, lets the City deliver pre-recorded emergency telephone notification messages to targeted areas or the entire City at a rate of up to 60,000 calls per hour. Its database of phone numbers is significant, but many people would benefit from including their cell phone, work phone (even if out of the area), or other alternate number. By doing so, they are sure to be called when a CodeRED alert is activated in the area of their home or business.

Members of the community are encouraged to go online to update their information or add an alternate phone number to ensure timely notification.

During a CodeRED alert, both the primary and alternate number will be called. This service is available to all Redwood City addresses, as well as those outside the City limits in the North Fair Oaks, Emerald Hills, or other unincorporated areas directly adjacent to Redwood City.

The average American generates about 15,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year from personal transportation, home energy use and from the energy used to produce all of the products and services we consume.

Reducing that output is a good thing, for today and for the generations of tomorrow. Here are 10 easy things you and your family can do right now:

1. Change a Light
Replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

2. Drive Less
Walk, bike, carpool, or take mass transit more often. You'll save one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you don't drive.

3. Recycle More
You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of your household waste.

4. Check Your Tires
Keeping your tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

5. Use Less Hot Water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Use less hot water by installing a low-flow showerhead (reducing carbon dioxide output by 350 pounds per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (reducing carbon dioxide output by 500 pounds per year). Go to our water conservation web page for many water-saving ideas!

6. Avoid Products With a Lot of Packaging
You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%

7. Adjust Your Thermostat
Moving your thermostat down just 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer saves about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

8. Plant a Tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.

9. Turn off electronic devices
Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you're not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide per year.