Planning and design were a collaboration of the community, the office of county Supervisor John Gioia, the county Redevelopment Agency and the North Richmond Municipal Advisory Council and the work was funded by the agency, park dedication funds and the area landscape and lighting assessment district.
The project was overseen by the county Public Works Department.
n Shawn’s Birthday Barbecue, a free celebration in Rodeo, will have free food, door prizes, face painting, raffles, activities and more from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Lefty Gomez Field, 470 Parker Ave. The annual event is thrown by Shawn Giese, who grew up in Rodeo and is now reach out director at Valley Bible Church in Hercules.
n The annual Town Wide Yard and Downtown Plaza Sale in Crockett is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Maps of participating locations will be on sale for $1 and the John Swett Education Foundation is hoping to bring in some donations that day to help ease the budget crunch created when the Measure A parcel tax failed to pass.
The foundation will have a booth at the corner of Pomona and Second where volunteers will accept donations large and small (though amounts approaching the $60 that would have been assessed of homeowners) and will be selling lemonade and cards good for discounts at local restaurants and businesses.
They will also be available to answer questions about the failed tax measure and the consequences. All proceeds will go to the school district.
n The 1951 film “The African Queen,” starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, is ranked No. 17 on the American Film Institute ranking of greatest American movies and was the only role to earn Bogie an Academy Award.
The film will be on the big screen in all its Technicolor glory for one showing at 7:15 p.m. Thursday at the Rialto Cinemas Cerrito, 10070 San Pablo Ave in El Cerrito.
All seats are $8 at the special screening is part of the Cerrito Classics series presented with the Friends of the Cerrito Theater.
“It is a true delight for people of all ages, and the African setting is stunning,” writes Linda Moss of the friends group. “I believe this was the first American movie ever to be shot on location there (and shooting took a heavy toll on the actors and the movie crew, in general).”
She also notes that the film has been withheld from public viewing in anticipation of the DVD release, making the big screen presentation even more of a treat. Details: http://bit.ly/jHJKIU.
n Theater group Ragged Wing Ensemble will begin a run of performances of “Open,” an original play “inspired by the tale of Bluebeard” and written and directed by Amy Sass, with a preview Thursday and the official debut Friday at the Central Stage, 5221 Central Ave. in Richmond.
Performances will be at 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through June 11. For tickets, details or directions call 800-838-3006 or visit raggedwing.org.
n A reception will be held 7 to 9 p.m. Friday for an exhibit of photographs by Dale Mead at El Cerrito City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Ave. The exhibit, “El Cerrito, City with a View — and other views” opened April 25 and runs through June 3.
Contact Chris Treadway at 510-262-2784 or ctreadway@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/christreadway. Stay up-to-date on West Contra Costa news at IBABuzz.com/westcounty.
