SANDZONE FOR KIDS This weekend is the last chance for your kids to enjoy the one-week popup Sand Zone that Habitot created by transforming a 3,600 square foot parking lot at Adeline and Alcatraz in Berkeley into a giant sandbox to promote active play for children of all ages. Habitot received a $32,000 grant to create the play area from the 50 Fund — the legacy fund of the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee NFL Foundation and KaBoom! SandZone is open 10am-6pm, and on Friday from 10am-8pm. The 48’ x 48’ pop-up play zone features 1,152 cubic feet of sand, 6” deep, with rain protection. Caribbean and Filipino food trucks will sell food throughout the week, and each day is themed with Friday being “Luau Party,” Saturday is “Treasure Island,” and Sunday is”Sand Castles.” Once it’s over, Habitot will distribute the SandZone materials to low-income preschools in the East Bay. SandZone is free and open to the public. Families may register at: sandzone.eventbrite.com
VIEW THE FLORILEGIUM Every visit to the UC Botanical Garden, with its plants from all over the world, is a delight. Right now is particularly nice time to visit since there is an exhibit of 70 botanical paintings and drawings by the Northern California Society of Botanical Artists (NCSBA). The artists have collaborated with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the Garden Conservancy to create a florilegium, a series of botanical paintings, to document the plants on Alcatraz. There are a number of lectures associated with the exhibit too. The drawings are on display at the Julia Morgan Hall until Jan. 29 and the exhibit is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
GET OUT OF THE RAIN AT THE LIBRARY It’s supposed to be a rainy weekend so what better place to spend time indoors than the Berkeley Public Library? On any given day there are events. This Saturday, there are things to entertain the entire family. There is Family Story Time at 10:30 a.m. at the Central Branch, Saturday Morning Meditation at 10:30 a.m. at the North Branch, Saturday Morning Yoga at 11 a.m. at the Central Branch and The Knitting Hour at Central at 3:15 p.m. See complete list of events here.
A SHOW FEATURING DOGS IN PERIL Lisa Rothman specializes in monologues and her Date Night at Pet Emergency, now playing at The Marsh, is all about children, parenting, sick dogs and the impact an unexpected trip to the vet will have on a tired couple’s finances. “Rothman leaves her viewers not only amused, but thinking deeply about what it really takes to be successfully married,” according to the San Francisco Examiner. The show has been so popular that it was extended this week a second time and will now play on Saturdays at 5 p.m. until March 26. The Marsh is at 2120 Allston Way. Tickets are $20 – $100.
COOL JAZZ COMES TO BERKELEY An all-star lineup of musicians who are part of the revered Monterey Jazz Festival will be making music Sunday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall as part of Cal Performances. Festival veterans New Orleans trumpeter Terence Blanchard, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, and vocalist Patti Austin join forces with the next-generation rhythm section of pianist Gerald Clayton, bassist Joe Sanders, and Berkeley High alum Justin Brown on drums, who have both passed through Monterey’s prestigious education program and gone on to stellar careers. Tickets are $24-$64 and can be purchased by calling 510-642-9988, or by emailing tickets@calperformances.org.
Don’t miss these other events previously featured on Berkeleyside:
Roger Glenn, the world’s most interesting man
Big Screen Berkeley: Aferim! is highly recommended
To find out what is going on in Berkeley and nearby, be sure to check out Berkeleyside’s Events Calendar. And submit your own events: it’s self-serve and free.
