PET & SIP: DATE NIGHT TO HELP BERKELEY HUMANE Who doesn’t want to help adorable pets in need? Berkeley Humane is throwing a special Date Night evening fundraiser hosted by the Hotsy Totsy Club to help save the lives of shelter animals. Even though we can’t be together to sip drinks, you’ll learn the tricks of the trade from skilled bartenders via Zoom. These mixology experts will help you craft your own concoctions made with ingredients you have in your pantry. After you’ve taken a few sips, you’ll be wowed with a fashion show by Humane Society friends, Bulldog and Bourbon. Tasty drinks and cute pets? Count me in. Saturday, June 13. 8-9 pm. $25.
COOKING IN PLACE With dine-in restaurants closed, you’ve probably found yourself cooking at home a lot more. But after nearly three months of SIP, you might be fresh out of ideas. No need to dust off your old cookbooks; you can take some virtual cooking classes to reinvigorate your menu. At Kitchen on Fire, a cooking school with locations in Berkeley and Oakland, you can take virtual private and group cooking classes. You can learn how to make California vegan and vegetarian fare, Moroccan food, Paella and French cuisine. You can even take a class that gives guidance on cooking with your kids. Put on your apron, tune in, and cook creatively. Classes start at $45.
FREIGHT AT HOME Need to take the edge off with some acoustic tunes? Freight and Salvage’s performance series, Freight at Home, offers free live-streamed shows by local and international artists. This week, singer, songwriter, and pianist Vienna Teng will entertain the digital world with her music while playing from Boulder, Colorado. The following week on June 20, banjoist and songwriter Tony Trischka will enthrall audiences with his beautiful instrumentals. Freight at Home hosts performances every Saturday, so remember to check in to see what’s next. Sit back, relax, and soak in the tunes. Free. June 13 and June 20 at 5 pm.
ACT OUT AT HOME Coronavirus precautions have hit all of us hard, but performing artists have been particularly impacted. The artists from Play at Home, however, have found a creative solution to keep the magic of theater alive while we’re stuck at home. On their website, you can download scripts from plays written by local and national artists, including those from Berkeley Repertory Theater, and act them out in the comfort of your own home. You’ll be given the number of cast members in your play so you can fly solo, enlist your kids, or work with friends through social distancing or video chat to make a production. What a fun way to work your imagination.
TELEGRAPH APP Berkeley’s Telegraph Avenue certainly has a storied past and present and you can learn about its history in a free app that you can download. You can embark on a fully digital tour at home or walk outside on Telegraph Avenue to see the historic attractions while social distancing. The app provides audio interviews, historic photos, and a functional GPS-enabled map that can help you navigate around the street. The interactive tour will introduce you to the avenue’s role in the Free Speech Movement, the riots at People’s Park, the civil rights shop-ins at Lucky’s Supermarket, milestones in the disability rights movement, and the establishment of historic bookstores and restaurants. It’s always a good time to learn about your local history.
