Cuesta College’s Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery is hosting the annual student juried art show, with an opening reception set for 4-7 p.m. Friday, April 17. Awards will be presented at 6 p.m. Free. The exhibition will run Mondays-Fridays, noon-4 p.m. through May 22. Cal Poly assistant professor of drawing, Sara Frantz, judged the submissions in ceramics, digital art, drawing, graphic design, mixed media, artist books, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture. For more information call Bea Anderson at 546-3936.
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The Annual Morro Bay AAUW Garden Tour is set for noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 26. Visit, tour and discover the hidden treasures in gardens in Morro Bay, Cayucos and Los Osos. Tickets are $10 for the self-guiding tour. Tickets may be purchased at Volumes of Pleasure Bookstore in Los Osos, Coalesce Bookstore in Morro Bay, Sage Nursery in Los Osos, and Farm Supply in San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande, and Paso Robles. Proceeds benefit AAUW’s community projects. For more information see: morrobayaauw.org or call (805) 748-4731.
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Mission College Prep Drama Club presents: Willy Wonka Jr. on April 24, 25, 26 and May 1, 2, 3. Tickets are $7 and $10. The school is located at 682 Palm Street in San Luis Obispo.
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The Estero Bay Republican Women’s Federated is holding a special evening meeting set for 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23 at the Outlook restaurant, located in the Morro Bay Golf Course clubhouse. Normally, the group is discussing politics but this meeting is purely social, with a chance for all interested men and women to share wine, appetizers and conversation on current events. Cost is $13 a person and reservations must be made by April 13. Call Gayle at 772-2841 or 903-3851.
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Join the 5 Cities Swim School, police department, and fire department for a barbecue and a day full of water safety and kids swimming from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, April 18. The little squirts (3 months to 3 years) will perform skills such as swimming underwater, going through hoops, and floating on their backs. This event is open to the public to watch and then swim from 2-3. The school is located at 425 Traffic Way in Arroyo Grande. They offer swimming lessons for ages 3 months to adults in a 90-degree indoor pool. Drowning is the leading cause of death of children 5-under and the 5 Cities Swim School wants to end that. They are raising money for scholarships for local families who cannot afford swim lessons. For more information, call the swim school at 481-6399.
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The Literacy Council of San Luis Obispo County will hold Volunteer Tutor Training from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 and Saturday, May 2 at the San Luis Obispo County Library, 995 Palm St., San Luis Obispo. They need tutors countywide, but most crucially in North and South Counties. To volunteer, visit www.sloliteracy.org. Cost is $25  For additional information, call 805-541-4219.
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Black Lake Golf Course on the Nipomo Mesa is hosting its first-ever free summer concert featuring country music artist, J.D. Hardy, in a night to honor military veterans from 5-8 p.m. Sunday, May 24. The outdoor show features Chef Andy Nelson’s barbecue tri-tip and more barbecue favorites, and a full service bar. Bring lawn chairs to sit on, no outside food or beverages allowed. Kids and dogs on a leash welcomed. They will have reserved seating for veterans, call (805) 343-1214 Ext. 400 to reserve a table. All WWII and Korean War vets will be able to sign up for an upcoming “Honor flight” to Washington, D.C. to tour the various war memorials and other Capitol sights. Blacklake Golf Resort is at 1490 Golf Course Ln., Nipomo. Call : 805.343.1214 or see: www.blacklake.com for more information.
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Cayucos Friends of the Library will host Edward Jones Cayucos financial advisor, Scot McManus, in a free talk on investment basics set for 4 p.m. Monday, April 20 at the Cayucos Library, 310 “B” St. Call 995-3312 for more information. Then at 2 p.m. Monday, April 27 Robert Brown of Rabobank will talk about basic banking and answer questions.
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The Central Coast Watercolor Society’s next meeting is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 28 at the United Methodist Church (Wesley Building), 1515 Fredericks St., SLO. Jerry Smith will have a slide show of paintings entered into CCWS’ Aquarius 2015 exhibition. Free and open to the public.
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The Clark Center for the Performing Arts will again hold an authentic Kentucky Derby Party at the Edward’s Barn in Nipomo at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 2. The afternoon will include Sweet Tea, Southern style appetizers and desserts, a no-host bar including Mint Juleps along with beer and wine, a Hat Contest, yard games and of course, Horse Racing! Place wagers for prizes on not only the Kentucky Derby but also live stick horse races. Tickets are $60 each and available at www.clarkcenter.org. Derby attire is optional. All proceeds benefit the Clark Center.
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All women are invited to a “Skirt Party,” an old fashioned dress-up house party and sale, sponsored by iLOVEmySkirt.com, set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 18 at 1801 Thelma Dr., off Prefumo Canyon Road, in San Luis Obispo. There will be over 100 silk “Sari” skirts from India in different lengths and colors to play dress up with. All young ladies and women are welcome and no purchase is necessary. Saris range in price from under-$20 to mostly around $20. No two are alike. They will have more fashions at the party to check out, including beaded summer bags, and beaded skirts. Lots of raffle prizes too. They will take a local check, credit cards and cash. Call Charmaine Picard at (805) 610-5822 for information.
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The Fifth Annual Morro Bay Emergency Vehicle Show is set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 18 in Downtown Morro Bay. Hosted by Neighborhood Watch and the City, the event will take over the core of Downtown — Main Street and Morro Bay Boulevard — with vintage police and fire department vehicles, military vehicles, modern emergency vehicles from the Sheriff’s and Cal Fire departments, harbor patrol PWC’s, displays and a lot more. Free admission. For more information see: www.mbpd.info.
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The National Estuary Program is hosting a poetry contest starting April 22 and kids and adults are able to enter. Part of the NEP’s 20th Anniversary, the Morro Bay Estuary Poetry Contest — A National Treasure in Words program, is asking kids and adults to write and enter free verse poems using the estuary ads the theme. Haikus — 3-line poems consisting of 17 syllables in a 5/7/5 pattern — will be accepted in the Estuarine Seventeen category, and free verse poems of no more than 45 lines will be accepted in the Free Flowing category. Writers may submit up to three poems total. Entries will be accepted by email from April 22 to May 15. One adult (age 18-older) and one youth (age 12-17) winner will be chosen in each category. A celebratory reading featuring the winners and runner ups will be held at Coalesce Bookstore, 845 Main St., Morro Bay, at 7 p.m. Friday, June 19. Before entering, read the complete guidelines at: www.mbnep.org. The judging panel includes poets and writers, Youssef Alaoui, Rob Seitz, Kevin Patrick Sullivan, and Rachel Pass. The NEP Office is upstairs at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero, Ste. 11, Morro Bay. Call (805) 772-3834 or see: www.mbnep.org.
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Cal Poly natural resources and environmental sciences lecturer, David Yun, will present a free talk, “Historic San Luis Obispo Shared Through GIS,” from 11 a.m. to noon Thursday, April 30 in the Kennedy Library, Rm. 111-C. According to Yun, who is also San Luis Obispo’s geographic information services supervisor, much historical information exists solely as paper documents, making the information difficult to access and use. He will discuss how the scanning of historic maps and documents using GIS tools has provided new ways to visualize and connect to information from the past. Yun will demonstrate online mapping and Web apps to find and view historic buildings, chart the growth over the decades, and compare side-by-side maps of SLO today with more than 100 years ago. Hosted by Cal Poly’s Data Studio. See: www.libguides.calpoly.edu/datastudio for more information.
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Cuesta College is offering two summer school sessions and more course sections than in years past, the school announced. Cuesta’s 6-week summer semester is from June 15 through July 23. Also beginning June 15 is the college’s 8-week summer program, ending Aug. 6. Classes are now posted at Cuesta’s Class Finder. Priority registration begins April 20 and general registration April 29. Students can register online at www.cuesta.edu/student/getstarted/register. Summer has more than 300 course sections for students to choose from, with classes at the SLO, Paso Robles and Arroyo Grande campuses. Day and evening courses available, plus online classes. Courses are $46 a unit. Cuesta is closed on Fridays during the summer semester. For more information see: www.cuesta.edu and click on “Summer Starts,” or call (805) 546-3140.
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The 13th Annual California Sculptors Symposium exhibition and art sale is set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 2 at Cambria’s Camp Ocean Pines. Check out and perhaps purchase works of art by the Symposium students, and attending art teachers, done over the run of the event, April 26-May 3. There’ll be a barbecue lunch for $15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event includes some fun things like an artists’ swap meet, drawing and sculpting classes, an art auction, and the Sculpture by the Sea sale. See: www.californiasculptorssymposium.org or call (805) 927-0254 for more information. Camp Ocean Pines is at 1473 Randall Dr., Cambria.
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The Morro Bay Friends of the Library’s Quarterly Book Sales are coming back with the completion of the library remodel project. The first sale is set for Saturday, May 16 at the Community Center, 1001 Kennedy Way. A pre-sale for Friends members starts at 9 a.m. with the public sale from 10-1 p.m. A bag sale is from 1-2 p.m. Bring a paper grocery bag and stuff it for just $3. They have great books of all types, in most every subject including children’s books, quilting and other crafts, history and literature, cars and current events, inspirational and birding books. Prices start at just 50-cents. Books are grouped by subject for easy browsing.
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Hungry school kids will again have a chance for a free lunch during summer vacation, after SESLOC FCU agreed to once again team up with the Food Bank Coalition in the “Lovin’ Lunchbox Program,” the company announced last week. SESLOC will be raising money to support the program that “steps in to help by providing children with breakfast, lunch and snacks over summer break,” reads a news release from SESLOC. During April, SESLOC members can donate money at any branch and SESLOC will match the first $2,500 in total donations. Last year, SESLOC and its members donated nearly $10,000, bring its 3-year total to more than $26,000. This year donations will also go toward the Food Bank’s new “Children’s Farmers’ Market” program at several Central Coast middle schools, where kids shop for fresh produce with “Food Bank dollars.” For more information about SESLOC, see: www.sesloc.org.
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A national expert on bullying and harassment will give a free speech entitled, “Bully Prevention: Promoting Healthy Behaviors and Positive School Climate” from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 30 at Cal Poly’s Chumash Auditorium. Dorothy L. Espelage, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, will discuss the pervasiveness of bullying and harassment in the U.S., exploring why such a culture has continued to grow and offering insights on what leads to bullying behaviors on university campuses. In addition, Espelage will outline her efforts to develop programs that reduce bullying and create safe spaces for children. The talk is free and open to the public. Espelage has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed articles and 25 book chapters on bullying. She is the associate editor of the Journal of Counseling Psychology and co-director of the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Justice. Espelage is one of 14 Edward William Gutgsell and Jane Marr Gutgsell endowed professors at the University of Illinois, and she is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in Prevention Science from the American Psychological Association.
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New works by local autistic artists celebrating “World Autism Awareness Day” will be on display at Seven Sisters Gallery, 601 Embarcadero, Ste. 8 in Morro Bay now through June 9. The show features local artist Kylie Swan, and Jason Cantu. The goal of the international “Art of Autism” movement is to bring public attention to the diversity, unique gifts, and extraordinary talent of the autistic population.
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In honor of California Native Plant Week, butterfly enthusiast Pat Brown will lead a nature walk through the Elfin Forest of Los Osos — from the point of view of a butterfly. She’ll lead to hangouts of Variable Checkerspot, Moro Blue, Swallowtails, Hairstreak and other butterflies that live in the Elfin Forest. Bring magnifying glass and close-focus binoculars. Meet at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 18 at the end of 15th Street off Santa Ysabel (16th for wheelchairs). Wear comfortable shoes, long sleeves and pants to avoid poison oak and mosquitoes. Park carefully, avoiding driveways and mailboxes. No pets. For more information call 528-0392.

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The 4th Annual Youth Activity Fair will be held at the South County Regional Center at 800 W. Branch St. in Arroyo Grande on April 26 from 1-4 p.m. Youth oriented program vendors will be available with demonstrations, activities and to take sign-ups for programs for summer and the next school year. These will include a wide range of activities from swimming to golf to scouting to tutoring.  One stop shopping for your children’s activities!
This event is co-hosted by the Arroyo Grande Recreation Department and admission is free. For additional information, call Chris Hagerty at 709-0966.