There will be a Bingo Night fundraiser on April 3 to help provide scholarships for graduating Nipomo High School seniors. Numbers will be called shortly after 6:30 p.m., at Olympic Hall on the NHS
campus, 525 S. Thompson. This first annual event is sponsored by Nipomo Kiwanis and NHS Key Club, a parent-student group dedicated to promoting student leadership. Bingo winners will receive prizes worth $20 and upward — including gift cards from local merchants and national outlets. Desserts — homemade and locally-sourced — will be offered during a break in bingo play. Come for the desserts and play the second-half. Tickets are $10 (extra cards $2). Groups and bus/tour groups welcome. Additional information for tables and reservations: (805) 929-1288.
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Master quilter and former Morro Bay Mayor, Cathy Novak, will give a demonstration on “Barn Quilts,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 16 at the Moro Grange Hall, 1340 Atascadero Rd., Morro Bay. Potluck supper at 6:30; bring a dish to share. Barn quilts are painted quilt squares-usually fashioned on boards and then mounted on a barn or other building. While cloth quilts are usually made up of a series of squares of the same pattern placed together, a barn quilt is almost always a single square. See: www.barnquiltinfo.com.
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ECOSLO has several events, hikes and volunteer trail workdays scheduled for April 2015. Email to: for more information.
• Montana de Oro beach clean up, 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, April 25 at the Sandspit with the California Coastal Commission, Morro Bay Beautiful, and Surfrider Foundation of SLO. In addition to removing litter from the Sandspit, they will be collecting data to support the Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris Program. Meet at the Sandspit Day Use Area parking lot for orientation and supplies. Bring a reusable water bottle, gardening gloves, and buckets or reusable bags.
• SLO County Workday 9-noon Saturday, April 18 at Lopez Lake. Bring water and wear long pants and sturdy shoes. Supplies provided. Meet at the marina and volunteers will get to use the lake that day for free.
• Natural San Luis docent hikes 9 a.m. April 11, 12 and 25. Bring water and wear sturdy shoes. April 11 is Terrace Hill, meet at Bishop Street Trailhead; April 12 is Reservoir Canyon, meet at the trailhead; and the 25th is Johnson ranch. Meet at trailhead.
• SLO Steward Trail Workdays 9-noon April 11 and 25. Wear long pants and sturdy shoes. Water and snacks will be provided. April 11 Froom Ranch Trail, meet in Home Depot parking lot; April 25, Bowden Ranch, meet at trailhead at end of Lizzie Street.
• SLO City Parks Ranger-led Hike 1 p.m. Sunday, April 19, Froom Ranch Trail. Events are free and duration varies. Bring water and wear sturdy shoes. Meet at the Home Depot parking lot.
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Morro Bay Association of University Women members Janet Bryant, Betty Reid and Kathie Lenski, recently won the club’s hat contest for the most creative hats to be worn for the club’s upcoming annual garden tour fundraiser set for Sunday, April 26. Tickets are available at Coalesce Bookstore, Volumes of Pleasure Bookshop and Sage Nursery in Los Osos, and Farm Supply in SLO. For more information, see: www.morrobayaauw.org or call 748-4731.
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The Los Osos Library has special events coming up in April, sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Events are free unless noted.
• Make ‘n’ Take is a new art activity or creative project for children 5-older. This month they will make recycled bird feeders. Set for 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 15.
• Family Film Night is at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 18. This month see an Earth Day-themed Dr. Seuss movie. Popcorn provided Film rated PG, call 528-1862 for title.
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Sheriff Ian Parkinson will host a series of town hall meetings with residents to discuss public safety in your town. He’ll be in Avila Beach from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 28 at the Community Center, 191 San Miguel St. And from 6-8 p.m. Monday, May 11 he’ll be in Los Osos at the South Bay Community Center, 2180 Palisades Ave.
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California State Parks Foundation’s 17th Annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup, sponsored by Pacific Gas and Electric, is set for Saturday, April 18 at state parks across California. PG&E employees will gather at 11 parks to work and the event is hoping to find some 2,000 volunteers to come out and help with environmental projects.
PG&E gave a $200,000 grant to the State Parks Foundation for supplies and materials to complete 12 Earth Day projects in Northern and Central California.
Project sites in San Luis Obispo County are at Hearst San Simeon State Park. Check-in at 8:30 a.m. and work from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. They will be doing some light construction and landscaping projects at the Coastal Discovery Center by the San Simeon Pier.
And in Montaña de Oro, they’ll work on cleaning up the Islay Creek Campground, 3550 Pecho Valley Rd. They will be doing some fencing work and landscaping. Volunteers check in at 8:30 and work from 9-1.
To volunteer on Earth Day, see: www.calparks.org/earthday or call 1-888-98-PARKS. Space is limited, so advance registration is required. Parking fees are waived for Earth Day volunteers. For more information about the California State Parks Foundation, see: www.calparks.org.
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Morro Bay in Bloom has been working on the landscaping at the recently re-opened, Morro Bay Library, and has a couple of other projects upcoming. On Saturday, April 4, the Bloomies will be at Centennial Stairway (end of Morro Bay Blvd.) working on the landscaping on the bluff down to the Embarcadero from 9-11 a.m. And on Saturday, April 11 during the Annual Citywide Yard Sale Weekend, they will have the “largest driveway succulent sale ever” at 3020 Beachcomber Dr. Proceeds support the group’s many local beautification efforts.
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Cambria Historical Museum, 2251 Center St., at Burton Drive in Cambria is hosting the “Ridiculously Affordable Art Sale,” from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 11, with proceeds benefiting the efforts to build pickleball courts in Cambria. More than 200 art pieces for sale, donated by local artists and including framed and unframed watercolors, acrylics, collages, limited edition prints, and photography. There will be hot dogs, popcorn and Frito chili pies for sale too.
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The “Access for All Benefit Dinner and Award Ceremony” honoring this year’s Paul Wolff Accessibility Advocacy Award recipients is set for 6 p.m. Saturday, May 9 at the Chumash Auditorium at Cal Poly. Advanced tickets are $50 a person and $60 after April 10, and can be purchased online at: www.cfsloco.org. Entertainment will be provided by Swing for Joy, and there will be a reading by SLO County Poet Laureate, Marguerite Costigan. For more information or to donate to any fund, visit The Community Foundation’s website or call 543-2323. Now in its 14th year, the Wolfe Awards recognize an individual, an organization, and a business in San Luis Obispo County for “significant contributions toward breaking down physical, attitudinal, and informational barriers for those with disabilities. These awards honor them for their exemplary contributions of time, energy, and talent.”
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It’s time for the 31st Annual Idler’s Home Appliance’s “Mom & Apple Pie Contest,” with signups ongoing now, online at: idlershome.com/momandapplepie, in person at Idler’s stores in SLO and Paso Robles, or the SLO Sleep Center. Preliminary rounds set for Saturday, April 11 at the SLO Idler’s store and April 18 at the Paso Robles store. Top six from each pre-lim will have a bake-off Saturday, May 2 at the SLO Home Show at the Madonna Expo Center. Grand prize is a new Kitchen Aid stainless steel range. Kitchen Aid appliances go to other winners: second place gets a stand-up mixer, third a new microwave, and nine others get a hand mixer.
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The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, located in El Chorro Regional Park on Hwy 1, is holding some special events in April.
• Saturday, April 11, 9-11 a.m., Audubon bird walk through gentle terrain learning how to identify resident and migrating birds. Bring binoculars. Walk is $5 for Garden members/ and $10 for non-members. More info at: slobg.org/bird
• Sunday, April 19 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 25th Annual Earth Day Festival at El Chorro Park and SLO Botanical Garden. Enjoy live music, displays, kid-zone, great food and beverages at this fun and free event. Special kids’ activities will take place in the Children’s Garden from noon-3 p.m., including planting and crafting. See: earthdayalliance.com or slobg.org/earthday for more on the event.
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Art Central Gallery, 1329 Monterey St., SLO is showing a new art exhibit, “Macro — Magnifying Your World,” set to run now through April 30. A free artists’ reception is set for 6-8 p.m. Friday, April 3 during Art After Dark. Free and open to the public. Shown in the photo is Cheryl Strahl’s “Ice Patterns Yosemite.”
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Friends of the Los Osos Library will hold a used book sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 11 in the library parking lot, 2075 Palisades Ave., Los Osos. There will be books, tapes, CDs and DVDs for sale. From 1-2 p.m. it’s a “Buck-a-Bag” sale. Bring a paper grocery bag and fill it for $1.
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The San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury is now live on Twitter. Follow the antics @SLOGrandJury.
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American Cancer Society Bark For Life, a Canine Event to Fight Cancer will take place Sunday, April 19 in the parking lot between STAX Wine Bar and Giovanni’s Fish Market on Morro Bay’s Embarcadero. Giovanni Degarimore graciously donated his property for this fund-raiser event. Companion animals stand by us through all of life’s difficulties, so they will be honored at this event, which raises money for cancer research for humans and animals. Bring your dog and $15 to register for the event and help honor our pets, friends and family members who have died of cancer and those who are still fighting it. Registration at 1 p.m. with opening ceremonies at 1:30, followed by activities, prizes, and a walk down the Em-BARK-a-dero until 4 p.m. All dogs must be on a leash. For more information see: relay.acsevents.org or email Natalie Riloquio at: or call 473-1748.
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Glenn Burdette has extended its deadline to April 15 for high school seniors to apply for the firm’s 50th Anniversary scholarship. Glenn Burdette, the certified public accounting firm on the Central Coast, will fund $15,000 in scholarships for high school seniors. Requirements include a “50 Reasons Why Accountants Are Awesome” essay, and the student plans to attend a 4-year university and pursue a degree in accounting or related field; must have 3.0 GPA or higher; must include school’s generic scholarship application; and, student must include a cover letter explaining why they should be chosen. For scholarship details, see: www.glennburdette.com/scholarship.
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Congregation Beth David is hosting Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, and featuring speaker, Eva Nathanson, one of the youngest child survivors of the Holocaust who’s still alive. The event will have music memorializing the Holocaust. “The Death Tangoes,” will be performed by area musicians. A candle-light ceremony and liturgies with readings by Rabbis Linda Bertenthal and Janice Mehring will also be held. Congregation Beth David is at 10180 Los Osos Valley Rd., SLO.
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The Cayucos Book Group meets from noon-1 p.m. the second Friday of every month (April 10) at the Cayucos Library. Join other enthusiastic book readers to discuss whatever you’re reading and to discover, ponder, and share insights about what others are reading. The Library is at 310 B S. For more information call 995-3846.
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Hope Family Wines of Paso Robles is partnering with Transitional Food & Shelter, Inc., for the organization’s annual fundraiser, “Sunday Supper,” set for 3-6 p.m. Sunday, April 26. Tickets are $100 a person and available now by emailing to: Katie Kan at . The supper features chefs Tom Fundaro, Chris Kobayashi and Whitnie Burke preparing a 4-course family-style dinner served alongside hand-picked selections from Hope Family Wines. Live music with Nick Brittan and an auction to benefit Traditional Food & Shelter, Inc. The Treana & Hope Family Wines tasting center is located at 1585 Live Oak Rd. in the eastern Paso Robles wine country, see: www.hopefamilywines.com and www.nowheretogo.com for information on Transitions.
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The Literacy Council of San Luis Obispo County needs volunteer tutors and two tutor training seminars are coming up. The Literacy Council plans volunteer training sessions from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, April 25 and May 2 at the San Luis Obispo City/County Library, 995 Palm St., in SLO. Cost is $25. Call 541-4219 for information about the events. See: www.sloliteracy.org for more information.
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Steynberg Gallery, 1531 Monterey St., SLO, hosts the paintings and shadowboxes of local artist Lena Rushing from April 3-30 in a solo show entitled, “Methods of Madness.” There’s an artist reception from 6-9 p.m. Friday, April 3, during Art After Dark. Email Rushing at: for more information.
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The Cayucos Visitors Center & History Museum needs volunteer docents to join their friendly, knowledgeable staff. Visitor Center is looking for volunteers are of all ages who know and love Cayucos and want to share their experience with visitors. Spring and summer are just around the corner. Bring your interest and enthusiasm and they’ll provide training and support! Call 995-1200 for details and ask for Jan. Or email to: .
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A fundraising dinner will be held April 12 at The Market restaurant in Santa Maria featuring TV actor William Brown and producer Ramon Hamilton, whose Think Ten Media is producing “The wHOLE.” The show is a scripted web series that highlights solitary confinement and mass incarceration in the U.S. Brown plays Marcus Williams, who has been in prison for seven years for bank robbery, and is currently in isolation. He has a teenage son, whom he has not seen since he went up the river. Brown will speak about his journey from prison actor to TV star. He began acting in the Arts in Corrections Program at the California Men’s Colony, managed by Deborah Tobola, who retired in 2008 and founded the Poetic Justice Project. Brown, who was paroled shortly after her retirement, joined California’s only theatre company of former inmate actors. “The wHOLE,” based on a true story, launched on the web on March 23 (See; www.thewholeseries.com). The fundraising dinner at The Market begins at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 and includes tax and tip for beef, chicken or vegetarian. The Market restaurant is at 345 Town Center East, inside the shopping center. Seating is limited to 60 guests. To reserve a dinner ticket, call Brown Paper Tickets, 1-800-838-3006 by April 10.
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Gallery at the Network, 778 Higuera St, Ste. B presents “The Landscape Connection,” a show featuring oil paintings by Laurel Sherrie and Peggy Turk, now through May 31. There’s a free artists’ reception from 6-9 p.m. Friday, April 3 during Art After Dark. Refreshments will be served. Turk and Sherrie both have shown extensively in the Central Coast and are active members of San Luis Outdoor Painters for the Environment (S.L.O.P.E). See: www.laurelsherrie.com and www.peggyturkart.com for more on the featured artists.