Coming Up: Guys and Dolls Jr. and Bring it On at Hillbarn

This weekend, see Guys and Dolls, Jr., and the next weekend, see Bring it On. These full scale musicals are a result of Hillbarn Theatre Conservatory summer program, with four weeks of intense rehearsals and a cast of more than 30 kids ages 11-13

Here's the plot of Guys and Dolls: Gambler Nathan Detroit, tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck; meanwhile, his girlfriend and nightclub performer, Adelaide, laments that they’ve been engaged for fourteen years. Nathan turns to a fellow gambler, Sky Masterson, for the money, and Sky ends up chasing the straight-laced missionary, Sarah Brown, as a result. From Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, into the sewers of New York City, eventually, everyone ends up right where they belong. This is one of the most revived musicals of all time, an oddball romantic comedy

Here's the plot of Bring It On:  Bitingly relevant, sprinkled with sass and inspired by the hit film, Bring It On: The Musical takes audiences on a high-flying journey filled with the complexities of friendship, jealousy, betrayal and forgiveness. Campbell is cheer-royalty at Truman High School and her senior year should prove the most important of her life – she's been named captain of the squad! But an unexpected redistricting has forced her to spend her final year of high school at the neighboring Jackson High School, where none of the rules seem the same. Despite having the deck stacked against her, Campbell befriends the dance crew girls and, along with their headstrong and hardworking leader, Danielle, manages to form a powerhouse cheer squad for the ultimate competition – the National Championships. With a heart-felt story and insane stunts, this is sure to be a show you don’t want to miss! In August, they perform Bring it On

When:
Guys and Dolls - July 27-28 at 7 pm and July 28 and 29 at 2 pm
Bring it On - August 3-4 at 7 pm and August 4 and 5 at 2 pm

Where: Hillbarn Theatre Conservatory, 1285 E. Hillsdale Blvd, Foster City

Tickets: Hillbarn Conservatory tickets online or via phone, (650) 349-6411 ext. 2

Coming Up: CuriOdyssey - Bots and Bugs

Interact with robotic creations built by kids and professionals, make and wear technology-inspired art, meet living insects and learn how bugs influence imagination and innovation. Meet the Beetlelady, Dr. Stephanie Dole, and her insects. Meet the students involved with FIRST and take their robots for a drive. See Starship’s delivery robot rove around the zoo. Create a TechInsect from computer parts with the Museum of Craft and Design. Try on Giant Cardboard Robot arms. Learn about a bug you draw from a Customer X robot, or about augmented reality and 3D bugs. Be enchanted by Paul-Lous Agenau’s delightful, dancing teapot robot. Experience CuriOdyssey’s exciting combination of science and wildlife that is unique in the Bay Area.

What: Amazing “Bots and Bugs event
Where: CuriOdyssey
When: April 7-8, 10-3; opening night April 6, 5-8pm

Aero Design Challenge at Hiller - Free Program

There are a few spots left for the final public session of the Aero Design Challenge. This is an annual event providing middle school students with opportunities to experience the engineering process with hands-on. They'll be challenged to design, build, test and improve a catapult-launched glider in an attempt to set a new distance record.

The challenges starts with a series of experiences on the theme of gliding flight, including wind tunnel tests, observations of real gliders and sailplanes, and flight simulation. Participants then work in small teams to construct and test a glider before competing their design against other teams. Aero Design Challenge is available at no charge to participants, thanks to sponsors Peaxy and SAP.

It's a 3-hour program open to grades 5-12. Engineers Week is a 1.5-hour experience for Grades 4-8. During each program, students will explore various stations throughout the Hiller Aviation Museum with their teachers, parents or chaperones while completing a design challenge. A parent, teacher or adult chaperone must accompany participants at all times while visiting the museum.

Registration is required.  Individuals or small groups can register through this link. If you have a group of 12 or more, reaching out to Hiller directly.

Hiller Aviation Museum is in San Carlos.

Coming Up: IlluminOdyssey – A Winter Light Experience for Kids

Electrify your child’s imagination at CuriOdyssey’s spectacular light exhibition. Be amazed and transfixed by fascinating works of interactive luminosity and kid-friendly, glowing art, at IlluminOdyssey – A Winter Light Experience for Kids.

When: November 10, 2017 - January 7, 2018 (open late November 10, December 1, January 5 until 8 p.m.)

Where: CuriOdyssey - 1651 Coyote Point Drive, San Mateo

Cost: Exhibition is free with admission. 

Coming Up: Open House for the San Mateo Country Crime Lab

Have you ever wanted to check out a crime lab? The San Mateo County Crime Lab opens for tours for two days! They decorate for Halloween and in costumes. You'll see different parts of the labs and talk with criminologists. This is a great opportunity to meet them and ask them questions about their jobs and how they got there.

WHAT: San Mateo County Crime Lab Open House

WHEN: Thursday, October 26th and Friday, October 27th from 2 - 6
Tours start every 10 minutes. No sign-up necessary.

WHERE: 50 Tower Road San Mateo

Info: Robin Foucrault at (650) 312-5307 or ​RKFoucrault@smcgov.org

Focus Group: $200+ in San Bruno

Probe Market Research is looking for families (same household) to do an opinion study in San Bruno.

Here's what they need: "We have an opinion study taking place in San Bruno on 5/24/2017 from 5:45pm - 8pm. We are looking for families in the same household to come to our facility in San Bruno. Pay is $200 for the first 2 members of the household, $25 per additional child and $50 per additional adult member of the household (extended family living with the family - like grandparent, etc.) We will also provide a pizza dinner for the entire family. If interested, please fill out the pre-survey."

Coming Up: Free Family Concerts - SF Chamber Orchestra

Travel back in time with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra to say hello to Mr. Bach and Mr. Mozart, two famous composers from the music history books. Then, head back to 2017 and meet a soon-to-be-famous composer of today—UC Davis professor of composition Laurie San Martin! Actor/clown Tristan Cunningham brings Bach and Mozart to life in this Family Concert, which also features our three young Debut Artists.

Here's where the free family concerts are:

January 21 - 2 p.m. at the Noe Valley Ministry (1021 Sanchez St, San Francisco). Doors open at 1:30 (general admission, first-come first-served).

January 22 - 12 noon at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (388 9th St (Suite 290), Oakland). Doors open at 11:30 (general admission, first-come first-served).

January 22 - 3:30 p.m. at Hillsdale High School Theatre (3115 Del Monte St, San Mateo). Doors open at 3:00 (general admission, first come first-served)

Coming Up: Improv Night for Kids

Do your kids like improv? Drop them off for an improv workshop which will introduce it to them. Students are introduced to the basics of improvisation through games and exercises in a fun and friendly atmosphere. No prior experience necessary - watch or actively participate in improv games! Maximum of 15 students, so register soon.

Pizza, snacks and drinks are provided.
Ages: 8-18
When: Friday, November 18th from 5:30-7:30 pm (parent pickup at 8 pm)
Cost: $12 online/$15 at the door
Where: Hillbarn Theater in Foster City

Coming Up: Hamlet for Kids

Kind of like a Cliff's Notes for kids, take the kiddosto see Hamlet from Shakespeare on Tour, tonight. The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival's touring troupe is doing an abridged version, where you'll see this tale of a prince whose royal family is disrupted by revenge and corruption. There's swordplay and word play, plus "to be or not to be" that may sound familiar to you and the kids. It's recommended for elementary and middle school age kids.

When: Thursday, January 28, 7-8:15 p.m.
Where: Foster City Library, 1000 E. Hillsdale Blvd.
Cost: free

What to do Columbus Day weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area

What to do on Columbus Day weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area? Here are some ideas:

-Check out Art SV/SF, an international contemporary and modern art fair at the San Mateo County Event Center October 8-11. They'll have more than 70 international art galleries and artists, and the fair is for all ages. There's a Kids' Center, a supervised playroom on-site for kids ages 3-13, where they'll be introduced to art and can participate in art explorations, games, puzzles and storytelling. High school/college and art students can attend panels and discussions about art (GoPro’s President Tony Bates will be on the Architecture, Art and Interior Design panel). It's a big fair, with more than 12,500 attendees, collectors and buyers last year, including George Lucas!

-Jack of All Trades Market, with 90+ local artists, collectors, makers and more, plus games, live music and workshops for all ages. It's at Historic Jack London Square in  Oakland on Saturday from 11 to 5. It's free and pet friendly.

Coming Up: Free Concert in Foster City Friday Night

This Friday, grab your picnic blankets and head to Leo Ryan Park in Foster City for a fun concert. You'll hear Rick Reynolds and his 37 piece orchestra play Broadway music. Bring a dinner, or buy from the food trucks. The concert runs from 6-8.

Coming up: Taiwanese Hand Puppet Fantasy - in Mandarin - Free

For the Mandarin speaking kids and parents in the crowd, come to the Taiwanese Hand Puppet Fantasy show this Sunday in Foster City. The Chiao Wan Jan Puppet Troupe from Taiwan's hand puppet fantasy show includes Chinese folklore. The troupe is made of students of Taipei Pingdeng Elementary School, touring the Bay Area this summer,

When: Sunday, August 16, at 2 p.m.
Where: Children's Room, Foster City Public Library
Cost: free

Bay Area Easter Events 2015

If you're looking for some fun things to do to celebrate Easter with the family in the San Francisco Bay Area, here's the place to start.

Please add your favorites in the comments section!

SAN FRANCISCO 
What: Spring Eggstravaganza (egg hunt, inflatables, carnival rides, entertainment, carnival rides, food for sale)
Where: Sharon Meadow at Golden Gate Park
When: Saturday, April 4, 2015 from 11-3 Cost: $8/person

What: Union Street Easter Parade (and festival with face painting, climbing wall, activities, characters)
Where: Union Street in Cow Hollow, San Francisco
When: April 5, 2015 from 10-5, parade at 2
Cost: Free

Coming Up: San Francisco Flower and Garden Show - in San Mateo

If you love gardening and flowers, you might already know about the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show. It's happening now, through this Sunday. This is the 30th annual event - and it's at the San Mateo County Event Center.

What will you find? 
-gardens
-flowers
-interactive kids features in the Pollinator Pavilion 
-hands-on floral arrangement workshops and botanic photography (extra fee)
-plants for sale
-how-to and other seminars on five stages, on things like backyard beekeeping, growing your own food, composting, creating plant dyes and more.

When: now through Sunday, March 22
Where: San Mateo County Event Center, 1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo
Tickets: starting at $22 here

Coming Up: Storytelling in Music with Joel Ben Izzy - free

The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra is back with a fabulous FREE program for families: Storytelling in Music, with Joel ben Izzy.

This Bay Area storyteller has some tales to share, accompanied by music provided by the SFCO. This program features a reprise of last season’s Main Stage hit Luck or Wisdom?, a folktale paired with an energetic klezmer-style score by Stephen Saxon.

When/Where: Venue info here.
Saturday, November 22 at 2 p.m. - San Francisco Calvary Presbyterian Church
Sunday, November 23 at noon - Oakland Oakland Asian Cultural Center
Sunday, November 23 at 3:30 - San Mateo College of San Mateo Theatre

Coming Up: Willy Wonka performance

See the Pied Piper Players musical, based on the book Charlie and The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. This timeless story of the world-famous candy man and his quest to find an heir comes to life in this stage adaptation of “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory,” which features the songs from the classic family film “Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory.”

When: November 14–23 (various times/dates)
Where: Bayside Performing Arts Center, 2025 Kehoe Avenue, San Mateo
Tickets: Get them here. $18/adult; $13/senior or child (plus $1 ticketing fee).

Halloween at the Bay Area Shopping Malls 2014

We already published a piece on various Halloween happenings around the Bay Area. Here is a separate post for Halloween happenings at Bay Area malls.

DALY CITY

HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR AT SERRAMONTE 
What: Parade and costume costume for kids 12 and under
When: Friday, October 31 3-5:30
Where: Serramonte Center, Daly City
Cost: free
More info: here


SAN MATEO

Halloween Happenings 2014 in the Bay Area

Halloween is coming up. And if your kids are anything like mine, they've been talking about it since school began. Here's a list of activities to consider (we'll have a separate post on Halloween at the malls). Please add your favorites to the list!

SAN FRANCISCO 

SUPERNATURAL HALLOWEEN PARTY 2014 
What: Celebrate with the creepy-crawlies, including trick-or-treating, face painting, dancing, jugglers, aerial acrobats, costume parade, crafts, magicians, live music, animal shows, giant pumpkin carving demonstrations, planetarium show, food and drinks and more. Come in costume and get a reusable trick-or-treat bag!
Where: California Academy of Sciences, SF
When: Friday 10/24 from 5-9 p.m.
Who: everyone
Cost: adults $50, kids 17 and under $35. Kids one and younger are free. And anything over $30 is tax-deductible

Coming Up: Lift Off Festival - CuriOdyssey

CuriOdyssey is hosting it's first Lift Off Festival on Saturday, October 4, where families can see firing rockets, flying discs, floating bubbles, soaring falcons, and other things that go up in the air.

View demonstrations of “lift” by the San Jose Spiders Ultimate (Frisbee) Team, Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company (ribbon dancing), and Rebels Elite cheer team. You can also see new CuriOdysssey exhibits, including a Pneumatic Ball Launcher, which allows visitors to explore air pressure by launching a ping-pong ball high into the air. And also their massive pinwheel installation of more than 100 weather vanes, that highlights the chaotic wind patterns present on the San Francisco Bay.

What: Lift Off Festival
Where: CuriOdyssey - 1651 Coyote Point Drive, San Mateo
When: Saturday, October 4 from 10-5
Cost: Free with admission ($9/adult, $6/kids 2-12, $7/kids 13-17 and seniors

Coming Up: Author Rick Riordan Talk in Redwood City

Are your kids obsessed with Rick Riordan books? Mine is. Not sure who he is? Ever heard of Percy Jackson? Yeah, I thought you had!

Rick Riordan will be talking about The Blood of Olympus, the finale in his Heroes of Olympus series. He'll answer questions as well. You can hear the talk, and buy copies of his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, as well as the Kane Chronicles series, that night, but he will not be signing books, so don't drag them in. It's sponsored by Kepler's Books.

When: October 15 at 7 p.m.
Where: Fox Theater in Redwood City
More info: here
Tickets: here or at Kepler's. Tickets are $15 for the talk, or $30 for the talk and a pre-signed copy of Blood of the Olympians.