Menlo Park City Council Candidates Forum

A public forum for candidates for Menlo Park City Council will be held on Wednesday, September 29th at the Menlo Park City Council Chambers, 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park.  The evening event is co-sponsored by The League of Women Voters of South San Mateo County and the Chamber of Commerce.  The League and the Chamber of Commerce are nonpartisan and do not endorse any candidate for office; our goal is to help voters make an informed choice.  The forum will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m. and will end by 9:00 p.m.  The format will include time for each of the candidates to introduce themselves and make a brief statement, followed by moderated questions from the audience, and finally brief closing statements from each candidate.  Please join us for the candidate forum.

14th Annual Menlo Park Sidewalk Arts and Crafts Fall Fest

October 15-17, 2010 in Downtown Menlo Park

Menlo Park, Calif. — Menlo Park plays host to the 14^th Annual Sidewalk Fine Arts and Crafts Fall Fest Friday, October 15 through Sunday October 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This art-filled family event will give visitors the opportunity to browse and shop among the many one-of-a-kind creations perfect for home, office or gift giving displayed by a variety of talented artists.

Taking place along Santa Cruz Avenue off El Camino Real, the Sidewalk Arts and Crafts Fall Fest is free to the public and features an exciting array of original works perfect for holiday shopping by more than 90 artists and craft makers including paintings, jewelry, photography, unique wood sculptures, clothing, accessories, toys and much more. All of the artists will be on hand to visit with patrons while some will be demonstrating their craft during the show.

Among the artists presenting at this year’s show is Jocelyn Hastings of San Jose who creates soaps that are little works of art. Every handcrafted soap Jocelyn creates is made from natural ingredients and contains layers of soft pastel colors in an artful shape. The glycerin soaps are individually poured into vintage molds or specially designed soap molds. “Imagine a soap that looks good enough to eat,” she says. One of Jocelyn's unique lines has an old-fashioned dessert theme -- tarts, cakes, Jell-o and flans.

Beth Karpas of Mountain View makes huggable, one of a kind cloth dolls and puppets based on traditional folk and fairytale characters from around the globe.  Made of fine yarns and fabrics, the dolls and puppets are used for telling stories in a classroom, as gifts for young children, and gathered by collectors. Many of the dolls are reversible, such as a frog that turns over to reveal a prince, and a Cinderella that goes from rags to riches.

Yoshiko Nordin or Mountain View designs Kimono bags -- small bags made of silk, wool, and cotton. All of Yoshiko’s handmade creations incorporate a thoughtful combination of vintage Kimono and western fabrics adding to the character of each bag. Nordin’s Kimono bags are fully lined with inside pockets, making them appropriate for everyday use. “Years ago, Japanese wore Kimono in their everyday life,” said Yoshiko. “Kimono bags are designed with the same intention.”

Additional artists participating in the 14^th AAA Annual Sidewalk Arts and Crafts Fall Fest include Jill Pillot of San Mateo, who was recently was honored at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, with her one-of-kind wearable art for women and children that features fresh vintage designs; Aline Sar of San Francisco showing her personalized jewelry; and Timon Sloane of Los Altos displaying his vivid contemporary pastel landscape paintings.

For more information about the 14^th AAA Annual Sidewalk Arts and Crafts Fall Fest, contact the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce at (650) 325-2818 or Pacific Fine Arts at (209) 267-4394 or www.pacificfinearts.com.