East County Juneteenth Celebration in downtown Brentwood Sunday, June 19
San Ramon Art & Wind Festival is back Sunday & Monday, May 29 & 30
“Let’s go fly a kite!” at The San Ramon Art & Wind Festival, the BEST festival in the East Bay. The Art & Wind Festival is scheduled for Sunday and Monday, May 29–30, 2022 in San Ramon’s Central Park, 12501 Alcosta Boulevard from 11am to 6pm both days.
This annual event features fine arts, crafts and specialty food vendors, three entertainment stages headlining international music, party bands and variety entertainers, children’s shows, gourmet food courts, family amusement zones, professional choreographed kite flying demonstrations, and free kite making workshop.
The Art and Wind Festival is a pet friendly, bike friendly and family friendly event!
For more information about the event click here.
Danville student named local 2022 Congressional Art Competition winner

2022 District CA-11 Congressional Art Competition winner, “Growing Up” by Menglin Cai. Source: Office of Congressman Mark DeSaulnier
Winner’s art will be displayed in U.S. Capitol; second and third place finisher’s art will be displayed in Congressman DeSaulnier’s Walnut Creek and Richmond offices, respectively
Walnut Creek, CA – Today, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) announced that Monte Vista High School Sophomore Menglin Cai is the winner of the 2022 Congressional Art Competition for California’s 11th Congressional District. Her watercolor painting entitled “Growing Up” will be displayed in the United States Capitol. The art competition is open to all high school students residing in California’s 11th Congressional District.
“It was a joy to host the Congressional Art Competition again this year and to see the incredible talent demonstrated by our community’s young artists,” said DeSaulnier. “I’m excited to congratulate Menglin and all of the other students who participated in the 2022 competition. I am inspired by the creativity of every artist who submitted a piece this year and look forward to seeing Menglin’s art representing Contra Costa County in the halls of Congress.”

2022 District CA-11 Congressional Art Competition virtual reception with Rep. DeSaulnier (top left) and winner Menglin Cai (top center). Source: Office of Congressman Mark DeSaulnier
Second place was awarded to Joseph Pak from the College Preparatory School in Oakland for his charcoal piece, “Uprising” and third place was awarded to Concord High School Senior Amelia Porter for her quilted fabric collage, “I’m Not Okay.” Their art will be displayed in Congressman DeSaulnier’s Walnut Creek office and Richmond office, respectively.
Twenty-three pieces were submitted from various high schools across CA-11. The pieces were evaluated by a panel of judges from the Contra Costa Community College District, Los Medanos College, and Contra Costa College. Since 1982, more than 650,000 high school students around the country have participated in the Congressional Art Competition, allowing Members of Congress to recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents.
Downtown Pleasant Hill Art, Wine & Music Festival May 21 & 22
Contra Costa County Fair May 12-15 in Antioch
Contra Costa County Fair exhibit competition online entries close April 8
Fair workers also needed
ANTIOCH – Online entries for the 2022 Contra Costa County Fair exhibit competitions close Friday, April 8th. Imagine the thrill of winning a blue ribbon at the Fair for a special talent. Think you own the best pig, bake the most delicious apple pie, made a beautiful quilt, or have an uncanny knack for making crafts? Want to see who’s the best in all of Contra Costa County? Then be sure to enter the Contra Costa County Fair’s competitive exhibits!
Entry information available on the fair’s website www.contracostafair.com
Cows, Corndogs & Carnival Rides. Oh My!! May 12-15 is sure to be a fun event for children of all ages, with new exhibits & entertainment, the carnival, livestock and the always popular Fair food. Money saving pre-sale tickets will be available starting April 22 and ending May 9.
Are you interested in working at The Fair? We are looking for Parking Attendants, Ticket Takers, Ticket Sellers and Information Booth Attendants. Visit contracostafair.com for details on each job position and to print out an application. Interviews and hiring will be on April 30th from 9am to 2pm at The Fair Administration Office Board Room.
For additional information visit our website at www.contracostafair.com, or like us on Facebook.
The County Fair is held at the Contra Costa Event Park at 1201 West 10th Street in Antioch.
Local leader encourages watching Lifetime Channel premiere of powerful anti-sex trafficking film Saturday, March 26
LIFETIME CHANNEL PREMIERE
Film Title: The Lost Girls
Date: Saturday, March 26, 2022
Time: 8pm EST / 5pm PST (Check your local listing for times)
Movie trailer for “The Lost Girls” – https://play.mylifetime.com/movies/the-lost-girls/preview-the-lost-girls
HOLLYWOOD, CA, March 25, 2022 – Veteran movie Producer Julia Verdin announced today that the Lifetime Channel premiere of her film “The Lost Girls” will be on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 8pm EST. The film shows the harrowing story of 17-year-old Angie who was befriended by a good looking teen new to her area promising to help her music career and lured into a sex trafficked ring.
Verdin, owner of www.RoughDiamondProductions.net is known for successful films such as “The Merchant Of Venice”, “Stander”, and “2 Jacks”, studded with Academy Award Winning actors as well as producing a host of other great films, directed and wrote “The Lost Girls”.
After volunteering at a runaway children’s shelter and meeting many teenage survivors of trafficking, Verdin became emotionally connected to the cause of fighting for justice for them. This drove her passion to produce, direct and write the film in hopes of making a difference.
“Church groups do a lot to help survivors of trafficking,” stated Verdin. “When I was doing my research and talking to trafficking survivors, many of them told me that a big turning point in their recovery was reconnecting with their faith.”
Verdin, who is also the President and founder of www.ArtistsForChange.org, says that her hope is that if teenagers, parents and those working with youth can start to understand the signs of a teen being groomed by a trafficker, that teens could be saved from years of hell and trauma. To Verdin, education and awareness is everything. These traffickers prey on innocence and vulnerability. Verdin says they must be stopped.
For more information, please contact Julia Verdin at Julia.Verdin@Artists4Change.org or by phone at (323)848-2900.
About Julia Verdin
Long time filmmaker Julia Verdin is known as an accomplished producer, award-winning Director and screenwriter. Having been in the film business for over 30 years, Julia has established herself as one of Hollywood’s leading independent producers. She has over 36 critically acclaimed feature films under her belt with several currently in the pipeline. She is the founder and owner of Rough Diamond Productions since 1995 and president and founder of Artists For Change plus many other resume accolades. For more information you can visit: www.RoughDiamondProductions.net/julia-verdin or www.imdb.com/name/nm0893845.
Local Organization Works to End Trafficking in Contra Costa County
Pillars of Hope based in Contra Costa County, has been helping trafficking victims since the organization was founded on Sept. 17, 2010.
“We just helped, last night, paying for a room for a victim who was testifying against her trafficker,” said Debra Brown, Executive Director. “The DA reached out to us. We’ll continue to do that until we get our house. There are several we help out, each month, with victim assistance and street outreach.
About the movie she said, “it’s typical of what happens.” She encouraged everyone to watch to see what’s happening in our county and across the country.
“We help women everywhere. We get calls directly from victims, from the Contra Costa and Alameda DA’s offices,” Brown shared. “We had one victim get a tattoo of her trafficker’s name on her chest removed. We do whatever they need. Sometimes it’s a ticket home. Sometimes it’s dental work, or even transportation to and from doctor’s appointments.”
“We have a lot of resources on our website and online training, too for those who want to get involved help end what’s happening in our own community,” she stated. “It’s happening in every community across America and that’s what’s sad.”
“They need to go after the demand side and that’s how they’ll end it,” said Brown. “If you get caught buying a kid, your face and name should be on a billboard and in newspapers in your town. There should also be astronomical fines.”
“They’re already doing heavier prison terms for traffickers. But until they deal with the ‘Johns’ on the demand side, it’s not going to stop,” she added.
To learn more and to help in Contra Costa County visit www.pillarsofhope.us.
Delta Blues Festival Benefit Concert at Antioch’s historic El Campanil Theatre Saturday, March 5
Will feature Sue Foley and her new album Pinky’s Blues, nominated for three 43rd BLUES MUSIC AWARDS (2022): Album of the Year, Traditional Blues Album and Traditional Blues Female Artist; co-headlining with Chris Cain who also has four nominations from the BMA awards. His album, Raisin’ Cain was just listed as the second most played album on Living Blues Radio Charts for 2021.
Before you get the wrong idea, Sue Foley’s new album, Pinky’s Blues, was not titled such due to her strawberry hair. Nor because of that fabulous pink leather jacket or those amazing boots. Nope. It’s her beloved pink paisley, Fender Telecaster electric guitar for which the new album is the namesake. Pinky has been with Sue for decades and continues to be an almost living extension of who Sue is, as evidenced by its strong contribution to the album as well as appearing live with Sue while on tour, guiding her through the rambunctiously deep renditions of everything Sue performs.
And the Blues part of the album title? It just might have something to do with Sue’s sizzlingly smooth voice and her chicly raw, resolute, bad-*ss style of playing, performing and songwriting. Well, check it out for yourself on the below link of one of the new songs on Pinky’s Blues:
SUE FOLEY is “Hurricane Girl” Official Music Video with live footage.
SUE FOLEY Live Interview about the new album, Pinky’s Blues on November 9, 2021.
“I’ve been on the road,” says Sue in trying to explain Pinky’s Blues. “I’ve made dozens of albums of my own. I’ve raised a child. I’ve bought and sold homes. I’ve had great successes and great failures. And all of this just makes my life richer and more colorful.”
And these are the blues Sue Foley brings to life while performing in her own way: compelling, sensual, seamlessly rich, tasty, yet with an undertone of saltiness and challenge.
“It’s a great trip and I never get tired of playing a slow blues. That’s the ultimate.” Today, in 2022, Sue Foley is surely one of the ultimate.
With Pinky right by her side.
Ya gotta come and check it out!
Doors/Show: 6:00pm/7:00pm
Tickets: $15.00 (youth) – $30.00 (Adults) plus fees
https://us.patronbase.com/_ElCampanilTheatre/Productions/R009/Performances
602 West 2nd Street in Antioch in historic, downtown Rivertown.
Enrollment for Poetry Out Loud 2021-22 competition for high school students now open
Poetry Out Loud (POL) is an exciting National competition started in 2005 by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. The contest challenges high school students to memorize and recite poetry, a chance to showcase their talents, build self-confidence, and gain both an appreciation and understanding of poetry.
The Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County has been an official local partner of California Arts Council’s for Poetry Out Loud since 2007. Every Contra Costa County high school is encouraged to participate. Local arts non-profit organizations and libraries are welcome and encouraged to participate as well. Each year ten to fifteen high schools representing East, West, and Central County have participated. These include public schools, private schools, charter schools, alternative schools, court schools, and homeschool groups.
Poetry Out Loud is a free program!
There is no cost to either the school or the students.
HOW DOES POL WORK?
Poetry Out Loud is a tiered competition structure that begins in the classroom. High school teachers use the free Poetry Out Loud teacher toolkit (https://www.poetryoutloud.org/teachers-organizers/lesson-plans/) to teach poetry recitation and run classroom competitions. Class winners advance to the school-wide competition, then one school champion enters the county competition. The County winner is eligible to compete in the state competition, and the state winner competes in the national finals in Washington D.C. for a grand prize of $20,000.
Poetry Out Loud has been made accessible to accommodate in-person and virtual teaching environments at the school level. Additional information on this year’s hybrid model will be shared with participating schools.
Please complete the form by 12/15/21! POETRY OUT LOUD 2021-22
Please feel free to email our county coordinator, Brennan DeFrisco, at bdeeppoetry@gmail.com or call (925) 984-4031 for any questions you may have.
Thank you for your interest in supporting Poetry Out Loud!
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