Concord Police is reporting that San Miguel Rd is closed between 1080 San Miguel Road and Tioga Road due to a water main break. Those that use this street should find alternative routes. It’s estimated that it will be at least 10 hours until the road reopens.
Update 6:47pm: San Miguel Road has reopened.
Posted in Concord
Concord Police is reporting that San Miguel Rd is closed between 1080 San Miguel Road and Tioga Road due to a water main break. Those that use this street should find alternative routes. It’s estimated that it will be at least 10 hours until the road reopens.
Posted in Concord
The Brewing Network’s 2014 Winter Brews Fest event was all the rage last month! The Winter Brews fest delivered a custom glass, a wide selection of quality beer tasting, and amazing musical performances by Forrest Day and Lucas Ohio Pattie.
Crowds of 100 or more flooded the sidewalks surrounding Todas Santos Plaza as lines filled the perimeter of the park. A small glitch in line length for prepaid tickets was noticeable but was quickly corrected without a hitch. The event featured dual offerings from over 45 breweries from across the country.
Given the wintry theme, the focus trended to the warmer end of the spectrum, with a heavy dose of IPAs, complemented by a generous selection of stouts, ciders and the occasional winter lager.
Despite the considerable number of entries and the sell-out crowd, the venue proved more than adequate and provided plenty of breathing room for the sea of beer drinkers on hand. Booths were manned by a combination of volunteers and brewery representatives. All of them were gracious, friendly and very informative about the beer they offered.
While many brewers brought their standard winter fare to the table, our favorite was the well-attended Laganitas booth. Many other infamous breweries such as Moylans and Lost Coast offered their best brews too. Some of the attending breweries also offered many great ciders which used subtlety rather than sweetness to make an impression.
The event featured live music from Lucas Ohio Pattie, followed by headliner Forrest Day featuring their hit songs “Hyperactive” and “Sleepwalk”. Check out Forrest Day at the Winter Brew Fest by watching the video below:
Like an old high school reunion, friends greeted each other with open arms. Half way through the event, serious planning was done as groups gathered to discuss their plan of attack for next year’s event. Groups of connoisseurs and beer enthusiasts hung around booths serving suds to hundreds upon hundreds of smiling faces. With support from all the great breweries, the awesome organizers and volunteers, the Winter Brews Fest was once again a smashing success! It easily doubled the previous year’s attendance.
Offing amazing beers, great music, awesome people on thing is for sure: 2015 Winter Brews Fest is a MUST! The Brewing Network creates an experience that everyone from the casual beer drinker to connoisseurs can appreciate.
Stay connected to DiabloReporter.com for all upcoming Brew Fests events. We are pleased to announce each event and give insider details. Visit the Brewing Network page for more information, events, forums and podcasts.
Posted in Concord
First Generation Farmers invites you get your hands dirty planting seedlings! Food is provided, see the flyer below for more details!
Posted in Concord
No need to put quarter after quarter into this fun project-it’s a guaranteed win! Bring your kids to Lowe’s this weekend and they can build their very own Claw Game!
Register the kids for a free Lowe’s Build & Grow Clinic on Saturday, February 22nd at 10:00 am. The kids will be making a Free Claw Game.
All kids will get a free apron, goggles, project patch and much more. You may want to register now, as these spots fill up quickly.
Posted in Concord
Learn tips and tricks from the experts! Navlet’s gardening classes are free, and each covers a timely topic in the garden. So learn from the pros, meet new friends, and have some fun. Classes are held at one of Navlet’s four East Bay garden centers, located in Concord, Danville, Martinez, and Pleasant Hill. Class size is limited, however, so it’s best to call ahead and reserve your space.
Gardening Class: Garden Bootcamp for Beginners
Gardening doesn’t have to be intimidating or complicated. Let Navlet’s teach you the basics of planting, feeding, and watering, along with basic plant terminology.
Class Location: Concord Date: Saturday, Feb 22 Time: 10:00a.m.
Class Location: Concord Date: Sunday Feb 23 Time: 1:00pm
Click here for a complete list of classes and locations.
Happy Gardening!
Posted in Concord
Anyone looking to explore a national park for free in 2014 should mark his or her calendar. The National Park Service has nine fee-free days on the calendar in 2014. On the dates, all 401 national parks will offer free admission, though only 133 usually charge admission, according to the National Park Service (NPS). See the list below for this years dates and plan a trip to your local park. If you’re active military or family, you can also get a FREE Annual Pass to the National Parks.
Mark your calendar for these free fee days in 2014:
While entrance, commercial tour and transportation entrance fees are waived on these days, some fees — such as those collected by third parties — will not be waived.
For anyone looking for a national park, here are a few parks to consider visiting when the fees are waived:
Yosemite National Park: With its stunning glacier-sculpted geology, abundant wildlife and world-class recreational opportunities, Yosemite, 200 miles east of San Francisco, is one of the crown jewels of America’s national park system. Yosemite’s granite wonderland was carved by massive glaciers around three million years ago, when ice covered all but the highest peaks in the Sierra Nevada.
Sequoia National Park: Sequoia is home to the largest tree in the world, by volume. Redwoods are taller, but giant sequoias win for sheer mass: the General Sherman’s trunk has a volume of 1,487 cubic metres and is estimated to weigh over 2,000 tonnes. Sequoia also boasts 4,421m Mount Whitney, the high point of the John Muir Trail, which runs through Sequoia on its way up to Yosemite.
Lassen National Park: The park is capped by 10,462-foot Lassen Peak, the world’s largest volcanic dome. Lassen’s 1915 blast makes it one of only two volcanoes to have erupted in the continental US in the 20th century (the other being Washington’s Mount Saint Helens in 1980). After the eruption, which laid waste to vast swaths of surrounding land, Lassen Volcanic national park was created to preserve the devastated areas for future observation and study. Visiting the area now, nearly 100 years later, is a dramatic lesson in the Earth’s own healing powers; it still bears vast scars of hardened lava, but between the rocks, the flora and fauna are flourishing.
“National parks not only protect and preserve the places we most value; they also add enormous economic value to nearby communities and the entire nation,” National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said in a news release. “…Fee-free days are a great way to both thank those visitors and introduce parks to first-timers who can find a new place to call an old favorite.”
*Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.
For more information, visit www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm.
Posted in Clayton, Concord, Lafayette, Martinez, Moraga, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek
Diablo Reporter 