Category Archives: Concord

Free Bicycling Class, Safety Course & Helmet

Posted on April 25, 2013 | Leave a comment

Join the East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC) for their kids bike rodeo event. This event offered by the EBBC and looks to be a day of biking fun! The rodeo includes a bike safety course, skills building, walking and bicycling safety instruction, rides and free helmets for the kids.

EBBC’s team of youth cycling instructors have planned a fun-filled bike rodeo and will provided bikes and helmets, or you can bring your own. The Rodeo will be held on April 28, 2013 from 11:00a.m. – 2:00p.m at 1760 Clayton Rd in Concord. The Kids Bike Rodeos welcome children grades 3-6 approximately.

Skills Taught Include:

How to Perform a Bicycle Safety Check
Proper Helmet Fitting
Proper Starting and Stopping
Signaling and Communication
Shifting Gears
Scanning Ahead
Shoulder Checking
Obstacle Avoidance

This free learning opportunity is presented by the East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC), a coalition that works for safe, convenient and enjoyable bicycling for all people in the East Bay. For more information or to register please click here.

Photo courtesy of East Bay Bicycling Coalition – Looks like fun!

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Posted in Concord

Free Child’s Toy at Toys R Us

Posted on April 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

I thought perhaps some awesome parent would like to surprise their child with a free toy! Give it to a friend with kids or pass it along to your local non profit! Just print coupon, redeem and enjoy! On a side note, I find so many freebies that I could probably have a daily blog just for those!

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Posted in Concord, Pleasant Hill

Free Admission Night at the Drive In – April 25

Posted on April 22, 2013 | Leave a comment

West Wind Theaters (off Solano Drive in Concord) is hosting their FREE ADMISSION night on April 25, 2013. The featured movies are Wreck-It Ralph and Jack the Giant Slayer. Other activities include a live band, games and well stocked concession stands. Gates open at 6:00pm and the first movie starts at 8:00pm. Pack the picnic basket, grab an ice chest and enjoy a fun night out. Visit the West Wind Theaters for more information.

Check out the trailers below for a sneak preview:

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Posted in Concord

Tax Day Freebies 2013

Posted on April 13, 2013 | Leave a comment

Here is a huge list of Tax Day Freebies 2013 these are Free Items, Tax Day Deals and Printable Coupons you can use to save a little money this April 15th.

24 Hour Fitness: Free 7 day pass to 24 hour fitness (Ongoing)

7-Eleven: Free medium Slurpee just text “Slurp7″ to “711711″ (exp April 30).

AMC Theatre: Free Small Popcorn on April 12-19th

Arby’s: FREE Value Sized Curly Fries or Potato on April 15th with Printable Coupon that will become available on April 9th

arbys-tax-day-freebies-2013

Bailey’s Coffee Creamer: Go to the company’s Facebook page on April 15 for a coupon.

Cable Service: DirecTV, Verizon FIOS, Cox Communications, and AT&T U-Verse customers will be getting a free preview of HBO and Cinemax over tax day weekend – April 11 to April 15. Check with your provider for more details about this tax day freebie.

Cinnabon: 2 FREE Cinnabon Bites at participating locations between 6 – 8 pm.

cinnabon-tax-day-freebies-2013

Chik Fil A: Make a purchase on 4/15, bring your receipt back on 5/13 to get a full refund. (Participating locations only, call ahead)

Firmoo Free Glasses: Firmoo is giving away 100 pairs of free glasses (including free shipping) starting at 9am EST (8am CST) on April 15. Free glasses include a frame, 1.50 single vision lenses, and free tint (if desired).

Gold’s Gym: To celebrate National Stress Awareness Day on April 16, Gold’s Gym is offering a free seven-day VIP pass to help shake off tax stress.

HydroMassage: FREE Hydromassage with Printable Coupon (April 15th – April 19th). Find a HydroMassage near you! (Richmond or Benica)

Marble Slab Creamery: One Free Scoop of their new frozen yogurt (Fresno)

Maggie Moo’s: FREE Scoop of New Yogurt from 4-7pm – No Coupon Necessary, while supplies last. (Located in Hilltop Mall Richmond)

McDonald’s: Participating locations are giving away free small cups of Premium Roast McCafe coffee all week-long — up to and including April 15. No purchase necessary and no coupon required.

Office Depot: FREE Shredding on April 16th (up to 5 lbs) with Printable Coupon (exp. 5/1/13)

Office Depot: FREE Black & White Copy of your Tax Return with Printable Coupon (exp 5/1/13)

Office Depot: FREE 25 Black & White Copies with Printable Coupon

Origins: FREE Mini-Facial and 2 FREE Samples at Origins! Available at Origins retail stores (inside Macy’s at Sunvalley Mall)

Panda Express: FREE Samurai Surf & Turf on April 17th with Printable Coupon (or show it on mobile phone)

panda-express-tax-day-freebies-2013

Pinkberry Yogurt: Free Pinkberry greek yogurt from 11 – 2 p.m. every Wednesday until April 24. (San Ramon)

Redbox Free Rental Codes:

DVDNIGHT (new! does not work online)
DVDONME
BREAKROOM
DVDONUS
RENTONME
LUVREDBOX
HAPPY1
WALGREENS (only at Walgreens)
BREAKDOWN (only at Walgreens)
DVDATWAG (only at Walgreens)
REDBOXHEB (only at HEB)
DVDATWEG (only at Wegmans)
DVDKROG (only at Kroger)
DVDATKROGER (only at Kroger)
DRIVEIN (only at Sonic)
DVDATSONI (only at Sonic)
REDBOX4ME5 (only at Safeway)

Renaissance Hotel: Stay at a Renaissance Hotel between April 12 and 15, and you’ll get a few chocolate coins with a cute card to help sweeten your day.

Ongoing Deals you can also get on Tax Day 2013:

Blimpies: Buy one 6″ sub and 22-oz. drink, get one 6″ sub free with a Facebook “like” (ends 4/30) (Fremont or Sacramento)

Boston Market: “We love the IRS” (Incredible Ribs Special) promotion, offering 1,040 $15 gift cards for randomly selected consumers who enter from April 8 – 30 on http://www.bostonmarket.com. “The Big Rib-bate” on April 15 at Boston Market restaurants – 2 St. Louis Style rib meals for $10.40. Note: Customer entering the “We love the IRS” promotion will also receive a $1 coupon for a ribs meal.

Carvel:“Like” Carvel’s Facebook page to receive a printable coupon for an 18-pack of Lil’ Oreo Rounders for a discounted price of $10.40 (valid from April 13 to April 15) at participating Carvel locations. (Through April 30, get $1 off a thick shake or Carvelanche with Carvel Ice Cream coupons.) (Los Altos)

Chili’s: Free appetizer or dessert (with purchase of entrée) with this coupon.

Chuck E. Cheese’s: Click here and enter your state to print several coupons, including one for a medium pizza, two soft drinks and 25 tokens for $19.99. Redeem through April 13th.

Cintas: Free Shredding! Check site for dates and times at location closest to your home. (Concord)

Del Taco: Click here and “like” them on Facebook to print a coupon for a free Beer Battered Fish Taco with the purchase of any beverage. Also, print one for a free Biscuit Sandwich or Egg and Cheese Burrito with the purchase of any beverage. Redeem both coupons through April 21st. (Pittsburg)

Godfather’s Pizza: Large pizza at Godfather’s for $10.40 4/15 only. (Newark)

Jamba Juice: Get a Sixteen Size smoothie for $2

KFC: Click here and enter your zip code to print several coupons, including one to purchase a 3 Piece Meal for $4.49. Redeem all coupons through April 30th.

Krispy Kreme: Got milk? Run over to Krispy Kreme to receive a free glazed doughnut with the purchase of a regularly priced milk. No coupon is needed; click here for details. This offer is valid through April 21st.

Levi Jeans: Save 20% site-wide

Long John Silver’s: Click here to print several coupons, including one to add a piece of shrimp or chicken to your order for $0.99. Redeem all coupons through April 27th.

The Melting Pot: is giving away a second portion of cheese fondue when you buy one portion. Melting Pot are offering a free chocolate fondue per person when a four-course fondue dinner is purchased on April 15 between 4:00 and 10:00 p.m. (Lakespur & San Mateo)

00V00: – Free Android Phone Refund (with two year service contract) through 4/15!

Papa John’s: Now through 4/15, head on over to the Papa John’s site where you may be able to score a Large Pizza (up to 3 Topping) & 2-Liter of Pepsi Product for only $10.40 with the promo codeTAXSPC! Just head here to sign in or register for an account, then click on “Special Offers” at top of site, enter promo code TAXSPC in the promo code box and click apply to see if this code works in your area.

Papa Murphy’s: On April 15th only, get 2 Large Pepperoni Pizzas for only $10.40 with this coupon – valid at participating locations. Be sure to call your local store to verify participation in this promotion before heading over there.
*Valid only on 4/15/13. Limit 3. Not valid with any other offer. Valid at participating locations only.

Petco: Save 20% off online for Tax Day, plus free shipping over $49!

PF Chang’s: PF Changs coupon we have available too!

Red Lobster: Click here to print a coupon to buy one Lobesterfest Entree and receive one at half price. Redeem through April 14th. (Pittsburg)

Romano’s Macaroni Grill: Click here to go to their home page. Enter your email address at the bottom to sign up for their newsletter, and they will send a coupon for $5.00 off your purchase. (El Cerrito)

Shutterfly: Get 25% off any order sale with promo code TAXDAY

Sonic: 1/2 Price Drinks all day on April 15th. (American Canyon & Hayward)

Subway: Buy One Get One Free Breakfast Subs all April (until 9am)

Taco Bell: $1 Grillers, Drinks, Sparklers and Freezes anytime from 2-5 PM

Yankee Candle: Oprah.com readers can snag a free large jar or tumbler of their favorite Yankee Candle scent, from Coconut Bay to Clean Cotton, between April 13 and 20. Just use the code OPRAH to get the buy-one-get-one deal at checkout.

As always, I recommend calling ahead to be sure that your location is participating. Happy Tax Day!

Still need to file your taxes? Head over here to find out how to file your taxes for FREE.

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Posted in Concord

Guns & Ammo

Posted on April 12, 2013 | 2 comments

Faces blurred to protect the innocent.

This is a picture of the typical Friday morning in front of Big 5’s Sporting Goods store in Concord. Obviously it’s not black Friday but with a line like this (every Friday) it might as well be. This has been a regular scene for the last 14 16 weeks. In fact, the Diablo Reporter has been to Big 5 three times in an attempt at photographing the infamous line, each time arriving earlier and earlier. The store manager was over heard telling another curious customer, “We’ve been swamped. Once there is 20 people in line, we have opened our doors even if that means opening earlier than normal.”

Big 5’s normal hours of operation is 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. So why is a store that is supposed to open at 10 a.m. opening so early every Friday and sometimes as early as 8:30 a.m.? Big’s 5 weekly delivery of ammo!

Since Obama & Feinstein have launched their gun control stance and threaten new tighter laws on restricting firearms and ammo sales, there have been a few unexpected side effects. Gun store shelves were immediately cleaned out cleared out after the statements from President Obama and Senator Feinstein about gun control. Those going in to purchase firearms, found holes inventory and bare shelves. The high demand left online retailers and storefronts either sold out completely or charging outrageous prices for what little inventory is left. This is true for both firearms and ammo sales.

One customer patiently waiting in line to buy ammo for his soon to be restricted AR-15 says “Nothing makes people want something they do not necessarily need more than fear of never being able to get it, that’s why people are coming out in droves.”

GUN CONTROL SIDE EFFECTS
Big 5’s best sellers are the Bucket of Bullets which hold 1400 rounds of .22LR that sell out instantly and usually go to the first one or two, and occasionally a lucky third in line on Friday mornings. The run on ammo is so extreme that Big’s 5 has created a special store policy limiting purchases to a 5 box maximum per person. Aside from the rationing of ammunition, the gun control talk has also made finding 9mm, .40 caliber , .22LR, and .223 rounds very hard.

The National Rifle Association‘s member ranks have grown by 100,000 in a week after talks of gun control legislation from the White House after the December school shooting in Newtown, Conn. according to the Huffington Post. An American non-profit organization (Oathkeepers) that advocates that its members (current and former U.S. military and law enforcement) disobey any orders that they are given if they believe they violate the Constitution of the United States has made their stance known. In response to Sandy Hook, Oathkeepers, has continued to offered free weapons training to any teacher across the U.S. (including the Bay Area) that want to learn how to protect themselves and their children.

In the weeks after the shooting, Fox News reported that the NRA was claiming an average of 8,000 new members a day which is still occurring 14 16 weeks later! However, the NRA isn’t the only business being affected. According to the Operations Manager for United Sportsman’s Gun Range (located on Evora Rd in Concord), they too have seen a high influx of new shooters and those going in for continued training. Even the local gunsmith, Trinity Gun Smithing (in Antioch) is reporting that they have seen an “surge” in people wanting to get their old broken guns oiled and firing again.

THE PEOPLE FIGHT BACK
Protests have been the norm across the country as the gun control debate rages on. In New York on February 28, several thousand people, mostly white men, many dressed in hunting outfits and carrying American flags, filled the one square block park outside the Capitol. They expressed their anger against the recently enacted toughest in the nation gun control laws championed by Governor Cuomo and approved by the majority of state legislators. Protestors chanted “We will not comply” and “Cuomo must go” and most stated loudly and publicly that they would not obey provisions that will require them to register more types of guns and they encouraged others to do the same.

Leaving it to enterprising Americans to always find a loophole in the midst of ever-expanding government regulation, the government’s gun buyback program has since turned into a gun shows, all across the nation. While thousands of residents lined up for hours to trade in their handguns, rifles and family heirlooms away in exchange for up to $100 in gift cards as part of the government’s latest gun buyback program; gun collectors who have seen prices for so-called “assault weapons” and firearms accessories almost triple since November took advantage of a huge opportunity to out bid the police. A number of private buyers set up a makeshift gun show-style event and offered cold hard cash for guns and even lured customers with donuts and cookies. “I pay cash, I don’t give Amazon gift cards,” one dealer told a gun seller. In most cases, private citizens are going home with more guns than the agency running the buyback programs.

The protests, gun buyback auctions and recent gun shows all have one thing in common… lots of people creating long lines. Many gun show vendors have left gun shows half way through the show due to one big problem, not enough inventory to keep the booth open.

View inside a northern california gun show were thousands showed up.

Watch this NBC broadcast (click on the image below) on a recent attendance surge in an Orange Country gun show which hosted 20,000 attendees. It claims that despite the long lines to get in, that there “is no ammunition available in the Los Angeles area”. This seems to be a recent trend as we spoke with a Big 5 customer “Martin” who says “I’m not really into guns, I’m trying to find ammo for my cousin in Fresno. Ammo is really hard to find there. We are trying to get it where ever we can”.

GUN COMPANIES FIGHTING BACK
More than 123 specialty manufacturers have opted to stop selling firearms and other gear to law enforcement in states and cities with strict firearms-control laws. Known as the Firearms Equality Movement, the goal is to limit law enforcement to the same armaments available legally to the average citizen as is police. To see the full list of companies that have joined the fight against restrictive gun laws, visit The Police Loophole, a website established to track “companies that have taken the step to publicly announce that they will not sell items to states, counties, cities, and municipalities that restrict their citizens’ rights to own them.”

Refusing to sell to law enforcement isn’t the only way that these gun companies are fighting back. Some are leaving the state entirely and taking the jobs and economies created with them. Connecticut remains the seventh-largest producer of firearms in the country, (according to federal data) and stands to lose that title when many long-standing firearms manufacturers threaten to leave the state for good. Colt, based in Connecticut since the 1800s, employs roughly 900 people in the state and is making plans to leave. In all, the industry employs about 2,000 people in Connecticut.

One of the biggest firearms manufacturers in the U.S. (Beretta) announced it may leave Maryland over a proposed gun control bill being considered by lawmakers. Magpul was the first Colorado manufacturer to announce plans to leave and was quickly followed by HiViz, a company that manufacture gun sights. This list like that of firearm sales and new gun owners will continue to grow.

So whether is panic buying, to hedge on inflation or just stocking up, ammo and firearms have been on the top of the shopping list for Americans across the country for weeks now and the demand doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. As we left Big 5, the man working behind the ammo counter said, “It’s the worst run I have ever seen and that says something.”

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Posted in Antioch, Concord

Shame on Oakmont Senior Living?

Posted on April 11, 2013 | Leave a comment

Protestors were out in front of Montecito Oakmont Senior Living Center today to bring awareness of some ongoing issues. When asked about the protest, they quickly produced the following flyer:

What do you think? Have you heard any complaints about this facility?

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Posted in Concord

Cosmic Nightlife at the Academy – Tomorrow

Posted on April 10, 2013 | 1 comment

Grab a date or a few friends and head to San Francisco for a fun and unique event at the California Academy of Science! Every Thursday night from 6-10p, join the California Academy of Science for multi room dance floors, live music, creatures, craft projects, cocktails, shows and exhibits all together at one place. Experience the Academy with out the fuss of children with this adult only (21+) event. Each week features a live band or DJ, and a unique theme – from salsa dancing to sustainable seafood and beyond.

In honor of the 52nd anniversary of the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, explore the dark and mysterious abyss of space with a cocktail in your hand as the California Academy of Science offers Cosmic Night.

Join Astronomer George Davidson and his astronomical instruments in a rare Galileo and Frances Bacon books presentation form 6:30-9:00pm. Dance the night away in the Coral Reef & Piazza music hall with the Space Cowboys from 6:00-10:00pm. Experience the feel the rumble of the earth in the Academy’s own Earthquake show. Former Space Shuttle/ISS/Soyuz Astronaut plus Rusty Schweickart, Chairman Emeritus of the B612 Foundation, and Lunar Module Pilot, Apollo 9 will offering the Planetarium experience at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 to watch the Cosmic Collisions. See the amazing Rainforest exhibit before it closes at 7:30pm. The Academy offers more cosmic talks, living roof, eco system green house, and aquarium club room with amazing music.

academy

For information of directions and parking click here. Admission is $12 per person ($10 per member). To buy tickets, click here.

So the word on the street is this a great date night idea and good for smaller groups. Bring a jacket and show up early (6:00pm). Parking is $15 and it’s recommended to pay when entering so you can avoid the line when leaving. This place has multiple bars ($10-12 for cocktails, $6-7 for beer) that only takes cash. Also the Rainforest exhibit closes first at 7:30pm so if you want to see it, see it first. Secondly the planetarium fills up fast and its first come first serve. It’s recommended that you have a plan of what you want to do and when to do it before arriving. It does get quite crowded so getting there early is a must. For more information visit the California Academy of Science website or see the flyer below: