Diablo Reporter

If NASA says it’s the biggest meteor shower of the year, you better stay up late and grab your binoculars! The annual Perseid meteor shower is the glittery result of Earth’s passage through a steam of debris left behind by a comet. You should expect to see meteor rates as high as 100 per hour. The yearly Perseid meteor shower combine with the Delta Aquarid shower produces the year’s most dazzling display of shooting stars.

Best time to view is in the early mornings of August 12th and 13th. Beginning  after midnight with better viewing after the moon wanes this will be a must see. The show will continue and tends to hit its peak right before dawn. For more information about the Perseid meteor shower visit, earthsky.org.

Viewing Tips:

• Get away from bright lights, clouds and pollution.
•  Go to a high elevation and/or away from large cities.
• Let your eyes adjust for 15 minutes prior in the darkness.

Hello from Hot August Nights in Reno! This week-long celebration of classic cars and the birth of Rock and Roll has been a local favorite since 1986 and we are so excited to be here we just had to share it with you! This awesome event features lots of beautiful classic cars and truck. The parking lot of the Grand Sierra Resort and downtown Reno is filled to the brim with these amazing beauties. They’ve got live music, tons of vendors, food booths, power car test drives and even Hot Laps, in a Corvette ZR1, from some of the best driving instructors from the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School!

We also gained access to the infamous Barret-Jackson Auction which is the “World’s Greatest Collector Car Auction”. In the first two days, Barrett-Jackson has sold a total of 205 cars for $5,129,100. That number will grow exponentially higher until the final auction day.

Already today two cars sold for more than six figures: A custom 2013 Chevrolet COPO Camaro drag racer sold for $137,500 with 10 percent buyer’s commission, and the first production 2014 Cadillac CTS Vsport sold for $120,000. All the money from the Cadillac sale went to the SAE Foundation, which aids students interested in engineering.

Hot August Nights & the Barrett-Jackson Auction is a must for any car lover! Our stay at the Grand Sierra was so much fun! We rented the privately owned, luxury owner exclusive suites and you can too. These amazing suites run from only $75-$85 per night! To rent the very cool Summit Suites call Taylor Rentals at (925) 518-6108 or visit their website for more details.

The bathroom even has a TV with beautiful full marble walls!

This is a very affordable way of visiting Reno. With Walmart across the street, a mini fridge and microwave in the room it made making drinks, snacks and even dinner very easy and affordable!

Tired of takeout? Discover how simple it is to make pizza at home. Let Williams & Sonoma show you how to prepare a quick pizza crust, then they will offer sauce inspiration and talk toppings. Their do-ahead tips will even help you host a fabulous pizza party for friends. Tomorrow you can learn to create the perfect pizza that everyone will love!

Williams & Sonoma is offering a complimentary Technique Classes: The Perfect Pizza. The hour-long technique classes are free and include tastings of prepared dishes. The class will be held tomorrow at 10:00am and class size is limited. Participants can also enjoy 10% savings on select same-day store purchases.

For more information about the classes, visit Williams & Sonoma’s website. To attend the class visit the nearest Williams & Sonoma store at 1470 Mount Diablo Blvd. Walnut Creek , CA 94596.

That’s a pretty cool cooking class! And who doesn’t love pizza? What’s your favorite pizza style and toppings? Let us know!

Are you looking for something fun, free and easy to do with the kids this weekend? Every Saturday, Lakeshore Learning Store has FREE crafts for kids to make that go along with the month or season. Every time your child completes a craft, they will receive a paper dollar. Once you collect 3, you can turn them in for a prize from the treasure chest!

Here’s what’s coming up:

Aug. 10
Pet Fish Puppet Ocean adventures await…with this colorful, kid-crafted puppet

Aug. 17
I Can Do It! Flowerpot Kids get excited about going back to school…as they fill a flowerpot with their goals for the year!

Aug. 24
Funny-Face Goggles Totally wacky and super-fun to wear…kids will love crafting these outrageous goggles!

Aug. 31
My Room Nameplate Kids create a personalized collage…then display it on their bedroom door!

Sept. 7
Make & Play Guitar What instrument could be more fun to play than a cute little guitar that kids create!

For more information about Lakeshore Learning Centers, visit their website or visit our local Lakeshore Learning Center at  1929 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Walnut Creek.