Super Bowl Sunday is right around that corner, and it’s a special one this year because the Martin Luther King Jr. Chicken Barbecue is back offering a great meal to help raise money for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial High School Scholarship Fund.
This year’s barbecue is from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, at the Elks Lodge, 222 Elks Lane, San Luis Obispo. Each $15 ticket buys a meal of barbecued chicken, baked beans, potato salad and garlic bread. Eat at the lodge or get your food to go and take it home to eat while watching the Super Bowl.
Since 1968, this local organization has awarded 600 scholarships to college-bound teens graduating from area high schools. The annual community barbecue is the group’s primary fundraiser.
To purchase tickets in advance, or to buy a block of tickets, contact Matakovich at (805) 595-2526. Tickets will also be available at the door. In addition, desserts and other baked goods will be for sale at the event.
The organization also accepts donations throughout the year. Checks made out to the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Fund can be mailed to P.O. Box 1693, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406. Or, go to www.mlkfund.org and click on “Donate” to make a tax-deductible contribution.
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SLOFunny kicks off 2023 with another lineup packed with hilarity at the Morro Bay Veterans Hall on Jan. 28. Hosted by Tom Clark, with Steph Clark, corporate comedian James Uloth, Featuring Robert Omotto and Headliner Mary Gallagher. Radio station 97.3-107.9FM The Rock returns as the non-profit sponsor. All proceeds from beer, wine and concessions go to support the station. The show is rated R for strong language, adult content and Freudian slips. Showtime’s are 6:30 p.m. or 9 p.m. Tickets are $30 at the door and $25 in advanced online. They can be purchased at My805Tix
https://my805tix.com/e/slofunny-comedy-show-8 and at Eventbrite.com
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/slofunny-comedy-show-tickets-501063021987?aff=eand
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Several of Cal Poly’s finest student music ensembles will perform traditional and contemporary chamber music at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, in Spanos Theatre on campus.
“A Night of Chamber Music” is a free performance featuring students from a variety of majors. All are involved in at least one of the department’s large, premier ensembles, which include Cal Poly’s Arab Music Ensemble, Choirs, Symphony, University Jazz Bands, Wind Orchestra and Wind Ensemble.
For more information, call the Music Department at 805-756-2406.
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The Alzheimer’s Association California Central Coast Chapter is offering an educational class called Promoting Your Brain Health. Growing evidence suggests that you can keep your brain healthy by adopting key lifestyle habits. Learn how you can take care of your brain through diet, exercise, social engagement and cognitive activities. Join us for this no cost event at the Morro Bay Library (625 Harbor St. Morro Bay, CA) on Friday January 27, 2023 from 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Contact Laura DeLoye for questions at ladeloye@alz.org or 805-342-0956.
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Join California State Park Volunteer Norma Wightman on Saturday, January 28 at 10 a.m. to explore the beach and rocky shoreline of Estero Bluffs through the lens of geology. Learn about various land formations and see rocks that have been tortured by tectonic forces giving unique shape to this coastline.
Attendees will observe the “bulldozer effect” of the subduction zone underneath the North American plate that creates a melange of rock types. Bring water and binoculars (optional); wear sturdy beach shoes and layered clothing. Heavy rain cancels.
Meet in a dirt parking lot north of the Fig Tree and across the highway from a billboard. Look for the car with the Cayucos Land Conservancy banner. The parking area is 1.5 miles from the beginning of the two-lane start of Hwy 1 going north from Cayucos. Use these coordinates in your navigation system: Photo by Elliott Johnson.
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Artist Cooper McDonnell’s HAND MADE opening reception takes place at Cruise Control Cambria, 1075 Main Street, on Saturday, January 28 from 4 p.m.- 7 p.m. There will be a wine tasting by Darren Delmore of Delmore Wines as well as a communal wet clay experiment.
Currently Cooper’s body of work resides within that space between form and function, how each modality can compliment each other to an extent. And how they can be their own distinctive stand alone representations.
HAND MADE is his most recent exploration in clay of that playful, joyful, and purposeful space between.
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The San Luis Obispo Symphony’s third concert of the 2022-2023 season, “Cello on Fire,” takes place on Saturday, February 4 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available through the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo Box office at pacslo.org or by calling 805-756-4849.
A free “No Ties Allowed” open dress rehearsal suitable for all ages takes place at the Performing Arts Center at 11 a.m. the day of the concert. Immediately following, featured soloist Amit Peled will read his book “A Cello Named Pablo.” Children of all ages are invited to attend this fun and interactive presentation.
“Cello on Fire” features the artistry of Amit Peled, performing Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No.1. NZ composer Douglas Lilburn studied under Ralph Vaughan Williams in the late 1930s,at the Royal College in London. Works by both composers, Fantasia on Greensleeves and Lilburn’s Symphony No.2. Brahms’ Haydn Variations opens the program and will be familiar to many.
Ticket holders are invited to attend a pre-concert Symphonic Foray talk, which begins at 6:30 p.m.. This is sponsored in loving memory of Michael Fitzgerald.
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Over 40 talks and workshops centered around social justice and equity is offered during Cal Poly’s seventh annual Social Justice Teach In on Thursday, Feb. 9. Hosted by the College of Liberal Arts and the Office of University Diversity and Inclusion, the Teach In features presentations by students, staff, faculty and community leaders, whose diverse voices will share their expertise in a multitude of fields, working to create a just society for all.
All events are open to the public, and attendees can register for sessions on a wide range of topics, including “Muted Voices in Virtual Meeting: How to Address DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) in Virtual Meetings,” “Artistic Activism to Disrupt the Single Story of Incarcerated Populations,” and “ANDOR: Writing Resistance in the Star Wars Universe.” Five presentation tracks are focused on specific topics to help attendees identify sessions that best match their interests, including pathways to Hispanic-serving institutions; diversity, equity and inclusion in engineering; reproductive justice; pop culture and media; and restorative justice: beyond incarceration.
Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti, College of Liberal Arts associate dean for diversity and curriculum, noted how the event has grown to support audiences beyond Cal Poly’s campus.
The Teach In culminates in a keynote session from Claude M. Steele titled “Stereotype Threat and Identity Threat: The Science of a Diverse Community” from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Steele is a social psychologist and a professor of psychology at Stanford University. He is best known for his work on stereotype threat and its application to racial and ethnic minority student academic performance, including his popular book, “Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do.” His earlier work dealt with research on the self as well as the role of self-regulation in addictive behaviors.
Learn more about the sessions and register at: https://cla.calpoly.edu/teach-in.
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San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre (SLO REP) brings the story and music of Johnny Cash to the Central Coast with “Ring of Fire – The Music of Johnny Cash.” This unique, original musical includes more than two dozen classic hits – from “I Walk The Line,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues” to the title tune — all performed by a multi-talented five member cast. From start to end, the story paints a musical portrait of Johnny Cash that promises to be a foot-stompin’, crowd-pleasin’ salute to a unique musical legend.
“Ring of Fire – The Music of Johnny Cash.” opens Friday, February 10 and runs through March 12 with performances Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.. SLO REP is located at 888 Morro Street in downtown San Luis Obispo. Ticket prices range from $40-$60 and are available at www.slorep.org or by calling (805) 786-2440.
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Join the Cayucos Library at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 2 for “The Ten Warning Signs of Dementia,” an interactive education session focused on lifelong brain health. Attendees will learn about the differences between normal brain changes due to aging and abnormal brain changes that could point to Alzheimer’s or another dementia. Presented in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association California Central Coast Chapter. This program is free to attend, and no registration is required. Contact the Cayucos Library at (805) 995-3312 for more information.
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