Around the Bay in February

Now in its fifth year, the United States’ premier "cinemaquatic" event offers a weekend of inspirational films and lively discussions on environmental issues, marine science, and ocean sports as well as ocean exploration and coastal and island cultural history.

The annual festival at the Cowell Theater in Fort Mason Center provides the public with a rare opportunity to see beneath the surface of the waves, to realize the importance of preserving ocean biodiversity, to become better ocean stewards, and to celebrate the joy that oceans add to life. More than two dozen films by filmmakers from around the world will be screened. The festival takes place from February 1^st through the 3^rd. For more information, visit www.oceanfilmfest.org.

Meet former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Jr., on February 5th at 7:00 p.m. at Passage Books in the San Francisco Ferry Building, as he talks about his new book Basic Brown. Willie Brown grew up in a rural, segregated Texas town and later became the two-term mayor of San Francisco, the longest-serving Speaker of the California Assembly, and one of the most influential black politicians in America. In Basic Brown he offers advice, counsel, and anecdotes on a variety of political topics. It will be a special treat to welcome Mayor Willie Brown to the Ferry Building, because he—more than any other public official—was instrumental in creating the beautiful Ferry Building Marketplace that we have today.

The fifth annual Food from the Heart at the Ferry Building Marketplace kicks off on Friday, February 8th, with a benefit for Slow Food from 5-8 p.m. The public is invited to stroll through the candlelit Grand Nave, where the merchants and restaurateurs of the Marketplace will offer seasonal hors d’oeuvres ($2 - $4 per taste) and Slow Food volunteers and local vintners will pour wine from several wine bars ($6 per glass). There will be tango and salsa dancing, chocolate samplings, and romantic music to serenade visitors. Proceeds from wine bar and hors d’oeuvres purchases benefit Slow Food San Francisco. The entire Marketplace will be open until 8 p.m. for Valentine shopping. Inspired by the season of love, the Epicurean revelry and delights carry on through Saturday, as the Marketplace and the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market will be brimming with heartfelt foods, and local chefs will offer cooking demonstrations on how to prepare seasonal, romantic meals.

Spoon and swoon with your sweetheart at An Evening at the Cabaret presented by the vocal music department of Napa Valley College on Friday, February 22, at 7:00 p.m.  This entertainment filled event featuring the choral and vocal music students, will take place in the Singer’s Lounge (NVC Cafeteria) and includes appetizers, desserts, beverages and a Silent Auction. Admission is $15. Limited Seating Available. Discretion is advised as the program includes adult content and strong language.  Proceeds from this event will benefit the NVC vocal music department. The NVC cafeteria is located at 2277 Napa Vallejo Highway, building 900.  Parking is free.  Call the NVC Box Office at (707) 259-8077 for tickets and information.

Bees are the buzz at an exhibition opening January 31 and closing on March 9 at the Napa Valley College Art Gallery. Beebonibroom (Disturbance in the Field) features the work of three Bay Area artists expressing in distinct ways their connection to the world of bees. The show is curated by Napa artist Rob Keller and features Keller’s own work, along with that of John Bonick and Joy Broom. Rob Keller is a beekeeper in addition to being an artist: The name of the exhibition plays off the names of the three artists and our subject, he explains. ‘Disturbance in the Field’ refers to the crisis today in bee populations around the world and the importance of sustainable beekeeping. Keller will install a system pumping honey in clear tubes around the gallery with wall texts and maps explaining how bees travel. There will be local honey available for sale at The Gallery during the exhibition. The Gallery is located at 1360 Menlo Avenue, Napa, and is open from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. 

Transportation officials and sustainability advocates from around the Bay Area officially launched the grand opening of San Francisco’s first free-standing, attended bicycle parking facility in January at Caltrain’s 4th and King St. station. Operating out of a new 1,600 sq. ft. structure, Warm Planet Bikes will provide free, secure bicycle parking to Caltrain’s booming bicycle ridership. The new bike valet station is a response from Bay Area leaders to the growing demand for sustainable transportation choices. Caltrain’s bicycle ridership has increased 2.8% over the past year, to where 1 in 15 Caltrain riders are bicycle commuters. Caltrain, known nationally as a leader in promoting multimodal bike/transit trips, reports that cyclists now constitute nearly 7% of its weekday ridership. Caltrain has secure bike shelters at its Palo Alto, Mountain View and Menlo Park stations, and bike lockers are available at 27 Caltrain stations. Funded by grants from the region’s largest transportation agencies, Warm Planet Bikes will accommodate over 130 bicycles to serve commuters traveling down or up the Peninsula. In addition, Warm Planet Bikes will offer bicycle repair services for a fee as well as a retail store. Warm Planet Bikes is located at 311 Townsend St., and is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information go to: www.warmplanetbikes.com

Prepare yourself for orchids that were born to be wild when you step into the 56^th annual Pacific Orchid Exposition (POE), hosted by the San Francisco Orchid Society. Over 150,000 orchids from all over the globe, in every color, shape and size, will be viewable at this award winning show. The POE will bring out the wild side of all who attend; truly a mind boggling, jaw dropping, and eye popping experience. Orchids are the largest family of flowering plants, and grow in every part of the world. The intricately structured flower is known for its long lifespan, which displays its compelling beauty or bizarre nature for months on end. More than 50 growers will be displaying their unique species and rare clones, giving orchid lovers the chance to purchase a one-of-a-kind treasure. This provocative showcase of orchids will take place at Fort Mason Center’s Festival Pavilion on February 28 through March 2. Preview night, Thursday, February 28, includes delicious appetizers and wine tasting from 28 wineries, including varietals from four of the 2008 International San Francisco Chronicle Wine Tasting winners. For more information, visit www.orchidsanfrancisco.org or call (415) 665-2468.