Beyond the Creek

Heritage Day at Borges Ranch This Saturday

June 6, 2013 4:30 pm

Photo by Flickr user John-Morgan

Borges Ranch
1035 Castle Rock Road
Saturday, June 8th, 2013
11:00am – 4pm | Free ($5 parking @ Northgate High)

Walnut Creek history comes alive as Walnut Creek celebrates Heritage Day at Borges Ranch. Meet Borges family members and tour the historic 1901 ranch house. Step into the 1903 Carriage Barn for silent moves from the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. Learn about gardening, beekeeping, spinning wool and more. Music will be provided by the East Bay Fiddlers and Bigfoot. Kids will have a great time doing crafts and taking pony rides until 2:30 p.m. Food will be available for purchase.
Park at Northgate High School and take the shuttle to the ranch for $5 per family (no parking is available at the ranch except for vehicles with a placard).
For details, contact Ranger Dan Bylin, 925-943-5899 ext. 2162.

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The Cooperage American Grille Opening in November in Lafayette

June 6, 2013 11:30 am

The anticipation is great for The Cooperage American Grill opening at the old Petar’s location in downtown Lafayette and according to Diablo Dish it is set to open on November 6th. Word on the street is that the parking lot is going to be expanded and converted into valet parking spots although I wonder whether the entire lot will be valet or just a percentage.

From the Cooperage website:

The Cooperage American Grille will feature American favorites like slow roasted chicken prepared in a glass-encased rotisserie oven, New York steak, beef tenderloin, and signature burger (made with our own meat grinder at the grill). The Cooperage will also offer healthier options, including a selection of salad entreés made with local and organically grown ingredients.

The Cooperage will be comfortable for families dining with children, featuring sports memorabilia from local teams and athletes, kids menu, and younger diners can watch their food being prepared in the rotisserie oven and open kitchen.

The Cooperage will have a large bar area for adults with flat screen TV’s, 12 beers on tap, eight wine selections on tap, and vintage cocktail list

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Window Display of the Day (Father’s Day Edition)

June 6, 2013 10:00 am

Courtesy of Venture

Props as always to Venture men’s goods in Lafayette for their killer window displays!

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Lafayette Beauty Store Opens in Downtown Lafayette

June 6, 2013 8:30 am

Back in February I noted that a new salon was opening where Pure Beauty used to be on Mt. Diablo Blvd. in downtown Lafayette and now Lafayette Beauty Store has opened. There is quite a large cosmetics section in front as can be seen in the photo below.

Lafayette Beauty Store is located at 3606 Mount Diablo Blvd. right near Pizza Antica in Lafayette.

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Cooking with Kids at Walnut Creek Yacht Club July 13th, 27th & Aug 10th

June 5, 2013 4:30 pm

Cooking with Kids:

Walnut Creek Yacht Club
1555 Bonanza St., Walnut Creek
Saturday, July 13th, 27th & August 10th, 2013
1:00pm – 3:00pm | Free

The spaces at these classes are highly coveted. Please call now if this is something that you would like your budding chef to experience. The three classes are held on Saturdays, from 1-3 pm.
And here are the dates:
July 13, July 27, August 10
Chef Kevin chooses a dish that he finds fun and exciting to prepare with kids, ages 7-13.
We’re sorry, but this is for kids only! Please drop your sous chef off at the aft deck at 1:00 and pick him or her up at 3:00. These classes are as much fun for Chef Kevin as they are for the kids, so we do not charge for them.

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Kitchen of the Day

June 5, 2013 11:30 am

This is another kitchen from the Lafayette Juniors Kitchen Tour that took place a couple of weeks ago. You can see the previous kitchens here and here. I really liked the transitional style of this kitchen with clean design featured throughout. The skylight at top allows abundant natural light into the kitchen area which I appreciated. The highlight of this kitchen for me was the beautiful Vetrazzo recycled glass countertop on the island. Take a closer look of the Vetrazzo countertop in the photo below. I had seen this in showrooms before but this was the first one I saw in a real kitchen and think it looks amazing!

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New Art in Downtown Walnut Creek

June 5, 2013 8:30 am

As I passed by Bank of America on N. Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek I glanced at this beautiful work of art hanging next to the ATM. I read the sign next to it wondering who the artist was when I learned it’s actually an abandoned night drop. How funny is that?!

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DNA from Recent Assault Helps Solve Previous Attack in Walnut Creek

June 5, 2013 7:00 am

From the Walnut Creek Police Department:

In January 2013 Francisco Hernandez –Murrieta was convicted of Assault With Intent to Commit Rape for an attack that occurred in Walnut Creek on 6/9/12.
In that assault, Hernandez-Murrieta attacked a female that was walking home from downtown Walnut Creek on a trail late at night. The victim was able to fight off Hernandez- Murrieta and he was captured by police a short distance away. Hernandez-Murrieta was sentenced to 2 years State Prison for the offense. Hernandez- Murrieta is currently incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison.

As a result of his arrest and conviction, a swab of Hernandez-Murrieta DNA was taken and submitted to the California Department of Justice CODIS data base. A search of the DNA linked Hernandez- Murrieta to a previously unsolved 2010 sexual assault case that occurred in Walnut Creek on 8/14/2010. In that case the suspect attacked a female alone in a car near downtown Walnut Creek. DNA evidence was recovered in that case by the Contra Costa County Crime Lab who in turn submitted the samples to the Department of Justice database.

Walnut Creek Police detectives worked with the Contra Costa County Crime Lab to confirm the DNA match. Detectives were also able to obtain other corroborating evidence linking Hernandez-Murrieta to the 2010 attack. The two attacks occurred less than a half a mile apart. The case was submitted to the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office. On 6/3/13, the Contra Costa County District Attorney filed charges of Assault to Commit Rape against Hernandez-Murrieta for the 2010 assault. He was additionally charged with being armed during that offense.

This case is particularly timely with the Supreme Court decision released 6/3/13 in Maryland v. King, continuing police authority to collect buccal DNA swabs from persons arrested for serious crimes. This case illustrates the value of this crime fighting tool and the success of the CODIS program.

Anyone with information on this case should call the Walnut Creek Police Department at (925) 943-5844.

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Downtown Lafayette History Treasure Hunt on June 15th and 16th

June 4, 2013 4:30 pm

Lafayette History Treasure Hunt:

Downtown Lafayette
Saturday, June 15th & Sunday, 16th, 2013

Discover how much you know about Downtown Lafayette’s history (or you can learn more) by participating in this fun family-friendly Father’s Day Weekend outing!

Here’s how it will work:

At 5 pm Friday, June 14, clues and instructions will be emailed to participants. The clues will give directions to markers or plaques at fourteen different historical sites in downtown Lafayette. Information found on a marker or plaque will answer a question specific to that location.

Answers to the clues must be emailed to the Historical Society (lafayette.history@comcast.net) by 5 pm on Sunday, June 16. There will be a prize drawing from among those answering all of the questions correctly.

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Piccolo Napoli Opening in Orinda June 29th

June 4, 2013 11:30 am

Last month I noted that Bonfire Pizzeria closed in the Orinda Theatre Square with a new pizzeria to replace it and it turns out that Piccolo Napoli will be opening here in Orinda on June 29th. According to Diablo Dish they will be “emphasizing family-friendly fare with a focus on thin-crust, Italian-style pizza”.

From their website:

Peter & Maria Eberle, long-time Lamorinda residents, have lived in New York, Chicago and Europe where they have sampled countless variations of pizza and created many of their own. Together with their four teenagers; Alex & Hailey Eberle and Aja & Ariel Adair they bring to Orinda their love of pizza, pasta and gelato. Come join us this summer for Orinda’s newest family friendly restaurant in Theatre Square!

As a pizza lover I can’t wait to try this place out!

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