Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Main Street

Mary Ann Cook

Local author's new book pops up this fall

POP-UP FOR HALLOWEEN: You may be thinking in terms of back-to-school, but stretch a little farther and think Halloween. Joy Hulme's pop-up book for preschoolers has just come out and is in area bookstores. It's called Eerie Feary Feeling, a Hairy Scary Pop-up Book, published by Orchard Books of New York.

With more than one pop-up per page, it should get your preschooler in the mood. You have to be vigilant to spot all the hidden crevices. This is the book that Hulme received from the publisher before the pop-ups were put together, and she found she couldn't do it. Maybe being a rocket scientist isn't required, but at least an engineering degree must be needed. At any rate, the pop-ups are in place and ready to surprise the page-turner. The illustrator is Paul Ely. Another Hulme book, Bubble Trouble, was published by Grolier as part of its Rookie Reader series earlier this year.

BUSMAN'S HOLIDAY: John Font, director of Beacon School, spent part of his summer vacation teaching in southern Italy. He was one of the 18 Global Volunteers sent to outside Ostuni, Italy, for two weeks.

Besides his teaching duties, he managed to do lots of sightseeing, stayed in a four-star hotel and ate sumptuous meals at local restaurants and in residents' homes. Ostuni was a stunning sight, he says. "It sits on a hill, and all the buildings are old and painted white. It almost appeared like a fantasy of an ancient kingdom."

Carovigno castle, a centuries-old flag-throwing ceremony, prehistoric caves, historic cathedrals and nearby towns were all explored. Font is no stranger to Global Volunteers, having served in Spain, Ecuador and Guatemala.

Volunteers pay their own expenses, which range from $995 to $2,395 for international programs and $400 for one-week sessions in the U.S. Airfare is not included in those estimates. Global Volunteers, stationed in Minnesota, can be reached at 1-800-487-1074. Work projects are determined by host communities and directed by local leaders.

PECKLER MEMORIAL RELAY: The annual Peckler relay will be held Oct. 18 beginning at 8 a.m. at Douglas Miller Point at Lexington Dam. The 15-mile course will be broken down into legs between one and four miles. Individuals may sign up at $25 per leg or run the whole 15 for $50.

The cost for high-school-aged or younger runners is $10 per leg. Entry forms are available at Athletic Performance, Runner's Factory and Fitness Clinic. The run benefits CASA, the teen center and the Teen Counseling Center. Contacts are Joanne Rodgers, 356-1858; Lisa Richardson, 358-4915 and Tina Brown, 395-7119.

The event, now in its second year, memorializes Jim, Jill and Jeff Peckler, active in CASA (Community Against Substance Abuse) and other local youth groups, who were killed in an accident in 1997 when their car was struck by a drunken driver.

CARIBBEAN CHARITY CRUISE: You can cruise the Caribbean in the company of San Francisco Giants favorites Vida Blue and Orlando Cepeda, and $300 of your tour fare goes to Child Advocates. The trip is aboard the Sea Princess Feb. 20-27, 1999, and is sponsored by Travel Advisors of Los Gatos, 354-6531.

The cruise leaves from Ft. Lauderdale and features day-long stops at Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Prices range from $1,269 to $1,699 for double occupancy.

Child Advocates serve 990 children in foster care in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. The agency trains and manages volunteers to serve as advocates for children in foster care and speak on their behalf in court.

CALLING ALL '50s GRADS: A Los Gatos High School reunion for all '50s grads will be held Oct. 17 at noon at Vasona Park in the Circle and Rain Tree section. Cost is $3, and contacts are Dick Coffing, '55, at 559-3984 or Jody Holmes Stevens at 269-0559. Other reunion activities include attending a football game Oct. 16--meet in the alumni section--and a tour of the high school before the picnic.

HABITAT HAMMER: Patrice Anderson is off to Nepal for three weeks to participate in another house-building for Global Village, if she can raise the necessary $3,000 for travel costs. Global Village is the international arm of Habitat for Humanity.

Anderson got hooked on Habitat while on vacation in Baja. She watched a youth group building a church next door and admired their spirit. On her return she joined the organization, and since then she's helped build two houses in San Jose and one in Taeback, South Korea. Anderson says she caught the Habitat spirit of joy in working in concert with diverse communities.

Tax-deductible contributions can be sent to Habitat for Humanity, Global Village Office, P.O. Box 369, Americus, Ga., 31709. Let them know it's for account number 2926-8051, Patrice Anderson.

FIESTA FANFARE: The Kiwanians hosted a highly praised Fiesta de Artes in August. Event chairman Catherine Barrier reports a rousing turnout, quality crafts for sale, fabulous bands--three per day--and the weather a wonder at 80 degrees with a breeze.

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