The Willow Glen Resident

Around The Glen

Former WG author honored at event

Rattlesnakes and buffalo robes were the talk of the evening Feb. 27 at a book-signing event held to honor author and former Willow Glen resident Linda Baxter at Joseph George Wines in the Glen.

Baxter has recently published a series of historical children's fiction books, including the tales The Rattlesnake Necklace, Rocky Mountain Summer, Buffalo Robe and Prairie Meeting. The books are based on the childhood memories of Baxter's grandmother.

The books are published by Perfection Learning, an educational publishing house. Baxter's fifth book, The Fire Carrier, is slated for a 1999 release.

--Rebecca Wallace

New owner set to take Sharky's helm

There are always other fish in the sea.

Suzanne Lucille Robinson will soon take over ownership of Sharky's at 1151 Lincoln Ave. of Fran Crozier, according to Joan Lopez of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control department. Robinson applied for a new license on Feb. 27.

Crozier said the transaction is still in escrow and has not been closed yet. She declined to comment further, and Robinson could not be reached for comment.

Sharky's will continue to operate under a type 47 liquor license, which enables a vendor to serve beer, wine and other types of liquor, Lopez said. The transfer requires 30 to 60 days to take effect. By law, a bar or restaurant that serves alcohol must inform Beverage Control if a liquor license will change hands.

Robinson used to operate a restaurant in the same building as Sharky's, said Jeff Michel, co-owner of the White Dove Cafe, which now sits where Robinson's restaurant was located.

"Robinson was Fran's first option," Michel said.

--Christine M. Lias

College celebrates medieval feminist

Medieval feminism may not be such an oxymoron after all--at least according to Willow Glen author Joan Ohanneson, whose historical novel, Scarlet Music, about musician and feminist thinker Hildegard Von Bingen, was published last April.

Ohanneson will speak March 21 as part of San Jose City College's celebration of the 900th anniversary of Von Bingen's birth. Von Bingen was centuries ahead of her time, working in art, music, charity, healing and theology in a time when women were not respected.

"She defied kings and popes, told them where they were going astray, in an era when women didn't count for anything," said organizer and Willow Glen resident Barbara Snyder.

"She seized my heart and she wouldn't let me go," Ohanneson said of Von Bingen in an interview last year. "It was an amazing odyssey."

Other presentations will include a slide presentation and lecture by Willow Glen resident Eve Page-Mathias.

The event is free and open to the public. It will run from 9:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the college's community room at 2100 Moorpark Ave. For more information, call Page-Mathias at 298-2181, ext. 3890.

--Rebecca Wallace

AARP discusses mortgages and finances at talk

At its March 23 meeting, the Willow Glen chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons will talk about a way for seniors to attain financial security that they may not have known about: reverse mortgages.

Reverse mortgages give seniors access to funds by letting them borrow against the equity in their homes. Repayment is not mandated until the home is sold or the borrower dies, AARP representatives said.

Gabe Rogers, a retired banker with more than 40 years of experience in banking and mortgage lending, will speak on the subject. The presentation will cover the four kinds of reverse mortgages insurable by the federal government.

The free meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the Willows Senior Center at 2175 Lincoln Ave. It is open to the public. For more information, call Peter Szego at 298-0564.

--Rebecca Wallace

Center springs bunny breakfast and boutique

To celebrate spring, the Willows Senior Center is hosting a pancake breakfast with the Easter Bunny, followed by an arts and crafts boutique, on Saturday, March 28.

Pancakes, sausage and juice will be served from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Kids can also get their pictures taken with Mr. Bunny from 9 a.m. to noon. Arts and crafts tables will be on display from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with nachos, snow cones, cotton candy and sodas for further nourishment.

Those who want to sell their crafts can purchase a boutique table for $7. The breakfast costs $4 for adults, $3 for seniors ages 50 and up, $2 for children ages 4 to 12 and $1 for children under 3. Tickets must be purchased in advance. For more information, call 448-6400.

--Rebecca Wallace

Camera club rates photo equipment

Camera equipment and accessories will be the topic of the evening at the Light and Shadow Camera Club's next meeting on Tuesday, March 24. There will also be a table for members to sell cameras, lenses and other equipment.

The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Cambrian Park Church of the Nazarene at Curtner Avenue and Coit Drive near Willow Glen (one block west of Leigh Avenue). Guests are welcome.

For more information, call 269-8034.

--Amanda Atchison

Sale sates hunger for knowledge and food

The Friends of the Willow Glen Library plan to host a book and baked goods sale on Saturday, April 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Books donated to the Willow Glen Library by patrons will be sold, along with discarded books from the library shelves.

Hungry readers can also buy coffee and homemade baked goods. The proceeds will benefit the Willow Glen Branch Library.

The sale will be held at the library at 1157 Minnesota Ave. For more information, call 998-2053.

--Amanda Atchison

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