The Willow Glen Resident

Around The Glen

Five dollars buys a bag of books at library sale

The Friends of San Jose Public Library will host a used-book sale May 14-16 in the Main Library to benefit the city's library system.

The sale is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day and will take place in the McDaniel Community Room at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Main Library at 180 W. San Carlos St. in downtown San Jose.

Friends members and teachers get to attend an extra sale day on Wednesday, May 13, 5-8 p.m. Those who want to join the Friends can do so at the door that night.

Books of all kinds will be on sale at $5 a bag. Proceeds go to the library system to purchase equipment. Donations are accepted for this event at all city library branches.

The Friends of the Library is a nonprofit group supporting the public library system through fundraising and other activities. The Friends are also looking for volunteers to help coordinate the sale, all of whom will receive a free bag of books.

For more information, call the Best Friends Bookstore at 275-1515.

--Aji Mathai

Otherworldly types move into the Glen

Looks like the Glen is finding popularity even among extraterrestrials.

On a recent episode, the family of aliens from the TV show Third Rock From the Sun picked up and moved out of their quirky house and into a plush, conformist apartment complex called "Willow Glen," where everybody's clothes match and the decor is a daring mix of beige, taupe and ecru.

The character Sally took to the place right away. "Oh, I love Willow Glen," she enthused. "I can't remember life before Willow Glen, and I can't imagine life after it."

Unfortunately, the family was evicted when its other members acquired a dog, a leaf-blower and a bad attitude.

--Rebecca Wallace

Giant Glen tree brings shade, conversation

Call it a blessing in disguise or an example of great things coming in small packages. When Glen resident Mary Wren received her mail-order plant about three years ago, she took a look at the 2-foot twig and thought it would never grow into anything.

But now it is a tall, radiant powton tree, which Wren calls a sapphire dragon tree. It grows pretty lavender blossoms in the springtime and provides shade for her barbecue table in the summertime with its huge leaves.

Wren, who lives on Franquette Avenue, originally ordered the sapphire dragon to provide shade for her table. Three years later, it is a 40-foot-tall tree that has been a big conversation-starter.

"I never thought that stick would grow into the tree that it is today," Wren said. "I'm pleased that it grows the things it does in the different seasons."

--Aji Mathai

Red Cross provides tips for home pools safety

Planning ahead for summer, the American Red Cross has released a myriad of water-safety tips for those with home pools.

"Lives can be saved this summer if people learn to swim, use caution in, on and around the water and learn how to perform CPR," said Harold Rosenblume, health and safety director of the Santa Clara Valley Red Cross.

The tips include these:

*Never leave a child unobserved around water. If a child is missing, check the pool.

*Enclose pools completely with self-locking, self-closing fences with vertical bars. Openings in the fence should be no more than 4 inches wide. Never leave furniture near the fence.

*Keep toys away from the pool when it is not in use. Toys can attract young children into the pool.

*Install a phone by the pool or keep a cordless phone nearby. Post CPR instructions in the pool area. Learn Red Cross CPR and insist that those who care for your child know CPR. Call the Santa Clara Valley Red Cross at 577-2178 to enroll in CPR classes.

--Rebecca Wallace

Symphony celebrates 40 years on May 17

The San Jose Wind Symphony celebrates its 40th birthday on Sunday, May 17, with a little Sousa, Shostakovich and Hindemith--and the premiere performance of a symphonic band work that was commissioned by symphony members and written by composer Craig Bohmler.

SJWS alumni are invited to perform in the last two numbers in the program. And San Jose Mercury News columnist Leigh Weimers makes his debut with the symphony, acting as the narrator in Copland's "Lincoln Portrait."

The event begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. A by-reservation-only reception will be held after the concert to toast the group's 40 years and founding conductor Darrell Johnston.

Tickets may be purchased by calling 650/903-6000. For more information, call 927-SJWS or visit the symphony's Web site at www.geocities.com/~sjws/.

--Rebecca Wallace

WG High grad named senior vice president of mortgage lender

Michelle Lilley, a graduate of Willow Glen High School now living in Campbell, has been named the mortgage banking operations senior vice president of OnLine Capital, a Campbell-based residential direct mortgage lender.

As director of operations for the company's two Campbell branches and the Walnut Creek branch, Lilley will make sure that loans are processed, underwritten and closed to meet borrowers' needs. Lilley is a 16-year veteran of the mortgage lending industry.

--Aji Mathai

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