Around the Region (09/27/17)

MODESTO

What: AARP Smart Driver Basic Course

When: Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to noon

Where: Doctors Medical Center, Conference Center, 1441 Florida Ave.

Info: The eight-hour course deals with challenges facing the aging driver. Fee is $15 for AARP members and $20 for others. An insurance discount certificate good for three years will be provided at the end of the class. For more information or to register call 888-284-6641.

What: Senior Day Dances

When: Thursdays 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Where: Stanislaus Veterans Center Hall, Coffee Road and Sylvan Avenue

Info: Come out and listen/dance to the warm sounds of Bonnie and the Boys Out Back band. Entry fee $5, sandwich and chips, $5. These dances help to support the Veterans Foundation of Stanislaus County, the operator of the hall and conference center. For more information, call 209-343-6292.

What: Music Lives Concert

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Gallo Center for the Arts, 1000 I St.

Info: The Music Lives Fall 2017 presents a multimedia piano recital by MJC music professor Alejandro Sabre entitled, “My Grandfather’s Music: Mexican Piano Pieces from the Golden Era of Song,” in the Foster Family Theater. Sabre, a Mexican-born pianist, performs and talks about the music of his late grandfather, famous Mexican composer Joseì Sabre Marroquiìn. An established songwriter during the 30’s and 40’s - the beginning of radio broadcasting and film - Marroquiìn wrote several hit songs made famous by iconic Mexican singers Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete. Special student-only tickets are available for $16 through Friday at the MJC Auditorium Box Office, open Tuesday through Friday, from 12 noon to 5 p.m., or call 209-575-6776. Tickets are also available at the Gallo Center Box Office, or by calling 209-338-2100, or online at www.galloarts.org.

COLUMBIA

What: Stories In Stone Cemetery Tour

When: Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: Columbia SHP, 11255 Jackson St

Info: The Friends of Columbia and the Columbia State Historic Park invites the public to “Stories In Stone: Cemetery Tour”. The tour will take place in the park’s historic cemetery. The tour will begin at the Old School House parking lot and is $25 per person. Visitors will learn about life in the 1850s through the “voices” of who lived during the era. Stories in Stone is an evening stroll through the park’s historical cemetery where costumed guides will lead a lamplight tour of grave sites, where other costumed docents will stand next to selected tombstones and tell the stories of the deceased. For more information or to register for the walk contact call the park museum, 209-532-3184 or Friends voicemail: 209-588-8411 or visit www.bookeo.com or friendsofcolumbiashp.com.

LIVINGSTON

What: Family Hamburger Night

When: Thursday, 5-7 p.m.

Where: Veterans Memorial Hall, 1605 7th St.

Info: The Livingston Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8327 invites the public to its next monthly family hamburger night at the Veterans Memorial Hall. The sandwich prices range from $3.50 to $4.50, and vistors may still order a cup of chilli for $2 and a soda or water for $1. Coffee is complimentary. All sandwiches come with a choice of potato salad or green salad. This is a fundraiser for the Livingston-Delhi VFW Post 8327. You do not have to be a member to attend this event. For more information contact Donita "Sue" Wells, Ladies Auxiliary VFW 8327-13, by email denisue@gvni.com

40 YEARS AGO: Coffee sales in Modesto were down 30 to 40 percent since December 1976. Steve Angelo, owner of Angelo’s Markets, said he estimated a 30 percent decrease in coffee sale even though the price per pound of coffee had declined. The price per pound for coffee had dropped from $5 to $3.50 per pound. Albertson’s manager Bruce Severson estimated his sales were down 40 percent. however, a buyer for Save Mart stores said sales always decline during the summer months, but pick up in the winter months.

This story was originally published September 26, 2017 at 11:15 AM with the headline "Around the Region (09/27/17)."