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• December: Speaker Hilary Grabowska, Supervisory Interpretive Park Ranger

  • When
    Tuesday, December 01, 2026
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Location
    Fireside Room

  Register

  On December 1 at 10 am in the Fireside Room HCC welcomes Supervisory Interpretive Park Ranger Hilary Grabowska. In full uniform Hilary will give an in-depth presentation on the often overlooked history of Port Chicago. Registration is open now, and we encourage both members and non-members to register to do so by clicking here

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• January: Speaker Britt Royer, Museum Curator and Adjunct Professor at St. Mary’s College Museum

  • When
    Tuesday, January 05, 2027
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

  Register

  What’s going on at Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art? Come find out when the History & Culture Club welcomes Guest speaker Britt Royer, Museum Curator and Adjunct Professor at St. Mary’s College Museum.  Learn what a curator does from someone who is passionate about curating experiences that connect and build empathy with art and narrative. With degrees from UC Davis in Art History, Criticism & Conservation as well as Anthropology & Archeology, Royer is uniquely qualified for her visit as our featured speaker.
  

  Her presentation includes a sneak preview of the upcoming February exhibition: Interwoven; Featuring threads that bind stories together both physically and conceptually in Northern California, with a Bay Area focus. This exhibition seeks to illuminate knots and ties that shape identity, place and belonging through fiber art.

  
  

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• March: Lamorinda Female Wine Producers Panel Discussion

  • When
    Tuesday, March 02, 2027
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Location
    Fireside Room

  Register

  If you thought our neighboring Lamorinda microclimate was wild… imagine growing grapes! Explore the history beginning in 1880 to present day winemaking in this unique terroir as we welcome Esther Thal of Thal Vineyards, Leanne Pilot of Crane Terrace Winery, and Leslie Ward of Los Arabis Vineyards, amongst the many female winegrowers in Lamorinda’s designated American Viticultural Area. Esther Thal is also the owner of Local Vines wine bar. She will guide this journey through the Lamorinda AVA as we celebrate International Women’s month.  No wine served at this event.

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• International House & Dining Commons, University of CA Berkeley

  • When
    Tuesday, March 23, 2027

  Visit I-House where Berkeley meets the world. Founded in 1930 with a gift from J. D. Rockefeller, students from all over the world have lived in this special dorm fostering respect and understanding for a more just and peaceful world. Notable graduates have populated the worlds of Nobel Laureates, Ambassadors, UN Staff, Public Service, Business, Science, Law, Literature & Journalism, Arts & Entertainment, Education and Royal Families including the new King Norway. Spend a day exploring the remarkable history and purpose-built edifice that changed the world. The hosted lunch is in the Dining Commons providing an opportunity to mingle with residents. Reservations open in early February.

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• April: Speaker Alyssa Stone, Director of Community Engagement for JOYBOUND People & Pets

  • When
    Tuesday, April 06, 2027
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Location
    Fireside Room

  Curious about the Human-Animal bond? Discover how this bond is mutually beneficial, unleashing its’ power to help & heal.  Alyssa Stone, Director of Community Engagement for JOYBOUND People & Pets joins HCC to discuss the dynamic relationship between people and animals that is influenced by behaviors considered essential to the mental, physical, social health and wellbeing of both.
  

  Alyssa brings over twenty years of innovative leadership in arts and culture programs, education and community engagement through her work with the Exploratorium, Mechanics Institute, Stern Grove Festival and beyond. A performer at heart and by training, she now uses those skills to entertain her cats (and any animals who will listen) with silly songs

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• National Steinbeck Center Museum & Steinbeck House Cafe, Salinas

  • When
    Wednesday, May 05, 2027

  HCC pays tribute to the life of John Steinbeck and his impact on the American identity and literature. The National Steinbeck Center, a museum and cultural center in Salinas, explores Steinbeck’s ecological vision, his commitment to social engagement and his many stories about the working class.

  

  His work remains relevant today as new readers discover his realistic and imaginative writing combining sympathetic humor and social perception. Steinbeck ’s books have been published in more than 45 languages. He was a citizen of Salinas as well as a citizen of the world.The hosted lunch is at the Steinbeck House Cafe in the Queen Anne Victorian, built in 1897 that was the birthplace and boyhood home of John Steinbeck. Reservations open in late March.

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• September: Speaker Kent Long, President of the Friends of the Joaquin Moraga Adobe

  • When
    Tuesday, September 07, 2027
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Location
    Fireside Room

  Do you know the oldest surviving building in Contra Costa County is just a few miles away in Orinda? Kent Long will provide an overview of the Moraga Adobe from its 1841construction to the present. The Moraga family was one of the most important in the Bay Area; Their story is used to discuss the broader history of the “Californio” families that held ranchos during the Mexican era in California.

  Kent‘s presentation moves to the later history of the Moraga Adobe in the 20^th and 21^stcenturies, including ownership and early restoration by the Irvine Family, decades serving as a suburban home, then ultimate deterioration. In 2024 funds were raised for Friends of the Joaquin Moraga Adobe to oversee the rehabilitation and successfully open the adobe to the public.

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• Pacific Pinball Museum, Alameda, Horatio’s Restaurant, San Leandro Marina

  • When
    Tuesday, October 05, 2027
  •  
    9:00 AM

  Calling all Pinball Wizards to this interactive museum where you get to play!  Experience an historical display of rare 1930's pin devices and games with over 100 pinball machines from the 1940’s to the present. There’s a pinball machine encapsulated in lucite for complete visibility as well as an area devoted to machines designed and programmed by women. This is a must-see destination for art, history and science enthusiasts.  The environment includes handprinted murals, a vintage jukebox and rotating exhibits. The hosted lunch is at Horatio’s where the nautical theme captures the romance and brilliance of a 200-year-old Royal Navy. Surrounded by handcrafted beams and authentic maritime artifacts, the group lunch is accompanied by a view of the bay. Reservations open in late August
  

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• December: Sogetsu Ikebana History and Live Demonstration

  • When
    Tuesday, December 07, 2027
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Location
    Fireside Room

  What is Sogetsu?  Ikebana is the beautiful often minimalist art of Japanese cut flower arrangement. The Sogetsu School of Ikebana was established in 1927 and is characterized by a modern style that does not follow classical Ikebana rules of forms and structure.
  

  Meet Deputy Directors of Sogetsu San Francisco, Sharon Suimei Doi, Jane Suiei Naito and Rossmoor resident Gordon Ward, who holds the rank of Sogetsu Komon.

  Sharon will guide us through an oral history of Ikebana, followed by Gordon’s hands-on demonstration building clay vessels specific for Ikebana displays.

  The morning culminates as Jane creates two original Sogetsu arrangements.

  Suiei Sensei has served in the San Francisco Board of Ikebana International and Ikebana Teachers Federation. She enjoys teaching and sharing her knowledge of Sogetsu Ikebana in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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