Celebrate the completion of San Pablo Avenue Streetscape Project

Welcome Ceremony — 10:00am to 11:00am
In front of Rialto Cinemas Cerrito, 10070 San Pablo Avenue

Includes

• Welcome by the Mayor
• Brief overview of the project
• Dedication of the theater “stars” by the Friends of the Cerrito Theater
• Light refreshments will be served.
• Giveaway of 100 Clipper cards for free AC Transit bus rides on-the-day. (Limited supply)

Tour the Avenue — 11:00am to 2:00pm

Walk, bike or take transit along the Avenue to see the recent improvements. Go at your own pace and visit local stores, galleries and restaurants along the way! Many businesses will be offering discounts or samples as part of the Spring Fling. See the List of Participating Businesses.

Tour Stops will highlight:

• The renovated historic Cerrito Theater
• Rain Gardens – hosted by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership
• Water-saving landscape renovations
• New City Hall & public plaza
• Pedestrian Safety Improvements & Street Amenities
• Historic-cultural sidewalk pavers – hosted by the El Cerrito Historical Society

Baxter Creek Restoration

An audio tour to accompany the series of 28 historic-cultural sidewalk pavers will also be available for download from this page,http://www.el-cerrito.org/springfling.html prior to the event.

Read about the overall Streetscape Project.

Adapted from a novel by C.S. Forester, The African Queen stars Humphrey Bogart in his Oscar-winning portrayal of Charlie Allnut, the slovenly, gin-swilling captain of a tramp steamer called the African Queen, which ships supplies to small East African villages during World War I. Katharine Hepburn plays Rose Sayer, the maiden-lady sister of a prim British missionary, Rev. Samuel Sayer (Robert Morley). When Germans invade and Samuel dies, Allnut offers to take Rose back to civilization. She can’t tolerate his drinking or bad manners; he isn’t crazy about her imperious, judgmental attitude. However it does not take long before their passionate dislike turns to love. Together the disparate duo work to ensure their survival on the treacherous waters and devise an ingenious way to destroy a German gunboat. The African Queen may well be the perfect adventure film, its roller-coaster storyline complemented by the chemistry between its stars. The profound difficulties inherent in filming on location in Africa have been superbly documented by several books, including one written by Katharine Hepburn.

Film starts at 7:15 pm Thursday, May 12. All seats are $8. Get to the Classics early as they are popular — or buy tickets in advance (see right column on the Rialto website). The Thursday evening Classics are very popular, so you may want to buy your ticket in advance at the box office or online. Getting to the theater early is always a good idea–for a choice of seating and to order food and drinks.

Source: Yahoo! Movie Info

On Saturday, May 14, 2011 from 10 AM to 2 PM the City of El Cerrito is hosting a community celebration to mark the completion of the multi-year streetscape project to enhance San Pablo Avenue.

The “Spring Fling” celebration along the El Cerrito section of San Pablo Avenue is an opportunity to see the various improvements and “rediscover” what San Pablo Avenue has to offer.

From 10:00am to 11:00am, there will be a welcome ceremony in front of the renovated historic Cerrito Theater (now Rialto Cinemas Cerrito). The ceremony will include a welcome from the Mayor, a brief overview of the project, and formal dedication of the sidewalk “stars” by the Friends of the Cerrito Theater. Light refreshments will be served.

From 11:00am to 2:00pm, there will be a self-paced tour along the Avenue highlighting the recent improvements. Attendees are encouraged to walk, bike or take transit. There will be about five “tour stops” with more information about various aspects of the Streetscape Project. Various local stores, galleries and restaurants on the Avenue will be offering discounts or samples as part of the Spring Fling. An audio tour to accompany the series of 28 historic-cultural sidewalk pavers will also be available for download prior to the event.

The Friends of the Cerrito Theater, the El Cerrito Historical Society, the El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce, the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, Gates + Associates, Cole Management and Engineering and other local businesses are proud to support this event.

More information about this event will be available online soon at http://www.el-cerrito.org (on or about April 20).

The various Streetscape improvements help to identify El Cerrito as a distinct place along the Avenue, enhance the economic vitality of the area and create a better walking environment. For more on the overall Streetscape project, visit www.el-cerrito.org/public_works/ave.html