Tiburon

Spring is in bloom at Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve near Tiburon. The wildflower display is simply stunning at this time of year, and the views of San Francisco, Mt. Tamalpais, and the entire Bay Area are equally spectacular.

We took a family hike there this week and were amazed by the variety and amount of blooms on view. If you haven't been to Ring Mountain, it's definitely worth a visit. Make sure you bring a camera—it's a great place for a family photo.

This preserve on a hill above Tiburon was saved from development back in the 1990s, and is home to a number of rare plants, like the Tiburon Mariposa Lilly, which is found nowhere else in the world. Large boulders and rocks are scattered throughout the hillside. You'll even find remnants of Native American settlements here in the way of petroglyphs and a grinding rock.

Next Saturday, come see four superstars of Marin's children's entertainment scene live on stage—Tim Cain, Miss Kitty, Christopher Smith, and Cindy Cohen. Accompanied by Peter Penhallow and the Dream Circle Band, this fantastic foursome perform their 13th annual "Lollypopalooza" family concert at Tiburon's Westminster Presbyterian Church on Saturday, November 17.

These popular concerts are filled with lots of clapping, dancing, and sing-along fun for children ages 3 to 8. There will be two Lollypopalooza performances: 9:30 and 11 am.

Bring your family to come celebrate fall this Saturday, September 29, from 10 am to 3 pm at Blackie's Hay Day. This annual fundraiser is reminiscent of an old-fashioned country fair and helps raise money for children's and youth programs at the Belvedere-Tiburon Library.

Blackie's Hay Day takes place, naturally, at Blackie's Pasture off Tiburon Boulevard near Trestle Glen. Blackie's Pasture is named after Blackie, a swaybacked horse who stood in the pasture for nearly 30 years and became a Tiburon mascot, after stints in the rodeo and the US cavalry. The family fun on Blackie's Hay Day will include pony rides, a petting zoo, a rock climbing wall, jumpies, face painting, a tot hay ride, and more. The event will also include live musical entertainment, including local favorite Dream Circle with Tim Cain.

Join the Dream Circle Band for a fun sing-, clap-, and dance-along interactive kids' concert on Saturday, September 8 at 11 am at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Tiburon. The stellar lineup includes regular band members Tim Cain, Miss Kitty, Christopher Smith, Cindy Cohen, Peter Penhallow, Dick Mithun, and CC Dawson plus Val Serrant on African percussion, Kevin Gerzevitz on accordion and Larry Rhodes on bassoon. (When was the last time you heard live bassoon at a kids concert?)

This concert is a community event to honor cellist and pianist, Michael Knapp, who passed away this summer. Mike loved and dedicated his life to music and teaching young children; he taught cello at the Community Music Center in San Francisco for 18 years and played piano, cello and bass at Music Makers in Tiburon for the last 12 years. His multi-talented wife, Silvia Nakkach Knapp, a Brazilian composer and healing music voice specialist will sing a song at the concert that she and her husband wrote together.

This fall Tiburon's Ark Row Center for Enrichment Fun offers a wide range of fun and exciting classes for both kids and parents. Ark Row Center provides a warm, cozy, and nurturing environment for little ones, and specializes in providing quality children's programming where every child is considered unique. Ark Row Center's Mommy and Me classes, like their Mommy & Me Music and Movement, offer age-appropriate activities and experiences designed to enrich every child's development.

For two-year-olds who are not quite ready for preschool, but are ready for more opportunities for learning and social time, the center offers Twos Together. Twos Together is a "pre-preschool" that includes plenty of arts and crafts, music, stories and songs, learning materials, as well as outdoor time. The children are gently transitioned into being able to stay by themselves, giving moms a little new-found free time! Children do not need to be potty trained for Twos Together.

Meandering along the Bay from Blackie's Pasture to downtown Tiburon, the Tiburon Bike Path is a worthwhile family outing on almost any day. Last week I packed up our bikes and a picnic and headed down to Blackie's Pasture in Tiburon's Trestle Glen neighborhood. I absolutely love this spot, and it's been a favorite place of mine since I was a child growing up in Marin. There's something about riding your bikes along the water on a clear day that makes you remember how lucky you are to live here.

Tiburon Bike Path, also known as Tiburon Linear Park and Tiburon Historical Trail, is a popular spot with bicyclists, joggers, and walkers of all ages. Along the way you'll find breathtaking vistas, sports fields, playgrounds, and a series of trail markers that highlight the Tiburon peninsula's gritty blue-collar past. That's right—this now exclusive enclave used to be known mainly as a railroad hub back in the days of steam engines. And did you know that swanky Belvedere was home to the McCollom Fish Company's cod processing facility in the 1860s?

On Tuesday, June 14, Backcounty Pictures will be filming on Marin County's own Angel Island for part of a PBS documentary about the California State Parks. They're in need of people to include in the film, especially families with children hiking, biking, and enjoying the park. Children in strollers are welcome, too. Approximately six hikers and walkers and four bicyclists are needed for these Angel Island scenes.

Volunteers will should plan on taking the 11 am ferry from Tiburon to Angel Island and returning via the 1:20 pm ferry. Participants will be reimbursed for their round-trip ferry fares.

If you're interested in being part of this exciting project, please contact Amanda Frost by email at frostbiteprod@gmail.com or by phone at (418) 832-9934; make sure you include your name, phone number and email address.

Are you looking for a fun, safe, and well organized summer camp in southern Marin? Check out the Tiburon Adventure Camp, run by the Belvedere Tiburon Child Care Center (BTCCC). This summer's Tiburon Adventure Camp offers the Sharks Program for children aged 4.5 to 8 years (incoming kindergartners to third graders) and Dolphin Program for children aged 2 to 5 (children do not have to be toilet trained to attend).

The Sharks program offers both stimulating fun and time to relax and hang out with friends throughout the summer. The camp is attended by about 25 to 30 children each week with 4 to 5 counselors. Highlights of the camp include:

• Monday: Jumpee Day—wrecking ball, obstacle challenge, run and slide, foam pit, velcro wall
• Tuesday: Hot Lunch and Movie Day—Tangled, Toy Story 3, Despicable Me, Shrek Forever, Megamind
• Wednesday: Field Trip Day—Scandia, Chabot Space Center, Six Flags, Trapeze Arts, Marin County Fair

If you're looking for a place to hold a children's birthday party in southern Marin, check out Tiburon's Ark Row Center for Enrichment. In addition to offering numerous enrichment classes and programs for both children and adults, this facility in downtown Tiburon offers fun theme birthday parties.

Choose your party theme (superheroes, princess, surfing, sports, etc.) and Ark Row Center will provide an activity or project, including art, dance, games, and more. All supplies are included. You bring the cake and paper goods, and pizzas are welcome, too. Parties take place in the spacious art studio room or the large outdoor patio.

Theme parties cast $200 for two hours for 8 children and $18 for each additional child. Party time slots are from 10 am to noon, 1 to 3 pm, or 4 to 6 pm. Call Robin for your party consultation at (415) 435-2200.

Ark Row Center for Enrichment is located at 122 Main Street in Tiburon. For more information on the center and their wide variety of programs and classes, visit www.arkrowcenter.com.