BCA FYI

Help is here, business owners and managers. Nab info on ways the U.S. Small Business Administration, local lenders and others can give you a boost during these trying times. Small Business Resource Day is loaded with good news.  Friday Sept. 25, 9:30 a.m. at the Atascadero Lake Pavilion. Register for the free event at: www.atascaderochamber.org … Need for speed: Members of the Estrella Warbirds Museum note many returning vets miss access to high speed, powerful vehicles, so it made perfect sense to add an Automobile Display highlighting automotive and auto racing history to the museum’s extensive collection of military aircraft. Zoom on in Paso off Highway 46 East … Gotta love the copy – and the cause: the SLO County Annual Creek Cleanup Day folks invite everyone to help “Grab the Gunk, Can the Crud, Decimate Debris – Get it Before it Washes Downstream.” Saturday, Oct. 3, 9 a.m. to noon … Be On The Lookout: More roadwork ahead on Broad Street in SLO, including at the intersections of Tank Farm Road and Orcutt. It could get dicey, so plan accordingly with anticipated dates Sept. 28 through Nov. 20. Some overnight work on Sundays will help address traffic impacts … Halloween has become one of those big-time holidays with an entire industry growing around it. Check out the offerings at the Halloween Express Store, located temporarily in the former Linens ‘n Things space near SLO’s Home Depot … No tricks, this is one great treat: Grade Potential, an in-home tutoring company, is sponsoring a Halloween costume recycling program for local needy kids. Donated costumes will be distributed Oct. 28 at three county locations. Paul’s Cleaners, the United Church of Christ San Luis Obispo, Family Care Network, Exploration Station and the Paso Robles Children’s Museum are all helping out. New or used costume donations needed … Plenty of fun things to do this weekend: Plein Air, the fabulous outdoor painting festival sponsored by the SLO Art Center unfolds for a week beginning this Sunday and ending Oct. 4 … Then there’s Bravo SLO 09, the Performing Arts Center’s first ever season preview. Saturday, 10a.m.-4 p.m., more than 20 organizations will offer sneak peeks of the year’s offerings. Music, drama, dance…food, conversation, prizes, short films, and a noon-3 p.m. wine tasting…all free. What can we say but, Bravo! … And speaking of the PAC, Some compliments just have to be shared, like this one from John Kieser, General Manager of the San Francisco Symphony, praising our fabulous Performing Arts Center after the SF Symphony performed here earlier this year: “I first saw the Cohan Center in 1998 and at that time was impressed with the care in design and attention to detail which set it apart from a number of facilities in larger centers. From lobby to stage the Christopher Cohan Center is a truly world-class facility. The acoustics are superb, the hall is beautiful, and the tech staff is skilled. Many thanks for presenting the San Francisco Symphony and we hope to return in the near future.”  Kudos to Ron Regier and crew who operate the PAC, and Cory Karpin and his team at the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center (FPAC) who raise funds to keep it in tip top shape … The SLO Home Show is on deck Saturday and Sunday at the Alex Madonna Expo in SLO. The free event has a green theme and will offer seminars on green living and distribute a Homeowners Green Buying Guide … More green – it’s all good: On Sunday the SLO Botanical Gardens is hosting a “Connections with Nature” green summit to celebrate its 20th – yes 20th – anniversary. Activities for all ages. Congrats to Liz Scott Graham and her dedicated green-thumbers on making the two-decade mark.