We didn’t need to scare to make community at the Museum of American Heritage on October 23rd at the Scare Faire and Costume Swap. I’m not sure exactly how many costumes changed hands but most people went away with at least a couple of items, and all the fabric was taken, too! Most of the times I looked over, the crafting station and basketball sorting station were busy with interested kids and adults. We also had time for some deeper conversations and building community, which is what Transition is all about!

Thanks to:

– Allison and Wendy at the Museum of American Heritage (MoAH) for their beautiful, inspiring space and so much support and physical help on top of welcoming us here year after year

– Kay from Greenwaste for the cool basketball sorting station and goodies, and reminding us that we are here for the larger purpose of cleaning up the planet

– Roy, Joyce, Chris, Sarah, and Barbara for their dedication, for sitting at the tables and helping kids with crafts or putting up signs or any of the small tasks that are necessary for an event to happen at all, not to mention their conversation and contagious energy

– Fabmo for their fun crafts and materials that were easy and quick to do so that we could not only make ghosts and masks and bats and the Queen of Hearts but also send so much material to places they will be loved instead of languishing in a landfill

– Cynthia for bringing much-needed sustenance in the form of nectarines and grapes, and for her interest and conversation

– Peter, for his demo of different types of nuts, for doing this with me (can you believe we’ve been doing Costume Swaps since 2011?!) and making it possible to see the bigger picture of a vision of a closer community.

and of course, thank you to all the people who came and shared what they had and took things and chatted and crafted and laughed and reminded us that we are not alone.

The Scare Faire is haunting the Museum of American Heritage again, full of spooky goodness – on Sunday, October 23rd, 1-3pm. 

Old costumes lurking? Send them packing to possess a new home in our Costume Swap. Bring your adult and child costumes in good condition (as well as Halloween decorations) right at 1pm, get a number, and start choosing costumes at 1:20!

Bring your old costumes at 1:00.  We’ll give you a sequential number.  At 1:20, we’ll call numbers, starting with 1, to let people in to look for new costumes.  Every few minutes we’ll let in people with the next few numbers. When all of the numbers are exhausted, we’ll open the room to share the remaining costumes with whomever is there.

While you’re waiting, check out our Scare Faire – a traditional Transition Palo Alto Share Faire with some Halloween twists.  Learn a skill, find something in need of a home, meet your neighbors, have some fun.

We’ll once again haunt the bewitching Museum of American Heritage with our Halloween and Holiday Scare Faire, a chance to get to know your ghastly neighbors, scare, and share.

Some of the fun activities we have planned:

• Peter Ruddock will share a chance to check out some interesting foods
• Make your own Costume with repurposed materials from Fabmo – and pick the best ones!
• Sort trash with a basketball game from Greenwaste
• Make masks and other Crafts with more salvaged materials from Fabmo
• more to come…

So scare up your own costumes and halloween decor to bring!

And we’ll share each other’s good company while building a BOOtiful, stronger community.

Please plan to join us.  If you’d like to volunteer as a greeter, for set-up or clean-up, or for whatever, please sign up at https://signup.com/go/VOruzjN

Free, donations appreciated.

Want to learn more about our Sharing Events? More info here. 

Sunday July 18, start 11:30am
Mitchell Park (meet at the bowl area)
600 E Meadow, Palo Alto
Bring your own food, drink, and chair or blanket

Everyone had a great time at our May picnic, so we thought it would be fun to gather again under the trees at Mitchell Park. All are welcome! Bring your own food, drink, and chair – and maybe even a frisbee or ball if you’d like to get some exercise. We’ll try the bowl area again, but look out for any TPA signs, in case we need to relocate to another area of the park.

Our first Virtual Share Faire of the year was on June 19th, a Saturday afternoon, with a small group but plenty of great ideas! Here are some of the things that were shared:

• my daughter and I shared some activities we have done during the pandemic
• Peter gave us a small tour of his garden and setup, and described his experiences with Oya Farms and Eating with the Seasons
• Dona shared about making friends with the animals and plants in her life
• Michal showed her beautiful wine bags that she is making instead of her usual jewelry
• William and Charlotte shared adventures in gathering and making with acorns as well as working the land and other crafts
• Corina talked about some of the challenges of the pandemic and ways she has been coping
• Barbara described her fabric crafts including quilting and pillow-making

We also were able to share some ideas and concerns about opening up and doing more and meeting others as time goes on, sharing our common worries and excitement as well.

Thank you to all who joined us, and we hope to see everyone else in person for the Halloween Share Faire in October!

It’s been well over a year since TPA hosted an in-person gathering, and it turned out to be a perfect day to reconnect under the trees at Mitchell Park. To keep things simple, everyone brought their own food, drink, and chair. That way we could concentrate on hanging out with no muss or fuss. In case you missed the fun, put July 18th on your calendar for a summertime TPA picnic.

For Earth Month

The Connectivity Project – films and conversation
Friday, April 23, 2021, 7pm-9:00pm
Please RSVP to transitionpaloalto@gmail.com for the Zoom link.

Do you ever wonder, “Does what I do make a difference in the world?” The answer is YES, it does! Science and indigenous traditions all acknowledge the interconnected nature of our existence. As everything in this life is connected, every action we take has the potential to reverberate through the world as we know it. 

By exploring the ripple effects of our actions in an interconnected world, the CONNECTIVITY PROJECT series highlights how different cultures and traditions from around the world, and even science, embrace the importance of interconnectedness. As we follow inspiring individuals who are making a difference in the lives around them, we see these connections exhibited all around us.

We’ll show the three short Connectivity Project films and take some time after each one to explore questions and what our own contributions can be.  See the trailer…

The films: 
Interconnections examines how different cultures and faiths from around the world have a common, time-honored awareness of an interconnected way of being. 

Plants Have Wings looks into the amazing realm of plants and their pollinators. The film follows the story of an inspired bicyclist who is a champion supporting threatened Monarch butterflies.

Speaking Out! shows how activism is combined with interconnectedness. Inspired by the work of Love Canal activist Lois Gibbs, an indigenous high school student learns to speak out and advocate for the right to clean air for her family, school, and community in North Portland, Ore.

Friday Feb 26, 7-9pm
For the Zoom link, please RSVP to transitionpaloalto@gmail.com

This month we’re continuing our series on criminal justice reform with Tribal Justice, which highlights an underreported but effective criminal justice reform movement in America: the efforts of tribal courts to create alternative systems of justice.

NOTE: We apologize for the audio issues some attendees experienced at last month’s film.
We plan to do more testing this time to identify any problems in advance!

More than 300 tribal courts are spread across this country. In California, two formidable women lead the way. Abby Abinanti, Chief Judge of the Yurok Tribe on the north coast, and Claudette White, Chief Judge of the Quechan Tribe in the southern desert, are creating innovative systems that focus on restoring rather than punishing offenders. Their efforts are helping keep tribal members out of prison, preventing children from being taken from their communities, and stopping the school-to-prison pipeline that plagues their young people.

Abby is a fierce, lean, white-haired elder who has dedicated her life to humane justice. Claudette represents a new generation of Native American lawyers who are revisioning justice. The film introduces Abby and Claudette, then then follows several cases both in and out of their courts. Taos Proctor is facing a third strike conviction when we meet him in Abby’s court in 2013. While on parole from San Quentin, he was arrested with methamphetamine, a third felony. We follow Taos, a boisterous bear of a man, over two years as Abby and her staff help him complete court programs and rebuild his life.

A thousand miles south, Claudette invokes the Indian Child Welfare Act to reunite a nine-year-old boy with his family. Meanwhile her teenage nephew, Isaac, faces two felony charges for breaking into cars. Because his case is in state court rather than tribal court, he becomes a classic case of the school-to-prison pipeline.

This film will help you understand tribal courts and their role in the survival of Indian people. The filmmakers also hope it will inspire those working in the mainstream legal field to consider new ways of implementing problem-solving and restorative justice, reducing incarceration rates and enabling offenders to make reparations and rebuild their lives. See the trailer…

Friday Jan 22, 7-9:30 pm
RSVP to transitionpaloalto@gmail.com for the Zoom link

This month Fourth Friday/Film of Vision and Hope starts a new film series on transforming the criminal justice system. This month the series will start with Like Any Other Kid, which provides a rare glimpse into the use of non-punitive, therapeutic programs to change behavior and help youth re-enter their communities.

Special guest Paul Bocanegra will lead a discussion following the film. At age 17, Paul was sentenced to life without parole for involvement in a gang related crime. He served 25 years in adult institutions including 12 in solitary confinement. Released just a few years ago, Paul is now a member of the San Mateo County Juvenile Justice Commission as well as a drug and alcohol counselor and a co-founder of the ReEvolution Group non-profit. Paul will share his remarkable story and his passion for reforming the juvenile justice system.

Like Any Other Kid follows the intimate relationships between incarcerated youth and staff in three unique facilities across the country over the course of three years. Based on the Missouri approach, where love and structure — instead of punishment — are used, these programs guide and teach youth how to take responsibility for themselves.

Through scenes of conflict, vulnerability, reflection, commitment, and joy, the film highlights both the challenges and the promise of humane approaches to working with troubled youth. As the youth transform before our eyes. Like Any Other Kid shows us the great potential of these youth if we let them be just that: like any other kid. See the Trailer…

Friday December 18, 2020
7pm-9pm
Please RSVP to transitionpaloalto@gmail.com for the Zoom link

Time to gather together (virtually) to celebrate our wonderful community and mark the end of the year. It’s been quite a ride this year, between the COVID pandemic, wildfires, economic upheaval, and political turmoil.

Though we can’t gather in person, we can Zoom in for a virtual potluck and celebration!

Bring a candle if you have one to help set the mood.

Come with your own ‘shop-your-kitchen’ dinner so we can dine together virtually.

Bring your favorite holiday beverage (tea, hot chocolate, eggnog, wine) so we can toast to the accomplishment of making it through the year!

Many lives have been lost this year, human and non-human. Is there someone you would like to acknowledge? Bring a photo or something that reminds you of the person or animal, or a memory to share.

And let’s reflect together: How have things been for you this year? What have you learned and how have you grown? What do you want to carry into the new year?

See you on the 18th!