Short takes

• Altadenan Kenny Yapkowitz (which is our Name of the Day) and his band, "... and the Leasebreakers" (yes, the ellipsis is part of it) recently accompanied a silent film as part of a fundraiser for William S. Hart Park in Newhall.  Kenny's on banjo, young Fionn (second grade at St. Mark's School) was off playing with the deer in the park rather than posing for the picture -- Kenny says that Fionn, who plays plays  jug, washboard, train whistle, spoons and slide whistle, has instruments that "come with free factory tuning."
• Bob Stane of Coffee Gallery Backstage says: "Mark Lewis is a musician, composer, storyteller, actor, improv artist, and educator who holds the somewhat unusual belief that children are intelligent beings. They do not wish to be condescended to, nor are they asking to be hyperstimulated into a frenzy. Kids react favorably to simple, fun, elemental songs without a lot of overproduction hoo-ha. They like stories that are not only funny but that make them use their brains a little bit too. They don’t want to be told what to hear/feel/think because they love using their expansive imaginations to fill in all the blanks themselves…."  Mark is appearing at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in a special children's concert at 11 AM Sun.  Tickets $8.
• Bob Klomberg of the Sheriff's Support group points us to John Levy's website, which has a story and pictures of last week's tribute to the jazz legend at the Farnsworth Park concert series.
• Via the Altadena Women's Network, congratulations are due to Altadenan Lorna Miller, executive director of Office for Creative Connections, who is being honored by El Centro de Acción Social at their annual Hope Through Education gala on October 19.