S.J. museum of quilts, textiles sews up 40 years

The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles will be partying like it’s 1977 on Sunday. The gallery, which showcases art that’s more cutting edge than its quaint name implies, is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a community open house.

The doors at 520 S. First Street will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with tours of the gallery and a trunk show on African-American textile art from the renown Bay Area fiber artist Marion Coleman. There’ll be hands-on art opportunities for visitors to make fabric yo-yos and even make a mini quilt with professional quilter Mel Beach. The Aki Kumar and Jon Lawton Blues Duo will be providing live music inside the museum. But the centerpiece of the “Made in 1977” celebration will no doubt be “Before You Were Born,” a kaleidoscopic, walk-in fabric cave experience featuring performance artist Laurie Shapiro that promises to be as trippy as the decade that inspired it. Check out the museum’s current exhibition and get more details on the celebration at www. sjquiltmuseum.org. BICYCLE BONANZA: Cyclists from all over the Bay Area are expected to head to History Park in San Jose for the Silicon Valley Bikes! festival and bike show on Sunday. The planned activities from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. include a BMX stunt rider show, bike polo demonstrations, bike repair clinics and a big lineup of show bikes. Admission is $5, but kids 5 and under are admitted free.

Of course, the festival is just one part of National Bike Month in May, and another big event, Bike to Work Day, is just around the corner on May 11. The 23rd annual event will include 90 “Energizer Stations” in Santa Clara County and 40 in San Mateo County where bike commuters can stop for a snack and pick up a tote bag with freebies.

The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition is organizing a “Bike Away From Work Bash” on Thursday night at the Historic Adobe Building in Mountain View at 157 Moffett Blvd. The party — with food, beer and music — is free for Bicycle Coalition members, but you can also join on site for a special rate of $25. And while there’s no on-site car parking available, there’ll be plenty of free bike parking. Check out all the Bike to Work Day activities at www.bikesiliconvalley.org. A BITE OF THE

ATER: Believe it or not, downtown San Jose’s newest theatrical venue is ... Gordon Biersch Brewhouse Restaurant. After shows honoring Cole Porter, George Gershwin and the music of Hollywood, San Jose Musical Theater is branching out into dinner theater with its first fulllength production, “Always... Patsy Cline,” which opens Friday and plays weekends through May 28.

The musical play stars

Destinee Law as Patsy Cline and Terri Weitze as her devoted fan, Louise Seger. It features 27 songs from the country superstar of the late 1950s and early ’60s. The Bobcat Band will be providing backup on Cline’s hits, which include “Crazy,” “Walking after Midnight” and “I Fall to Pieces.”

Tickets are $50 for adults and $25 for kids 11 and under, including dinner or lunch depending on the showtime. Tickets are available at www.sjmt.org.