Quest to find art in the redwoods

For some people, Labor Day weekend means backyard barbecues or maybe a trip to the beach. But for art lovers on the Peninsula, the traditional close of the summer months means a trip to Woodside for the Kings Mountain Art Fair.

The 54th annual event — running 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday — will feature more than 135 juried artists, their work showcased in the redwood forest at the Kinds Mountain Firehouse and Community Center on Skyline Boulevard.The Mountain Artists section will feature textiles, paintings, photography, jewelry, ceramics and more from local artists.

And while it might seem to spring up overnight, the art fair is the work of more than 400 community volunteers. It continues to be a fundraiser for the Kings Mountain Volunteer Fire Brigade, too, as it was when the event was started in 1963. Nowadays, the Kings Mountain Elementary School, a three-room school, is also a beneficiary (and they give back themselves, providing giant cookies for the festival’s grill, which serves up a pancake breakfast, as well as burgers and nachos for lunch.

Admission is free, and you can get more information online at www. kingsmountainartfair.org.

CELEBRATING LATINO HISTORY » San Jose attorney Fernando Zazueta has retired from regular practice, but he’s now turned his focus toward history and the lack of a historical society that specifically celebrates the contributions of Latinos in Santa Clara County.

“There are 31 historical societies in Santa Clara County. None is about the contributions of the thousands of Latinos, Mexican Americans, Chicanos, etc., who settled and helped build this region with their labor and hard work,” Zazueta said. “We have great artistic and cultural groups in our area, and now we also have a group that will collect that history and make it available on the Internet.”

That group is La Raza Historical Society of Santa Clara Valley, which is launching with a free walking tour of 24 downtown historical sites and a fundraising reception on Sept. 15. The tour begins at the Ernesto Galarza Monument Table on Paseo de San Antonio next to the Fairmont Hotel at 5:30 p.m. The reception at Mezcal restaurant follows at 6:30 p.m. and is $40 to attend. Seating is limited, so RSVP at Eventbrite.com by searching for “San Jose Downtown Tour of Mexican Historical Sites.”

FIESTA SUCCESS » More than 400 guests turned out at the Shop With a Cop Foundation of Silicon Valley’s “Fiesta With a Purpose” on Saturday at the Scottish Rite Center in San Jose to celebrate the organization’s 10 years of providing programs for underserved youth. More than $40,000 was raised at the event, which honored former San Francisco 49er Dennis Brown with Shop With a Cop’s Community Impact Award.

The crowd included philanthropists Eddie Owen and Helen Marchese Owen, as well a host of elected officials: Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese and his wife, Pattie Cortese; Assemblymen Ash Kalra and Kansen Chu; and San Jose City Council members Dev Davis, Sylvia Arenas and Raul Peralez.

For more information on Shop With A Cop, including its annual reading programs and holiday shopping spree, go to www. shopwithacopsv.org.