🌱Pleasant Hill/Concord BART Bus Bridge + Benicia Scarecrow Goes Viral

Hey, neighbors. It's Saturday in Concord and I'm back in your inbox to get you caught up on all the most important things happening in town. Today we'll cover these stories and more:

• Diablo Ballet opens its season with "The Nutcracker" at Lesher Center for the Arts.
• Crockett residents are voicing their displeasure with the handling of the fumes coming from the wastewater treatment plant.
• Check out the Danville voter information roundup!

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But first, today's weather:

Clouds yielding to sun. High: 75 Low: 54.

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🏡 Attention, real estate pros in Concord! We're now offering an exclusive sponsorship opportunity for an agent interested in attracting local clients and standing apart from the competition. Click here to learn more.

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Here are the top stories in Concord today:

1. This is the first of three weekends when crews will be fixing the concrete ties at the Pleasant Hill BART station that were damaged by a derailment last June. BART service will be impacted, so there will be a free "bus bridge" between the Pleasant Hill and Concord stations. Riders should expect a 30-minute delay. The last train out of Antioch up to the Pleasant Hill station will also be canceled. You'll need to take the 11:14 p.m. train out of Antioch on Saturday and Sunday. (Claycord.com)
2. Diablo Ballet is opening its 29th season with the "Nutcracker Suite," at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. Performances will be on November 11 and 12. They will also present a virtual version which will stream from November 18 - 27. For tickets, call 925-943-SHOW (7469) or visit www.lesherartscenter.org or www.diabloballet.org. (Pioneer Publishers)
3. At the Concord City Council meeting on Thursday, Oct. 13, the Council Committee on Housing and Economic Development discussed creating a working group to help formulate a Homeless Strategic Plan. The city has set aside $5.4 million in one-time funds to support the activities that will be established in the Strategic Plan. The meeting details, plan details and staff report can be found in the HED meeting agenda. (Claycord.com)
4. Hey, Danville! Do you know where your local voting drop boxes are, or who's running for the school board? Patch has rounded up the most pertinent voter information for you. From local to national races and everything in between, check out this summary and thank you for taking your voting responsibility seriously! (Patch)
5. The people of Crockett are frustrated. They took to the microphones at the Crockett Improvement Association on Thursday to air their grievances around the odors and fumes coming from the Crockett Wastewater Treatment Plant. They've been complaining about the odors and possible health impacts for weeks. Per news 24/680, "the site operator said they are using more than 1,300 air diffusers to solve the problem and hope they'll be able to correct the issue in the next 10 days." But that isn't enough for some residents. They want transparency on the issue and what is being done to solve it. (News 24/680)

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Today in Concord:

• Put on your lederhosen and head out to Civic Park in Walnut Creek for a toast in the Biergarten or a turn on the dance floor for Oktoberfest. (11:00 AM)
• Forrest Home Farms in San Ramon presents Fun on the Farm Saturdays. Enjoy "free crafts and activities that highlight farm life and the late Victorian era." (11:00 AM)
• "The Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra, in the beautifully renovated St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Orinda, will present a captivating musical excursion around the world." (3:00 PM)

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From my notebook:

• "Construction Alert - Hillcrest Community Park and Grant Street lane closures are expected between Monday, 10/17 and Friday, 11/11 for the City's Hillcrest Park Regional Green Infrastructure Project (City Project No. 2512)." (City of Concord, California via Facebook)
• Tickets are still available for Contra Costa County Fair Heritage Foundation's annual fundraising dinner tonight! "Proceeds will benefit agricultural scholarships for local youth and fairground improvements." (Contra Costa Herald)
• Downtown Benicia is having a scarecrow contest and one of the entrants has gone viral. It's a sculpture by a local bakery entitled "Pan Solo." "Catherine Pervan and daughter Hannalee Pervan, the owners of One House Bakery in Benicia, used dough to sculpt Han Solo frozen in carbonite from the end of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back." It's pretty cool, but I'm not sure whether it's the bread sculpture that went viral or the name. Head across the bridge to Benicia, check it out and let me know. (upi.com)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! See you tomorrow morning for your next update.

— Jeri Karges

About me: Jeri Karges has been living in and loving the Sacramento region for over 30 years. Her passion is finding new and unique ways to enjoy the city and surrounding areas. On weekends, you can find her pestering her friends to sample the restaurant that doesn't have silverware, or try their hand at throwing an axe. Jeri also enjoys writing about retirement planning at https://rockinretirement.subst...

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Concord Daily? Contact me at Concord-Ca@Patch.com