Leisure Services Offers New Fall Programs

Union City Leisure Services' Fall and Holiday 2011 Activity Guide is hot off the presses and features a wide array of new programs, from traditional classes such as photography and cooking lessons for youth to specialized hobbies such as “extreme couponing” and nail art.

Chris Valuckas, recreation supervisor at the Kennedy Community Center, told Patch about the plethora of new classes being offered this autumn.

Arts

• Instructor Irene Takahashi-Coker leads a number of new teen and youth classes. For the graphically inclined, there’s the new Typography/Block Letter Art class (for ages 13 and up), which teaches all types of lettering, from graffiti and tattoo-style script to more formal writing. She also leads the highly-anticipated Nail Art class (ages 14 and up) wherein students can master the art of the manicure. Students are also looking forward to Takahashi-Coker’s other offerings: String Crafts (ages 9 and up) and Cupcake Decorating (ages 10 and up). These selections can be found on page 6 of the activity guide.

• Also new this autumn is the Musical Theatre Class for ages 5 through 12. Led by Bay Area music and drama instructor Jim Burris, this class will explore the world of musical theater while preparing a production of Disney’s The Jungle Book. Auditions will be held on the first day of class, and every child in the class will play a part in the musical. Students will learn basic acting, singing and dancing skills, as well as backstage basics such as makeup, costuming, lighting and sound. This class can be found on page 7 of the activity guide. 

• Instructor Charls Foster White leads new daylong photography classes, including a one-time Field Workshop Class (two dates in October) that will take you and your lens to Golden Gate Park and a DSLR Camera Class teaching all the ins and outs of your digital memory maker. Find more details on Foster White’s photo courses on page 19.

Cooking

• A tasty new addition to the UCLS fall class schedule (page 8) is Mexican Cooking with instructor Natalie Alvarez. Held at the Kennedy Center, it will teach kids ages 6 to 10 the basics  of cooking utensils and kitchen safety. Most importantly, kids will use fresh ingredients to make tasty Mexican dishes such as chorizo with eggs, enchiladas, sopes, and mas! 

Dance, Fitness and Sports

• At the top of the list of spanking-new offerings is the 4141 After-School Skate Program for ages 5 through 17 (see page 11 of guide). The beginner course covers carving, dropping in, kick turns, ollies, safety and stance. It will also facilitate movement and the development of balance and coordination when “on deck.” The advanced skating course teaches various, more skillful, tricks such as the nose slide, 50-50 grind, kick flip, heel flip, varial flip, pop shove-it, manuals and other sleight-of-foot skills, depending upon the child’s progression during the course. 

• There are also two Youth Yoga classes. One session is for limber little ones ages 4 through 7, and the other is for kids 8 to 12. During these classes, children will work through yoga poses, which instill calmness, confidence and balance within the student. Yoga helps to develop body awareness, self-control, flexibility, and coordination, according to the activity guide.

• Get your kids on beat with new movement-motivated classes, including Ballet & Tap Combo (ages 2 through 4), Mini Hip Hop (ages 5 to 8) and Hip Hop Dance (ages 9 to 13). These and other dance classes are taught at the Holly Community Center. 

• Also among the new course offerings for fall 2011 are five fresh tennis classes, including Tennis for Kidz! (ages 5 to 9) and Private Lessons for Adult Beginners (ages 13 and up). 

Yup, there’s a class for that

• Sure to fill up fast is the Extreme Couponing class to be held at Kennedy Community Center. Presented by Coupons by the Bay, this class will teach students how to save money. You will learn where to find coupons, coupon terminology, how to organize and how to utilize valuable coupon websites.

Special Needs

• , the city’s special needs program, has a promising fall lineup of its own. In addition to monthly meetings, UC Clubhouse will host a variety of holiday events, including Halloween Fling 2011, a frightfully fun get-together for high school students and adults with special needs. On Oct. 27, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., will be hopping with a costume contest, dancing, food, Wii games, karaoke, arts and crafts, and raffle prizes. For more information about this and other UC Clubhouse events, call 510-471-2520, extension 60201, or 510-675-5328.

• On Friday, Oct. 28, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Ralph and Mary Ruggieri Senior Center, UCLS and will host their annual . Wear an eye-catching costume to this All Hallows’ Eve party complete with a costume contest, DJ, games and prizes, refreshments and a raffle. The cost for this costume party is $5. For more information, call 510-441-8300 or 510-675-5328.

Remember, folks — these are just the new classes and events that are right around the corner. See the rest of the enriching classes and exciting events by picking up a copy of the Fall and Holiday 2011 Activity Guide at a local community center or online.