​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​New William Penn Mott, Jr. Visitor Center opens February 25
Presidio Picnics returns March 19
New exhibition “Exclusion” opens April 1

Presidio of San Francisco (February 02, 2017) – The Presidio announces its free events for March and April at the Presidio Officers’ Club at 50 Moraga Ave. and outdoors in the park, plus two very special openings. The new William Penn Mott, Jr. Visitor Center will be celebrated at a Community Day Grand Opening on February 25 from 10am – 4pm, and a new exhibition, Exclusion: The Presidio’s Role in World War II Japanese American Incarceration opens April 1 at the Presidio Officers’ Club. In addition, the much-anticipated Presidio Picnics returns on March 19, featuring food trucks, games and entertainment, co-produced by the Trust and Off-the-Grid to run each Sunday from 11am – 4pm through early fall.

At the historic Presidio Officers’ Club, ​the Presidio Dialogues (Thursdays at 6pm) series continues to offer an exciting array of free talks, film screenings and performances exploring themes from ancient history to current events, while Presidio Sessions (Fridays at 6pm, in partnership with San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music) presents weekly live musical performances from classical and jazz to contemporary world music  (see listings below). Families will find infinite enjoyme​​nt in Creative Family Fun crafts making on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 11am to 4pm. Please check our website and see listings below (http://).

Outdoor programming ramps up in the Presidio this spring with the renewal of field season for the Presidio’s archaeology digs on April 20. Visitors can simply observe and learn from the live dig or get involved in assisting archaeologists with recovering artifacts from the site, washing them and separating material from soil, and archiving artifacts in the collection facility. Additionally, there are daily opportunities to drop-in and get involved in the stewardship of natural resources at the Presidio.

SEE WHAT’S NEW in FEBRUARY!

Community Day Grand Opening Celebration, William Penn Mott, Jr. Presidio Visitor Center
Date: Saturday, February 25, 10am – 4pm
Place: 210 Lincoln Boulevard, San Francisco, CA  94129
Phone: (415) 561-4323
Price: Free
Start your day in the Presidio at the new William Penn Mott, Jr. Presidio Visitor Center! Grand Opening festivities feature an Ohlone welcome dance by the Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe and dancing by Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Carlos Moreno, live music by the Latin fusion band Peregrinos Cosmicos, Taiko drummers, kids crafts, games, food trucks, and ranger-led walking and shuttle tours.​ Be among the first to discover the center’s dynamic exhibits, inspiring videos, and high-tech tools. Then head out in the park for a special day of family fun. Visit our website to register.

Event Listings March-April, 2017
Attention Calendar Editors: Although our events are free, we advise patrons to register via the web links in the case that space is limited. Photos are available upon request. Visit our Press room for more information.

MARCH

Event: Bee-Friendly San Francisco
Date: Thursday, March 2
Time: 6pm to 7pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
What is happening with the bees of San Francisco? This talk by Dr. Gretchen LeBuhn discusses what we know and don’t know about the pollinators of our city. There are over a hundred native species found in the city that pollinate our gardens and wildflowers. Dr. LeBuhn will update us on the current research, talk about how gardens can support pollinators, and let you know how to help.

Dr. Gretchen LeBuhn is a professor of biology at San Francisco State University and the director of the Great Sunflower Project, a citizen science project helping pollinators. She has authored three books on pollinators, most recently The Bee Friendly Garden with Kate Frey.
Link:http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-dialogues-bee-friendly-san-francisco

Event: Circadian String Quartet 
Date: Friday, March 3
Time: 6pm to 7:30pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Circadian String Quartet was founded in 2013 to promote classical and contemporary string quartet repertoire, in particular music of cultural and folkloric significance. Since then, the group has been featured through SunsetArts Chamber Music Series in San Francisco and the Merced Symphony Association. In 2014, the CSQ were invited to collaborate with the St. Petersburg-based Rimsky Korsakov String Quartet during their North American tour. They have also given U.S. premieres of pieces by world-renowned British composer Ian Venables in collaboration with mezzo-soprano Sally Munro of the San Francisco Opera and Natalie Parker, Principal Clarinetist of the San Francisco Ballet. Sarah Wood, violin;  David Ryther, violin; Omid Assadi, viola; David Wishnia, cello
Link:  http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-sessions-circadian-string-quartet

Event: Creative Family Fun: Dazzling Damselfly
Date: Saturday and Sunday, March 4 + 5
Time: 11am to 4pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
The forktail damselfly was reintroduced to Mountain Lake in October. This month, the larvae will finally emerge from the water as adults! Welcome these rare damselflies back to the Presidio by making a damselfly craft.
Link:  http://www.presidio.gov/events/creative-family-fun-dazzling-damselfly

Event: Y Bike Learn to Ride Program
Date: Sunday, March 5
Time: 11am to 2pm
Place: Main Post, Corner of Anza and Owen, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Get your kids riding on two wheels with free, safe, and friendly instruction from the Presidio Community Y. Bikes and equipment are provided. All ages are welcome; no reservations required. Co-sponsored by the Presidio Trust.
Link:http://www.presidio.gov/events/y-bike-learn-to-ride-program-2017-03-5

Event: Film Screening: Girl Rising
Date: Thursday, March 9
Time: 6pm to 8pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free               
View a screening of this acclaimed film from Academy Award-nominated director Richard E. Robbins, which journeys around the globe to witness the strength of the human spirit and the power of education to change the world. Viewers get to know nine unforgettable girls living in the developing world: ordinary girls who confront tremendous challenges and overcome nearly impossible odds to pursue their dreams. Prize-winning authors put the girls’ remarkable stories into words, and renowned actors give them voice. (101 mins)
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-dialogues-film-screening-girl-rising

Event: Diana Gameros Trio
Date: Friday, March 10
Time: 6pm to 7:30pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Originally from Ciudad Juarez, Diana Gameros creates authentic, inspiring music that reflects the 21st century experiences of a young indie artist at the borderlands between cultures, languages, and genres. Diana has performed with local favorites including the Oakland East Bay Symphony and opened for Bebel Gilberto, La Santa Cecilia, Ximena Sariñana and many others. She received the 2014 Emerging Leader Award from the Chicana/Latina Foundation for her work in music and social justice activism. Her songs and story have been featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered, NPR’s Alt. Latino Podcast, Public Radio International – The World and the PBS Newshour website. Diana Gameros, violin + voice; Patrick Wolff, clarinet; Tom Edler, bass
Link:http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-sessions-diana-gameros-trio

Event: Creative Family Fun: Grass Pals
Date: Saturday and Sunday, March 11 +12
Time: 11am to 4pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
The Presidio’s Main Parade Ground is known for its lush grass. Come to the Presidio Officers’ Club to create a tiny friend with grass for hair.
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/creative-family-fun-grass-pals

Event: Abundance and Erasure: The Immigrant Story of Chinese Shrimp Fishing in San Francisco Bay
Date: Thursday, March 16
Time: 6pm to 7pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Join Chinese Whispers’ founding director Rene Yung on an interdisciplinary journey that retraces the forgotten story of Chinese shrimp fishing in San Francisco Bay, weaving together history, storytelling, and soundscape. In association with Chinese Whispers.
Link:http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-dialogues-abundance-and-erasure-the-immigrant-story-of-chinese-shrimp-fishing-in-san-francisco-bay

Event: Lisa Mezzacappa’s AvantNOIR
Date: Friday, March 17
Time: 6pm to 7:30pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Lisa Mezzacappa is a composer, bassist, bandleader, and producer, called “one of the most imaginative figures on the Bay Area creative jazz scene” (San Jose Mercury News) and “a Bay Area treasure” (KQED). Her diverse activities include ethereal chamber music, electro-acoustic works, avant-garde jazz, groups from duo to large ensemble, and collaborations with film, video, sculpture and installation art. avantNOIR is a suite of compositions inspired by noir genre fiction – specifically Paul Auster’s abstract “soft-boiled” crime stories from his New York Trilogy of the 1980s, set in conversation with the West Coast hardboiled 1920s-era detective fiction of Dashiell Hammett. Lisa Mezzacappa, acoustic bass, samples; Aaron Bennett, tenor saxophone; John Finkbeiner, electric guitar; Tim Perkis, electronics; William Winant, vibraphone, percussion, foley; Jordan Glenn, drums
Link:http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-sessions-lisa-mezzacappas-avantnoir

Event: Creative Family Fun: Magnetic Flower Power
Date: Saturday and Sunday, March 18 + 19
Time: 11am to 4pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
With spring just around the corner, the Presidio will be blooming with wildflowers. Celebrate the return of our favorite native flowers, like Presidio Clarkia and Lessingia, by making your own native flower magnets!
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/creative-family-fun-magnetic-flower-power

Event: Presidio Picnic
Date: Sunday, March 19 to October 8
Time: 11am to 4pm
Place: Main Parade Ground, 103 Montgomery Street, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400  
Price: Free entrance; food for purchase
San Francisco’s favorite picnic offers the best of the local food scene, music, and fun, free activities. Drop by the new Presidio Visitor Center to plan your post-picnic adventure in the park. Co-sponsored by the Presidio Trust and Off the Grid.
Link: http://www.presidio.gov

Event: Alan Agrawal on Galileo’s Telescopes and Observations
Date: Tuesday, March 21
Time: 7:30pm to 9pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
In 1609 Galileo Galilei significantly improved the optical performance of the telescope and began a series of celestial observations that dramatically changed our understanding of the universe and our place in it. This talk will lay out the key developments in the history of science related to astronomy preceding Galileo, describing in detail what is known about the optics and construction of his telescopes.
Alan Agrawal is a physician who specializes in the treatment of autoimmune diseases in the field of rheumatology. He is also an avid amateur astronomer and independent historian on the development of the telescope. He designs and builds telescopes and eyepieces, enjoys deep sky observing with his 0.6 meter telescope, is interested in the testing of optics, and currently is in the process of building an interferometer. He is an active member of the Antique Telescope Society and the Mount Diablo Astronomical Society.
Link:http://www.presidio.gov/events/astrolecture-series-galileos-telescopes-and-observations

Event: After Hours at the Presidio Officers’ Club
Date: Wednesday, March 22
Time: 7pm to 10pm
Place: Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
The Presidio Officers’ Club takes it back 50 years to the Summer of Love with classic 1960s tunes, dancing, and historic pop culture trivia. Boost your energy during this mid-week social with drinks and bites available for purchase from Arguello restaurant.
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/after-hours-at-the-presidio-officers-club

Event: Stenburg - Cahill Duo
Date: Friday, March 24
Time: 6pm to 7:30pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Called “fiercely gifted” and “as tenacious and committed an advocate as any composer could dream of,” Sara Cahill has commissioned, premiered and recorded numerous compositions for solo piano. Composers who have dedicated works to her include John Adams, Terry Riley, Frederic Rzewski, Pauline Oliveros, Annea Lockwood, and Evan Ziporyn. Kate Stenberg’s violin playing has been described by as “highly virtuosic and deeply communicative…full of character and presence.” Her acclaimed CD, “Scenes from a New Music Séance,” includes several premieres and assorted new music – a genre to which she has been deeply committed for the past 25 years. Kate Stenberg, violin; Sarah Cahill, piano
Link:http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-sessions-stenberg-cahill-duo

Event: Creative Family Fun: Retro Recycled Racecars
Date: Saturday and Sunday, March 25 + 26
Time: 11am to 4pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Start Your Engines! In May we are celebrating the many ways people travelled to and from the Presidio. Whether it was on Lincoln, Arguello, or Lombard, many people arrived at the Presidio by car. Come create your own car to drive through the Presidio.
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/creative-family-fun-retro-recycled-racecars

Event: Liberty Loving People: Black Abolitionists and the Struggle over Slavery in California
Date: Thursday, March 30
Time: 6pm to 7pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Historian Susan D. Anderson will speak and present documents and images about the surprising chapter in California's early history, the struggle over slavery. Admitted into the United States as a free state, California's legislature passed a Fugitive Slave Act in 1852, and was a site for the Underground Railroad, as well as contests in the courts over who was legally free. The culmination of Ms. Anderson's talk will be a live "interview" with Mary Ellen Pleasant, one of San Francisco's leading and most wealthy citizens during the 19th century, who, played by scholar and performer, Dr. Susheel Bibbs, will discuss her anti-slavery activities. The presentation will include readings by actor, director and educator Adimu Madyun, from historical black newspapers and proceedings from the Conventions of Colored Citizens of California.
Link:http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-dialogues-liberty-loving-people-black-abolitionists-and-the-struggle-over-slavery-in-california  

Event: Jon Jangtet
Date: Friday, March 31
Time: 6pm to 7:30 pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Pianist/composer Jon Jang has recorded with Max Roach, James Newton and David Murray, and toured at major concert halls and festivals in Europe, China, Canada, United States and South Africa. Jang was selected as one of the small group of composers, along with Philip Glass and Meredith Monk, to have works performed at the first Other Minds Festival in San Francisco and be in residency at Djerassi in 1993. In May 2013, Jang performed at the White House Forum on Asian American Pacific Islander Issues in Washington DC hosted by the US Department of the Interior and the White House. Hitomi Oba, tenor saxophone; Nick DePinna, trombone; Jon Jang, piano; Gary Brown, double bass; Deszon X. Claiborne, multiple percussion
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-sessions-jon-jangtet   

APRIL

Event:Exclusion: The Presidio’s Role in WWII Japanese American Incarceration
Date: April 2017 to March 2018, Grand Opening-Saturday, April 1, 2017
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
During World War II, the Presidio of San Francisco – the Army’s Western Defense Command – played a pivotal role in the unjust incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans, purportedly in the name of national security. This special exhibition marks 75 years since Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt issued Civilian Exclusion Orders from the Presidio, and examines the post’s little understood part in these events.

The exhibition invites visitors to investigate the choices – both personal and political – that led to this dark chapter in American history. How did leaders arrive at this decision? How did Japanese Americans respond to the violation of their civil liberties? And what, as a nation, have we learned that can help us address the present-day issues of immigration, racism, and mass incarceration?

Exclusion is the latest special exhibition at the Presidio Officers' Club, a cultural institution showcasing the Presidio's role in shaping and serving the nation. Special exhibitions explore the Presidio's heritage and allow for fresh perspectives and a deeper exploration of the topics and themes presented in the club’s permanent exhibition.
Link: www.presidio.gov/exclusion

Event: Creative Family Fun: Origami Animals
Date: Saturday and Sunday, April 1 + 2
Time: 11am to 4pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Paper folding, known as origami, is an art form that has been practiced for more than a thousand years. At the Presidio Officers' Club, we will create origami with a Presidio twist. Join us to create animals that live in the Presidio out of paper!
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/creative-family-fun-origami-animals

Event: Y Bike Learn to Ride Program
Date: Sunday, April 2 
Time: 11am to 2pm
Place: Main Post, Corner of Anza and Owen, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Get your kids riding on two wheels with free, safe, and friendly instruction from the Presidio Community Y. Bikes and equipment are provided. All ages are welcome; no reservations required. Co-sponsored by the Presidio Trust.
Link:http://www.presidio.gov/events/y-bike-learn-to-ride-program-2017-04-2

Event: The Presidio’s Voyage to Sustainability
Date: Thursday, April 6
Time: 6pm to 7pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
In October 1995, more than 100 environmental professionals convened for three days at the Presidio to imagine a future for the nation’s most unique national park. The document that emerged was Voyage to Sustainability: The Greening of the Presidio. Now more than 20 years later, as we face the challenges of climate change we will review the Presidio’s progress and discuss the next steps in the park’s sustainable future.

From composting and community gardening to green building and water conservation, the Presidio Trust is striving to become a model for sustainable parks. Join Presidio Trust sustainability manager Aimee Vincent and a team of staff experts as they share their experiences, notes from the field, and objectives for the future ahead. Aimee Vincent has been with the Presidio Trust for eighteen years, and previously coordinated the sustainability efforts for the National Park Service and the Marin Conservation Corps.
Link:http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-dialogues-the-presidios-voyage-to-sustainability

Event: Sylvestris Quartet
Date: Friday, April 7
Time: 6pm to 7:30pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Sylvestris Quartet is the exciting new presence on the Bay Area’s bustling early music scene. Its members, however, will be familiar to avid concert-goers interested in historical performance: their individual credits include Philharmonia Baroque, MUSA, Agave Baroque, American Bach Soloists, Live Oak Baroque Orchestra, Musica Pacifica, and Magnificat. They have performed historically informed programs of Mozart, Haydn and others through Marin Baroque and the Berkeley Early Music Festival Fringe. Anna Washburn and Tyler Lewis, violin; Aaron Westman, viola; Gretchen Claassen, cello
Link:http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-sessions-sylvestris-quartet  

Event: Creative Family Fun: Morse code
Date: Saturday and Sunday, April 8 + 9
Time: 11am to 4pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
This weekend we are celebrating Samuel Morse’s birthday! The Army communicated through Morse code during the 1906 earthquake. Learn how to send your own message by making some Morse code jewelry.
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/creative-family-fun-morse-code  

Event: Traci’s Kitchen: The Bounty of Spring with Chef Traci Des Jardins
Date: Thursday, April 13
Time: 6pm to 7pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Through a delightful cooking demonstration of her seasonal favorites, Chef Traci Des Jardins shares how to use all of spring’s wonderful bounty in your kitchen at home.
A native of Northern California, Traci Des Jardins has six restaurants in San Francisco, including three at the Presidio, in partnership with the Presidio Trust: The Commissary, Arguello, and TRANSIT. The Commissary has been selected as one of the San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurants in Northern California for two consecutive years. Her other award-winning restaurants include Jardinière, Mijita Cocina Mexicana, and Public House.
Traci Des Jardins is a two-time James Beard award-winner and has earned a number of industry accolades. She sits on the board of La Cocina, a San Francisco based non-profit business incubator. She is a deeply committed activist and philanthropist working with hunger relief organizations such as Share Our Strength, Citymeals On-Wheels, and other non-profits such as amfAR.​
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-dialogues-tracis-kitchen-the-bounty-of-spring-with-chef-traci-des-jardins

Event: Mario Guarneri’s TBD Quartet
Date: Friday, April 14
Time: 6pm to 7:30pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Mario Guarneri brings to his performances a fresh creative voice, amazing technical ease, and an intense desire to touch people with his music. His career has encompassed everything from playing with Louis Armstrong at the age of 13 to fifteen seasons with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Guarneri has recorded solo albums on the Crystal and Nonesuch labels and appeared on more than 300 television and motion picture soundtracks. He has performed over the years with a diverse list of creative musicians including Earl “Fatha” Hines, Frank Zappa, Sarah Vaughn, Cleo Lane and Roger Kellaway. TBD is Mario Guarneri and Erik Jekabson, trumpet; John Wiitala, bass; Akira Tana , drums.
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-sessions-mario-guarneris-tbd-a-quartet

Event: Presidio Family Bike Parade: Light Up Your Bike!
Date: Friday, April 14
Time: Registration at 6:30pm, parade at 7pm
Place: Main Post, Corner of Anza and Owen, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Warm up before “Bike and Roll to School Day” with a family-friendly lighted bike parade around the Main Post. Bring your lighted bikes, trikes, and scooters to the registration tent and receive a free glow necklace and other goodies. Helmets are required for youth.

Registration is required; visit /RSVP
Co-sponsored by Presidio Community Y and YBike
Link:http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-family-bike-parade-light-up-your-bike-2017-04-14  

Event: Presidio Stargazing Parties
Date: Friday, April 14
Time: 7pm to 9:30pm
Place: Main Parade Ground, 103 Montgomery Street, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Presidio Stargazing Parties are perfect for families and people of all ages interested in seeing the universe through a telescope. The SFAA brings telescopes and amateur astronomers to guide you, unveiling some of the night sky's most interesting astronomical beauties. See the moon, planets, nebulae and galaxies up close and learn some of the constellations at a star tour.
Bad weather cancels. Check www.sfaa-astronomy.org for updates.
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-stargazing-party-2017-04-14

Event: Creative Family Fun: Heritage Dolls
Date: Saturday and Sunday, April 15 + 16
Time: 11am to 4pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
People from all over the world live at the Presidio today! Make a special doll to represent your family’s unique past.
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/creative-family-fun-heritage-dolls 

Event: The Beating Heart of Neutron Stars and Pulsars
Date: Tuesday, April 18
Time: 7:30pm to 9pm
Place: Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Dr. Roger Blandford of the Stanford University SLAC National Accelerator Lab describes what happens when the core of a massive collapsed star forms a neutron star or pulsar; this rapidly rotating cosmic lighthouse is one of the most exotic objects studied in modern astronomy.

Roger Blandford is director of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC). Housed at the SLAC National Accelerator Laborator at Stanford University, Blandford oversees research that seeks to answer some of our great cosmic questions. What powered the Big Bang? What are dark matter and dark energy? What is happening around black holes?
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/astrolecture-series-the-beating-heart-of-neutron-stars-and-pulsars

Event: Earth Day Film Screening: Bad Tidings
Date: Thursday, April 20
Time: 6pm to 7:30pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
In honor of Earth Day, view a screening of Bad Tidings, which shows the controversial effects of adapting to climate change. Shore communities are at the front lines of sea level rise. They must either adapt to the change, or leave their homes. With no clear vision of the future, every step they take to protect their communities is faced with severe criticism from scientists and politicians. This leaves shoreline residents to consider if it is even right to continue living along the coast. (49 mins). In association with the International Ocean Film Festival, San Francisco.
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-dialogues-earth-day-film-screening-bad-tidings

Event: Amaranth Quartet
Date: Friday, April 21
Time: 6pm to 7:30pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Equally at home in both the concert hall and the rock club, the Amaranth String Quartet has quickly established a unique niche within their city’s musical ecosystem since their 2014 founding. While students at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the quartet studied closely with members of the Ives, Kronos, and Concord String Quartets. They have commissioned and premiered new music by composers including Nick Benavides, Lucas Floyd, Andrew Vickers, and Kenji Oh. Beyond classical repertoire, the quartet enjoys frequent collaborations with a number of Bay Area favorites, such as Madeline Tasquin, Kendra McKinley, and the View from Bernal Hill. Katie von Braun, violin; Abigail Shiman, violin; Erica Zappia, viola; Helen Newby, cello
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-sessions-amaranth-quartet

Event: Creative Family Fun: Feathered Friends
Date: Saturday and Sunday, April 22 + 23
Time: 11am to 4pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
In the Presidio there are more than 200 species of birds. Hundreds of bird enthusiasts flock to the Presidio every year to catch a glimpse of them in their habitat. Come make your own feathered friend to take home on your finger!
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/creative-family-fun-feathered-friends

Event: Letters from the Camps: Voices of Dissent
Date: Thursday, April 27
Time: 6pm to 7pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Using original letters from the internment camps of WWII, now preserved at California Historical Society, this interdisciplinary presentation focuses on Japanese Americans who spoke out during and after internment. Contemporary descendants, writers, and performers will read from the letters and share their responses. In association with the California Historical Society and in partnership with the Friends of Topaz.
Presented in conjunction with the new exhibition Exclusion: The Presidio’s Role in WWII Japanese American Incarceration.
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-dialogues-letters-from-the-camps-voices-of-dissent  

Event: Ila Cantor’s Encanto
Date: Friday, April 28
Time: 6pm to 7:30pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
lla Cantor is a young, dynamic, award-winning guitarist and composer. Although grounded in jazz, her music and playing challenges our contemporary categories of music. Her Encanto project showcases the charango, a guitar-like instrument most commonly heard in South American folk music genres. She has studied at the New School University in New York and the Banff Center for the Arts in Alberta, Canada, as well as in Spain with renowned Argentine composer and pianist Guillermo Klein, and with mentors such as John Scofield, John Abercrombie and Ben Monder. Her music has been featured in the award-winning films Horizons and Blast. Ila Cantor, charango, voice; Ben Goldberg, clarinet; Rob Reich, accordion; Todd Sickafoose, bass; Alison Miller, drums
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/presidio-sessions-ila-cantors-encanto  

Event: Creative Family Fun: Fun in the Suncatcher
Date: Saturday and Sunday, April 29 + 30
Time: 11am to 4pm
Place: The Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Spring is in full swing with longer days and warm sun rays! Tissue papered native plants will catch the light and make it dance!
Link: http://www.presidio.gov/events/creative-family-fun-fun-in-the-suncatcher