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This week, visit a variety of old-school vehicles in Palo Alto; hear two world premieres performed by the Peninsula Women’s Chorus; listen to Sen. Ron Wyden discuss how to face tough times with his book “It Takes Chutzpah;” enjoy music from the Dream Achievers, a band honoring neurodiversity; meet artists where they work at Silicon Valley Open Studios; and head Coastside for a May Day music and art festival. Plus, a Menlo Park bar honors a legendary band in the spot where they got their start.
Vintage Vehicles & Family 20th Annual Festival
Visitors can see vintage vehicles lined up along Palo Alto’s Homer Avenue plus partake in special activities including a dog tag-making machine, a chance to sit in a Model T, and a “guess what?” table at the Museum of American Heritage’s annual Vintage Vehicle & Family Festival. The museum also includes a permanent collection and special exhibitions, specializing in showcasing technological innovations from 1750 to 1950, and is housed in the historic Williams House, the grounds of which also include bountiful gardens.
May 3, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Museum of American Heritage, 351 Homer Ave., Palo Alto; free (donations suggested); moah.org/moahevents/event-four-ft5z4.
‘Break Open to Beauty’
Peninsula Women’s Chorus is celebrating “music’s deep, transformative power to awaken emotions” this spring, with a concert titled “Break Open to Beauty.” The program’s selections include Giovanni Pergolesi’s 18th-century portrayal of a mother’s grief, “Stabat Mater;” Michael Bussewitz Quarm’s “Nigra Sum;” Ron Jeffers’ arrangement of “Amazing Grace” and Thomas Morley’s madrigal “Fire, Fire My Heart.” Audiences can also catch two world premieres of new works for the chorus: Composer-in-Residence Amy X Neuburg’s “Home is Where,” which explores feelings about home and place, and an excerpt from 2026’s Composer-in-Residence Freida Abtan’s opera-in-progress, a reimagining of the Orpheus myth.
May 2, 7:30 p.m., First Congregational Church, 1985 Louis Road, Palo Alto; May 4, 4 p.m., Transfiguration Episcopal Church, 3900 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo; $10-$30 with online pay-what-you-wish options; pwchorus.ticketspice.com/break-open-to-beauty.
Sen. Ron Wyden
Sen. Ron Wyden comes to Palo Alto to discuss his book “It Takes Chutzpah,” described on Books Inc.’s website as “a progressive leader’s manifesto for being a courageous warrior during turbulent times.” In the book, the Oregon senator explores the history of the concept of chutzpah (a Yiddish term for audacity) and how it can be used to create positive change and preserve values such as free speech, health care, reproductive rights, a clean environment and reigning in Big Tech.
May 2, 7 p.m., Books Inc. Palo Alto, 855 El Camino Real #74; free; booksinc.net/events/calendar.
Dream Achievers
Magical Bridge Foundation presents an evening of music from the Bay Area band Dream Achievers, honoring neurodiversity and celebrating community inclusion. The event is part of The Palo Alto Magical Series, which invites people of all ages and abilities to a variety of inclusive community events, classes and activities, in partnership with the City of Palo Alto. Magical Bridge is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, having opened the first Magical Bridge playground in Palo Alto in 2015.
May 2, 7-8:30 p.m., Lytton Plaza, 200 University Ave., Palo Alto; free; magicalbridge.org.
Silicon Valley Open Studios
Now in its 39th year, Silicon Valley Open Studios showcases the works of several hundred local artists throughout the region over three consecutive weekends, bringing visitors right to artists’ workspaces and galleries throughout the area. Each weekend highlights a different region, with Coastside and northern Peninsula studios open May 3-4; Midpeninsula studios on May 10-11 and South Bay studios on May 17-18 . Visitors can check out ceramics, glass, jewelry, sculpture, paintings, photography, fiber art, woodworking, mixed-media works and more, plus speak with the artists about their work. The event’s website offers an interactive map and pages highlighting each artist’s work and when and where to find them.
May 3-4, 10-11 and 17-18, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., each weekend. Admission is free. For more information, svos.org.
May Day Music & Art Festival
Two stages of live music from local artists, food and drink vendors, art and more make up this annual Coastside festival, held at Pie Ranch, which celebrates spring. This year’s lineup features musical acts Marty O’Reilly Trio, Whiskerman, Rainbow Girls, Wolf Jett, Mariee Siou, Post Folk Revivalists, Aviva Le Fey, Mount Saint Elias, Gill Landry, Jamie Drake, Kentucky Mule and many others. Food and drink options include Foolhardy Coffee, Watsonville Munchiess, Cre’s BBQ Soulfood, Dani O bakeshop, Riverdogs of Boulder Creek, and The Vinguard. There’s even an option to camp onsite.
May 3-4, noon to 9p.m., Pie Ranch, 2080 California 1, Pescadero; $108.55-$161.90 (free for kids under 12); additional parking and camping add-ons available; eventbrite.com.
Grateful Dead anniversary party
Much has changed since a band known as the Warlocks played their first gig on May 5, 1965, at Magoo’s Pizza Parlor in downtown Menlo Park. Not long after, that band adopted a new identity — one that would shortly become famous — as the Grateful Dead. Now, 60 years later, the spot that was Magoo’s is a cocktail bar. The upscale watering hole, known as Loretta, which opened earlier this year, will host a party on May 5 commemorating the Warlocks’ first show, as first reported by InMenlo. The event will raise funds for playwright Richard Montoya’s new musical “Jerry Garcia in the Lower Mission,” about the youth of the Grateful Dead’s legendary frontman. The show is slated to debut this fall at Magic Theatre in San Francisco. Peninsula roots-rock band Effie Zilch will perform at the event, which also features band historian David Gans speaking on the band’s early days in Menlo Park. And of course, pizza will be served.
May 5, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Loretta, 639 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. $50 per person (as of press-time, the event has a wait list). tinyurl.com/GratefulDead60th.
