Happy Tuesday, Walnut Creek!
💡 Did you know: Lindsay Wildlife Experience dates back to 1955 and is widely credited as the country's first wildlife rehabilitation hospital. Its hospital still takes patient intakes from 10am to 4pm every single day of the year.
In today’s edition:
A 21+ night at the wildlife museum, complete with a highland cow
The Bell Brothers headline Broadway Plaza
Books, botanicals, and a Saturday street pop-up
Candlelight and singing bowls
Half-off thrifting, two days only
Comedy Night at The Greenery
Plus: ABBA is coming to Broadway Plaza
Let’s get to it.
— Sean Casey
🤠 Wild at Night: Wild West
Lindsay Wildlife Experience throws open its doors after hours this Friday for Wild at Night: Wild West, a 21+ evening built around craft beer, local wine, mocktails, live music, and up-close encounters with Lindsay's animal ambassadors. Throw on a cowboy hat and boots — the theme leans into Walnut Creek's rancho history, and this year's western petting zoo includes a highland cow, an alpaca, and a small herd of goats.
Every ticket comes with a commemorative souvenir glass plus access to the photo booth, games, and the rest of the museum after dark. Food trucks handle dinner. One logistical note worth planning around: parking is limited, with overflow at Friends Church across the street.
📍 Where: Lindsay Wildlife Experience, 1931 First Ave.
📅 When: Friday, August 14 | 6:00–9:00 PM
💲 Price: $40 members / $45 non-members (21+)
🎶 Summer Sounds: The Bell Brothers
Broadway Plaza's free Summer Sounds series rolls on Thursday with The Bell Brothers taking the outdoor stage. It's the same easy formula that's been filling the plaza all summer: grab dinner from a downtown restaurant or the Entertainment Zone, find a spot, and settle in for live music without buying a ticket. Bring a chair if you want one, seating fills up as the evening goes.
📍 Where: Broadway Plaza
📅 When: Thursday, August 13 | 7:00–8:30 PM
💲 Price: Free
📚 Once Upon a Street: Books & Botanicals
Broadway Plaza's Once Upon a Street pop-up series returns Saturday with a books-and-botanicals theme. Think local booksellers, plant vendors, hands-on activities, and a few hours of browsing outdoors in the middle of downtown. It's free, family-friendly, and easy to fold into a Saturday you were already spending downtown. Come early if you want first pick of the plants.
📍 Where: Broadway Plaza
📅 When: Saturday, August 15 | 11:00 AM–2:00 PM
💲 Price: Free
🕯 Candlelit Chakra Healing with Singing Bowls
YogaSix Walnut Creek dims the lights Saturday afternoon for a two-hour candlelit sound session built around crystal singing bowls. You lie down, the bowls do the work, and the room does the rest — no yoga experience or flexibility required. If you've been curious about sound baths but didn't want to drive to Berkeley for one, this is a low-commitment way to try it in your own zip code.
📍 Where: YogaSix Walnut Creek
📅 When: Saturday, August 15 | 2:00–4:00 PM
💲 Price: Check listing — registration required
🛍 50% Off for National Thrift Shop Day
The American Cancer Society Discovery Shop marks National Thrift Shop Day with everything in the store at half price across two full days. The Discovery Shop is one of the better-curated resale spots in town — furniture, designer clothing, jewelry, art — and every dollar goes to cancer research and patient programs. Two days at 50% off is the best window of the year to walk out with something good.
📍 Where: American Cancer Society Discovery Shop
📅 When: Saturday & Sunday, August 15–16 | 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
💲 Price: Free to browse, 50% off everything
😂 Comedy Night at The Greenery
Break up the week with dinner, drinks, and stand-up at The Greenery. Host Pat McCoy is joined by Bay Area comedian Candy Shaw and co-headliners Daniel Eachus and Don Friesen for a Wednesday night lineup of professional comedy. Shaw has appeared on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, and Eachus has performed on FOX, Hulu, and Comedy Central.
📍 Where: The Greenery Sports Bar & Grill, Walnut Creek
📅 When: Wednesday, August 12 | 7:30–9:00 PM
💲 Price: $23.18 online | $20 at the door (cash or Venmo)
👀 Looking Ahead: ABBA at Broadway Plaza
Worth putting on the calendar now: Summer Sounds closes out the following Thursday with Summer Night City, an ABBA tribute band, on the Broadway Plaza stage. It's the last free outdoor concert of the downtown series, and if the earlier tribute nights this summer are any indication, the plaza will be full. We'll have the full details in next week's issue.
📍 Where: Broadway Plaza
📅 When: Thursday, August 20 | 7:00–8:30 PM
💲 Price: Free
Other fun notes…
🥗 Weekly Walnut recipe: 5 Minute Candied Walnuts — These caramelized, candied walnuts are quite a treat. Toss them into your salad, over popcorn, or straight into your mouth.
🎵 Who we are listening to: Paula Fuga & Jack Johnson - If Ever — “Jack and Paula's voices just compliment each other...love whenever they collab”
🙏 Positive news around the globe: Leo DiCaprio launches $200M project to bring 100 most threatened species back from the brink. Read Article
✨ A slow week is just a week that hasn't been noticed yet.
As always, we read every reply and truly appreciate hearing from you. If there’s something you’d like to see more of locally, let us know. Thanks for being part of the Walnut Creek Digest community.
Have an event you want to feature or want to advertise your business to our readers in Walnut Creek? Drop us a line here → [email protected]
