Around Town: National Night Out, the art of origami and a band with Heart

In this week's Around Town column, Palo Alto's National Night Out, the art of origami and a band with Heart.

LIGHTS, SIRENS, ACTION … Co-hosted by the city of Palo Alto and Barron Park Association, Tuesday’s National Night Out event at Cornelis Bol Park featured police vehicles, fire trucks and booths run by organizations such as Students Demand Action, a group that focuses on reducing gun violence across the U.S. Along with sharing resources and explaining the different parts of their respective vehicles, first responders handed out plastic firefighter helmets and blue helium-filled balloons throughout the evening. Paramedic Sarah Wallace noted the importance of this personal engagement with the community. “The most important thing is that we are personalized for the public,” she said. “I’m a human — I want them to ask me questions. I don’t want to seem unapproachable. I really think open dialogue and approachability is the most important part of this.”

FULL OF HEART … For many, the American rock band Heart might seem like a relic from the ‘70s. The musical group Heartless, however, is determined to change this inclination and continue the band’s legacy. This Saturday, at 6:30 p.m., community members will have the opportunity to see the tribute band perform at Rinconada Park as part of the Palo Alto Twilight Concert Series. According to lead guitarist Jim Coyne, Heartless is the only Heart-tribute band that performs throughout the Bay Area, and he described the group as a band that audiences were “just not going to hear anywhere else.” According to lead singer Linda Coyne, the band made its debut performance at the concert series last year. “It was loads of fun,” she said. “Our keyboard player is originally from Palo Alto. That was kind of going back home for him to play for friends and family, and it’s just a cool place.” As with any other concert, the band looks forward to taking audiences through a carefully curated setlist this Saturday that takes them on a “journey back in time when life was uncomplicated and they could be much freer.” More information about the band and upcoming performances can be found at heartlesstributeband.com.

PAGES TO PAPERCRAFT … On select Saturdays during the summer at the Rinconada Library, Elena Kapbafova leads drop-in origami classes: In the library’s Embarcadero Room, parents and children engross themselves in instruction books, learning how to fold their brightly colored pieces of paper into paper cranes and inflatable balloons. Meanwhile, Kapbafova provides encouragement to the origamists and helps decipher a tricky step or sharpen creases when necessary. Kapbafova was introduced to origami through a teacher her children had at Addison Elementary School. “My kids loved to do origami in her class — she encouraged kids to do this calm activity,” she said. After being asked about ideas for summer programming at the library, Kapbafova suggested the origami class due to her experience and the activity’s appeal to different age groups. Following the initial session on July 1, Kapbafova has taught origami three additional times during the summer. Though no future classes are scheduled, she noted the potential for new sessions depending on community interest. Other upcoming library events can be found at paloalto.bibliocommons.com/events.