friday 26
Around town

'Snow in San Rafael' A Street, San Rafael; (415) 457-2266. 4-8pm, free. Shop, say hi to Santa, and frolic in 100,000 pounds of snow blown into the street.

saturday 27
Around town

Juliet S. Kono Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University, Berk; (510) 548-2350. 4:30pm, free. The author reads from Ho'olulu Park and the Pepsodent Smile, her book of tales about Hawaiian life.

'West Coast Live' Freight and Salvage, 1111 Addison, Berk; www.wcl.org. 10am-noon, $15. Surf band Pollo Del Mar, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, author Dorothy Lelan (Balloon Boy), and others perform.

sunday 28
Around town

'Biking Workshop' Crissy Field Center, Mason at Halleck; 561-7752, call to RSVP. 10am-2:30pm, free. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and the San Francisco Department of the Environment teach riders how to safely negotiate street traffic.
Benefits

'Run to the Far Side' Golden Gate Park, East Middle Drive; 759-2690, www.calacademy.org. 8:30am, $25-30. See 8 Days a Week.

'Thanksgiving for Africa' Madrone Lounge, 500 Divisadero; 377-0262, www.madronelounge.com. 4pm-midnight, $10-25 sliding scale. Sila and the Afro Funk Experience perform to benefit UNICEF Emergency Relief for Children of Sudan.

monday 29
Around town

'350 Years of American Jewish Community' Jewish Community Center, 3200 California; 292-1200, 7:30pm, free. Professors Marc Dollinger and Arnold Eisen discuss the past, present, and future of the American Jewish community.

tuesday 30
Around town

Christopher D. Cook Modern Times Bookstore, 888 Valencia; 282-9246, www.moderntimesbookstore.com. 7:30pm, free. Cook examines America's dangerous food production habits in his book Diet for a Dead Planet; Eatwell Farms provides organic refreshments.

Gretel Ehrlich A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books, 601 Van Ness; 441-6670, www.bookstore.com. 7pm, free. The author presents The Future of Ice, her new book on the exploration of frozen spaces.

Josh Kornbluth Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness; 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com. 8pm, $18.50. The writer and director of Haiku Tunnel and Red Diaper Baby discusses his work.