Happy-Go-Duckies; Pheasant Needs Forever Home: Saturday Smiles

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — To keep your weekend light, Patch presents some Northern California stories from the past week — many that will surely make you smile.

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Bird Is The Word For San Mateo Shelter With Rare Adoption Offer

• Lord Pheatherington, a Golden Pheasant, was injured and brought to the Peninsula Humane Society and is now being placed up for adoption.

California's County Fair Guide: Where To Find The Fun In 2021

• Can't go another summer without corn dogs & Ferris wheels? Fairgrounds statewide are gearing up - in varying venues - for upcoming season.

Marin County Hails Its Volunteers & Interns

• Family, friends and county staff attended an online ceremony recognizing MarinShares and Marinterns programs’ honorees.

11 Ducklings Saved From Storm Drain

• The ducklings were so tiny that they slipped through a grate. An animal control officer played a mama duck recording to coax them out.

New Giraffe Arrives At Oakland Zoo

• Giraffes in Africa over the past 15 years have faced a "silent extinction" with a 40 percent decline in their numbers.

Chabot Space & Science Center Partners With NASA Ames

• Visitors can learn about current science at NASA through interactive challenges, artifacts and models.

$50 Southwest Flights From Oakland

• Southwest Airlines offers cheap one-way fares in end-of-spring 50th birthday sale. Vegas: $49; Orange County: $50; Kona Hawaii: $149.

San Mateo County Program Sends 500 Students To College For Free

• A $2 million grant funded by the Board of Supervisors will allow the students to attend community college in the county at no cost.

Artisan Ice Cream Shop 'Salt & Straw' Opens In San Ramon

• This is the first East Bay scoop shop for the business, with a loyal fan-following for such promos as its "Eat Your Flowers" menu.

Peninsula Clean Energy To Fund EV Charging Ports In Redwood City

• The agency will provide up to $248K toward the installation of 124 electric vehicle charging ports in a new Redwood City parking structure.

Peninsula School Chosen For Nationwide Environmental Award

• The Nueva School was one of two Bay Area schools to receive the recognition. The other was Los Altos High School in Santa Clara County.

Kaiser Permanente Donates $500K To Rebuild Fire-Ravaged Park

• Foothill Regional Park in Windsor was the front line in the fight to contain the Kincade Fire. The grant will help make it climate-adaptive.

South Bay School Chosen For Nationwide Environmental Award

• Los Altos High School was one of the two Bay Area schools to receive the recognition. The other was the Nueva School in San Mateo County.

Job Fair Planned For East Bay Truck Drivers

• The job fair is this Saturday. The company has immediate openings and some positions come with a $5,000 signing bonus.

New Walnut Creek Housing Near Shadelands Moves Forward

• If it receives final approval, an office park will be replaced with multi-family housing.

East Bay Businesses Donate Proceeds To Support Asian Community Organizations

• More than 130 restaurants and other businesses joined the cause, pledging to donate part of the day’s take to Asian community organizations.

Jefferson Award: Hayward Woman Is Foster Mom To More Than 80 Infant Babies

• Linda Owens has been a mother to more than 80 babies over the years through foster care.

Bay Trail-Vine Trail Project Awarded Grant Funds

• A separate bicycle lane will be installed along Enterprise Avenue, parallel to state Highway 37— and 40 new oak trees will be planted.

Sonoma County Student Named National Merit Scholarship Winner

• The Analy High School student is among 89 in California named a corporate-sponsored scholarship winner.

East Bay Breweries Featured In Online Beer Festival

• Pick up a 12-pack featuring Bay Area brews and tune in to a live event next month. The fundraiser will benefit charity.

'Cigarette Surfbounds' Highlighted On Earth Day

• A Bay Area duo is highlighting ocean pollution by showcasing surfboards made of cigarettes on Earth Day.

New Mountain Mike's Pizza Opens In Hayward

• The Industrial Boulevard locale features the pizzeria's "legendary, crispy, curly pepperoni" pizzas, plus wings & more.

California Teen Helps Older Adults Get COVID-19 Vaccinations

• Kevin Manshadi started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for ride-share vouchers to give free rides to and from vaccination sites.

Did COVID Wreck Your Wedding? Win A SoCal Resort 'Mini-Moon'

• The Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa is hosting a sweepstakes for a four-night, perk-filled, honeymoon-ish getaway to one lucky couple.

Riverfront Theater Building To Become Community Arts Center

• The 418 Project, a local arts nonprofit organization, seeks to transform the downtown Santa Cruz space. See what their plans are.

ZEISS Opens 'Innovation Center' In Dublin

• Some 700 workspaces are housed in the 209,000-square-foot building.

Avocado's Time To Shine: New Recipes From CA Chef Brian Malarkey

• The California restaurateur and "Top Chef All-Star" finalist created two tasty dishes as kick-off to state's avocado season.

Chicken-Feta Meatballs + Red Pepper Sauce: Cooking With Courtney

• Cheesy, saucy, guilt-free meatballs with a simple, sweet roasted red pepper-garlic sauce. Get the recipe.

Pleasanton 'Weekend On Main' Street Closures To Return Soon

• Main Street will be closed to traffic on weekends for shoppers and diners to enjoy the outdoors. Find out how long it will last.