South Bay Today — Tuesday, September 8, 2026

South Bay Today

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

🌤 mostly sunny · high 92°, low 68°

First Tuesday after the long weekend, and the day leans hands-on: motion capture with AI at King Library after lunch, and a 5 PM sewing workshop at Cambrian Library where the heart plushies you stitch go to kids in hospitals through The Giving Pine. If you own a guitar, two library rooms want you to bring it today, Saratoga in the morning and Los Altos tonight. Mountain View and Los Altos city councils both meet this evening.

Today's field guide

A lab morning, a scanning afternoon, a Disney night

Two free labs fill the daylight hours: try new AI tools alongside SJSU students and staff at King Library in the morning, then bring the shoebox of old family photos to Mountain View's Community Preservation Lab and let library staff help you digitize them. The night is the touring Beauty and the Beast at the Center for the Performing Arts, with Family Night pre-show activities if you're bringing kids. Meals are unfussy: Stan's acclaimed donuts, Oren's housemade hummus, and Smoking Pig's slow-smoked brisket.

Morning pick	Open Lab Hours at AI Center for Civic and Social Good 9:00 AM · King Library · San Jose · Free Drop into the AI Center to try new tools and experiment with tech projects alongside SJSU students and staff.
Breakfast nearby	Stan's Donut Shop Breakfast · Santa Clara · Under $15/person Retro, dinerlike eatery with a basic menu of acclaimed donuts, sandwiches & soda-fountain treats.
Afternoon pick	Community Preservation Lab Scanning Service 1:00 PM · Mountain View Public Library · Mountain View · Free Get help from library staff digitizing your personal photos and documents at the Community Preservation Lab.
Lunch nearby	Oren's Hummus Lunch · Mountain View · $15–30/person Cozy Mediterranean restaurant serving housemade hummus with falafel or meats, plus sides & sauces.
Evening pick	Disney's Beauty and the Beast 7:30 PM · San Jose Center for the Performing Arts · San Jose See touring cast members bring Disney's Beauty and the Beast to the stage, with pre-show activities for Family Night.
Dinner nearby	Smoking Pig BBQ Dinner · San Jose · Under $20 This Southern-style BBQ joint slow-smokes ribs, brisket & pork & serves them in a modest setting.

Open the live guide →

Tonight's pick

Classical Guitar Open Mic

6:30 PM · Adults, Older Adults, Teens · Los Altos Library · Los Altos · Free

Sign up to play up to ten minutes of fingerstyle guitar, or take a seat and listen to whoever does. It's free, and the library lists it for teens, adults, and older adults.

Event details →

Also on the calendar

Two of these have hard caps: the Saratoga jam is drop-in but first come, first served, and the Cambrian sewing workshop takes no registration but seats 15. Open the full calendar →

	Nerds of the Roundtable: The New Space Race 10:00 AM · Hoover Institution · Palo Alto · Free Hear a student-led conversation on power, policy, and the new moon race at Hoover Institution.
	Band Jam: Guitar & Ukulele 10:15 AM · Adults, Older Adults, Teens · Saratoga Library · Saratoga · Free · No registration, just drop in and jam. Space is limited and will be first come, first served. Bring your guitar or ukulele and jam on popular songs while learning new chords with other players.
	Learning to Use Motion Capture with AI 1:00 PM · King Library · San Jose · Free Use Blender's AI-powered tools to translate your own movements into motion capture animation.
	Craft Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:00 PM · Adults, ages 18+, Kids, ages 5-10, Pre-Teens, ages 10-12, Teens, ages 12-18 · Hillview Library · San Jose · Free · Free. Supplies are limited, first come, first serve. Drop in for a rotating craft session, from cactus characters to beaded insects and washi tape bookmarks.
	Educational Park Art Club 4:00 PM · Kids, ages 5-10, Pre-Teens, ages 10-12 · Educational Park Library · San Jose · Free Learn about Amelia Peláez and Cubism, then make your own art at this weekly Tuesday club in the Community Room.
	Sewing Machine Workshop for Beginners 5:00 PM · Adults, ages 18+, Seniors, ages 65+ · Cambrian Library · San Jose · Free · Bringing your sewing machine is encouraged so you can get assistance with your own machine. We have two sewing machines available for participants, first come first served. Ages 18+. Free. No registration is required. Limited seating to 15 participants. Learn beginner sewing machine basics at Cambrian Library, with two machines on hand for first-come, first-served practice.

Civic meetings tonight

Mountain View — City Council · 5:00 PM · Council Chambers and Video Conference

Los Altos — City Council Regular Meeting · 7:00 PM

Around town

Two threads with something at stake: a wildlife heads-up for anyone driving the South San Jose hills, and an open question about whether Calibunga is gone for good.

	Elk in the South San Jose hills! Slow down when driving by (info in comments) Elk spotted in the South San Jose hills, drivers urged to slow down. r/SanJose
	Calibunga water park forever gone? Locals ask whether Calibunga water park is permanently closed or just remodeling. r/SanJose

Thanks for letting us into your morning ☀️

If you spot something we missed—a new restaurant, a great event, a story worth telling—just hit reply. I read everything.

- Stephen Stanwood

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