Clean out your closet!

With the holidays on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to clean your closets, garages and crawl spaces.
Bring your old computers, busted televisions and shot stereos to the Paso Robles Event Center today and Saturday.
Electronic waste can no longer be dumped at landfills, and it’s often expensive to recycle.
Organizers will accept electronic waste for free, regardless of how much junk you unload. They’ll take both broken and intact appliances.
The recycling drive continues through 4 p.m. today at the Oak Tree Parking Lot, and continues on Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Paso Robles Event Center is located at 2198 Riverside Ave. in Paso Robles.
Call Colleen at 239-0655 with any questions.

The following items will be recycled for free:

LCD televisions and monitors
Laptop computers
Televisions
Computer towers
Printers
PDAs (Palm Pilots, etc.)
DVD players
Copy machines
Fax machines
Calculators
Stereo systems
Speakers
VCRs
Keyboards
Computer mice
Telephones
Cell phones

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Meanwhile, the county Sheriff’s Department is collecting used bicycles and tricycles for needy children.
Started in 1987, the Sheriff’s Annual Christmas Bicycle program supplies a fresh set of wheels to underprivileged kids throughout the county, complete with new helmets.
Honor Farm inmates refurbish the bikes and trikes with supplies donated by the community.
Drop your old wheels off at the Honor Farm, located across from Animal Services at 880 Oklahoma Ave. off Highway 1, or at any of the sheriff’s sub-stations.
Donations will be accepted Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Need a bike?
Applications for refurbished bikes must be received by Saturday, Nov. 24.
For more information, call Lt. Barry Shortz at 788-2103.

-- Sarah L.

Reels on wheels

How does SLO County celebrate National Bike Month? With a screening of the world’s best-ever bike movie, of course.
"Pee-wee's Big Adventure" will be shown tonight in San Luis Obispo and Atascadero in two free outdoor events.
Bike enthusiasts will meet at Atascadero's Sunken Garden at 6:30 p.m. for a children's parade and mixer before a 45-minute bike ride at 7:30 p.m. The movie will be shown at 8:30 p.m.
In San Luis Obispo, gather at Mission Plaza at 6:45 p.m. for a bike ride to Johnson Park at Southwood Drive and Augusta Street.
"Pee-wee's Big Adventure" will be screened at 8:30 p.m. on the wall of the YMCA, 1020 Southwood Drive, in SLO.
For more information, call 781-1385 or check out the Bike Month Web site.

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The fun continues next weekend with the BiKE FiLM Festival sponsored by HopeDance Magazine.
On May 17, bike lovers can meet at 8:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Utopia Bakery for a free outdoor screening of “Indecent Exposure to Cars: The Story of the World Naked Bike Ride.”
The bakery is at 2900 Broad St. in San Luis Obispo.
Short films about bikes, created by local amateur movie makers, will be shown at 7 p.m., May 18, at the San Luis Obispo City-County Library, 995 Palm St. in San Luis Obispo. The suggested donation is $5.
Come back to the library at 7 p.m., May 19, for two bike-related documentaries. “Contested Streets” looks at New York City’s crowded streets, while “Pedal” examines the unique subculture of that city’s bike messengers. Admission is $10, or $5 for bicyclists and pedestrians.

-- Sarah L.

Get in gear

Love bikes? Love movies?
HopeDance Magazine is looking for original short films to screen at its Bike Film Festival in May.
The movies should be 10 minutes long or less and promote a strong pro-bike or anti-car message.
According to the magazine, "We’re not looking for art here, just a good old propaganda that will move the audience to go home and set fire to their SUVs and Hummers."
HopeDance offers prizes for the top three films: $150 in cash, a $100 gift certificate to The ARTery in Atascadero and a $50 gift certificate to Wally’s Bicycle Works in San Luis Obispo.
Mail DVDs to HopeDance Magazine, P.O. Box 15069, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406.
Submissions are due this Friday, April 20.

HopeDance’s National Bike Month event will run May 18 and 19, featuring the films "Contested Streets" and "Pedal," Peter Sullivan’s documentary about New York City bike messengers.
Organizers are also planning a “World Naked Bike Ride” on May 17, starting at the parking lot of Utopia European Bakery Cafe, 2900 Broad St. in San Luis Obispo.
Contact HopeDance Magazine at 544-9663 for more information.

-- Sarah L.