2010 Update:  Cal Day 2010 takes place on Saturday, April 17th, from 9am-4pm.  Click here to select events by subject or time.  Also click here to see all the kid-friendly events.

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If you are not part of UC Berkeley’s community already, then Cal Day 2009 is your chance to see what’s happening at our little, local school in the hills.  Just you and 35,000 of your neighbors (!) are expected to partake Berkeley’s annual and free educational buffet next weekend.

Cal Day jam-packs special museum, library, lecture, concert and tour programs into a mere nine hours.  Just browse or search the event options, which are endless yet wonderful.

To The Campus

One option is to join the crowd and then go mellow out.  We suggest arriving at Sather Gate by 10:30am, to hear the rousing Cal Marching Band.  Visit the top of the Campanile next, for a great campus view.  Then proceed to your free massage or Ashtanga class, and call it a day.

There are other nice options, too.  You could listen to live music all day, ranging from a symphony concert to Javanese percussion.  Getting free admission to the museums and gardens is also pretty sweet.

Cal Day has geared up for kids, and we’re impressed by the hands-activities at the archaeology and life sciences buildings.  Make sure to browse through all the kids stuff, and plan your trek across campus.

To feel that academic glow, you might visit the libraries or wander into some academic buildings.  There are many tours scheduled on Cal Day, where you’ll also get a dose of history from the guides.

To The Classroom

Let’s not forget that Cal is a school of higher learning.  In that spirit, we think you are supposed to attend at least one hour-long lecture.  Here are ten nominations:

• 10 am – Economic and Health-Delivery Considerations in Obama Administration
• 10 am – The ABCs of Nuclear Science
• 10 am – From Captain Cook to Pearl Harbor:  Colonial Archaeology in the Pacific Islands
• 10 am – Some American Myths About Arabic
  
• 11 am – Are We Wired for Good?
  
• 12 pm – How Global Climate Change Will Affect the Oceans
  
• 1 pm – A Tectonic Time-Bomb in Our Backyard: Earthquake Potential of the Hayward Fault
  
• 1 pm – How Do Cars Fit Into a Clean-Energy Future?
• 2 pm – Barack Obama and the Making of American History
• 3 pm – YouTube, Blogs, Texting, the Web:  How Are New Media Changing Politics?

After Cal Day

We’re fortunate that some UC Berkeley folks call Montclair home, and have learned (from them) about Cal resources available to the public anytime.  For example, the Bancroft Library welcomes all locals who supply two IDs.

All year long, the UC Berkeley events calendar lists a large variety of campus lectures, performances, exhibits and events.  Other Cal sources include the news center as well as the Daily Cal, which is worth reading now and again for the student pulse.

Yet we still forget the embarrassment of riches at our little, local school – and never get around to doing anything until the Cal Day crush.