Food trucks and outdoor music are coming to the south campus, the former every weekday and the latter on an intermittent basis in the Mondavi Center’s new Corin Courtyard Concerts series.

The concerts outside the Mondavi Center are free and open to the public, and the first one is tonight (Sept. 28) with Davis' own West Nile Ramblers, celebrating the release of their new album, Western Garage & Country Noir. Mayor Joe Kravoza, senior director of development at UC Davis' Institute for Transportation Studies, is scheduled to introduce the band.

The concert is set to run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Shah’s Halal food truck, which operates outside the Silo every day, will move over to the Mondavi Center for tonight’s concert. In addition, a cash bar will be open.

At subsequent concerts, look for a brand-new food truck, the Fusion Fresh Café, operated by Sodexo, which runs the dining commons, the Gunrock Pub and other campus food services. The Fusion Fresh menu includes pancakes, breakfast burritos and pastries, chicken cheese steak, and chicken, lamb and beef kabobs, plus quesadillas, tacos and spring rolls. 

The new food truck isn’t just for concerts: It will set up shop Monday through Friday, early morning to late afternoon, and later on concert nights. The new café, including wireless access, could be up and running Monday, Oct. 8.

Wait for the 'all clear' after firm alarm shuts off

An electrical fire the afternoon of Sept. 27 in Haring Hall turned out to be minor, but the campus fire marshal said faculty, staff and students need to learn a lesson about when to go back inside a building after evacuating: not until emergency personnel or building staff give the "all clear."

The fire alarms sounded and people evacuated around 12:45 p.m. Fire Marshal Morgana Yahnke said the fire occurred in the motor of a fan unit used for ventilation-filtration in a small room off the main lab.

Officials shut off the alarms — and people started to go back inside.

"Firefighters often silence the alarm while they are still working inside the building," Yahnke said. "That does not mean that they have completed their operations and it is safe to re-enter."  
 
In the event of a fire alarm, people should wait outside in a safe location at least 50 feet from the building. This is to help protect people from breaking glass or falling debris and to give the firefighters the room they need to move freely in and out of the building.

Evacuees should remain in their gathering places until hearing the official "all clear," she said. 

Warning to pet owners, about rat poison

UC Davis veterinarians are warning pet owners to be careful about using rat poisons and similar compounds.

In recent weeks, the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital has seen a spike in accidental rodenticide poisonings. In the last two weeks of August alone, the hospital diagnosed and treated six canine cases.

Ingesting rodenticides, which also include squirrel bait, can be fatal for dogs within a week if not treated. The veterinarians say rodenticide poisoning has primarily been a canine issue, while cats are more likely to be attracted to plants that may be harmful to them.

“In order to attract their intended victims, rodenticides are tasty to critters,” said Karl Jandrey, an assistant professor of clinical small animal emergency and intensive care. “Unfortunately, that means they are also tasty to dogs, which see these poisons as treats.”

Read the complete news release.

Try Before You Buy at the ARC

All group exercise, martial arts, small group training and mind body classes are free for a week at the Activities and Recreation Center, for all students and other ARC members, Sept. 30 to Oct. 6. The Try Before You Buy promotion comes at the start of every quarter.

Check out the Fitness and Wellness offerings. "Find a class that works for you and start off the new academic year with a renewed commitment to fitness," the ARC website declares.

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