On Saturday, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan held another great community holiday party at Chabot Space & Science Center - with more than 400 friends and community leaders in attendance.

The event included plenty of contributed food and beverages and the eclectic sounds of the Lakeview High School Jazz Band, which will be playing at Yoshi's in March. Participants also got a chance to watch IMAX movies or the current planetarium show on the Aztec astronomy and their calendar. Viewing the heavens with the telescopes was also on offer. The scopes are generally only open Friday and Saturday evenings, weather permitting, and on special occasions like the annual Valentine's Day evening event.

The Chabot Space & Science Center was opened in August 2000, after being previously located near Redwood Road. The original telescope was built in the late 19th Century for downtown Oakland Observatory. The Science Center is now a Smithsonian Affiliate.

The annual holiday party is both a fundraiser and a showcaser that highlights the exhibits and resources of the Chabot Center, as well as its two large telescopes.

Money raised from the event benefits the mayor's project and support community outreach program and is used for the expenses of attending street fairs, printing information, publicizing community events and even promoting the Concerts in the Redwoods series at Joacim Miller Park each fall. Quan started the fundraiser and holiday party when she was elected to the school board and has held one for the past 16 years. As a member of the school board and later as a Councilwoman, Quan worked to help fund the expanded Chabot Science Center and is now a board member there.

"The main goal is to introduce neighborhood leaders to each other," said Dr. Floyd Huen, the Mayor's husband and a founder of the LifeLong community healthcare clinics in Oakland and Berkeley. "The mayor asks that everybody meet a least one new person or couple or family before leaving."

Donations are still being accepted and individuals may donate up to $700 per year. To contribute, make checks payable to "Mayor's Office Holders Account" and send to 2181 Braemar Road, Oakland, CA 94602.