Recently, cyclist Neila Stewart twice encountered an aggressive tom on Hidden Valley Drive. “As I slowed, he came right up to my bike and fluffed his turkey foliage to show that he was bigger and tougher than my bike and that this was his territory,” Neila recounted. “As I rolled passed him, he started trotting after me.” It seems something’s gotten into the wild turkeys in the neighborhood. A year and a half ago, residents told of one or more toms pecking at cars and cornering kids.

Is somebody growing funny berries out there? SYMPHONY FOR MINORS: It’s not supposed to be a well-kept secret that on Thursday the Santa Rosa Symphony will put on its annual free concert for Sonoma County elementary schools. Word’s been slow in getting out, so interested teachers and principals must act fast to tell the symphony (546-7097, ext. 225) they’d like to have their students there. The 9:30 a.m. performance at the Wells Fargo Center will be many kids’ first exposure to symphony music.

Wait until they hear that the guest star is Israeli violinist Vadim Gluzman, who plays a more than 300-year-old Stradivarius. Maybe he’ll tell the students why he doesn’t just buy a new one. KEEP ONE WARM: Last fall, you may recall, teacher Jennifer Gray and some Ursuline-Cardinal Newman students set out to collect winter coats for homeless people. The response warmed their hearts and nearly buried Gray’s classroom.

She and the students gave more than 2,000 coats and jackets to homeless people in Sonoma County and San Francisco. This year, they’re out to fill a request by The Living Room, a day center for homeless women, for about 200 sleeping bags. New or still-nice used ones. Gray and the kids vow to put to good use any bags left at Ursuline’s office between now and Nov. 15. SIMPLY SUPER SOLDIER: Luke Solorzano had a big week.