Week 4, August 2010
This week’s highlighted local treasure is
Oakland’s “Eat Real Fest”
From the East Bay Express:
It’s a wonder this is only the second iteration of Eat Real Fest. The East Bay is, after all, an area notoriously saturated with foodies, farmers, and do-it-yourselfers; where Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, and urban farmsteader Novella Carpenter are elevated to celebrity status; where food trucks slinging artisanal tacos, sandwiches, and cupcakes attract around-the-block lines on a regular basis; and where a festival-happy populace manages to throw events celebrating everything from salmon to beer to tomatoes. Suffice it to say that pooling all of that enthusiasm for fresh, local, affordable food into a three-day celebration was a bit of a no-brainer.
At least that’s what Susan Coss and Anya Fernald thought, and it turns out they were more right than they ever imagined. The two had worked together to organize Slow Food Nation, a festival of artisanal food in San Francisco in 2008, and though they were inspired by that event’s success, Coss said they wanted to do something a little more casual and accessible, a celebration of the cheap, tasty street food they loved. What Coss said was originally conceived as a laid-back tribute to taco trucks and beer quickly morphed into something bigger and more ambitious. But, Coss said, “always, at the heart of it was this whole idea that good food can be accessible and affordable — and more than that, that it should be. “Full article here…
If you’ve ever been through parts of town where a grocery store is nowhere to be found, but where liquor stores are on every corner, you know how important it is that we bring this good food knowledge and preparation to the streets. And why not have a fun time doing it too? Have a fun visit to the Eat Real Fest in Oakland’s Jack London Square this weekend!
So, let’s find some fun ’round the bay…
Beres Hammond and the Harmony House Musicians, Inner Circle, and Culture featuring Kenyatta Hill: Friday in San Francisco. Three shows in one Friday night at The Independent. This is a great venue for live music and these three look like some fantastic musicians to see. From the description of Beres Hammond on the website: “And oh, what a voice it is! Beres’ delivery, as rich and flavorfully bittersweet as dark chocolate, embodies the spiritual passion heard in the secular ballads of Sam Cooke, the laid back cool of Marvin Gaye and the gut wrenching “Pain In My Heart” grit of Otis Redding.”
Gardening and Cooking Class with the Pros: Saturday in Berkeley. From their website: Join us for a Saturday afternoon of cultivating, cooking and eating. Berkeley’s Kitchen and Friends of Kenney Cottage Garden (FKCOG) are joining forces to bring you a class on urban gardening and summer cooking. The class covers the basics of urban gardening from seed planting to harvesting; and also includes a hands-on cooking session that incorporates seasonal ingredients.
Egyptian Oracles Lecture: Sunday at UC Berkeley. From the East Bay Express: In ancient Egypt, oracles played a role somewhere between lawyers and priests. During civil and criminal disputes, these spiritually adept individuals were tasked with asking the appropriate deity to dole out opinions, verdicts, and sentences. At 20 Barrows Hall on the UC Berkeley campus on Sunday, Aug. 29, Terry Moore delivers a lecture titled “Ask the God: Oracles in Pharaonic Egypt.” 2:30 p.m., free.
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Pic of the Week:
Which way is the Top of the Mark?
(Re-opening on Friday, August 27th at 4:00 pm)
Week 3, August 2010
This week’s highlighted local treasure is
The Oakland Art and Soul Festival
From their website:
Art & Soul is delighted to have been recognized as Best Presenting Organization of the Year by the 2010 West Coast Blues Hall of Fame Awards. Art & Soul was honored with a Readers Choice award from Oakland magazine in the Where to Let It All Hang Out Once a Year category. Art & Soul has also been voted Best Annual Event by the East Bay Express in their 2010 Readers Poll.
With three main stages set up in the closed-off streets of downtown Oakland these streets with buildings towering over them become cathedrals of the groove. For ten years the Art and Soul Festival has been bringing both local and internationally-acclaimed acts to town for a weekend of fun in sunny Oakland. Probably the best ticket deal you’ll find west of the Mississippi, this two day show begins around noon on Saturday where if you buy tickets in advance the website says adults are $10, youths and seniors are $5, and kids under 12 are free! I won’t list all the acts playing in this year’s show because there are just too many to list here. I can tell you I have attended this event MANY times, and it really is a great time. Check out the line-up yourself and come to downtown Oakland for a true taste of our diverse local culture diggin’ the grooves.
So, let’s find some fun ’round the bay…
I Love Bugs Day At Habitot: Friday in Berkeley. From their website: (For kids of all ages!) Discover the wonderful world of bugs! A full day of activities devoted to those backyard wigglers, hoppers and crawlers from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Build a cricket home in a terrarium with dirt, leaves and sticks in our Art Studio. Check out our worm box and learn how worms help plants grow. Hear real crickets chirp and see all different kinds of bugs including hissing cockroaches, mealworms and more. Storytelling about bugs from 11:00 am and 1:00 pm.
First Annual West Coast Jug Band Jubilee at The Freight and Salvage: Saturday in Berkeley. From their website: Come on out and jug till you can jug no more! This all-day all-jug band extravaganza features two separate concerts, workshops, and more hand-made, home-grown music than you can shake a gut-bucket at! The afternoon show features Jugtown Pirates, Devine’s Jug Band, Skiffle Symphony with Kenny Hall, Lavay Smith & her Red Hot Jug Band, and Toshio Hirano.
Albany Streets: Sunday in Albany. From the East Bay Express: It may not feel much like summer lately, but as long as you layer up, there’s plenty of fun in the sun (or fog) to be had. To that end, and following the success of a similar event in Oakland last month, Albany will block off one of its main streets to traffic on Sunday, Aug. 22, for dance classes, a block party, a water-balloon toss, and other family-friendly outdoor activities. The event takes place along Key Route Boulevard between Solano Ave. and Portland Ave. in Albany. 11 a.m.-2 p.m., free.
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Pic of the Week:
At the Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park
Week 2, August 2010
This week’s highlighted local treasure is
The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
From their website:
On September 1, 1996, Ella Baker Center opened payroll. Named for the civil rights movement’s unsung champion of students, sharecroppers and everyday people, Ella Baker Center proudly proclaimed, “This is not your parents’ civil rights organization.” Seeing the denial of voting, housing and employment rights as symptoms of a much deeper sickness, Ella Baker Center wanted to heal society by transforming it. Driven by that passion and a willingness to take on tough fights that nobody else would, we chose our mission: to document, challenge and expose human rights abuses. Not many thought we would survive our first year. But within a few months we became embroiled in a heated campaign in San Francisco that would show everyone that we were here to stay.
We feel a strong connection to the courageous freedom fighters who have come before us and are steady in our commitment to build a society where peace, opportunity and justice are a reality for all. The Ella Baker Center will continue to challenge injustice in our communities with campaigns that allow everyday people to create and participate in a hope-fueled movement.
In keeping with the most current thread of saluting those in the Bay Area who work for equal justice for all Weekend Wanderings salutes the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights for their service to all of us.
So, let’s find some fun ’round the bay…
Off The Grid: An Evening of Mobile Gourmet Food: Friday in San Francisco. From their website: ”Off the Grid is roaming mobile food extravaganza that travels to different locations daily to serve delicious food, with a free side of amazing music, craft and soul. We’re bringing all your favorite gourmet food vendors together to create a market like you’ve never seen before. Look for us to begin adding some spice to your neighborhood the summer of 2010.”
Candlestick Park Antiques and Collectibles Faire: Sunday in San Francisco. From the Chronicle: San Francisco’s newest show will be at Candlestick Park on August 15 with up to 500 booths filled with the most exciting selection Antiques, Arts and anything Collectible! All items sold must be 20 years or older. This event is held rain or shine, free parking, sorry no pets unless they are guide dogs, or licensed companions.
Market SF Artist Market: This Saturday in San Francisco. From the Chronicle: San Francisco’s new weekly artist market featuring over 25 different artist and designers each week. Every saturday from noon to 6pm at 2565 Mission Street (@22nd). Music will be playing all day with DJ’s starting around 2pm. The bar will also be offering drink and food specials all day!
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Pic of the Week:
Napa General Store Mosaic Fountain
Week 1, August 2010
This week’s highlighted local treasure is
California Northern District Court Judge Vaughn Walker.
From the ruling he made Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 regarding the constitutionality of California Proposition 8:
CONCLUSION
Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples. Because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis,the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Source
Money-quote from bmaz at FireDogLake.com:
“The opinion is, again as predicted, extremely well written, consummately detailed, brilliantly structured and contains a foundation of extremely well supported findings of fact and conclusions of law. In short, Vaughn Walker has crafted as fine a foundational opinion as could possibly be hoped for, and one that is designed with the intent to withstand appellate scrutiny not just in the 9th Circuit, but in the Supreme Court as well.”
Weekend Wanderings salutes those working to ensure the United States of America upholds its greatest ideal of equal protection under the law FOR ALL.
So, let’s find some fun ’round the bay…
AfroSolo Performance For Peace: Sunday in San Francisco. From their website: AfroSolo hosts this exciting multicultural, cross-cultural, and intercultural performance showcase in which actors, dancers, musicians, poets, and performers representing different cultures and backgrounds emphasize the bonds that we all share in performances highlighting compassion, understanding, joy, and peace. Performers include: Colette Eloi, Paco Gomes, Genny Lim, Raymond Nat Turner, and Dr. Brenda Wade.
San Francisco Ballet in Stern Grove: Sunday in San Francisco. From their website: San Francisco Ballet returns to Stern Grove Festival in its only Bay Area summer appearance. Renowned for its incomparable level of innovation and exuberance, San Francisco Ballet is one of the premier ballet companies in America. Remember: Stern Grove shows are FREE!
Antipanico Festival: This weekend in San Francisco. From their website: Tango Renaissance, USA presents Antipanico San Francisco 2010, a four-day Argentine tango festival including workshops, performances, live orchestra, milongas, practicas, and of course—don’t panic—chill vibes. This all-level fête promises a relaxed and content-driven learning atmosphere held in San Francisco’s eclectic Mission District. Our goal is to link students and masters through progressive instruction, artistry, music, and the celebration of our tango culture.
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Pic of the Week:
Goldie in the fish nets