Here at Oakland Local, we know you have limited time to enjoy the summer weather, learn new skills, go to meetings, connect with neighbors, and everything else you do. Here is an enormous variety of things you can do with that precious time, from dancing, to attending street fairs, to learning how to make mead, to dressing up as your inner otaku, to finding out how Obamacare may affect you, to getting answers to your cheese-related questions. It all looks pretty good, but you can just pick a few. We’ll work together as a city to go to them all. Enjoy!
Friday, August 9
Words of Resistance: A Night of Words to Take to the Streets
7 p.m.
Rock Paper Scissors Collective, 2278 Telegraph Avenue
This is a mixed-format poetry reading, with some scheduled poets and some open-mic time.
For more information, visit http://rpscollective.org.
Dancing Under the Stars: East Coast Swing Lesson
8:30 – 10 p.m.
Foot of Broadway
It’s back: the incredibly popular dancing event! Kick up your heels and enjoy a free dance lesson provided by the Linden Street Dance Studio. Each week features a different type of dance, followed by a dance party to practice what was learned.
For more information, call (510) 645-9292.
57th Street Gallery Presents Butch Haynes
8:30 – 11 p.m. (doors open at 5 p.m.)
57th Street Gallery, 5701 Telegraph Avenue
Harold “Butch” Haynes is a master of the Conga drums and of Afro-Cuban rhythms. In a performing career spanning 45 years, he has recorded, performed, and toured with other world-renowned musicians, and traveled to Cuba for a research documentary project where he studied and played with many more. He was instrumental in bringing master drummer Giovanni Hidalgo to perform at U.C. Berkeley, and has instituted percussion programs at elementary and middle schools throughout the Bay Area. Musicians are Butch Haynes, conga; Mario Abrucco, timbel/percussion; Ben Heveroh, keyboards; Ishmael Naderette, percussion; and Paul Smith, bass.
Admission is $15, with reservations recommended. For more information, visit www.57thStreetGallery.com.
Saturday, August 10
Three Corners Neighborhood Group Saturday Neighborhood Cleanup
9 – 10 a.m.
66th and San Pablo
It’s the second Saturday of the month: time for a Saturday Neighborhood cleanup! Join neighbors to walk the block and pick up the trash that’s accumulated. Bring a pair of gloves and a trash bag and meet up. It’s a great way to meet neighbors and make things cleaner, too!
For more information, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ThreeCornersNeighborhoodgroup/cal.
AIA East Bay Home Tour
10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
location provided upon registration
The AIA East Bay Home Tour for 2013 features six houses ranging from modern to classic, and large to small. They demonstrate how collaboration between homeowners and AIA architects yields transformative results in various scales and styles. Whether it is an older home that needs to be renovated with humility and grace or a dramatic site that begs for a heroic modern gesture, architects know how to listen to the past and design for the present.
Admission is $50 the day of the Tour, or $40 in advance at http://aiaeb.org/events/2013hometours/.
Dog Days of Summer at Chabot
11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Drive
Dogs are performing feats of amazing science every day. Join Chabot in celebrating dogs and their people at the Dog Days of Summer event. Explore the science behind the things that dogs do and love, from training and exercise to play and nutrition. The day includes a presentation by world-renowned animal behaviorist Dr. Ian Dunbar, demos from Sirius Dog Training, the U.S. Coast Guard, and Canine Circus, plus a doggie spa, paw-traits, raffles and much more! Get ready for a day of doggone fun. Dogs are welcome with a signed waiver.
Tickets are available at http://www.chabotspace.org/dog-days.htm.
Laurel Street Fair
11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
35th to 38th Avenues on MacArthur Boulevard
The Laurel Street Fair has grown every year in scope, attendance and reputation. It’s now one of the biggest and best neighborhood events in the Bay Area. The Laurel Street Fair is a big reason the Laurel was named “Best of the East Bay” by East Bay Express! Please come this Saturday for the amazing music and dance stage, DJ booths, huge Kids Zone, creative crafts and merchandise, fashion shows, information booths, and an impressive variety of food vendors. Don’t miss it!
For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/laurel.streetfair?fref=ts.
City Slicker Farms’ Second Saturday Tour
1 p.m.
Fitzgerald and Union Plaza Parks, Corner of 34th and Peralta Streets
Come learn about City Slicker Farms, urban farming, and food justice in West Oakland! Please RSVP to Anna La by email at anna@cityslickerfarm.org, or by phone at (510) 763-4241.
For more information, visit www.cityslickerfarms.org.
OMCA In-the-Mix: Behind the Scenes of the Gallery of California Natural Sciences with the California Native Plant Society
1 – 2 p.m.
Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street
Calling all gardeners, urban homesteaders, and plant aficionados! Join a tour of the Gallery of California Natural Sciences with botany experts from the California Native Plant Society. Weigh in on hot topics in plant ecology and consider the benefits and limitations of growing native species. Top it off with a visit to the fledgling native garden on the Museum campus.
The cost of attendance is included with Museum admission. Meet in the Oakland Section of the Gallery of California Natural Sciences. For more information, visit http://museumca.org.
“Making Sense of Health Care Reform, Obama Care, and/or The Affordable Care Act” at the Oakland Library
1 – 3 p.m.
Main Library, Bradley Walters Community Room, 125 14th Street
Denise Lombard, a specialist in health, long-term care, disability, and life insurance will explain the Affordable Care Act. This act will be fully implemented on January 1, 2014, so all need to prepare. It will change the way the health care system operates.
For more information, visit www.oaklandlibrary.org.
Oakland Heritage Alliance Walking Tour: “Fernwood”
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
In front of the Montclair Branch Public Library, 1687 Mountain Boulevard
Texas Ranger Jack Hays settled along the banks of Temescal Creek in 1852 and called his home “Fernwood.” Oaklanders have been attracted to this park-like enclave of hills and ravines ever since. This walk explores Fernwood from its earliest settlement to development in the 1920s as Oakland’s forested suburb. If you enjoyed OHA’s Fernwood House Tour a few years ago and want to know more, this walk is for you. No sidewalks, so wear comfortable shoes.
For more information, please call the OHA office at (510) 763-9218, email info@oaklandheritage.org, or visit www.oaklandheritage.org.
Star Stories at Chabot
8 – 10 p.m.
Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Drive
Lie on the grass and look up at the stars this summer! Bring sleeping bags and blankets and listen to an expert stargazer explain the mythology behind the constellations, tell stories from the night sky as seen throughout history, and look at and learn how to find constellations (weather permitting).
Make reservations here: http://www.chabotspace.org/star-stories.htm.
57th Street Gallery Presents Robin Gregory
8:30 – 11 p.m. (doors open at 5 p.m.)
57th Street Gallery, 5701 Telegraph Avenue
Robin Gregory specializes in the “Great American Songbook,” and her extensive repertoire of popular jazz standards bespeaks that upbringing. Her smooth and mellow timbre reflects an amalgam of influences that she attributes to the vocalists and instrumentalists who were the seminal innovators of jazz music during its formative period. Musicians are Robin Gregory, vocals; Bliss Rodriguez, piano; Ollen Rich Hunt, bass; Melvin Butts, alto saxophone; Sandor Moss, drums; and Bob Kenmotsu, tenor saxophone.
Admission is $15, with reservations recommended. For more information, visit www.57thStreetGallery.com.
Sunday, August 11
Home Mead Making Workshop with Jonathan Zamick
11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Pollinate Farm and Garden, 2727 Fruitvale Avenue
Mead is one of the oldest fermented drinks known to humanity. Learn about the history of mead, its common derivations, and how to make it at home. Participants will taste some samples and receive a kit, including local honey and all the supplies needed to ferment a gallon batch. Participants must be 21 at the time of the class.
The cost of this workshop is $25, or $40 for two, plus a $35 materials fee. Register online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/430070.
OMCA Summer of Science: “Flight of the Living Dead”
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street
Join Erika Bueno and Chris Quock, researchers at San Francisco State University, to learn about the native Zombie Fly (Apocephalus Borealis) that is parasitizing honey bees in California. Infected bees display the “zombie-like behavior” of leaving their hives at night on “a flight of the living dead.”
ZomBee Watch, a citizen science project, was founded to determine the widespread reach of this parasitic problem. With Bueno and Quock, learn how to become a ZomBee Watcher in your own neighborhood by examining insect specimens and exploring light traps for data collection.
The cost of attendance is included with Museum admission. Meet in the Oakland Section of the Gallery of California Natural Sciences. For more information, visit http://museumca.org.
Oakland Heritage Alliance Walking Tour: “From Lake Merritt to the Estuary”
1:30 – 4 p.m.
Meet at the western end of the green pedestrian bridge, 12th Street/Lake Merritt Boulevard
Explore Lake Merritt’s connection to the sea: the soon-to-be-rebuilt 10th Street channel crossing, floodgates that keep Lakeshore Avenue dry, and the channel’s mouth at the estuary. Visit an eclectic arts and crafts colony at Fifth Avenue. We may detour around some construction, but it’s not hilly. No sidewalks in parts, so comfortable shoes are advised.
For more information, please call the OHA office at (510) 763-9218, email info@oaklandheritage.org, or visit www.oaklandheritage.org.
Jaron Lanier discusses and signs Who Owns the Future? at Diesel
3 p.m.
Diesel, A Bookstore, 5433 College Avenue
We live in some pretty impressive times. Internet and communications technologies have bridged the gulf of distance and enabled connections between people thousands of miles apart — whether for business, pleasure, or mere curiosity — these are connections of mind-boggling immediacy and intimacy. Nearly every one of us carries in our pocket a sleek little device armed with sleek little apps that allow us to communicate with literally hundreds of thousands of people with the push of a few virtual buttons. Self-driving cars are beginning to prowl our streets and 3-D printers can render physical objects. College-level education and Hollywood-caliber entertainment are available on demand.
This is only the beginning. Increasingly, industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and energy will be software-driven. Resource management and acquisition will become automated. As these tasks are assumed by more and more efficient machines, what will happen to us? With not just our economy, but indeed the world’s economy, struggling to find stable ground, are we to blindly (and idealistically) hope that eventually technology will make the basics needs of life so inexpensive that we can all live well? Or is there some way to take back control without shying away from the enormous advantages our network technologies have fostered? After all, asks Jaron Lanier, Who Owns the Future?
Jaron Lanier, best known for his work in Virtual Reality research (a term he coined and popularized) is the bestselling author of You Are Not a Gadget. For decades, Lanier has drawn on his expertise and experience as a computer scientist, musician, and digital media pioneer to predict the revolutionary ways in which technology is transforming our culture. Wired magazine described him as “the first technology figure to cross over to pop-culture stardom.”
For more information, visit http://www.dieselbookstore.com/.
57th Street Gallery Presents A Musical Fundraiser for M. B. Hanif
3 – 7 p.m.
57th Street Gallery, 5701 Telegraph Avenue
M.B. Hanif suffered a stroke while performing on stage during the month of June. He is making great progress towards a full recovery. However, he still has a difficult road ahead to gain control of his speech and complete movement of his body. All are invited to come out and enjoy the music and fellowship with Brother Hanif and his family.
$10 donations are appreciated. For more information, visit www.57thStreetGallery.com.
Otaku Night at OACC
4 – 8 p.m.
Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street, Suite 290
Come out for a cosplay contest, j-pop songs and karaoke. Prizes for the best cosplay costumes will be awarded, and tasty snacks will be served. Mingle with other local anime fans and embrace your inner otaku!
Admission is $5. For more information, visit http://oacc.cc.
Monday, August 12
Oakland Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Meeting
6 – 8 p.m.
Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza
For additional information, please call (510) 238-3941. It is recommended to confirm the date and location at: http://www.oaklandheritage.org.
Tuesday, August 13
Oakland City Council Committee Meetings
specific times below
Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza
The City Council is the governing body of the City of Oakland, and consists of eight members who are elected directly by the citizens of Oakland: one representative from each of seven districts, and one at-large representative. The Council sets goals and priorities for the City, as well as approving the City budget, adopting ordinances to help the City serve its citizens, and appointing members to various boards and commissions. Most of the Committees of the City Council usually meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month (although it is recommended to confirm the day and time, as this is subject to change). A downloadable agenda is available at: http://clerkwebsvr1.oaklandnet.com/calendar/.
10:30 a.m.: Public Works
noon: Finance and Management
2 p.m.: Community and Economic Development
4 p.m.: Life Enrichment
5:30 p.m.: Public Safety
For more information, visit http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/CityCouncil/ or call (510) 238-7370.
OACC Lunch & Learn: The Kizuna Project
12 – 1 p.m.
Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street, Suite 290
This Lunch & Learn will feature one of OACC’s very own summer interns, Kaede Someya, who hails from Japan. She is part of the Kizuna Project, which is a youth-exchange program that gives students from the Asia-Oceania area the opportunity to come to North America. The exchange program also gives those students an internship and a chance to share the information about the Great East Japan Earthquake. During this Lunch & Learn, Kaede and some of her fellow friends who are also a part of the Kizuna Project will be speaking about their own personal experiences during the devastating March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami.
For more information on the Kizuna Project, visit http://www.culturalvistas.org/kizuna.
“Effectiveness and Success in Life, Career and Business” at the Oakland Library
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Lakeview Branch, Meeting Room, 550 El Embarcadero
Local life, career and leadership coach Dr. Mojdeh Rezaee will answer questions about building a successful business and career.
For more information, visit www.oaklandlibrary.org.
F. M. Smith Park Advisory Council Meeting
6:30 – 8 p.m.
F. M. Smith Park, 1969 Park Boulevard
Have questions or want more information? Contact Lisa at lisamhire@yahoo.com or Center Director Lois Gomes at lgomes@oaklandnet.com.
For more information, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/15X_NCPC/cal.
“Cheese & Chat: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Cheese but Were Afraid to Ask” at the Oakland Library
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Piedmont Avenue Branch, 80 Echo Avenue
Learn Cowgirl’s history and practices, and what it takes to make award-winning, artisanal cheeses. Don’t forget to try the cheese samples!
For more information, visit www.oaklandlibrary.org.
Wednesday, August 14
AC Transit Board of Directors Committee Meetings
times below
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, 1600 Franklin Street, 10th Floor
The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District is the third-largest public bus system in California, serving 13 cities and adjacent unincorporated areas in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. AC Transit has been serving the East Bay since 1960, taking over from the Key System and its predecessors, which carried passengers via buses, horse-drawn rail, electric streetcars, and ferries over the previous 100 years. AC Transit’s mission is to provide safe, convenient, courteous, and reliable transit service.
3 p.m.: Operations Committee
3:30 p.m.: External Affairs Committee
6 p.m.: Board of Directors
For more information, visit http://www2.actransit.org/main.wu.
Oakland Board of Education General Meeting
5 – 9 p.m.
Paul Robeson Building, 1025 2nd Avenue, Board Room
The Governing Board, commonly called the Board of Education, is the elected policy-making body of the public education system within the City of Oakland. The Governing Board’s primary responsibility is to ensure that every student served by the District is well educated and demonstrates high academic achievement.
For more information, visit http://bex.ousd.k12.ca.us/.
Manzanita 18Y NCPC Meeting
6:45 – 8:15 p.m.
Salvation Army, 2794 Garden Street
For more information, please contact NSC Edith Guillen at (510) 238-7159 or eguillen@oaklandnet.com.
Sing-Along Cinema: Grease
sundown
Jack London Ferry Lawn, Harrison and Water Streets
Enjoy an evening of song, dance and cult movie classics on the waterfront with free outdoor screenings of popular musicals. This lively film series will screen fan favorites on special evenings at sundown including Grease, Mamma Mia! and Little Shop of Horrors, along with a theatrical troupe, as they sing and dance with the movie. Cinemagoers are invited to show up in costume dressed as their favorite characters and sing along to their favorite songs. Pre-event festivities include costume contests, games, prizes and more!
For more information, visit http://www.jacklondonsquare.com.
Thursday, August 15
Oakland City Council Rules & Legislation Committee Meeting
10:45 a.m.
Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Hearing Room 1
The Rules and Legislation Committee usually meets at this time (although it is recommended to confirm the day and time, as this is subject to change). A downloadable agenda is available at: http://clerkwebsvr1.oaklandnet.com/calendar/.
For more information, visit http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/CityCouncil/ or call (510) 238-7370.
Oakland Food Policy Council Work Group Meeting
5 – 7:30 p.m.
1000 Broadway, 5th Floor, Room A or B
The mission of the Oakland Food Policy Council (OFPC) is to establish an equitable and sustainable food system in Oakland. It strives to: ensure access to healthy, affordable food within walking distance of every Oakland resident; bring under-served neighborhoods to the food policy table and increase “food literacy” among Oakland residents; put food, hunger, and food systems on the City of Oakland’s agenda and contribute to the national dialog on food policy; and turn the Oakland food system into an engine for local economic development and involve local and regional agricultural communities.
For more information, visit http://www.oaklandfood.org/.
Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee Meeting
5:30 p.m.
Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Hearing Room 4
Oakland’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) committee was chartered in 1995 to advise the City on the design of bicycle and pedestrian facilities and related issues. Two-hour meetings are held in City Hall the third Thursday of the month and begin at 5:30 p.m. Members of the public are welcome to attend all or part of any BPAC meeting.
For more information, visit http://www.oaklandpw.com/Page124.aspx.
Piedmont Avenue Merchant Association Presents Third Thursday Piedmont Avenue Stroll
6 – 9 p.m.
Piedmont Avenue
Every Third Thursday of the month, over 20 businesses along Piedmont Avenue stay open late and offer special events for customers, such as: discounts, demonstrations, tastings, art receptions, trunk shows by local designers, open mic events, live musical performances, record swaps, and much more!
This event is free to the public and fun for the whole family. Maps for the event are available at http://www.piedmontavestroll.org/map.html and at participating merchants. You can also look for the bright yellow “Piedmont Ave. Stroll” flags outside of participating businesses the night of the event.
The monthly event was voted “Best Art Walk That’s Not Art Murmur” in 2012 by the East Bay Express, so come out and bring friends to enjoy the summer weather! Parking is free and plentiful throughout the area after 6pm.
For more information, email info@piedmontavestroll.org.
OSD Advisory Committee Meeting
6:30 p.m.
Hunter Hall, on the fourth floor of the Paul Robeson Administrative Building, 1025 2nd Avenue
Representative parents, staff, students and community members make up the District Advisory Committee (DAC). The DAC provides a community perspective to the Board of Education and the District leadership on important educational issues. They also assure the District and individual schools are in compliance with state accountability laws. Each school appoints a representative to the DAC.
For more information, visit http://www.ousd.k12.ca.us/.
Melrose High Hopes NCPC Beat 27X Meeting
7 p.m.
Horace Mann School, 5222 Ygnacio
The NCPC is the main organizing group for the neighborhood. The Steering Committee, which is the NCPC leadership team, makes decisions about monthly meeting agendas and major events (e.g., speakers, priorities for OPD, elections, and projects like the Thanksgiving Food Drive, Annual Block Party, Courtland Creek Rejuvenation Project, Support for the neighborhood school, redevelopment on Foothill, and the like). The monthly meetings at Horace Mann School are a great opportunity to let the designated City Council Member and Community Policing Officers know about neighborhood concerns and engage them in helping the neighborhood. Visit the organization’s website for updated agenda items, general information, or to get on the mailing list for future meetings.
For more information, visit http://www.ncpcbeat27x.org/.
Kay DeMartini Presents BustingOut Storytelling: “Travel Trippin’”
7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
The Den at the Fox Theater, 1912 Telegraph Avenue
Stay Home and live life via the Travel Channel, or step outside the door where stuff happens. Just a BART ride will introduce you to one person with several personalities. We get it. We’ve got stories from close at home to the flipside of the world. Don’t miss this one-night-only collection of stories from “Travel Trippin’” and “Pushing Boundaries.”
Storytellers include: National Geographic and Smithsonian writer Jeff Greenwald, San Francisco Chronicle writer C. W. Nevius, NPR Snap Judgment storyteller Josh Cereghino, BART Driver Kelly Bearsley, and Kelli DeSeelhorst.
The cost of this event is 2 tickets for $20 in advance, or $15 each at the door. Tickets may be purchased at http://BustingOutStorytelling.eventbrite.com.
Want to post an event listing for your organization for August 16 – 22? Email the details to meg@oaklandlocal.com by noon Tuesday, August 13.