This week feels a little like a fall preview. Oh, we’ve got some summer left, but this week, stuff to do on the weekend is outweighed by stuff to do during the week. Not entirely summer-like, Oakland. All the more reason to get out there and enjoy our relentlessly shortening days while they’re still longish. Enjoy!
Friday, August 15
Grease Diner One-Year Anniversary Party and Reception
6 – 10 p.m.
6604 San Pablo Avenue
The Grease Diner and Laurie Shapiro Gallery are proud to celebrate their one-year anniversary with a very special exhibition that features the newest work of Oakland-based artist Laurie Shapiro. The Grease Diner will become an immersive installation of Laurie’s large-scale textile paintings, which are built up with hand-sewn fabrics, screen prints, and boldly-colored paint. Refreshments will be provided as well as a live performance by Jon Jon.
Dancing Under the Stars: Nightclub 2-Step
8:30 – 10 p.m.
Foot of Broadway, Jack London Square
From experienced dancers to newbies, everyone is invited to an evening of rhythm, grooving and dancing under the stars! Dancers will kick up their heels and pack Jack London Square for free dance lessons. Each Friday night, Jack London Square will host a different dance theme. Lessons begin at 8:30 p.m., followed by a dance party at 9 to try out all the new moves. For more information, visit www.jacklondonsquare.com.
57th Street Gallery Presents Tory Teasley
8:30 – 11 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)
5701 Telegraph Avenue
Tory Teasley is a Bay-Area native who started his journey in singing at the age of 12. Trained in classical music and jazz vocals, he has performed all over the Bay Area. Don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes! Musicians are Tory Teasley, vocals; Anthony Patterson, piano; Vernon Hall, bass; and Kwic Time, drums. For more information and to make reservations, visit www.57thStreetGallery.com.
Saturday, August 16
Future Innovators Challenge
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Boulevard
Join Oakland-based toy company GoldieBlox, Chabot, and Arizona Science Center in disrupting the “pink aisle” to inspire the next generation of female engineers. The goal of the Future Innovators Challenge is to engage elementary and middle school girls in the engineering design process by challenging them to engineer a successful egg drop. Girls will be paired with onsite mentors in this field to help advise and guide them during the challenge.
Literary Karaoke
7 p.m.
Diesel, A Bookstore, 5433 College Avenue
It’s back! Join Diesel for a night of open-mic literature and poetry lovin’. Bring a book or grab one off our shelves and share your favorite passage. Our only stipulation: no reading your own work.
57th Street Gallery Presents the Herbert Mims Quintet with featured vocalist Helen Bernard Gray
8:30 – 11 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)
5701 Telegraph Avenue
Join this all-star ensemble for an evening of fantastic jazz! Musicians are Herbert Mims, saxophone; featured vocalist Helen Bernard Gray; Keith O. Saunders, piano; Joe McKinley, bass; Linda Livingston, percussion; and Leon Joyce, Jr., drums. For more information and to make reservations, visit www.57thStreetGallery.com.
Sunday, August 17
Sunday Breakfast at High Street Presbyterian Church
8:30 – 10 a.m.
1945 High Street
Hot breakfast is served at High Street Presbyterian Church on the third Sunday of the month. Attendees are welcome to attend services at 10:30 a.m.
Family Fun Day and Picnic
1 – 4 p.m.
Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate, 2960 Peralta Oaks Court
Enjoy an afternoon of family fun at the beautiful grounds of Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate. This is an event for the whole family to enjoy. Bring a picnic, blanket, lawn chairs and umbrellas. Get ready to have a ball with the kids–the old-fashioned family way–with games, face painting, mansion tour and lots more fun.
Crafts and Cookies
1 – 5 p.m.
Manifesta Hair Salon, 831 Broadway
Come to Crafts and Cookies, a free event for people who love to make stuff and enjoy gluten-free cookies, courtesy of Woop Woop Fine Foods. Participants are encouraged to bring a project or play with provided embroidery or crochet materials. Crafts and Cookies is hosted by ‘Festa, a subdivision Manifesta that creates a space for individuals, small business owners, and skilled members of the community to join in its vision of community kinship.The vision of ‘Festa is the belief that the success of the larger business is intrinsically linked to the success of the community.
Monday, August 18
Oakland Zoo Senior Free Day
All day
9777 Golf Links Road
The Oakland Zoo, in partnership with Vice Mayor Larry Reid, presents the 5th Annual Senior Summer Free Days. Seniors (65+) who currently live in Oakland can enjoy the Zoo for free on select dates.
Off the Grid: Uptown
5 – 9 p.m.
Telegraph and 19th
The Oakland Asian Culture Center will be at Off the Grid: Uptown on the third Monday of each month. Wesley Woo will be the featured performer. Be sure to check out his performance while you’re there! Off the Grid is a Bay Area food truck festival that is held at different locations around the Bay. Learn more about Off the Grid at offthegridsf.com.
Allen C. Shelton discusses and signs Where the North Sea Touches Alabama
7 p.m.
Diesel, A Bookstore, 5433 College Avenue
On a warm summer’s night in Athens, Georgia, Patrik Keim stuck a pistol into his mouth and pulled the trigger. Keim was an artist, and the room in which he died was an assemblage of the tools of his particular trade: the floor and table were covered with images, while a pair of large scissors, glue, electrical tape, and some dentures shared space with a pile of old medical journals, butcher knives, and various other small objects. Keim had cleared a space on the floor, and the wall directly behind him was bare. His body completed the tableau. Art and artists often end in tragedy and obscurity, but Keim’s story doesn’t end with his death. A few years later, 180 miles away from Keim’s grave, a bulldozer operator uncovered a pine coffin in an old beaver swamp down the road from Allen C. Shelton’s farm. He quickly reburied it, but Shelton, a friend of Keim’s who had a suitcase of his unfinished projects, became convinced that his friend wasn’t dead and fixed in the ground, but moving between this world and the next in a traveling coffin in search of his incomplete work. In Where the North Sea Touches Alabama, Shelton ushers us into realms of fantasy, revelation, and reflection, paced with a slow unfurling of magical correspondences. Though he is trained as a sociologist, this is a genre-crossing work of literature, a two-sided ethnography: one from the world of the living and the other from the world of the dead.
Tuesday, August 19
Oakland City Council and Oakland Redevelopment Agency Meeting
5:30 p.m.
City Council Chambers, Third Floor, 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. The City Council meets 2 – 3 times per month, on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Tuesdays. A downloadable agenda is available here. For more information, click here or call (510) 238-7370.
Wednesday, August 20
WOJRC Entry to Apprenticeship Workshop
6 – 8 p.m.
Tradeswomen, Inc., 1433 Webster Street, #100
Tradeswomen, Inc. has been helping women in construction and related trades since 1979. Come to the presentation at the West Oakland Job Resource Center and learn how women can succeed in these careers. Tradeswomen, Inc. will provide specific information about upcoming opportunities in the “list” trades, the “hunt” trades and machining apprenticeships.
Fruitvale Unity NCPC Monthly Meeting
6:30 p.m.
San Antonio Senior Center, 3301 E. 12th Street, Suite 201
Join this monthly community meeting to share strategies to resolve community issues and concerns. An agenda is posted by the Fruitvale Unity Council on the day of the event at www.unitycouncil.org.
Plant Breeding 101: What You Need to Know About Food Plant Genetics
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Pollinate Farm & Garden, 2727 Fruitvale Avenue
What do the terms “Heirloom,” “Open Pollination,” “F1 Hybrid,” “GMOs” and “Open Source” seed really mean? Join Pollinate to explore the world of plant biology! Learn the fundamentals of plant reproduction and the role it plays in food security and in the food we eat. Learn about the differences in breeding strategies and the mechanisms employed to achieve them. Participants will also explore how these strategies are employed in large-scale seed companies as well as in the backyard breeder’s garden, and discuss how the current political structure embraces certain strategies as a means to an end. Learn hands-on breeding practices that you can employ in your own backyard garden. Bring your questions!
Allendale Park NCPC Meeting
7 p.m.
Allendale Recreation Center, 3711 Suter Street
For more information about this organization’s meetings, or to get on its mailing list, email allendale_ncpc@yahoogroups.com.
Golden Gate NCPC 10X Monthly Meeting
7 – 8:30 p.m.
Golden Gate Recreation Center, 1075 62nd Street
This monthly meeting of the Golden Gate Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council recurs on the third Wednesday of each month, except for December. For more information, or to get in touch with the organization, visit groups.yahoo.com/group/NCPC-10X/cal.
Thursday, August 21
Oakland City Council Rules and 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 here. For more information, click here or call (510) 238-7370.
Welcome Anthony Finnell to the CPRB
5 – 7 p.m.
Allen Temple Baptist Church, 8501 International Boulevard
The Mayor’s Office and the Oakland Citizen’s Police Review Board (CPRB) are hosting a community event to introduce Mr. Anthony Finnell to Oaklanders and help raise citizen awareness about the CPRB, an independent, community-driven organization that investigates and reviews complaints about Oakland police officer conduct. The CPRB allows citizens to have a strong role in the police accountability process. Mr. Finnell is committed to improving police services for all citizens of Oakland, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity or citizenship status. He will have English- and Spanish-speaking staff members available at this event to answer questions and help file reports with the CPRB. Together we can ensure police accountability!
Twilight by the Lake
5 – 7:30 p.m.
The Cathedral of Christ the Light Plaza, 2121 Harrison Street
The Twilight by the Lake series of community mixers is back by popular demand. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to exhale, relax and mingle on the Cathedral Plaza while enjoying live music, a beautiful lake view and complimentary appetizers. This event is free and open to the community; everyone is welcome! Docent-led tours of the Cathedral will be available. Kicking off the Twilight by the Lake series is The Last Minute Band.
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 underserved 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.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Meeting
5:30 p.m.
Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Hearing Room 4
Oakland’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) committee was chartered in 1995 to advise the City on the design of bicycle and pedestrian facilities and related issues. Meetings are held at City Hall the third Thursday of the month. Members of the public are welcome to attend all or part of any BPAC meeting. For more information, visit oaklandpw.com/Page124.aspx.
Fine Print: APA Photography and Poetry Up Close
6 – 8 p.m.
Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 Ninth Street, Suite 290
To build from the Smithsonian APA Center’s wonderful A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America project, OACC would like to host Fine Print in celebration of some of the artists involved in that project. Over 500 people sent pictures on 5/10/2014 for the A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America project, which sought to capture one day through the lens of APIs on the 145th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railway. This event will launch an exhibit at OACC that features the artwork from A Day in the Life of Asian Pacific America, and it features poets who respond to the photography with their own art, including Bonnie Wai-Lee Kwong and Arlene Biala. It is also a celebration of the completion of OACC’s inaugural zine, entitled I Am Here. Come to OACC to pick up your free copy of the zine at this event!
OSD Advisory Committee Meeting
6:30 p.m.
Hunter Hall, 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.
Melrose High Hopes NCPC Beat 27X Meeting
7 – 8:30 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 our 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 ncpcbeat27x.org for updated agenda items, general information, or to get on the mailing list for future meetings.
Waterfront Flicks: The Lego Movie
Sundown
Jack London Square Ferry Lawn
Cozy up on the waterfront this summer for free outdoor screenings of hit movies as part of the annual Waterfront Flicks series. Waterfront Flicks will host fan favorites at sundown. Moviegoers should arrive early with blankets in-hand for pre-film festivities including small eats, trivia and giveaways.
To list an event for August 22 – 28, send the details to meg@oaklandlocal.com by noon on Tuesday, August 19.