Friday, October 30, 2009

Weekend Events Oct. 31-Nov.1





HALLOWEEN - Sat. October 31st, Doors open @ 8:30 p.m.




For more information call 510.451.6100


HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST!

With fabulous prizes including drink coupons, restaurant gift certificates, & concert tix for future Another Planet Shows.

Gede is the time that some come dressed in costume honoring the Ancestors featuring DJ EPIC, DJ MPENZI and performances by El Wah Movement Caribbean Dancers and KKDE

Happy Days on Ice

Continues through Oct. 31st, 12:00N-8:00 p.m.

Jack London Square, 70 Washington St., (foot of Broadway) Oakland

Want to take a spin in a poodle skirt? The folks at Oakland's Jack London Square have set up an ice rink near Barnes & Noble. The little oval is open all month, but weekends will feature themed events, such as this Saturday and Sunday's tribute to the 1950s. The following weekend will be costume skating, as the rink wraps things up on Halloween.

For more information call 510-627-1670


Dia De Los Muertos 2009
Sunday, November 1st, 2009 from 10:00 am-5:00 pm
“Celebrating the Spirit of Community”


Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a fabulous one-day celebration of ancestors, deceased loved ones and community. This year’s commemoration of “Celebrating the Spirit of Community” will be a gigantic event loaded with activities and displays for the entire family to enjoy!


The event will take place on Sunday, November 1, 2009 from 10:00 am-5:00 pm. It will span along International Boulevard between Fruitvale and 35th Avenues and be expanded to the area around the Fruitvale Plaza and down 12th Street to 37th Avenue.

This eclectic Day of the Dead celebration is a safe, family oriented, non-alcoholic event that is FREE to the public. Don’t miss this annual Oakland tradition in the Fruitvale district!

For more information call 510-437-9703





Sunday, Nov. 1st, 2009; 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (every first Sunday of the month)

“DRIP” a new play by Christina Anderson


featuring Prescott Oakland Point resident Kele Nitoto; Crowded Fire Production


Previews Sunday, Nov 1st, 5:00 p.m. Opening Monday, November 2nd, 8:00 p.m.


Fragmented memories and calloused dreams dance across the stage in this moving new play by Christina Anderson. Mae, a Black American woman lies dying in her hospital bed. As the hospital heart monitor beeps in a-rhythmic pulses, both she and her grandson struggle to accept their shared legacy bound by love and scars.

The Boxcar Playhouse, 505 Natoma Street, btw 6th and 7th streets, San Francisco, CA

For more information contact Kele Nitoto by email kelenitoto@gmail.com



Come celebrate Groundbreaking of New Community Market Farm


Sunday, November 1st , 2009, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.at Fitzgerald and Union Plaza parks (corner of 34th and Peralta), Oakland

Mayor Dellums & Chief Batts in the Prescott


Are you concern about public safety here in the Prescott?

On Monday, November 2nd; between 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at Prescott Elementary School, located at 920 Campbell street (in the Prescott Oakland Point neighborhood) Mayor Dellums introduces Oakland’s New Police Chief Anthony Batts.

Come hear Mayor Dellums and Chief Batts share their vision of public safety

The discussion topics will include:

  • Mayor Dellums’ public safety strategy: PIES (Prevention, Intervention, Enforcement, Sustainability)
  • Chief Batts’ vision for the Oakland Police Department
  • Crime statistics: crime is down double digits citywide, but more must be done
  • Community policing: how can OPD work with the community to enhance public safety?
  • Question and answer session with Mayor Dellums and Chief Batts

Need directions? Click here

Monday, October 26, 2009

Community Celebration-RSVP TODAY


--GOOD (LOCAL) FOODS AND DRINK--

JOIN US Thursday, Oct. 29th 2009 starting at 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at 14th street and Frontage Road* in celebrating 400 completed units (of the 1500 entitled) in the Central Station development project within the Prescott Oakland Point Neighborhood Area!

All Prescott Oakland Point neighbors, guest, friends, old and new are WELCOME to join us for a evening of FUN!

*Frontage road can be access from 7th St or West Grand Avenue. The entrance located approximately one half mile on Frontage Road.


For more information, go to POPna site or call Marcus Johnson; Prescott Oakland Point Co-Chair at 510.290.8300 or email at marcus_a_johnson@yahoo.com

Friday, October 16, 2009

Upcoming Events

West Oakland artist Eesuu Orundide has created a bronze sculpture to honor West Oakland community members and youth who participate in sports activities in Raimondi Park . The sculpture, entitled Ashe (a Yoruba word meaning “life force”), is six feet long by three feet tall and is located just inside the park’s main entrance on 18th Street .

Mr. Ashe (Life Force) was commissioned by the City of Oakland ’s Public Art Program for Raimondi Park , located between Campbell and Wood, 18th and 19th streets in West Oakland . Funding was generated by the Raimondi Park Sports Fields Improvement Project.

Oakland Public Art Program
For more information about this event call: 510-238-2155
http://www.oaklandculturalarts.org/


BRATS & BREW

* * * A Benefit for Oakland * * *

Saturday, October 17th, 12pm - 5pm

Linden St. Brewery, #8 Linden St. @ 3rd St.

Family Friendly, No Entry Fee


A Benefit for Bay Area Community Services, Thanksgiving Food Basket Distribution Program and the Oakland Rotary Community Endowment. For more information, please call 812-1264
LOOKING for more, click here

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Chocolatier, Cacaofevier and Councilmembers

Oakland City Councilmember Nancy Nadel displays an array of chocolates she made with cacao beans...Trading bonbons for bombast and roasters for rhetoric, Oakland City Councilwoman Nancy Nadel spends most Sundays whipping up chocolates in her role as founder of the Oakland Chocolate Co.

"It's smooth and rich. Basically, it's fabulous," said Karin Mac Donald of Oakland, a neighbor of Nadel's and self-described chocoholic who has been purchasing the candy since early 2008. "Usually I get the solid dark chocolate, but a friend told me the chocolate with chipotle pepper was good. I tried it and, to my surprise, I liked it."
Phone: 510-654-6966

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Loma Prieta-Lest We Forget: 5:04 P.M.

At exactly 5:04 p.m. on Oct. 17, 1989, the Loma Prieta Earthquake rocked the Bay Area with a (6.9) 7.1 temblor for 15 seconds, causing the upper deck of the two-tiered Cypress (1.3-mile section of Interstate 880) Freeway to collapse.

In Oakland, forty-two people were killed, and several who were injured was rescued with the help of residents and workers from nearby companies.

The Beaux Arts–style 16th Street Oakland train station, built in 1911-1912 to replace the small wooden (1870) building at 16th and Wood Street, was for many decades a major railroad station, serving as served as Oakland’s first Southern Pacific rail station, suffered significant damage and subsequently closed.

Although the epicenter was an unpopulated area in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Loma Prieta Earthquake killed 63 people, plus 6 indirectly throughout Northern California, injured 3,757, caused 8,000 to 12,000 people to be left homeless, over 11 billion in insured losses, including damage to over 18,000 homes, causing the collapse of sections of the Bay Bridge and Cypress Freeway.

Loma Prieta was so named after the Loma Prieta Peak which lies 5 miles to the northeast in Santa Clara County.

Check out KQED “The Loma Prieta Earthquake: 20 Years Later” for more information. The local media is generating news stories and online depositories are experiencing a lot of activity regarding the Loma Prieta Earthquake, which I deliberately attempted to not duplicate here.

At 10:15 a.m. on October 15, 2009, at least 959,874 participants from the Bay Area will practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On.

Other Relevant Events:

On Saturday, October 17, 2009, 3:00 to 5:30pm at Cypress Freeway Memorial Park, the City of Oakland will host an emergency preparedness. Oakland community members and dozens of other agencies are invited to “Honor, Reflect and Prepare” on the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake.

Located on the west side of Mandela Parkway between 13th and 14th Streets, Cypress Freeway Memorial Park honors the people who died as a result of the Cypress Freeway collapse and the heroic actions of the community in the minutes following the quake and is a designated rest stop along the newly completed West Oakland Bay Trail that extends from Broadway to Mandela Parkway for walkers and bikers to discover the park, rest, and learn about the events surrounding the Loma Prieta Earthquake.

On October 17, 2009, at 8:30a.m. to 4:00p.m Mark Hopkins Hotel, San Francisco, CA.
This full-day commemorative event highlights lessons learned from the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, accomplishments in the 20 years since the earthquake, and future initiatives that will continue to make our cities and built environment safer from earthquakes. Register now

Next month, on November 12th, at 7:30 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave. Ms. Allen will help commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake by recalling how this disaster impacted Oakland and how preservationists rallied to successfully save some of the city’s most treasured historic buildings, slated for demolition.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Reminder: 8TH OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL


Screening continues today (Schedule) until Wednesday, Oct. 14th, ending with the short film titled “Country Rose” starring local country western star Miko Marks and directed by Prescott Oakland Point resident Edward Rosenblum.

The film shows Wednesday night October 14th @ the Grand Lake theater with 2 other shorts from 9-11:30pm, here's a link to the film info: http://www.oiff.org/country.html

Other shorts include:

SABAR - life is a dance!An African American hip-hop girl resists the ancestral call of the Senegalese dance "Sabar". When she finally gives in, she discovers more than a dance - she finds herself.

Youth Jail Chronicles is a video project led by young middle school and high school students participating in the multimedia program at the Youth UpRising center in East Oakland.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Upcoming Events

Besides Fleet Week-Blue Angels and Presidents Cup going on this weekend offers something for everyone!


First I would like to acknowledge that our sister neighborhood (South Prescott) resident / artist Bruce Beasley sculptures are on exhibit from Oct 8th to Nov. 7th at the KOUROS Gallery in New York, New York.

To see some of his sculptures on exhibit, go to http://www.kourosgallery.com/

TONIGHT-Oct. 9th at the Basement Gallery Oakland, 2027 3rd St., Oakland, Missing "C" Mixed media show features 2D and 3 D works with contributing artists J.P. Long, Jason Rothschild, Guido Gerlitz, Duncan House, Eric Eiserling, Scott Oliver, James McLeod, Peter St. Lawrence, Juan Santiago, and Adam 5100. ... Website: BasementGallery.MosaicGlobe.com.

Look for their next exhibit featuring Subliminal Resuckulation, a recent survey of works by master cartoonist Adam Air Williams on Thu, Oct. 15th, 7:00 p.m.

Town Park Skatepark Livication!
Saturday, Oct. 10th, 2009 10:00 a.m.
deFremery Park, 1651 Adeline Street


Check out KDub as they officially “Livicate” the Town Park Skatepark to the youth & Oakland Community and bring your skateboards!


On Saturday October 10, 2009, 11am-5pm, deFremery Park, 1651 Adeline Street will host The 3rd Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle and the USA’s First Nationwide Graffiti competition.

Artists are determined and selected by Estria, a Bay Area Graffiti Legend.
Winners from the Harlem, Honolulu and Chicago Battles will be flown to Oakland to compete in the finals of live graffiti art painting Oct 10th!This is a FREE Family EventHere’s last year’s Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle here

For more info, go to: http://www.estriabattle.com/



For bicyclist looking for accessories, apparel, bike care products, car racks, eyewear,…Check out RideSFO at 1724 Mandela Parkway Suite #2 (next door to OBUGS). You can check their online catalog by clicking here. If you stop by ask for JRock

For more information regarding upcoming events, keep checking the POPna site!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Watch the Blue Angels from THE POINT


For those wanting to watch the Blues Angels part of the Fleet Week events, starting today (Oct. 8th) through Sunday (Oct. 11th) won't have to leave THE POINT.

Middle Harbor Shoreline Park (another Prescott Oakland Point gem)with its spectacular views of the bay provides the perfect vista view to watch the Blues Angels without the hassle of going to San Francisco. Both Point Arnold and the Western Pacific Mole locations within the park are excellent viewing areas. The Western Pacific Mole area features a dramatic Observation Tower.

Check the calendar of events for schedule.

How to get there: Just head Northeast on 7th street and follow the road signs; still unsure? go to the East Bay Regional Park District website for more Driving directions. AC Transit line 13 serves the park. Line 13 Map

Park Amenities-The park complex surrounds Middle Harbor Basin and offers a wide range of engaging opportunities including:

Views of the bay and shoreline, shorebirds, nearby maritime operations, San Francisco and Oakland skylines, and marine traffic at the estuary mouth;
Picnic and barbeque facilities - these may be reserved;
Parking, restrooms, and water fountains;
Historical exhibits;
An amphitheater;
Free viewing scopes;
Fishing pier and platforms;
The only beach in Oakland; and
Nearly three miles of pedestrian and bike paths, some of which are part of the Bay Trail.

A flyer, available at park entrances, describes the area's history, environment, and maritime context.

Feelin' the Presidents Cup Spirit?

Work it off with some putting!

Ernie Raimondi Park now features a putting green,
which was included in its recently renovation project.

The "putting greens" are located at the corner

Monday, October 5, 2009

Neighborhood Interactive Map

Looking for something to do?
Click on this Oakland neighborhood map!
And check out this Calendar of Events

Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk


Friday, October 2, 2009

This Weekend Events

35th Annual Oakland Black Cowboy Parade

There have always been black cowboys and cowgirls in our western history, and Oaklanders will celebrate them again this year. The 36th Annual Oakland Black Cowboy Parade will march on Saturday, October 3rd, between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.The parade route will start and end at DeFermery Park 18th & Adeline, Oakland. The reviewing stand will likely be at Frank Ogawa Plaza on 14th Street just south of Broadway.

More info: Check out history and art from the Oakland Black Cowboy Association resources. There's fun stuff in these links below.- Cowboy art and images- Blacks in the old west- Cowboy and cowgirl heroes of today- Links to Black cowboy organizations- Links from around the country

People Grocery Farm Work Party!

Come get a taste of food justice at our Sunol Farm! Learn about cover-cropping, seasonal crop rotations and about what it takes to run a 4-acre organic farm! Meet us this Saturday, Oct. 3rd, at 9:30 a.m. at our lot at 936 Brockhurst St., (between Market and San Pablo). We provide transportation to and from the farm, water and light snacks. We'll be back in West Oakland by around 3pm. RSVP with marcelo@peoplesgrocery.org . Farm Work Party info

HOUSE HUNTING

Those interested in house hunting, the Prescott Oakland Point neighborhood provides a diverse offering of housing types i.e. Victorians and Italianate Mediterranean Architecture, as well as loft, townhouse, condo, apartment, conversions. This Sunday, October 4th, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. two developments (Pacific Cannery Lofts-for sale and Ironhorse-leasing is pleased to have two Central Station developments are featured in the self-guided GreenPoint Showcase Tour.

Interested in Victorians and Italianate Mediterranean Architecture or craftsman type homes, contact Prescott Oakland Point resident and broker Stefanie Parrot at 510.839.4737

People’s Grocery is looking for the next Executive Director!

As People’s Grocery progresses towards its greatest goal - a community grocery store in West Oakland, they are in need of a new leader aligned with the mission, vision and values of People’s Grocery who is capable of leading the organization into an exciting and productive future.
More info


Sunday October 04th, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Gates Open at 1:30 p.m. Concerts Begin at 2:00 p.m.
3300 Joaquin Miller Road, Oakland, (15 minutes from THE POINT)
Parking $4.00; Free Shuttle from Fruitvale BART, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
For more information 510.238.PARK
Saturdays & Sundays
10:00 a.m. - 4pm
Jack London Square (Water Street)

Thirty local artists present their handmade crafts along Water Street. The Artisan’s Marketplace is a special program managed by the City of Oakland’s Arts and Cultural Department. For more information, please call 510-238-4948.



Grand Lake - Oakland(8 minutes from THE POINT)
Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Year Round
Splash Pad Park at Grand Ave and Lake Park Ave

Berkeley Farmers’ Market
(10 minutes from THE POINT)
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Year Round
(9 minutes from THE POINT)
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Throughout the Square

Sunday Farmer’s Market
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Montclair Sunday Farmers Market
(15 minutes from THE POINT)
1980 Mountain Blvd, Oakland
La Salle Ave between Mountain and Moraga Ave.

Temescal Farmers' Market
(10 minutes from THE POINT)
Chevron (6 min drive)
Shell (5 min drive)
Costco (12 min drive)