Monday, April 30, 2012

A Brief History of Beer

In honor of Oakland's 160th Birthday, all this week I'll be running articles about Oakland history. For more about some of the events going on, check out my article on Oakland Local. See past posts about Oakland history here.

Linden Street Brewery

Earlier this month, members of the Oakland Heritage Alliance learned about beer at an event called On Tap: Oakland's Beer Brewing History. Adam Lamoreaux, founder of Linden Street Brewery, showed us around the brew house and gave us a brief history of beer in the Bay Area.

Beer itself is fairly simple, with water, barley, hops and yeast combined in different ways to make a wide range of styles and flavors. Yeast is what makes the magic happen, converting grain sugars into alcohol and CO2. The type of yeast dictates the type of beer; lager yeast ferments at cooler temperatures near the bottom of the fermenter, while ale yeast ferments at a higher temperature at the top. The cooler temperatures for lager yeast could easily be found in caves and cellars in Europe much of the year, but in the mid-1800s, immigrants to the Bay Area found things a bit too warm. So they adapted by creating steam beer. Steam beer uses a lager yeast, but at the warmer ambient temperatures of the Bay Area. That plus the choice of available barley and hops makes for a uniquely flavored beer style, probably best known today because of Anchor Steam.

The yeast was influenced by the wild yeasts in the Bay Area, which are part of what makes sourdough bread around here unique. A small amount of active yeast was added for the beer to finish in the cask, which gave it a higher level of carbonation. That is likely the source of the name, as tapping the high-pressured kegs would sometimes blow off "steam" (CO2). Apparently sloppy stocking practices by some publicans and variations in production even lead to the occasional burst keg. In any event, the term "steam beer" is now a registered trademark of Anchor Brewing. That might rankle some people if were any other company; Fritz Maytag who bought and saved Anchor in 1965 is considered the father of the modern craft beer movement.

Adam Lamoreaux

The history of beer in Oakland is similar to the history of Anchor: started in the 1880s; growing at a healthy pace up to Prohibition in 1919; a resurgence in 1933 after Prohibition ended; a decline towards 1960 as lighter, mass-marketed beers took over. At its peak, beer production in Oakland was massive. According to Oakland: The Story of a City:
By 1890, there were four breweries flourishing in the city of Oakland. At a time when Oakland's population was 48,682, breweries in Oakland alone turned out 35,000 barrels of beer annually.
Several of those breweries produced steam beer, including The Brooklyn Brewery:
[It] was a local product. Even after Brooklyn became part of Oakland, people liked to use the name to distinguish their neighborhood. The Brooklyn Brewery began 1872 under A. Miller at Eighteenth Avenue and East Fourteenth Street.
At its peak during summer months, Brooklyn produced 35 barrels of Brooklyn Steam Beer a day. That's over a 1,000 gallons a day. One of the longest lasting breweries was the Golden West Brewery (ever noticed the sign at Heinhold's?), later Goebel Brewing Company, which sponsored radio broadcasts of the Oakland Oaks baseball team.

Steam beer was considered a blue-collar beer and that was reflected in the literature of the time. Beer in general was cheaper than other drinks, and safer to drink than water because the brewing process killed most germs. Oakland history and Mountain View Cemetery fans may be familiar with the name Henry Cogswell, who constructed water fountains to try to reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Jack London writes about how he started drinking in John Barleycorn:
The first day I worked in the bowling alley, the barkeeper, according to custom, called us boys up to have a drink after we had been setting up pins for several hours. The others asked for beer. I said I'd take ginger ale. The boys snickered, and I noticed the barkeeper favoured me with a strange, searching scrutiny. Nevertheless, he opened a bottle of ginger ale. Afterward, back in the alleys, in the pauses between games, the boys enlightened me. I had offended the barkeeper. A bottle of ginger ale cost the saloon ever so much more than a glass of steam beer; and it was up to me, if I wanted to hold my job, to drink beer

This history of beer in Oakland is part of what inspired Adam when he started Linden Street Brewery a few years ago. While brew pubs (like Pacific Coast Brewing) have been part of Oakland for a while, Linden Street Brewery was the first production brewery* in Oakland since 1959 (*production brewery = makes beer for consumption at restaurants and bars, not on the premises, though Linden Street now has a tap room.) Linden Street has been growing at a healthy pace, and now is an incubator for other beer entrepreneurs like Dying Vines Brewing. Future plans include using a unique strain of hops grown in by farmers in Hopland, California, which bottomed out at the same time smaller brewers around the U.S. did in 1959. Linden Street already makes a beer in partnership with Tartine Bakery using the yeast from one of their breads, and recently released "Supafly" rice lager, a custom brew for Hawker Fare. Hopefully there will be more such custom brews featuring local ingredients in the future.



Thursday, April 26, 2012

signs: Kay Chesterfield

Kay Chesterfield

It's always fun to find a sign I haven't seen before. Kay (Chesterfield) is just north of the Coliseum. I don't know how old the sign is, but it looks fairly old and Kay Chesterfield upholstering has been in business since 1921.

Quick quiz: how many of you know what a chesterfield is?

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

upcoming Oakland events

10 Connect :: group art show - April 13-May 25. Exhibition of the remarkable work of ten artists who helped pave the way for a distinctive, flourishing arts community in Jingletown. (free)

OMCA: Summer Nights - Friday, April 27, 5-9pm. Half-price admission to the Oakland Museum, plus special movie screenings. More info.

Celebrate Oakland's 160th Birthday - Friday, April 27 - Friday, May 4. A week of events celebrating Oakland's incorporation May 4th, 1852. Different events will feature arts, games, music and history. More info on Oakland Local. (free)

California Preservation Conference - May 3-6. The California Preservation Foundation's annual conference is being held in Oakland this year. There are tons of related tours and events of interest to historians and Oaklanders alike.

Five Star Night - Meals on Wheels Benefit - Friday, April, 27. Benefit dinner for Alameda County Meals on Wheels. Featuring chefs from Bakesale Betty, Dopo, Ozumo, Bocanova and more. Read more at Oakland Local.

Phat Beets Workshop: Where do meat, eggs and milk really come from? - Saturday, April 28, 11am-1pm. Free workshop put on by Phat Beets at the North Oakland Arlington Farmers Market. (more info)

Healthy Choices Community Fair - Saturday, April 28, 10am-noon. United Lutheran Church of Oakland sponsors a community health fair. (free)

DIY Coffee Bean Roasting - Saturday, April 28, 1-2pm. A workshop on how to roast your own coffee, put on by popup market Marion and Rose. ($25)

C.O.R.E. Emergency Response Exercise - Saturday, April 28. A city-wide exercise of CORE, Citizens of Oakland Respond to Emergencies. You can help by volunteering to act as a disaster victim, making up other "victims" (moulage), and a number of other tasks, and help ensure you and your neighbors survive the next disaster. (free)

Tavis Smiley and Cornel West at the Paramount - Saturday, April 28, 6pm. KALW hosts Tavis Smiley and Cornel West to discuss The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland. Read more on Oakland Local. (event FULL)

Friends of the Fox Wine Tasting, Monday, April 30, 6-8pm. Wine tasting to benefit the Friends of the Oakland Fox Theater. Use Code "VisitOakFox" for $10 off. (tickets) ($75-$100)

looking further ahead:

JLS Night Market - Friday, May 4 from 6-10pm. During the First Friday Art Murmur, the Farmers Market at Jack London Square will be holding a night-time farmers market.

Friends of Montclair Library Book Sale - Saturday, May 5, 10:30am-3pm.
Stock up for summer reading at the Friends of Montclair Library Spring Book Sale! Recent fiction and non-fiction, children's books and more. Most books are priced between $.50-$2.00—find great deals all day and fill-a-bag discounts from 2-3pm. All proceeds directly benefit the Montclair branch of the Oakland Public Library. (more info)

Bike to Work Day - Thursday, May 10. Whether you already bike to work every day or this will be your first time, Bike to Work Day is a lot of fun and a great alternative to driving. (free)

ongoing events:

Piedmont Avenue Art Walk (3rd Thursday)
Art Murmur (1st Friday)
Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

food: Homeroom

Mac and Cheese

Homeroom takes mac and cheese to a new level. This isn't made from a box with powdered cheese. It's homemade with local artisanal cheeses to create dishes like Mac the Goat featuring chevre, and Mac and Blue featuring Point Reyes Original Blue™ cheese. All macaroni dishes (except the Vegan) can be ordered gluten-free, and can be customized with toppings like panko breadcrumbs, mushrooms or a fried egg.

Homeroom also has a variety of vegetable side dishes, and a customizable salad. During lunch hours, there are some sandwich options, too: the old school peanut butter + jelly, grilled cheese, or a BLT. When I was there, the restaurant also offered soup, though I don't see it on the regular menu.

giant cookie

If you manage to save room for dessert, there are enormous homemade Oreo-style cookies topped with sea salt, peanut butter pie with a graham cracker crust, and delicious homemade brownies. Adults can indulge in a beer float made with Old Rasputin stout.

On weekends, come for brunch, where you can enjoy homemade buttermilk biscuits with INNA Jam from Berkeley, a runny-egg sandwich, or a breakfast mac. The drinks menu adds mimosas made with fresh orange juice.

Homeroom serves homemade root beer, organic limeade, ice tea, and Blue Bottle coffee. It also has a good beer list, featuring local beers from Oakland Brewing Company, Drake's Brewing, and more. The wine list is diverse, with a variety of California reds and whites, and even a rosé.

I've been to Homeroom twice for lunch, and it's been busy both times, even for a late lunch. Despite the busyness, the host greets visitors promptly, and the table service has been excellent. On my first visit, one of the restaurant co-owners stepped out of the kitchen to see how my meal was.

As its name suggests, Homeroom is kid-friendly, comfortable, and has a few booths as well as tables. With tables made from old gymnasium bleachers and a wall featuring a large chalkboard with art, you’ll feel like you're back in school. The "frequent diners" cards for regular customers are even old library cards stored in an old wooden card file. I half expected the classroom clock on the wall to ring when it was time to go.





Monday, April 23, 2012

Oakland Celebrates Its History!

May 4th, 2012 will mark 160 years since Oakland was incorporated as a city. To celebrate its birthday, the city will be hosting a number of events in and near city hall.

Oakland Celebrations

Come Out and Play the OPR Way
Friday, April 27, noon - 1:30pm
Celebrate Oakland Parks and Rec's 2012 summer program.

Oakland Loves the Arts
Monday, April 30, noon - 1:30pm
Celebrating the artistry of Oakland, with special performance by the Oakland School for the Arts.

Oakland Loves its History
Tuesday, May 1, noon - 1:30pm
Celebrate Oakland's history before and after its incorporation in 1852. This will include a panel of local authors about Oakland history, including Annalee Allen, author of Selections from the Oakland Tribune Archives, Oakland - postcard series, and the beautifully illustrated Oakland Landmarks book.

Oakland Loves Dance
Wednesday, May 2, noon - 1:30pm
A celebration of Oakland as the regional center of ethnic and urban dance. Includes live performances by various local dance troupes.

Oakland Loves Music
Thursday, May 3, noon - 1:30pm
Celebrating Oakland's musical heritage and emerging talent in a tribute to the late jazz great Khalil Shaheed.

Birthday Finale
Friday, May 4, 11:30am - 1:30pm
Lots of fun things, including a birthday cake cutting, history displays, live music, city hall tours, and a presentation of the winners of the "Inspire Oakland" billboard design contest.

California Preservation Foundation Conference

The celebration is a nice lead in to the California Preservation Foundation (CPF) annual conference which is being held in Oakland this year, May 3-6. It's the 37th annual CPF conference, and the first time in 30 years that the conference is being held here. There are numerous tours and workshops being put on as part of the CPF conference, but you don't need to attend to the whole conference to take part in them. A few of the tours are listed below.

California Preservation Foundation Tours

Rosie the Riveter / WWII Home Front National Historical Park
Thursday, May 3, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Visit Rosie the Riveter / WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond where historic structures and interpretive artworks are employed by the City of Richmond and the National Park Service to tell the diverse social history of WWII. Participants will learn how reviving a neglected chapter in Richmond’s history has deepened understanding of local heritage, shed light on current issues and contributed to community and economic revitalization efforts. Come see the award winning Ford Assembly Building and the SS Red Oak Victory ship, recipient of a Save America’s Treasure grant, and many other treasures.

The Balancing Act in East Bay Regional Parks cancelled
Thursday, May 3, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Explore how the largest regional park district in the nation, East Bay Regional Park District, connects historic structures with surrounding landscapes for 21st century visitors. Visit Garin Barn with operational blacksmith and tool shop, ranching-related displays, and antique farm machinery. Next visit the oldest working reservoir in the nation where a one-mile interpretive trail with historic structures and images bring to life the 1860’s construction of Lake Chabot.

Ranches and Redwoods: Oakland’s Early History
Sunday, May 6, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Visit Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, the first non-Native American settlement of the East Bay in the middle of modern day Oakland. Once the headquarters of a 44,000-acre longhorn cattle ranch, then absorbed into the urban grid of Oakland, and now resurrected by neighbors into a world class historic site and community center. Then take a tour of Redwood Regional Park, a redwood grove in the city of Oakland, once owned by the Peraltas, led by Historian Richard Schwartz with a fascinating preservation history. The redwood grove was razed to the ground twice before preservationists fought to preserve the grove for public use in the early 20th century.

Prices vary, but for all the above tours, transportation is included. To register for those or for any other tours, check out this order form (PDF) for more info and contact details. Space is limited, so act quickly if you're interested.

Oakland Urban Paths: Laurel to the Redwoods

Last Saturday 50 people joined Oakland Urban Paths for a walk, Laurel to the Redwoods. The large turnout was due in part to people coming to hear our guide for the walk, Dennis Evanosky, a local historian and writer who is extremely knowledgeable about Oakland and East Bay history.

We started the walk at Saint Lawrence O'Toole Catholic Church in the Laurel. The church was originally closer to where I-580 is now, but before the freeway came through, the church moved up the hill to its current location. Then we walked a short distance to Scheberies Used Cars for the first of our urban paths. While Dennis told us about MacArthur Boulevard and the freeway, Gerry Scheberies came over to the edge of the lot. He's been part of Oakland for a long time—since before the I-580 freeway was built. MacArthur Blvd. was part of a national plan for a road, intended to go from Mexico to Canada, but only the Oakland segment was built. See pictures and info from my visit 1.5 years ago.

We took a number of urban paths and more traditional sidewalks through the Upper Laurel neighborhood into Redwood Heights, both of which are full of lovely homes. Then it was a big uphill on Carson Street to George E. McCrea Memorial Park, home to the Oakland Casting Club. That's right, Oakland has casting ponds for people to practice their fly casting. The park also has trout ponds, but those are no longer used.

Then it was over highway 13 to Leona Heights, once site of the Laundry Farm Hotel. Named for the laundry operations that once filled the area, someone doubtless recognized that a name like Leona Heights Hotel would have more appeal, and the hotel was renamed. The original plan for the OUP hike was to go up the York Trail near Horseshoe Creek, but the heavy rains we got a while back had damaged the trail and bridges, so we just viewed the area from trailhead and heard about the redwoods.

Nearby we saw part of a quarry operation. What's left is an odd concrete tube, which rock was pushed down (later they used railed carts) and delivered to a crusher. That rock was used for railroads, including the Feather River Canyon.

Up another nearby canyon took us to an abandoned sulfur mine. The original miners were excited because they thought they'd found gold, but it turned out to be iron pyrite (fool's gold). But they soon discovered that the sulfur deposits there could be profitably mined instead.

We went up the nearby fire trail a ways, where we could see the old Chabot Observatory below. That was actually the second Chabot Observatory; the original was on 11th and Jefferson in Old Oakland and dated back to 1883. They moved to the Mountain Boulevard location in 1915 because of light pollution, but access to that became limited in 1977 because of seismic safety concerns. The current facility, the Chabot Space and Science Center along Skyline, opened in 2000. Further up the trail we saw the approximate location where one of the first maps of the Bay Area was drawn.

We walked back through the triangle between highway 13 and I-580, and saw Montgomery House, a home which was built by the Montgomery family for missionaries to stay in while they prepared to ship out on their mission trips. There's a small chapel on the grounds which is still in use, and we were told the house across the street was one of the earliest orphanages in Oakland.

We worked our way back to our starting point, and I at least was definitely tired—as advertised, this was a strenuous walk. Thanks to Dennis Evanosky and Paul Rosenbloom for leading us on the walk, and thanks to all who joined us. The OUP walk coming up in May will definitely be less strenuous.

More info:

Lots more pictures from our walk:


See our route on Google Maps.

update: Check out the post by Nika about the walk.

Friday, April 20, 2012

bits and pieces 8

Ifeel like I'm about half a dozen posts behind in ideas vs. actual posts. There's way too much interesting stuff going on in Oakland, and I don't have enough time to do half of it never mind write about it.

Some of the things in my queue: last weekend's Oakland Urban Paths walk, the upcoming California Preservation Foundation conference in Oakland, Bike to Work Day, a review of the brand-spanking new Banana Soy restaurant on 15th St., a writeup of the Oakland Heritage Alliance "On Tap" event last night at Linden Street Brewery, and probably a few other things I'm forgetting. Wait, did I mention the story about the Oakland Scenic Tour signs and map I'm working on? Or the review of Homeroom and some other things I was hoping to spin into a paid writing gig?

There are sure signs spring is here. There are various possible signs, like the warm temperatures and the flowers blooming, but we had a warm winter so those aren't unusual. It's not the clouds blooming for 4/20, the host of Earth Day activities around Oakland, or the prospect of Bike to Work Day on the horizon. No, the surest sign spring is here is the presence of goats in the hills:

All that beeping around Jack London Square in the middle of the day? That'd be due to whatever it was they were doing to the nearest of the big cranes. If you look closely at the picture, the cables that are normally just below the horizontal arm are hanging slack. There was a lot of activity going up and down the elevator to the operator level, but no one seemed panicked, so no major problems, right?

As mentioned above, I discovered a new vegan restaurant downtown, Banana Soy. So new they don't have their desserts ready yet, or their credit card machine operating—they opened yesterday. What I had, I really liked; I'll have a more complete review as soon as I can.

In other restaurant news, I went past Kitchen 388 and noted that it's closed until further notice because of family illness. I hope they're able to reopen. On my one visit, I really liked it.

Folks trying to drive on Mountain Blvd. through Montclair late this afternoon may have wondered why traffic was a bit snarled. Police activity? More repaving? No, the cause was car flambé:
OFD showed up quickly because there's a station nearby, and the driver was OK.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

signs: Motel

Motel

Idiscovered this sign hiding behind a tree at the Civic Center Lodge on 6th Street near Laney College.

No Vacancy

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

upcoming Oakland events

As usual, lots of interesting stuff going on in Oakland this week. The big event this weekend is the annual Earth Day celebration, with cleanups and celebrations all over Oakland. Let me know of other interesting events in the comments.

Earth Day - Saturday, April 21. There are dozens of Earth Day events around Oakland, from a cleanup of Willow Park in West Oakland to a neighborhood cleanup in East Oakland with the East Oakland Boxing Association, and numerous park, neighborhood and creek cleanups in between.

Pedals, Pipes and Pizza - Saturday, April 21, 10:30am-12:30pm. Hear "Peter and the Wolf" on the 5298-pipe organ and narrated at the Cathedral of Christ the Light, followed by a pizza lunch. ($5 per person)

Learn to Curl: Students Only! - Saturday, April 21, 2:30-5pm. Introduction to curling lessons open to students, at the Oakland Ice Center. ($15)

4th Annual 24 Hour Film Challenge - April 21-22. The East Bay Express' annual 24 hour film challenge. Teams pick up the topic, then have 24 hours to shoot, edit and produce the film. Sponsored by Actual Cafe, Trumer Pils, and the Oakland Underground Film Festival.

Bueno Eats Pop-Up - Sunday, April 22, 9:30am-2:30pm. Bueno Eats is doing a brunch pop-up at one of my favorite places, Caffe 817 in Old Oakland.

DIY Day at the Jack London Square Farmers’ Market - Sunday, April 22, 9am-2pm. An interactive Earth Day Fair featuring an array of special DIY activities, speakers, demonstrations and exhibits to get you thinking about sustainability and greener living. (free)

Herbal First Aid - Sunday, April 22, 1-3pm. Learn bike-portable first aid remedies for common biking-related ailments. Two hour workshop at Homespun Bikes ($20-$30)

Montclair Village Restaurant Walk - Tuesday, April 24, 6-8:30pm. Sample local restaurants and support local schools with the annual Montclair restaurant walk. ($25)

10 Connect :: group art show - April 13-May 25. Exhibition of the remarkable work of ten artists who helped pave the way for a distinctive, flourishing arts community in Jingletown. Opening reception April 13. (free)

Oakland Veg Week - April 15-21. Thought about eating vegetarian? Oakland Veg Week will have a variety of events to introduce people to the idea. (website)

looking further ahead:

Celebrate Oakland's 160th Birthday - Friday, April 27 - Friday, May 4. A week of events celebrating Oakland's incorporation May 4th, 1852. Different events will feature arts, games, music and history. (free)

Healthy Choices Community Fair - Saturday, April 28, 10am-noon. United Lutheran Church of Oakland sponsors a community health fair. (free)

DIY Coffee Bean Roasting - Saturday, April 28, 1-2pm. A workshop on how to roast your own coffee, put on by popup market Marion and Rose. ($25)

C.O.R.E. Emergency Response Exercise - Saturday, April 28. A city-wide exercise of CORE, Citizens of Oakland Respond to Emergencies. You can help by volunteering to act as a disaster victim, making up other "victims" (moulage), and a number of other tasks, and help ensure you and your neighbors survive the next disaster. (free)

California Preservation Conference - May 3-6. The California Preservation Foundation's annual conference is being held in Oakland this year. There are ton of related tours and events of interest to historians and Oaklanders alike.

JLS Night Market - Friday, May 4 from 6-10pm. During the First Friday Art Murmur, the Farmers Market at Jack London Square will be holding a night-time farmers market.

Bike to Work Day - Thursday, May 10. Whether you already bike to work every day or this will be your first time, Bike to Work Day is a lot of fun and a great alternative to driving. (free)

plus the usual events:
Piedmont Avenue Art Walk (3rd Thursday)
Art Murmur (1st Friday)
Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

upcoming Oakland events

Lots of stuff going on in the coming weeks, with art, biking, walking, Earth Day and more.

East Bay Bike Party: Under the Sea - Friday, April 13. The monthly East Bay Bike Party won't be in Oakland this time, but
they'll be raising money for Richmond Spokes and having fun with a theme of Under the Sea.

Earth Day at the Zoo - Saturday, April 14, 10am-3pm. Celebrate Earth Day at the Oakland Zoo. (incl. with admission)

Oakland Urban Paths walks - Saturday, April 14, Laurel to the Redwoods. Saturday, May 6th, Jane's Walk: Exploring Oakland’s History on Foot. A couple of great walks with Oakland Urban Paths coming up. Note that Laurel to the Redwoods will be a strenuous walk—be prepared! (free)

Red, Bike and Green - Saturday, April 14, noon. Red, Bike and Green kicks off the 2012 season with rides in Oakland, Chicago and Atlanta, encouraging African Americans to ride for health, the environment, and economics. (free)

10 Connect :: group art show - April 13-May 25. Exhibition of the remarkable work of ten artists who helped pave the way for a distinctive, flourishing arts community in Jingletown. Opening reception April 13. (free)

Learn to Curl: Students, Families & Educators - Saturday, April 14, 2:30-5pm. Introduction to curling lessons open to all ages and abilities, as well as a specific clinic for local teachers, students, and athletic coaches, at the Oakland Ice Center. ($15)

Oakland Veg Week - April 15-21. Thought about eating vegetarian? Oakland Veg Week will have a variety of events to introduce people to the idea. (website)

looking further ahead:

Earth Day - Saturday, April 21. There are dozens of Earth Day events around Oakland, from a cleanup of Willow Park in West Oakland to a neighborhood cleanup in East Oakland with the East Oakland Boxing Association, and numerous park, neighborhood and creek cleanups in between.

4th Annual 24 Hour Film Challenge - April 21-22. The East Bay Express' annual 24 hour film challenge. Teams pick up the topic, then have 24 hours to shoot, edit and produce the film. Sponsored by Actual Cafe, Trumer Pils, and the Oakland Underground Film Festival.

Herbal First Aid - Sunday, April 22, 1-3pm. Learn bike-portable first aid remedies for common biking-related ailments. Two hour workshop at Homespun Bikes ($20-$30)

Montclair Village Restaurant Walk - Tuesday, April 24, 6-8:30pm. Sample local restaurants and support local schools with the annual Montclair restaurant walk. ($25)

Healthy Choices Community Fair - Saturday, April 28, 10am-noon. United Lutheran Church of Oakland sponsors a community health fair. (free)

C.O.R.E. Emergency Response Exercise - Saturday, April 28. A city-wide exercise of CORE, Citizens of Oakland Respond to Emergencies. You can help by volunteering to act as a disaster victim, making up other "victims" (moulage), and a number of other tasks, and help ensure you and your neighbors survive the next disaster. (free)

California Preservation Conference - May 3-6. The California Preservation Foundation's annual conference is being held in Oakland this year. There are ton of related tours and events of interest to historians and Oaklanders alike.

Bike to Work Day - Thursday, May 10. Whether you already bike to work every day or this will be your first time, Bike to Work Day is a lot of fun and a great alternative to driving. (free)

plus the usual events:
Piedmont Avenue Art Walk (3rd Thursday)
Art Murmur (1st Friday)
Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

signs: Kingfish

Kingfish Pub

The venerable Kingfish Pub on Claremont opened in 1922 as a bait shop, and then began serving beer. It was closed for a while, and it almost succumbed to the wrecking ball, but reopened in 2009. The current incarnation doesn't serve food or sell bait, but the interior preserves much of the original character.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

upcoming Oakland events

Sorry about the delay in posting upcoming events. We were without power much of the day yesterday. Tomorrow is a First Friday, so it's time again for the Art Murmur!
The Art Murmur is expanding to include galleries in Jack London Square. There are now Art Murmur events around Oakland. As always, let me know in the comments of other interesting events in Oakland.

Book Sale by FOPL - Thursday, April 5 – Sunday, April 8. Books 50% off for members on Thursday (you can join that morning), and 30%-50% off Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (website)

Easter Egg hunts and more - Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A variety of Easter Egg hunts and other activities around the city. Read more at Oakland Local.

Learn to Curl: Students and Families - Saturday, April 7, 2:30-5pm. The first in a series of introduction to curling lessons geared towards students and educators. ($15)

The Crucible Open House - Sunday, April 7, noon to 4pm. Come find out what cool (and hot!) stuff The Crucible is up to this weekend with a free open house, Science of Art, which features numerous free demonstrations, art for sale, and more. Read more about The Crucible open house at Oakland Local. (free)

looking further ahead:

East Bay Bike Party: Under the Sea - Friday, April 13. The monthly East Bay Bike Party won't be in Oakland this time, but they'll be raising money for Richmond Spokes and having fun with a theme of Under the Sea.

Oakland Urban Paths walks - Saturday, April 14, Laurel to the Redwoods. Saturday, May 6th, Jane's Walk: Exploring Oakland’s History on Foot. A couple of great walks with Oakland Urban Paths coming up. Note that Laurel to the Redwoods will be a strenuous walk—be prepared! (free)

Oakland Veg Week - April 15-21. Thought about eating vegetarian? Oakland Veg Week will have a variety of events to introduce people to the idea. (website)

4th Annual 24 Hour Film Challenge - April 21-22. The East Bay Express' annual 24 hour film challenge. Teams pick up the topic, then have 24 hours to shoot, edit and produce the film. Sponsored by Actual Cafe, Trumer Pils, and the Oakland Underground Film Festival.

10 Connect :: group art show - April 13-May 25. Exhibition of the remarkable work of ten artists who helped pave the way for a distinctive, flourishing arts community in Jingletown. Opening reception April 13. (free)

Herbal First Aid - Sunday, April 22, 1-3pm. Learn bike-portable first aid remedies for common biking-related ailments. Two hour workshop at Homespun Bikes ($20-$30)

California Preservation Conference - May 3-6. The California Preservation Foundation's annual conference is being held in Oakland this year. There are ton of related tours and events of interest to historians and Oaklanders alike.

Bike to Work Day - Thursday, May 10. Whether you already bike to work every day or this will be your first time, Bike to Work Day is a lot of fun and a great alternative to driving. (free)

plus the usual events:
Piedmont Avenue Art Walk (3rd Thursday)
Art Murmur (1st Friday)
Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)

Monday, April 2, 2012

Oakland stories in view with Projet En Vue



Photos © Sati Leonne Faulks
I enjoy art. I even like a lot of it. But it's rare that I see a work and get really excited about it, yet that's what my response to Projet En Vue was.

Projet En Vue is like Faces of Oakland times 1,000. When I take pictures of people at events around Oakland, I know they each have a story. Sometimes I know a little of their story, sometimes they're complete strangers. But I rarely get a chance to hear more of their story from them. With Projet En Vue, Saskia Levy-Sheon and Sati Leonne Faulks are creating a visual and oral history of Oakland by photographing and interviewing people they meet around Oakland.

Sati is the photographer and does an amazing job of capturing people. Saskia interviews them, and lets the story go where it will. Saskia and Sati choose people at random, and will interview anyone they meet or pass on the street who looks like they have a story to tell. Given the variety of people they encounter in Oakland, it makes for diverse, unusual, fascinating whole.

I asked Saskia how they decided to start the project. She replied:
We mostly decided to start the project because we both are passionate about people and traveling and creating portraits, Sati through photography and me through words. We were also incredibly inspired by Oakland and wanted to learn more about our community and the people in it...The goal of our project is to put people and their stories into perspective and "in view", hence the name "en vue".

They've done 17 portraits so far, but I've only read a few of them completely. Like reading a great book, I'm torn between a desire to read it straight through, but I want to savor it and don't want to reach the end. Fortunately, they're still interviewing and photographing people, so by the time I finish the 17, there'll be more to enjoy.

Sati and Saskia are planning a series of gallery shows featuring portraits as well as interactive audio installations. They're also self-publishing a photo book and 'zine at a local print shop.

Like everyone they interview, Saskia and Sati have their own unique, interesting stories. I plan to turn the tables on them, and photograph and interview them to learn more. Look for more info in the coming months.

Check out the amazing Projet En Vue at their website.