upcoming Oakland events

February is also Black History Month, so there are a variety of events for that coming up. I've listed a few; for a more complete list check out the Oakland Wiki's page on Black History Month. There are also art events, food events galore, and another Oakland Urban Paths walk on Saturday.

Wednesday

Vintage porcelain at the Pardee Home - Wednesdays, 2nd Saturdays, 2nd Sundays. View the historic Pardee Home and the collection of porcelain collected by the globe-trotting Mrs. Pardee. You can take the tour for $5 or have the tour and tea for $25. Read more at World of Mailman. ($5/$25)

Friday

2nd Annual Love Show - Friday, February 8, 6-9pm. Artists' reception for the opening of the second annual Love Show featuring local artists in Jingletown. The show runs Saturdays through February 23rd. (free)

Off the Grid at OMCA - Friday, 5-9pm. The Off the Grid food truck pod comes to the Oakland Museum for an evening of food and fun.

Valentine Jazz and Wine Stroll - Friday, February 8, 5pm. Live music, food and drink specials all along College, from Alcatraz to Broadway.

Saturday

Oakland Urban Paths: Lakeshore to Park Blvd. - Saturday, February 9, 10am. Oakland Urban Paths will be reprising a walk from last year, going from Lakeshore to Park Boulevard and back via various historic stairways and walkways. Read about last year's walk. (free)

Black History Month tours - 10am, Saturday, February 2; Wednesday, February 6; Saturday, February 23. Explore downtown Oakland and learn how Lionel Wilson, Delilah Beasley, Robert Maynard, Byron Rumford, Marcus Foster and others changed Oakland and changed California. Read about last year's tour. (free)

Sunday

Oakland Wiki Sunday Edit-a-thons - Sundays, 1-5pm. Bring a computer or note-taking materials to hang with your fellow Oaklanders as we research and add content to the Oakland Wiki. This week's will meet at the Oakland History Room at the main library. (free)

Half Life: Celebrating 30 Years of Working for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament - Sunday, February 10, 5pm-9pm. Special Guests Dennis Kucinich, Daniel Ellsberg, Rep. Barbara Lee, and Rose Aguilar. "Reframing the Nuclear Discourse in the Current Geopolitical Climate." Optional "A Taste of Oakland" Special Reception. ($15-$100)

Micro-Granting Dinner Series - Sunday, February 10, 6-9pm. 10 artists pitch their projects while you enjoy a fantastic home cooked meal. At the end of the meal the ballots are cast and counted—winner takes all! This month's is hosted by artist/chef Lexa Walsh. ($10)

Thursday

Her Rising Flash Mob - Thursday, February 14, 2-6pm. Join Eve Gensler's One Billion Rising. People in 190 countries will Strike Dance Rise! to end violence and sexual oppression. NOTE: if you wish to dance, see the rehearsal schedule. (free)

Night for the One Billion - Thursday, February 14, 7pm. An amazing sounding fundraiser for local and international women's groups: imagine your favorite performers and healers in one place on one night, creating a ground-breaking performance ritual for you, for the Bay Area, for the entire planet. It's Night for the One Billion, a V-Day 1 Billion Rising event, in Oakland on February 14, 2013—produced entirely by community volunteers. ($10-$15+)

Wish You Were Here: A Private Collection of Historic Oakland Postcards - Thursday, February 14, 7-8:30pm. Join local postcard collector and architect, Peter Espe, as he shares his collection of historic Oakland postcards and provides perspective on how this beautiful ephemera informs our understanding of the city's built environment. ($10/$15)

ongoing events:

• Art Murmur (1st Friday)
• Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
• Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)
• Off the Grid at OMCA (Fridays)

looking further ahead:

Lunar New Year Festival - Saturday, February 16, 11am-4:30pm. Happy year of the snake! Ring in the lunar near year at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center with arts and crafts, performances, and artists workshops.

Film Showing and Program for Black History Month - Wednesday, February 20, 12-1:30pm. In conjunction with the Anza Trail traveling exhibit, join the Anza Trail, Peralta Hacienda, and the Oakland Black Cowboy Association for a showing of the Anza Trail Film, followed by a discussion of diversity in Early California. Oakland City Hall Hearing Room 2. (free)

Black History Tour in Mountain View Cemetery - Free 2 hour tour through Mountain View Cemetery highlighting African Americans who are buried there, including Jenny Prentiss (who raised Jack London), Byron Rumford, Lil' Bobby Hutton (of the Black Panthers) and more. February 23, 10am, at Mountain View Cemetery. (free)

Crab Feed Fundraiser - Saturday, February 23, 7pm. College Avenue Presbyterian Church hosts an all-you-can-eat crab feed as a fundraiser to support its Friday Night Meal, free community dinners served to the hungry—both homed and homeless—of Oakland and Berkeley. ($20-$40)

OMCA White Elephant Sale - March 2-3. It's the annual fundraiser for the Oakland Museum of California. It's bigger than big, it's huge! (free)