food+drink: Black Spring Coffee Company

One of the latest places to open on Telegraph is Black Spring Coffee Company on the edge of Pill Hill. In what's been a mostly empty stretch of storefronts between Commonwealth Cafe and Public House and the Bee Healthy Honey Shop, it's a lively addition to the area.

Owner Ryan Stark happily serves customers his favorite coffee, Monsoon Medley, the least acidic coffee out there. It's Indian coffee roasted in Menlo Park, and is very tasty. There's a nice vibe, and although there's no wireless, there were a number of people working and talking with each other when I was there. Definitely a nice place to hang out.



One of the people working there was local (very local, as in he lives nearby) artist Keith Magruder, who has numerous watercolors of food hanging on the walls. He grew up in Washington, DC, helping his mother and grandmother bake, which regardless of the occasion helped bring joy into their lives. In Keith's words, he "paints bread because it is a modern symbol of class, status, culture and race while also being a staple food for many cultures." While I was there, he was working on a painting of another modern symbol, a pair of Air Nikes.

HellaWeen Fun Run 2013 was hella fun

Saturday in Old Oakland was the 2nd annual HellaWeen Fun Run. Hundreds of people turned out to run, most of them in costume. Most people were just out for fun, but a few took the running a little more seriously. The top finishers for the 5K race were Daveon Sadusky (18:21), Connor Waterloo (20:06) and Ashley Clayborne (20:12).

As with last year, the most popular "water" stop was at Linden Street Brewery. Adam and his crew were serving up water, Old Brick Bitter, and Campovida had glasses of wine, too.

The best costume winner was a group dressed as Pacman and five ghosts, but there were lots of great, creative costumes. The winner of the most popular costume (relying in no small part on the cuteness factor) was a little girl dressed as Bat Kid and her mom dressed as Robin.

Congrats to all the racers, whether you ran, walked, skipped, or were in a stroller! I hope you all had lots of fun, and hope to see you out next spring for the Oakland Running Festival in March, whether you run or just cheer the racers on.



Lots more pictures from Saturday:

Learn to Curl with SF Bay Area Curling Club

This weekend in Oakland was a special learn-to-curl event with the SF Bay Area Curling Club, Road to the Olympics - Olympic Celebration Tour. Sponsored by the World Curling Federation, it featured Olympian Carolyn McRorie as well as other Northern California Olympians (not necessarily in curling). In addition to the learn-to-curl sessions, there was also a mini-bonspiel (tournament) on Sunday, and special learn-to-curl sessions for youth.

I was reminded just how much fun curling is! It's an easy sport to learn, but with enough finesse to it that you could spend a lifetime improving and enjoying it.

Some short video clips from Friday:


More pictures from Friday:

upcoming Oakland events

Avariety of interesting things to do, including learning how to curl, the HellaWeen Fun Run, walking tours, Day of the Dead at OMCA, and more.

Thursday

Barbary Coast Comedy - Thursdays, 7-8:30pm, at Legionnaire Saloon on Telegraph. A weekly comedy showcase, featuring cutting-edge comedy from names you know and up-and-coming comedians from around the Bay and beyond! (a Belgian comedian? they can probably make you laugh in 3 languages) ($5 cover)

Friday

Learn Curling - Road to the Olympics curling tour - Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Come learn the basics of curling at the Oakland Ice Arena. Tickets are normally $40, but click here and enter the code "OAKLAND ROCKS" to get them for $25. Curling is hella fun! ($25-$40)

Saturday

East Oakland Cleanup - Saturday, October 26, 9am-noon. Come help clean up along Bancroft at 73rd and get to know your fellow Oaklanders. (free)

Learn Curling - Road to the Olympics curling tour - Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Come learn the basics of curling at the Oakland Ice Arena. Tickets are normally $40, but click here and enter the code "OAKLAND ROCKS" to get them for $25. Curling is hella fun! ($25-$40)

Oakland Walking Tours - Saturdays, 10am. Free downtown walking tours highlighting Oakland's history, architecture and people. Saturday's tour is Preservation Park, led by Dennis Evanosky. Read about past Oakland Walking Tours. (free)

Hellaween Fun Run - Saturday, October 26, 4:30pm. Come out and show off your creative side in the 2nd annual Hellaween 5K Fun Run. Prizes for best costume. Post-race beers and restaurant specials in Old Oakland follow. Read about last year's Hellaween Fun Run. ($35-$45)

Sunday

Days of the Dead Celebration at OMCA - Sunday, October 27, noon-4:30pm. The annual Days of the Dead community celebration at the Oakland Museum of California. Read about last year's celebration. (with admission)

Learn Curling - Road to the Olympics curling tour - Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Come learn the basics of curling at the Oakland Ice Arena. Tickets are normally $40, but click here and enter the code "OAKLAND ROCKS" to get them for $25. Curling is hella fun! ($25-$40)

Food Day popup and beer garden - Sunday, October 27, 3-7pm. Food Day is "a nationwide celebration of healthy, affordable, and sustainably produced food and a grassroots campaign for better food policies." Join La Borinqueña, Linden Street Brewery, and more to celebrate in Oakland. (free)

Wednesday

Oakland Walking Tours - Wednesday, 10am. Free downtown walking tours highlighting Oakland's history, architecture and people. Read about past Oakland Walking Tours. (free)

ongoing events:

• Oakland Walking Tours (Wednesdays and Saturdays)
• Piedmont Avenue Stroll (3rd Thursdays)
• Off the Grid at OMCA (Fridays)
• Dancing Under the Stars at JLS (Fridays)
• Art Murmur (1st Fridays)
• Jack's Night Market (1st Fridays)
• Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
• West Oakland Community Fair and Farmer's Market (1st Saturdays)
• Oakland Urban Paths walk (2nd Saturdays)
  
• Jack of All Trades Market (2nd Saturdays)
  
• Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)

looking further ahead:

Dia De Los Muertos festival - Saturday, November 2. The annual Day of the Dead celebration in Fruitvale. Read about last year's festival. (free) CityCamp Oakland - Saturday, November 9. The 2nd annual "unconference" brings together citizens, city government, and businesses to innovate, enhance transparency and increase civic engagement. (free) Fences - from the Lower Bottom Playaz - opening in November. The Lower Bottom Playaz continue working their way through August Wilson's remarkable Century Cycle.

wanna learn curling for free? (yes, that sport with stones, ice, and brooms)

Coming up this weekend is a special event, the Road to the Olympics / Olympic Celebration Tour put on by the World Curling Federation and the San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club. There are 'learn to curl' sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and a mini tournament on Sunday. And I've a free pair of tickets for Our Oakland readers! I can personally attest that curling is hella fun.

The pair of tickets (normally $40 each) are first-come, first-serve, and depend on space being available for your chosen session. Please claim them only if you plan to use them! I'll be there on Friday.

You can also get tickets for $25 by clicking here and enter the code "OAKLAND ROCKS".