Splash Pad Park

We have a confession to make. After the huge success of the two Disney volunteer work days at the park, we're spoiled and are longing for a bigger, more reliable volunteer contingent. There's a ray of hope on the horizon as Jerry Barclay's Splash Pad/Farmers Market Advisory Group has just begun to explore the possibility of partnering with Merritt College's superb Landscape Horticulture program and/or Alameda County's Master Gardening program.

The initial focus would probably be on routine maintenance such as weeding and pruning, but we're also talking about some major improvements including expansion of the California Native Plant Bed into the adjacent Dogwood beds.

If you'd like to get involved in some capacity, you can email Jerry at jerryandcaryn@gmail.com or phone me at 510 451-6537.

Concerns over the park's appearance have been heightened by indications that three of the Canary date palms are in serious distress. We're still waiting to hear back from the city regarding a diagnosis and any possible treatment. Stay tuned for more details.

New Park Supervisors Appointed

In our last newsletter, we mentioned that two Oakland city gardeners (Tora Rocha and Herman Miller) had been promoted to Supervisor I positions. The former was recently profiled in a very complimentary article by Alan Lopez in the Montclarion.

Farmers Market News

There are a number of new and returning farm vendors at the Saturday market including Rootstock Specialties which offers blueberry plants.

With stone fruits now in abundance, can corn be far behind? As I've noted previously, fresh-picked corn on the cob (so sweet and tender you can eat it raw out of the hand or in salads) is one of my favorites. I've also used it with great results on the pizza rounds from Panorama Baking Co.

Peggy and Helen from Kassenhoff Growers have announced that this Saturday (June 12) will be their last day at the Grand Lake Market for this season. Look for a variety of vegetable seedlings including some tomatoes + a selection of perennials. Kassenhoff was the subject of an equally complimentary article in last week's Chronicle.

In the six weeks or so that Brad Burger has been managing the Grand Lake Market, he's implemented some small, but welcome changes. Community Chiropractic and Ahhhh Massage have been moved to the perimeter of the market alongside Oaklandish and the coffee booth has been relocated as well. Brad's primary motivation was to separate these three vendors from the Certified Agriculture booths, but in doing so, he's also relieved some of the congestion in the center of the park and given the lawns a bit of a respite.

According to Brad, the long-awaited Stop Waste recycling and composting program will debut on June 26th. If you'd like to volunteer to assist this effort in its early stages, give Brad a call at 800.897.FARM.

Grand Lake Merchant News

We're sorry to report that Taste of Joy on Grand Avenue has closed. Although I haven't heard from Brian, I'm guessing he tried to do too much too soon--particularly after taking on food preparation at Monahan's on the Hill. I'm hoping we see him back in the Grand Lake neighborhood at some point. He and his family are really good people and he's a very talented chef.

Newfangles which features clothing for big and tall women has more moves than Kobe Bryant. Newfangles started on Santa Clara; moved to Lakeshore and they've just re-opened at 3223 Grand (nee Cultural Crossroads).

I've yet to eat at Boot and Shoe Service since I'm typically unable or unwilling to get there at opening time or to wait for a table. Crowds are unlikely to disappear after their most recent review. This one in the Eastbay Express.

On Memorial Day, I ventured out early to take this photo of the interior of Good Chemistry Baking as they celebrated their grand opening only three days after the date originally announced. This in itself was a minor miracle. In reporting on plans for new restaurants and other businesses, I've come to expect delays that drag into weeks and months. The bigger, more significant miracle is what Jane O'hara is able to do with baked goods minus the gluten. The pecan chewies and brownies I purchased on opening day were scrumptious. As of today, her Yelp rating is a perfect five. Look for lunches to be introduced sometime soon. Also, for more background information about Jane and her new venture, check out Alan Lopez's article in today's Montclarion.

Across the street (next to the Grand Bakery), what used to be the Heads Together Salon has been leased for a Greek restaurant to be called Ikaros or Icarus in the traditional English spelling. The owner's name is Zack and he currently operates a restaurant in San Francisco called Haystack Pizza. I really like this building. It has a skylight with lots of natural light and lots of potential.

This stretch of Grand Avenue was viewed rather harshly in the community survey, the Grand Lake Retail Advisory Group conducted two years ago. A lot of positive things have happened there in the interim including the openings of Boot & Shoe and Good Chemistry Baking with the new Ikaros Restaurant now in the offing. Eric Hughes and his Grand Lake Improvements Committee deserves a lot of credit as well for many of the infrastructure improvements plus a big round of applause to Alan Michaan for the new paint job on the Grand Lake Theatre which last weekend required pressure washing high up on ladders and on a cherry-picker.

Over on Lakeshore, Yogafina Frozen Yogurt at 3261 Lakeshore (next to Arizmendi) is quite close to opening. I have to confess that I was one of those people who wasn't thrilled about having a second frozen yogurt store on Lakeshore Avenue, but I've peeked inside to observe the ongoing construction and the interior looks sleek and inviting. I'm guessing they'll do quite well. Will wait and see if, however, both frozen yogurt shops can survive.

After some twenty years, Adam's Burger has closed and word is that there has been extensive interest in this location and it will most likely remain a restaurant.

As noted in April, Sunset Cosmetics at 3411 Lakeshore has closed, but after extensive remodeling, will soon reopen as a beauty salon called Hair Sessions Phase II.

Oakland Museum Features New Exhibits

In our last newsletter, I made a pitch for the 31-hour, non-stop opening celebration for the reinvented Oakland Museum. I had to work that Saturday and didn't get there until about 8 pm and watched the crowds grow for the next four hours while taking a very few photographs.

If you're one of the few Oakland residents who missed out on the opening and haven't been there in the ensuing weeks, perhaps here's the motivation you need. A new exhibit is opening depicting the history of Pixar Studios.

Oaklandish Wins Indie Award

In April, we also made a pitch for the annual Oakland Indie Awards celebration. We were quite pleased to see Oaklandish honored with the Youth Empowerment award. Here's a photo of Angela Tsay just after the announcement. Coincidentally, Angela was the only Oaklandish representative in attendance. Everyone else (including her father who was visiting from out of town) was at the Scottish Rite Temple for one of the many youth-oriented events they quietly sponsor.

Barbara Newcomb Honored

As we mentioned in late April, Barbara Newcomb was honored at the Morcom Rose Garden as Oakland's Mother of the Year. A Trib article by Kelly Rayburn documented why Barbara was a particularly deserving choice for this award.

Grand Lake Entertainment Calendar

An updated entertainment calendar for the remainder of June and all of July has just been posted on the Splash Pad website.

We are blessed with an incredible diversity of musical talent here in the Bay area as we see first hand each and every Saturday at the farmers market. Based on last week's Westlake Middle School Concert in the Splash Pad Plaza, we can be optimistic about that musical heritage continuing. Over 100 kids ages 12-14 performed incredibly well. Their ranks were supplemented by this high school senior--a Westlake Alumnus who picked up the cello as a 7th grader and who will be attending USC next year on a full music scholarship. Ditto for this young man on trombone who's attending Oberlin on a full music scholarship.

Kudos to the music educators at Westlake for all that they do and particularly to Randy Porter who pulled this fundraising effort together.

Upcoming Events