Today's newsletter is going to be short and sweet as I have a very full day scheduled plus big plans for the coming weekend. My not quite three year-old Grand-daughter is coming up for a visit and, if things go as I've planned, I'll be showing her off at the Farmers' Market early tomorrow morning. My wife, however, has other ideas that involve Fairyland. Anyone care to bet on the outcome of this internecine struggle? Oaklandish Salsa by the Lake Festival this Sunday Earlier this month, I waxed poetic in reporting on the Salsa Fest that was held at Splash Pad Park on May 31. Encore engagement is this Sunday, July 26th from 2-7pm with live music provided by Pasion Habanera. For your edification, I've compiled a list of compelling reasons for attending. Lake Fest 2009 The other, much bigger occasion on the horizon is Lakefest on Lakeshore August 1 and 2. The music lineup is posted on the Festival website. The skateboard exhibition billed as the "Hood Games and Music Jam" takes place in Splash Pad Park on Sunday only from 11a.m. until 4 p.m. If you'd like to serve as a community volunteer, please contact Pamela Drake at pamelad205@sbcglobal.net. Incidentally, you can help out a local non-profit at Lakefest in the least painless fashion imaginable. Drink heartily (but not too heartily) as a percentage of beer and wine sales will be allotted to a Grand Lake non-profit--quite possibly the Splash Pad forum. If that comes to pass, in cooperation with the Splash Pad/Farmers Market Advisory Group, we'll come up with a priority list for park repairs and improvements. Farmers Market News Jerry Barclay, the Chair of the aforementioned Farmers Market Advisory Group emailed me this message last night: The SPFMAC has recently orchestrated a significant reorganization of the layout of the farmers and vendors on Market days. A few key reasons spurred these changes: to minimize wear and tear on the sod areas, open up access to the Market and create a more focal point at the entrance on Lake Park by eliminating obstructions along the Lake Park Sidewalk. While we are pleased with certain aspects of the change, it is a work in progress. The SPFMAC is encouraging volunteers for get involved with activities associated with the park, the Market, and the Committee. If you are interested contact Jerry Barclay at jerryandcaryn@gmail.com. Volunteers are needed to supplement the limited resources the City of Oakland can direct to the park, and the Committee can offer the opportunity to make a difference in how sustainable this important community resource can be. One of the major issues the SPFMAC has been addressing is the impact the Farmers Market has on the park's infrastructure. In response to those concerns, the Farmers Market management has just decided to hire someone to help spruce up the park grounds after the market. They'd prefer someone local to work about two hours every Saturday. If you or someone you know might be interested, look for Market Manager, Jim Fenton, in their information booth or email us and I'll pass on your information. Merchant News Yesterday's Tribune reported that commercial vacancy rates in Manhattan are averaging above 10 per cent due to the economic crisis. This is a nationwide problem that has impacted Oakland as well. For the most part, the Grand Lake District had been weathering the storm but in the last month, several local businesses joined Di Bartolo's and Heads Together as casualties . Kimistry bit the dust after less than a year in the small space next to Arizmendi. Cultural Crossroads has been on Grand for nearly a decade, but its "Going Out of Business" sale concludes July 31. If you don't make it into her shop in time, Donna will have a booth at Lakefest giving you an opportunity to wish her good luck. On the other side of the coin, new businesses continue to find the Grand Lake shopping district attractive. Rainbow Ice has just opened at 3272 Lakeshore next to Flavors of India. Check out their free samples. Selamta Mail Box has also just opened at 3600 Grand. They offer private mailboxes and Fed Ex packing and shipping services. We reported in May that the folks from Pizzaiolo had purchased John Di Bartolo's restaurant and can now report some additional details. Richard Weinstein, who owns the property, will be serving as a partner in this new venture. The restaurant name has not yet been decided, but the fare will be similar (but not as extensive) as Pizzaiolo. According to Richard, they've just installed a wood-fired oven and they'll be focusing on Fritto Misto, salads and a "Rocking Bar" which sounds like much more fun than a "Rocking Chair". Richard also mentioned his long-time roots in the local restaurant scene. First as owner of the Valerian Cafe on Piedmont Avenue and very briefly as owner of Ricardo's Taqueria where the Burrito shop is now. For a change of pace from all these comings and goings, how about a reference to the venerable Alley which is now hosting a Trivia Contest every Monday night from 7:30 to 9:30. First prize is $20 in free drinks. I'm betting against any repeat winners as they're likely to be totally smashed the following week. In the spirits of the occasion, I'll end this thread with a Trivia contest of our own. "How long has Rod Dibble been performing at the Alley's Piano Bar and, according to the Tribune's Dave Newhouse, how many songs does he know that he refuses to perform? (Answers at the bottom of the page).
The free music series we announced in the previous newsletter has been postponed and will now debut on August 1. Four bands in four separate locations on Grand and Lakeshore have been scheduled for every Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. through September. Thanks to Stephen Duffy for championing and organizing this. His band, That Man Fantastic, will be one of the featured groups. New Groups/New Websites New community-based websites are popping up all over with one new organization thrown in for good measure. In the latter category, GrandLakeNeighbors.org has just gone online as the latest, internet incarnation of what was most recently the Grand Lake Community Council. The new group's Steering Committee (which includes David Flack, Sue Lehman and myself) envisions this as a means to more widely disseminate information to and from all the various neighborhood groups that are independently working for the betterment of their individual neighborhoods. Enhanced communications between groups and individuals will facilitate debate, consensus-building and better coordination of our efforts. The GrandLakeNeighbors site won't have much content until the middle of next week. Currently, there are links to Pat Kernighan's Email News and OPD crime statistics. Under the "history" tab, there is a timeline describing many of the neighborhood action groups that have influenced the direction of the Grand Lake District over the past 30 years. An article I wrote about encounters with local wildlife is temporarily occupying the home page. As an interesting aside, someone involved in producing the website suggested I remove the articles' reference to Masengill's Lemon Scented Douche arguing that someone would object. While I'm absolutely sure he's right, I'm equally confident that this is like TV advertising--loud and/or obnoxious actually works and, with the glut of information available on the internet, sometimes you have to go to extremes to get the reader's attention. . So, please do me a personal favor: prove my point by reading the wildlife article, posting a comment and then maybe even forwarding it to friends saying either "This is so cool!" or alternatively, "This is so obnoxious...or juvenile...or whatever". In either case, I come out smelling like a rose. Speaking of roses, the Morcom Rose Garden has a new website that should be debuting shortly with an assist from Anca Mosoiu who also designed the Lakeshore Avenue website. More exciting news: Jim Ratliff has agreed to resume publication of the Grand Lake Guardian as an informal adjunct to GrandLakeNeighbors.org. The Guardian will have a broader focus including all the neighborhoods surrounding Lake Merritt . Answers to Trivia Questions According to a 2007 article by Dave Newhouse, Rod Dibble has been playing at the Alley since 1960--except for a three-year hiatus to protest the owner's request that he shave off his mustache. The number of songs he allegedly knows, but refuses to sing: 4,500. Splash Pad Newsletter Subscriptions If you have friends, relatives, neighbors or co-workers who may be interested in today's newsletter, please send them this link: http://www.splashpad.org/mostrecent.html. If they choose to do so, they can then subscribe by sending an email to info@splashpad.org. |
