Farmers Market Chef Demo this Saturday

The previous Chef Demo had to be cancelled, but the one this coming Saturday, August 4, promises to be a blockbuster. Featured will be Bryant Terry , an Oakland-based chef, author and whole foods activist along with Anna Lappe, the co-author of their joint venture, "Grub: Ideas for an Urban, Organic Kitchen". Their cooking demonstration begins at 12:30 and will likely include some of the more exotic produce available at the market.

Day's event actually begins an hour earlier with a presentation by the producers of The Meatrix --the widely distributed, animated film series that explores the inner workings of factory farms. Press release may be downloaded as a PDF file.

More Farmers Market News

If you were, like me, gravely disappointed by the absence last Saturday of piles of freshly-picked white corn in the G & S booth alongside the freeway, don't despair! Jill Chinchiolo took the weekend off to spend time with family and will return on the 4th..

There was a new vendor this past Saturday offering eye-catching photos of Oakland landmark buildings digitally altered to resemble brightly-colored abstracts. The photographer is an Oakland resident named Len Finocchio. Please check out the Oakland images on his Wandering Soul Photography website. While there, check out his other photos including black and white landscapes and views from his extensive travels abroad. Len will be returning to the market on August 25 for sure and possibly, on the 11th as well.

The August Entertainment Calendar for the Farmers Market has just been uploaded to our Splash Pad website. We haven't been very good about keeping the calendar up to date over the last six months or more and would welcome some assistance in posting the calendar. Very basic html is required. Any volunteers?

Grand Avenue Merchants Block Party is Tuesday, August 7

The Block Party sponsored by the Grand Avenue Business Association in observance of National Night Out is scheduled from 6 to 8 pm. Last year's party was a huge success and this year's event promises to be even bigger and better. Look for grills where they will be serving free hot dogs and corn at four locations plus live music, restaurant samples and dancing lessons from ACB Ballroom. In addition, AVC Video (across from Safeway) at 3738 Grand will be offering free YouTube videotaping sessions for the upcoming Republican Debate. The GABA press release with more details and contact information can be downloaded as a PDF file.

Geese Management at Lake Merritt Meeting

Just as I promised, feathers did fly at the meeting this past week. Fortunately, fists did not! Based on what was said, expect the City Council to pass an ordinance to keep the public from feeding geese (and other wildlife). Also, it's likely that specific areas including the playground adjacent to the Nature Center will be fenced off temporarily during the summer molt to keep out geese. The City is also looking into the purchase of what is basically an over-sized vacuum cleaner--although the cost including staffing may be prohibitive. Other likely measures may include the addition of planting beds to serve as informal barriers between the lake and the lawns which are the geese's favored habitat. Initially, I think it's unlikely that any more radical measures will be undertaken. For more information about the July 26th meeting, read the report in the Tribune by Jamaal Johnson. Do please note one factual error. "Hoopla over several hundred geese" should actually read "several thousand".

Bellevue Club Foundation Fundraiser Sunday, August 12

On August 12, you can help "Celebrate Lake Merritt" while also contributing to efforts to preserve the Bellevue Club, the historic and elegant mansion across the street from the playground adjacent to the Nature Center. The celebration will be hosted by Peter Finch from KFOG Radio and will include a silent and live auction headlined by a Kauai Condo for six nights, a morning at KFOG, use of a chauffeured Rolls Royce for one evening plus many other great items. The celebration will feature music, hors d'oeuvres and a champagne toast and will also include an opportunity to learn more about the history of Lake Merritt and its immediate environs from local celebrities including "Julia Morgan" (aka, Betty Marvin). Ed Clausen will also be sharing some of the 6000 historic Oakland postcards that he has accumulated through the years. Your $15 contribution at the door is tax deductible. For more details, please download the "Celebrate Lake Merritt" press release and/or their "Celebrate Lake Merritt" flyer.

Bay Area String Orchestra Concert Saturday, August 4

Thanks to Bruce de Benedictis for bringing this event to our attention. Concert will be held at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church (3534 Lakeshore) beginning at 8:00 pm. Tentative program includes works by Mozart, Sibelius and Tchaikovsky. Recommended donation is $10 to benefit music and education for young people. For more information, please download the Bay Area String Orchestra press release as a PDF file.

Splash Pad Website Improvements

Although we haven't been putting a lot of time and effort into the Splash Pad Park website , interest in it and the park obviously continue to grow. Unique visits (as well as hits) reached all-time highs in June and again this past month. As mentioned above, we're going to try to keep the Calendar more up to date and we've also just added a Newsletter Archive which will eventually supplant the "News" section.

We've also just discovered the likely explanation for what has been a rather perplexing question. While there are always lots of hits on the Guestbook , we haven't received a single comment or question for the last two years. Turns out we failed to change the email address when we changed servers way back when. Our apologies to anyone who unsuccessfully attempted to post a message to the Guestbook.

Please Forward

If you have friends, relatives, neighbors or co-workers who may be interested in receiving this Newsletter, please forward today's edition and invite them to subscribe by sending an email to info@splashpad.org.