1. This Weekend:
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- Dimond Park's Retirement Send
Off to Coach Birrel Nichols, Friday, August 24, 4-8 pm: He's
coached soccer, T-ball at Dimond for 12 years and for the City for
31 years. Come say goodbye. At the Sequoia picinic grove in Dimond
Park. Bring your favorite dish to share. For details, call 482-7831.
- Paws & Claws Holistic Pet Happy
Hour, Friday, August 24, 6:30-8:30 pm:
Holistic practioners will be on hand to answer any questions about
alternative therapies for pets and people. Enjoy treats &
refreshments for you & your companion, as well as Happy Hour
Specials, 10% off the following products: Organic Pet Food,
OrganicTreats, Heath Supplements, Herbal Remedies, the Whole Dog
Journal, and the incredible Furminator dog and cat brush.
Paws & Claws is located at 2023 MacArthur Blvd., 2
blks west of Fruitvale Ave., Oakland, CA 94602. Call 336-0105 for
details. Or
visit their website.
- Discussion about
new California Fire Code and Impact on Wildfire Prevention
Assessment District: The Fire Department is hosting a public
workshop this Saturday, August 25 at 10 am on the new California
High Fire Hazard Assessment Maps and the Fire Code requirements for
residents that live within the Wildfire Prefention Assessment
District. The California Building Commission adopted the Fire Code
and Wildland-Urban Interface codes in late 2005, with an effective
date of January 2008. These new codes include provisions for
ignition resistant construction and defensiveable space standards in
the Wildfire Prevention Assessment District. This the first of two
workshops that will provide input to the Fire Department regarding
the City of Oakland's adoption of the Fire Code and Wildland -
Interface Code. The meeting will be held at the Richard C. Trudeau
Training Center at 11500 Skyline Blvd.
- Melrose NCPC's Annual Block
Party - Saturday, August 25, 11am - 3pm in front of Horace Mann
Elementary School:
Chief of Staff Richard Cowan will be on hand to celebrate with
neighbors and friends at annual Block Park hosted by the Melrose
Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council.
- Help Our Children Prepare for
School: For several years now generous Oaklanders have
prepared backpacks filled with school supplies for low income
Oakland students. Maxwell Park NCPC activist, Barbara Taylor, is
helping organize this effort which will benefit several Oakland
schools including our own Allendale School. Volunteers to stuff the
backpacks are needed on Saturday, August 25th at
8105 Capwell Drive, 10:00 am to approximately 2:00 pm. Distribution
to youth at Allendale will take place Monday, August 27th. We are in
need of volunteers. If you would like to participate, please let
Barbara Taylor 436-5253.
- Help Clean Up Beaconsfield Canyon,
Saturday, August 25, 9 am to Noon: Help restore one of
Montclair's hidden treasures -- Beaconsfield Canyon (between Ascot
and Chelton). Despite years of neglect, several native species have
survived in the canyon, including the rare black cottonwood.
Volunteers meet the last Saturday of each month to help them along
and rid the canyon of non-native invasive plants. A beautiful creek
at the bottom is in the early stages of restoration. Meet at the
bottom of Beaconsfield Place -- second street on the right as you go
up Chelton from Ascot. Bring work gloves, long pants, hat and garden
tools if you have them. Other upcoming work days: September 15 and
29. For more information, contact
Richard Kauffman at 531-1237.
- Oakland Chinatown Street Fest,
Saturday, August 25 and Sunday, August 26, 10 am - 6 pm: More
than 280 booths will span nine to ten blocks of Oaland's Chinatown
in celebration of the year of the Boar. Every year small businesses
and community organizations from all over California come to
showcase a myriad of delicious foods, unique Asian products, and
special services. There will be arts & crafts, entertainment on
three stages, and a Cultural Village presented by the Oakland Museum
of California. The
event is sponsored by the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce.
- Volunteer Story Tellers Wanted
for Library:
Books for Wider Horizons, a
program of the Oakland Public Library, is seeking volunteer
storyreaders to present weekly storytimes to preschoolers at
partnering Head Start and Oakland Unified School District centers
throughout Oakland. The storyreaders will help introduce children to
the pleasure of reading and inspire excitement about books.
The next series
of training begins on September 25 at the Rockridge Branch Library,
and extends through October 13, 2007, 6:15-8:15 pm.
Bilingual volunteers are needed, especially in
Mandarin, Cantonese,
Spanish, Tagalog, and Cambodian.
Interested participants must complete a
comprehensive 7-session training to learn the art of story reading
from Gay Ducey, a Children's Librarian at the Rockridge Branch, and
a professional storyteller whose talents have been featured on
The Mr. Roger's Show.
For details, call Books for Wider Horizons at 238-7453.
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2. August 29 Meeting on Proposed Changes to City Laws
Regarding Dogs |
 A
year ago when our office proposed adding the dog park at Joaquin
Miller Park, we recognized that the wording of the City's ordinances
concerning dogs and dogs in parks was difficult to understand. We
committed to coming back in the Fall with a revision that would
include updates to make Oakland's ordinance consistent with new State
laws as well as be easier to understand. We are interested in feedback
from the public prior to presenting the ordinance to the City and are
hosting a meeting with the City's Animal Services Department
at the Dimond Branch Library, 3565 Fruitvale Avenue, on Wednesday,
August 29 from 7 - 9 pm.
Highlights of what we are proposing:
- Prohibition for leaving dogs unattended in vehicles under
conditions that endanger the health or well being of a dog (tracking
new state law, as of January 1, 2007)
- Requirement that dog guardians pick up ("pooper scooper"
requirement) after their dogs on public or private property, other
than their own private property.
- A 15 minute "grace period" for dogs left unattended and attached
to any stationary object on public property (State law provides no
grace period, and considers dogs left unattended in these
circumstances as "at large" dogs, subject to impound).
What we are not changing is the
requirement that all dogs must be leashed and under the control of the
dog handler at all times. This week, we read of several
incidences of dogs running loose who attacked other dogs being walked
on leash by their dog owners. If you leave your dog off-leash on your
property, you must ensure that your dog is contained in a sturdy
fenced off area. Dogs who attack other dogs or people may be
identified as "potentially
dangerous and vicious" and the dog owner may be subject to fines
and stiff regulations.
If you cannot attend the meeting, please forward your comments to
Sue Piper in our office. |
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3. Garbage Bill Payments |
Our office, and the City, have received numrous phone calls concerning
whether or not constituents should pay their quarterly Waste
Management bills in light of reduced services during the recent lock
out. Garbage bills were sent on July 1st for the quarter
July, August, and September 2007. The bill becomes past due on
September 30th. The City has sent a letter to WMAC
insisting on an adjustment to the residential garbage bills (1-4
units) for services not provided during the month of July. It is the
City's position that the adjustment be either as a proration for those
who have not paid their bill or a credit for those residents that have
paid their bill. It has been communicated to WMAC that once we have
agreement on the adjustment, that WMAC provide residents notice of the
adjustment through mass media (newspaper, robo calls, website).
The City advises that customers pay their bill and receive the credit
on their next bill. Commercial customers should call WMAC directly and
request a fair and reasonable adjustment for service interruption or
non-service during the month of July. |
4. Citizen's Survey: Proposed Second Hand Smoke Ordinance
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 City
staff has posted a
Citizen's Survey
on proposed additions to the City's smoking ordinance, focusing on
Second Hand Smoke. You can help us measure public concern by filling
it out.
When the Council returns in the Fall, the September 11, 7:30 pm,
Public Safety Committee Meeting will consider additions to Oakland's
Smoking Pollution Control Act.
Proposed new protections include:
- No smoking in outdoor service areas, such as bus stops, ATMs,
cab stands, ticket lines.
- No smoking in outdoor dining areas such as sidewalk cafes.
- No smoking in recreational areas such as parks and public
trails.
- New protections for Apartment/Condo dwellers.
- Requires all units including balconies in new multi-unit
housing complexes be designated non-smoking.
- Requires landlords/condo sellers to disclose to prospective
tenants/buyers, whether unit is smoking or non-smoking, which
units allow smoking, and the smoking policy for the complex.
- Declare second hand smoke a nuisance allowing for private
party action against the offending renter/owner.
- No smoking in common indoor and outdoor areas of apartment and
condo complexes.
- No smoking in homes that are licensed Family Childcare center,
adult care or health care facilities at any time 24/7.
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5. Plan Now for Creek to Bay Day, Saturday, September 15 |
 Congratulations
to the Butters Land Trust in successfully raising sufficient funds in
just a few weeks so that they could purchase the large lot in the
center of Butters Canyon -- the heart of the new conservation area
that they've been working on since 2001. Butters Canyon is the
headwaters of Peralta Creek.>>
- Sign up Now for Creek to Bay Day, September 15:
Last year 1,030 volunteers participated in a range of Oakland Creek
to Bay Day
 projects
at 20 locations around the City: 5 tons of trash were removed from
Oakland's creeks and Lake Merritt; 207 cubic yards of non-native
green waste was removed from our riparian (creek) corridors to make
way for native plants to flourish; 250 storm drains were stenciled
with the message "No Dumping, Drains to Bay (or Creek)" to remind
people that our storm drains should carry only stormwater to our
creeks and the San Francisco Bay.
Oakland residents who participate in this event, which is held as
part of
International Coastal Cleanup Day, join thousands of volunteers in
all 50 states and 90 countries around the world in taking part in the
largest waterway and beach cleanup of the year.
District 4 has several major creeks
running through it: Sausal Creek, Temescal Creek, Peralta
Creek, Courtland Creek and their tributaries. If you are planning a
project in our district and would like help and support, please
contact
Jennifer Argueta in our office
and
the
Creek-to-Bay Watershed coordinator, 238-7611.
- Seeking Creek-to-Bay Cleanups
Suitable for Very Young Children: Please let our office know
if your locale would be suitable for preschoolers under parental
supervision. We've received inquiries from parents who want to
instill environmentalism early in their children's lives. Please
contact
Jennifer Argueta.
- Sausal Creek Quarterly Water
Quality Monitoring, Sunday, September 22, 9 am - Noon: Call
Nick Kirsh for details at 530-4490. Friends of Sausal Creek Field
and Nursery programs are on hiatus in August but restart in
September.
For details...
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6. Community Policing News: Measure Y Forum, How to File a Police
Report, NCPC's In Your Area
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- Measure Y Forum at MSIC:
As promised, a written response to the questions posed on the
Montclair Safety & Improvement Council's (MSIC) list serv in advance
of last week's Measure Y Forum, is now availalble. It may be
accessed by going to our
website or to
Montclairsic.org . Additionally, the
Measure Y website has been updated with summaries of past
meetings, and a listing of upcoming meetings. The public is always
welcome to attend these meetings. The next meeting will be
August 20, 2007 in Hearing Room 1 at City Hall, 6:30 - 9:30 pm.
- How to file a Police Report: Police use crime
reports to plan patrols and follow crime trends. Commanders
determine their priorities based on the number and severity of
crimes reported. You don't have to rely on the police to actually
make the report; for non-urgent crimes such as auto break-ins or
after the fact home break-ins you can
download a citizen's crime report from the city's website.
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7. Delinquent Business Tax Accounts -- Must Contact City by
8/29
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As a part of the
City's ongoing efforts to identify and collect on delinquent Business
tax accounts, including rental businesses, Citywide Liens Tax
Compliance Section mailed approximately 8,900 notices in an attempt to
resolve these delinquent accounts. The notices are dated August 9,
2007 and the taxpayer will have (20) calendar days in which to
respond, pay and or resolve their accounts. The deadline to
resolve is August 29, 2007. All non-resolved accounts will
be forwarded to our Citywide Collections Section for further action.
All responses to these notices should be directed to Business Tax -
Customer Service Section, 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. Suite 1320.
Please refer telephone inquiries to the Business Tax main
telephone number 238-3704. The taxpayer will be directed to
leave their information and they will receive a return telephone call
within (48) hours. |
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8. Earthquake Preparedness |
- Join or start a CORE group
on your block -- first step is to get to know each other and share
contact information. Learn more at the City's website for
Citizens of Oakland Respond to Emergencies (CORE). If you are
already CORE trained, consider taking
additional trainings through
CORE or the
American Red Cross. Consider the following
CORE courses (all require
advanced registration):
- CORE Refresher (required for all 2003-2004
CORE graduates) - October 13, 9 am -1pm
- Disaster First Aid - September 22, 9 am - 4
pm
- Managing Stress During Emergencies - October
27, 9 am - 1 pm
- Managing Your Neighborhood Command Center Operations
Effectively - November 10, 9 am - 3 pm
- Invest in an automatic gas shut
off or gas interrupt valve. Fires from broken gas lines are
a high risk following a major earthquake. Know where your gas meter
is located and how to shut if off manually, if you don't have an
automatic shut off valve.
- Bolt bookcases, other tall,
heavy items to the wall -- injuries following a major
earthquake are primarily due to falling and flying objects. A great
resource is
72hours.org
- Even if you have retrofitted
your home, you might want to consider a professional inspection.
Some studies suggest that as many as
two thirds of retrofitted homes in Oakland do not meet today's
standards. Some earthquake insurance companies offer
discounts to homes that have been retrofitted.
- Our office is planning a special community meeting
on the new retrofit program for Wednesday, October 3, from 6
to 8 pm at the office of the Oakland Association of
Realtors, 1528 Webster. Please help us spread the word to your
neighbors and Oakland friends. Watch here for more details!
-
Earthquake Fault and Liquefaction Maps and other information
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9. Save the Date!
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- Altenheim Grand Opening
Wednesday, September 19, 3:30 pm: The Altenheim is a National
Register-listed historic landmark located in Oakland's Dimond
District. Citizens Housing Corporaiton working with the Excelsior
German Center and the City of Oakland has restored this
architectural treasure to new use as indpendent affordable housing
for seniors. Come check it out at the
Grand Opening Celebration on
Wednesday, September 19 at 3:30 pm. The Alenheim is located
at 1720 MacArthur Blvd.
- Council Office
Support to Seniors: Something for readers to note is that
along with his other duties,
Richard Cowan uses his expertise in senior issues
to informally help out in this area. He is a member of the Dimond
Senior Council which oversees the development of senior facilities
in this neighborhood, and he can also assist in personal issues from
elder abuse to paratransit. He may be reached at 238-7041.
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10. School
&Youth News: School Starts August 27, Homework Assistance at
Libraries,
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 <<Montclair
School has new sidewalks and three new street lights to greet the
start of school. Our office worked closely with the Montclair PTA, the
City and OUSD to address these safety issues, organizing a public
meeting with Oakland Police and OUSD Facilities staff last Fall and
initiating a challenge grant to raise funds for the street lights. Our
office works closely with all District 4 schools, providing $25,000 in
matching grants each year for gardens, play structures, music
instruments, signs (as we did for Montclair Elementary School) and
other capital expenses, as well as working with City staff on traffic
safety issues.
- Joaquin Miller School Has New
Principal: OUSD has just announced that
Ifeoma Obodozie has been
selected as principal at Joaquin Miller Elementary School. In a
letter sent to all Joaquin Miller Elementary parents this week, Eric
Nelson noted that Ms. Obodozie has a strong
educational background that readies her for this position. "She has
most recently been Vice Principal of Adult Education in Livermore
and prior to that was a successful upper elementary teacher for 13
years in Hayward, Salinas and West Contra Costa. She has assumed a
wide range of leadership experiences in education, building an array
of impressive skills. She has been summer school principal,
coordinator of gifted student programs, mentored new teachers and
was a lead teacher of students acquiring English. It is clear these
experiences will help her devise ways to meet the needs of each and
every Joaquin Miller student, helping them succeed at high levels.
Before her educational career, Ms. Obodozie was a marketing
executive in the private sector." Please welcome Ms. Obodozie to
District 4!
- Seeking Safe Walk Monitor for
Bret Harte Middle School: The City is looking for someone
to serve as a Safe Walk Monitor at Bret Harte Middle School. The
work is for three hours daily, 7:30-9 am and 2:30-4 pm. Starting pay
is $13.38 per hour. Contact
Carmela Chase at 238-7992 for details.
- Homework Assistance for Teens at Libraries:
Starting September 4th, the Oakland Public Library will launch a
free drop-in Homework Assistance Program for teens, ages 12 to 18
years old. Teens who want help in English, math, research and
science from an experienced volunteer tutors can come to one of six
Oakland libraries for assistance. No advance registration is
needed just drop in on the days you want homework help to complete
your assignment:
- Asian Branch: 388 9th Street, Suite 190,
Mondays 7pm, Tuesdays, 6 - 8pm (math only)
- Dimond Branch: 3565 Fruitvale Ave: Saturdays,
10 am - Noon
- Main Library-West Auditorium: 125 14th
Street: Wednesdays & Thursdays, 6-8 pm
- Melrose Branch: 4805 Foothill Blvd.: Mondays,
5-7 pm
For more information and locations, please call 238-7233 or one of
the above libraries.
- Thinking Ahead -- Donate to Your
Neighborhood School through Safeway 10% Program -- Safeway is
once again doing it's 10% Back to Schools campaign for Safeway Club
Card and eScrip shoppers. Schools usually receive a 1-2% rebate, but
during this special promotion, Safeway shoppers can rebate 10% to
their favorite school by shopping at Safeway between July 18 and
September 4. If you are not enrolled in the Safeway e-scrip program,
click here. Supporters of Redwood Heights Elementary who are not
enrolled are encouraged to bring in their receipts to the school
office in the Fall. The receipt's redemption code helps the school
claim the value of the purchases.
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11. More Community News: Book Readings, free movies and more
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- "Once in a Red Moon",
Monday, August 27-Tuesday, August 28: $13 for adults ($10
youth/senior/student).
Purchase advance tickets by calling 336-7373.
- Early Morning Meeting for Those
Interested in Park Maintenance: The Oakland Parks Coalition (OPC)
meets Wednesday, August 29 at 7:30 am at the Lakeside Garden Center,
666 Bellvue and ends by 9 am so people can get on with their day.
This month's meeting focuses on park stewardship and the upcoming
Love Your Parks
Day on October 13, where volunteers do an annual Oakland
parks maintenance assessment. The data is pulled together into a
report that is later presented to the Council's Public Works
Committee. To volunteer for Love
Your Parks Day or more information about
OPC...
- Dog
Eared Pages Book Group Meets at
Laurel Book Store, Wednesday,
August 29, 7 pm: This month's topic is the Middle East.
Talk about any book you've read that's about or set in the Middle
East. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, whatever you
like. The discussion always ends up interesting so please join in
at The Laurel Book Store, 4100 McArthur Blvd. Coming up:
- September 18, 7:30 pm: Deborah Davis,
author of Not Like You -- a young adult novel enjoying high
praise with reviewers -- will be talking about writing for the YA
market as well as her new book. Aspiring writers, teens, and
anyone who likes good young adult fiction should come.
- October 12, 7:30: Neighborhood author
Dennis Evanosky will discuss his new book Oakland's Laurel
District. The Laurel Book Store introduced this book at the
music festival and it's great! Plenty of history and
wonderful old photos are included as well as tips for where you
can go to see many of the old sites. It's it in the window and on
the counter now so come by and take a look!
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-
 Get
Outdoors. Give Back. Volunteer to Improve Joaquin Miller Park --
Saturday, October 6 through Sunday, October 7: Volunteers
for Outdoors-California (V-O-Cal), the City of Oakland and my office
are organizing a camp out and volunteer trail stewardship weekend in
Joaquin Miller Park, as part of the ongoing work of our Joaquin
Miller Working Group. Help create safer trail connections using hand
tools, enjoy great fun, tasty food and evening entertainment for
teens and adults. Volunteers camp for free Friday and Saturday
nights. Camping is optional and you can participate for one day, but
we encourage you to come for the entire weekend.
Register online.
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12. Save the Date: Summer Street Fairs & Festivals
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 Art
& Soul, September 1, 2 & 3, 2007 --11am - 6pm, 14th & Clay
Streets.
$10 at door; $5 Youth 13-18; 12 & under free. Some of the 2007
headliners have been announced including Jeffrey Osborne,
Lucinda Williams, Against Me!, Jon B., Lefty Perez, Evelyn
"Champagne" King, John Handy, Tom Rigney, Housewives on Prozac, Ted
Leo and the Pharmacists, Pieces of a Dream with Regina Belle
and more.
For details...
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Art & Soul Festival Seeks Waste
Reduction Zone
Volunteers: Food and beverage
vendors will be using compostable plates, cups and culterly. Waste
Reduction Zone sorting stations will be set up througout the
Festival's public areas. Help is needed to assist the general public
in sorting discards at the Festival. Each
Waste Reduction Zone will have a friendly, helpful volunteer to
guide the public on what to put into each collection container.
Volunteers will undergo a brief but thorough training. They'll give
out "I Recycled" stickers that patrons can use to enter prize
drawings. Volunteer shifts are four hours each: 11 am-3 pm and 2 -6
pm for Saturday, September 1; Sunday, September 2 or Monday,
September 3. FREE admission to the Festival, Green Team T-shirt and
meal voucher to all volunteers. For organized groups of 10 or more,
your company/group will be mentioned and thanked from event stages.
To sign up or for more information, contact Farrah Brady at 238-5953
or
email her.
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Labor Day with Latin Jazz
Great Pete Escovedo! Monday Sep 3, 2007 3 pm-6 pm: Alameda
County Central Labor Council's annual Labor Day Picnic,
MLKing
Shoreline Park, 7250 Doolittle Drive, Oakland. Free parking; $15
ticket, children under 12 free. Kids activities. Call 510-632-4242
ext 224 for more information.
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Salud! A Celebration of Latino Art, Health & Community, Saturday,
September 8, 10 am - 2 pm -- at the WCRC Gallery, 5741
Telegraph Avenue, sponsored by the Charlotte Maxwell Complementary
Clinic, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Women's Cancer Resource
Center and The American Cancer Society. Food by La Cocina Poblana,
arts & crafts mercado, health information, entertainment and raffle.
For details, call 601-4040 x111.
- Mercury
Thermometer Exchange & Safe Medicine Disposal
Sunday, 9/9, 10am-4pm, Solano Stroll, Save the Bay/EBMUD booth, 1870
Solano Ave. (At Fresno Ave.), Berkeley.
www.saveSFbay.org.
510-452-9261x118. Free.
Visit Save The Bay and EBMUD's booth for safe, free disposal of
mercury and pharmaceuticals, two household items that can pollute
the Bay. Exchange mercury thermometers for free digital ones, and
bring expired or unused medicine for proper disposal. Bring mercury
thermometers sealed in two plastic ziplock bags and medicine in
original containers with personal information marked out.
This
event will allow residents to dispose of pharmaceuticals and
mercury, two household items that can pollute the Bay. Please
direct any questions about the event to
Athena Honore
or 452-9261 x118.
- Maxwell Park's Annual Day in the
Park, September 15 -- from Noon to 5 pm. Lots of food, fun,
entertainment and children and youth activities.
If
you've got a business and you'd like to share it with the rest of
Maxwell Park at the upcoming Day in the Park event on September 15,
for just $25 you can have a table at the event so that you can show
others what you do! Contact
Krista Gulbranson, Event Coordinator, at 304-3575.
-
 Montclair
Wine & Jazz Festival 2007, Sunday, September 16, 11 am-6 pm:
Hear Jazz Legent Vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, Sonando Project,
Slammin All-Body Band, Fasmania Big Band, Monk's Music, Wine Village
tasting (Noon - 5 pm), Artisan Lane, Kid's Town and more at the
annual
Montclair Village Jazz & Wine Festival.
- Allendale Park NCPC Picnic
- September 19.
- Save the Dates
--Sundays in the Redwoods: Here's the perfect way to build
community and have a great time. Organize a pot luck with friends
and neighbors at one of the upcoming free concerts at the
Woodminster Amphitheater. Gates open at 2, concerts begin at 3 pm:
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Sunday, September 23 -
"Classical Sounds" featuring the Oakland East Bay Symphony,
conducted by Michael Morgan
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Sunday, September 30 -
"World Music Fest" featuring the John Santos Quintet with Papa
Mambo
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Sunday, October 7 -
"Gospel: A Joyful Noise" featuring Sunny Hawkins
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Sunday, October 14 - "The
Jazz & Neo-Soul Experience" featuring Goapele
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