upcoming Oakland events

Avariety of events coming up in Oakland. The current forecast has rain Thursday night and Friday, but don't let that slow you down. I'm hoping for better weather on Saturday for the Urban Paths walk, though.

Jobs Fair in East Oakland - Thursday, November 10, 10am-3pm. Come out to a free jobs fair at the Oakland Coliseum clubhouse. There will be a career expo, resume review, a course on social media and career networking (by Susan Mernit of Oakland Local), and more. Read more at Oakland Local. (free)

Mysteries of the Oakland History Room - Thursday, November 10, 7:30pm. The OHA reveals the mysteries of the Oakland History Room! What's in there? How can you find it all? How can you tell how old your house is? How do the librarians make searching the resources look so easy? ($10-$15)

Urban Paths: Secret Stairs, Fire and BART - Saturday, November 12, 10am-noon. Check out stairs, Vicente Creek and a special BART stairway along the Oakland/Berkeley borderlands with Oakland Urban Paths. (free)

Party at 16th Street Station - Sunday, November 13, 1-4pm. Celebrate and contribute to restoring this amazing Oakland building. More info. Also check out the article in the East Bay Express. (weather permitting)

Firefighters Weekend at Fenton's - Saturday and Sunday, November 12-13, 12-4pm. All month long 25% of the proceeds from the Firefighter Sundae goes to support the works of OF Random Acts. On Saturday and Sunday, firefighters will be there to wait tables, and kids can climb on the parade fire engine. Don't miss the sundae building contest at 3pm.

Plus the usual events:
Piedmont Avenue Art Walk (3rd Thursday)
Art Murmur (1st Friday)
Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)

Looking further ahead:
ICA Business Reception & Entrepreneur Marketplace - November 17, 6pm at Jack London Square.
Oakland Symphony Chorus - Saturday, November 19 at Christ the Light Cathedral. Oakland Symphony Chorus performs Haydn’s Harmonie Messe
WOBO/EBBC Party - December 1. Celebrate a year of biking and walking advocacy with WOBO and EBBC.
Zorro by Night - December 1. A fundraising gala for the historic Peralta Hacienda.

signs: Scream Sorbet

Scream Sorbet

Scream Sorbet not only has great sorbet (available in their store on Telegraph and at various farmers markets), but they have a pretty darn cool sign, too. I'd only seen it during the day before, but I was over in the Temescal for their First Friday art walk and got to see it at night.

But seeing one of their photos from the Google Maps entry, it's clear I need to get back over there with my tripod at dusk some time:

shop locally with the Oakland Grown gift card

Oakland Grown is an organization for independent local businesses and artists in Oakland. Shopping locally is one of the best ways to keep money local—shopping at a locally-owned business keeps an average of 73¢ of each dollar in the local economy versus 43¢ of each dollar spent at a non-locally owned business. To make shopping and gift-giving locally even easier, Oakland Grown is creating a new gift card.

Gift cards have grown increasingly popular because they make gift-giving easier. No more wrong thing, wrong color, wrong size, because the recipient gets to pick it out. But gift cards can be impersonal: "I care about you enough to get you something—go get something from this generic big-box national retailer." The Oakland Grown gift card gives the recipient flexibility, but at the same time says "I care about you, and I care about the city we live in and its people, too—support a local, independent business." If you enjoy shopping or exploring Oakland, you could even join your friend or loved one to see what they choose.

Oakland Grown is starting with a small pilot program, with a few dozen Oakland merchants participating, but they're planning on scaling it up in time for the holidays. And if you're wondering, the company powering the card is an Oakland business, too. The list of businesses accepting the card includes restaurants, salons and a variety of stores, and is growing weekly.

Besides buying and using the cards, there are other ways to support the card. First, you can provide seed money to help get the program started. Second, encourage your favorite Oakland businesses and artists to join Oakland Grown and register to accept the gift cards.

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And yes, they're using a stylized version of one of my old sign photos, the heart on East 12th. I also used the photo in my recent Oakland Local article on banking locally, put your money where your heart is.

upcoming Oakland events

Today's big event is the rain that's supposed to fall in the afternoon and through the night. Hopefully that will wash away the few troublemakers from #OccupyOakland but stop in time for the Art Murmur on Friday.

Oakland East Bay Symphony Opening Night - Friday, November 4, 8pm. Celebrate opening night with the Symphony, celebrating the rich, vibrant tradition of American music. At the beautiful Paramount Theater.

Food Justice: Honoring our Roots - November 4-8. Conference begins with short courses and Food Justice Tours throughout the Bay Area, and will look back to the roots of the food movement, discuss the Food & Farm Bill, and examine where the movement is heading. Read more at Oakland Local.

West Oakland Specific Plan Workshop - Thursday, November 3, 6-8pm. The West Oakland Specific Plan is under preparation and, once completed, will guide future use of sites in West Oakland. This workshop will identify locations throughout West Oakland that provide opportunities for neighborhood revitalization, and align community development goals and desires expressed at Community Workshop #1.At West Oakland Senior Center, 1724 Adeline Street, Oakland. Please RSVP by phone or email - 510-238-3322 or ujonsson@oaklandnet.com

Plus the usual events:
Piedmont Avenue Art Walk (3rd Thursday)
Art Murmur (1st Friday)
Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)

Looking further ahead:
Urban Paths - November 12. Secret Stairs, Fire and BART - Check out stairs, Vicente Creek and a special BART stairway along the Oakland/Berkeley borderlands.

signs: Clancy's

Clancy's

More recently known as Sweet Jimmie's, it was Clancy's Cantina before that. Sadly, it's probably best known as where 6 people were shot back in April, 2 fatally.