by Sheila McCormick
October 1, Saturday, 7:00-800 pm – Rotary Nature Center Friends
Lakeside Chat #11 – Marshland Restoration in the Bay and at Lake Merritt. In honor of BAY MONTH , we welcome Charlie Onorati of Save San Francisco Bay and a panel of Lake Merritt tidal marsh enthusiasts.
Register here.
October 6, Wednesday – Oakland Library History Center
The Oakland History Center kicks off its annual Fall History Series with author Noel Siver, who will discuss her new book, Harold French: A Press Agent for the Hills. Harold French, for whom the French Trail in Redwood Regional Park is named, championed public access to open space in the East Bay hills from the 1920s through the 1960s. Learn about this outdoor enthusiast’s establishment of the Contra Costa Hills Club and the club’s advocacy for the creation of the East Bay Regional Parks District. This online event will be available via Zoom. Register here no later than 6 pm on the day of the event.
October 7, Thursday, 12:30 pm – Oakland Rotary Club
Civic Thursday Meeting (ZOOM ONLY) – Gene Slater – “The History of Racial Covenants in Residential Grant Deeds”
October 13, Wednesday, 6:00-7:30 pm – Oakland Library History Room
East Meets West: Fong Wan’s Chinese Niteries
The Oakland Library Fall History Series continues with Calvin Fong sharing stories of his father Fong Wan (1883–1968), the famous Oakland herbalist and entrepreneur. Mr. Fong not only owned a famous herb shop on 10th Street, but also a series of restaurants, a shrimping fleet, and, most notably, nightclubs in Oakland and San Francisco. Fong Wan’s career as an entertainment impresario spanned the 1930s to the 1950s. Joining Calvin Fong will be Cynthia Yee and Mimi Lee Chin, who will share their personal memories of Fong Wan’s nightclubs.
Register here (free)
October 14, Thursday, 12:30 pm – Oakland Rotary Club
Civic Thursday Meeting – Linda Mandolini, CEO of Eden Housing
October 14, Thursday, 6:00-7:30 pm – Oakland Library History Center
The Oakland History Center’s Fall History Series continues with California College of the Arts Professor Mitchell Schwarzer, who will discuss his latest book, Hella Town: Oakland’s History of Development and Disruption (University of California Press, 2021). The book traces Oakland’s early days as a major transportation hub, its manufacturing heyday during the 20th century, and the decisions that have led to its current struggles between new residents and those living in entrenched poverty. Mr. Schwarzer teaches courses on the history of the arts from antiquity to modernity, as well as seminars on architecture and urbanism.
This online event will be held on Zoom. To register, click here.
October 14-16, Thursday-Saturday, 6:00-11:00pm – The Autumn Lights Festival at the Gardens at Lake Merritt
This will be the 10th Anniversary of an event that has become a huge success and a major source of revenue for ongoing improvements at the Gardens of Lake Merritt. Featuring fifty locally produced, colorful lighted art displays sparkling, twinkling, and beaming throughout Oakland’s beloved seven-acre municipal gardens.
Tickets may be purchased here.
October 20, Wednesday, 7:00 – 8:30 pm – Grand Lake Neighbors Third Wednesday Zoom meeting. Agenda to be decided.
October 21, Thursday, 12:30 pm – Oakland Rotary Club
Civic Thursday Meeting – Margaret Gordon – West Oakland Enviromental Indicators Project
October 24, Sunday, 9 am – noon – Grand Lake Neighbors next neighborhood cleanup is Sunday. (Rain cancels). Meet at Splash Pad Park.
October 28, Thursday, 12:30 pm – Oakland Rotary Club
Civic Thursday Meeting – What’s Right About The Parks – A presentation by Sabrina Landreth, General Manager of the East Bay Regional Parks District
October 30, Saturday, 11:000 am-4:00 pm – Camron-Stanford House
The Haunted Garden (Halloween Celebration)
Purchase tickets
Join us for a family-friendly Halloween celebration at Camron-Stanford House! In our Haunted Garden you’ll find:
- Halloween and Fall-themed arts & crafts
- Lawn games
- Music
- Food trucks
- Shop with spook-tacular local vendor The Haunted Manor Boutique
- Includes access to Morbid Desire Halloween exhibit
- …and plenty more spooky fun in store!
Tickets: $5 (members and children are free!)
Halloween and/or Victorian period costumes for this event are encouraged!
Sheila McCormick is an Adjunct Professor Emerita in Cal’s Department of Plant and Microbial Biology. Prior to her retirement in January 2016, she had a research lab at the USDA/ARS-UC-Berkeley Plant Gene Expression Center in Albany, studying the molecular biology of plant reproduction.
She also helps with editing and is a frequent contributor to the Splash Pad News, beginning with a series of seven neighborhood walks – the first of which was posted in April 2017.
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