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154 Edna Brewer 8th Graders Tour DC
by Pamela Erickson On March 28, 2023, after months of fundraising, 154 eighth graders and 20 teacher and parent chaperones from Oakland’s Edna Brewer middle school boarded red-eye flights on two planes bound for the nation’s capital. It was the largest group of students to ever go on the trip, which explores many of the…
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The Ins and Outs of Lake Merritt’s Tidal Gates
by Dr. Richard Bailey Lake Merritt is a tidal estuary controlled by tide gates, operated by Alameda county. The controls are based mainly on flood control, which is why they were built after a nasty Oakland flood in the ’60’s. The gates are controlled by setting a computer to one of four modes, and have…
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Update on the Grand Avenue Complete Streets Paving Project.
By Celina Chan and Charlie Ream, Oakland Department of Transportation In case you missed it last month, the Splash Pad News shared a background article about the Grand Avenue Complete Streets Repaving Project led by the Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT). This project focuses on Grand Avenue between Broadway and Elwood Avenue, a vibrant commercial…
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The 11th Annual Autumn Lights Festival Lights the Night
by Samee Roberts Art, nature, and urban gardening enthusiasts from all over the region will flock to Oakland’s Lake Merritt to immerse themselves in the 11th Annual Autumn Lights Festival, a one-of-a-kind interactive art experience that is always the talk of the town. Following last year’s sold-out in-person return, the wildly popular festival takes place…
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I Said “ADEY-os” to Ethiopia and “Selam” to Oakland
My name is Adey Hagos. In 1982, I was born in Mekelle, the largest city in the Tigray Region of what is now the northernmost part of Ethiopia. One of six children (three boys and three girls), we had a comfortable upbringing as my father was a contractor who built houses as well as farmed. …
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A Proper Goodbye and a Hearty Hello
Editor’s Note: Gary’s departure from the Grand Lake Farmers Market is like the second half of a double-whammy that began when Doug Stonebreaker concluded that he could no longer raise grass-fed cattle when the surrounding hillsides were parched from successive years of drought caused by global warming. While we’re going to miss Gary, we’d also…
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One Less Bridge to Cross?
by Ken Katz Chances are you know more about the fictional “Bridge on the River Kwai” than you do about the pedestrian overcrossing that spans 580 from MacArthur at Van Buren to Santa Clara at the westbound 580 on-ramp. That will likely change now that Caltrans has announced plans to tear it down as part…
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A Resilient and Equitable Food and Farming System in California
by Andy Naja-Riese March 16– Assembly Member Robert Rivas (D- Hollister) made an exciting announcement about a bill he introduced called the Equitable Economic Recovery, Healthy Food Access, Climate Resilient Farms and Worker Protection Bond Act (AB 125). If you missed it live, you can watch the press conference here. Agricultural Institute of Marin is…
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AIM’s 5-Year Strategic Plan
The Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM)–an educational 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving the San Francisco Bay Area through the Grand Lake Farmers Market, seven other Certified Farmers Markets, and other food- and hunger-related social programs–released a new, far-reaching 3-Year Strategic Plan that seeks to create a model for a local and regional food system that is healthy…
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Rotary Nature Center Friends Lakeside Chats
ROTARY NATURE CENTER FRIENDS LAKESIDE CHATS by David Wofford Our next Lakeside Chat with Hilary Powers of the Golden Gate Audubon Society will be on Friday March 5th, 7:00pm-8:00pm. Join us as Hilary takes us to some of her favorite birding spots at Lake Merritt. She will share her perspectives on the species and ecological…
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AIM’s Path to Racial Equity
From Andy Naja-Riese, AIM CEO – In partnership with AIM’s Board of Directors, we have developed and published our Path to Racial Equity where we can contribute to creating an equitable food and farming system. Racial equity is the fair treatment of people of all races. We will achieve racial equity in the food and farming system…
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Farmers Market AIMing for a Five Year Lease
by Jerry Barclay – After two-plus years of on/off negotiations for the operation of the Grand Lake Farmers Market at Splash Pad Park, a long-sought agreement between the Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM) and the City of Oakland is expected to be completed in early 2021. One last issue has delayed a deal, but that appears…
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From Vietnam to the Land of Opportunity
by Marcia Lam – I was born in North Vietnam. In February 1978, as property was being confiscated and relations with China were deteriorating, my parents (like thousands of other ethnic Chinese) decided to leave with their four kids (ages 8, 6, 4, and 2) plus one in my mom’s tummy. We were accompanied by…
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From Gujarat to Lakeshore: Living the American Dream
by the Patel family – In Gujarat, India, Jessie’s family tended to a sugarcane and rice farm, which may help explain why she still loves working in her garden. In 1974, when still a teenager, she emigrated to the United States along with her parents and four siblings in search of better economic opportunities and…
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Splash Pad’s California Native Garden
A message from Mary Jo Sutton:The California native plant beds in Splash Pad Park are maintained solely by volunteers. If you are interested in learning about native plants and have a little time to spare, please join us on the 4th Sunday of every month. We work from 9 am – 12 pm but some…
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Elida Scola – Celebrates 35 Years on Grand
In 1983 when I met Michael, the owner of Donoho Gallery at 3421 Grand, we had dark brown hair. We were both skinny and anxious, he as the caregiver to a partner with a mysterious disease and me on the brink of self-employment. Mothers with children were no longer forced to cross the street since…
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Fairyland’s C.J. Hirschfield: “We’re in the Memory-Making Business”
by David Gans C. J. Hirschfield is the Executive Director of Children’s Fairyland, the first storybook-themed park in America, located in Lakeside Park in downtown Oakland. “Fairyland is a therapeutic environment,” she says. “It’s ten acres of gardens in the heart of the city, totally low-tech. It’s about appreciating family time. We are a cynicism-free zone.…
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