News

The Grand Lake District Past and Present – by Ken Katz – I’ve personally witnessed quite a few changes in the make-up of the Grand Lake shopping district since we moved into the neighborhood in the early 1970’s.  Shortly thereafter, a gas station at the intersection of Lakeshore, Lake Park and Rand was torn down […]

Happenings The Rotary Club of Oakland has featured speakers every Thursday afternoon and they are now held online and open to the public via Zoom and Facebook. Recent speakers have included Walter Hood and Laney College’s John Beam. You can connect with Rotary on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. The monthly Grand Lake Neighbors meetings are typically on the third […]

If You Can Remain Calm… You Probably Don’t Understand the Seriousness of Our Situation! Since 2005,  the Splash Pad News or “Newsletter,” as it was originally called, has been reporting on the park, the Farmers Market, the surrounding commercial district, and happenings in the surrounding neighborhoods. On very rare occasions, we have also written about […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: Although we’re not exactly sure what prompted a sudden surge, we are absolutely delighted to welcome several dozen new subscribers this month. A big share of the credit goes to Alex Jacobs, who (along with his wife, Emily Kirsch) are my newest neighbors. Alex emailed us several weeks ago to point out a […]

Editor’s Note:  As a sign of the times our July edition is reporting on more somber issues than is typically the case but this is also in keeping with our initial efforts to become less of a blog and more news oriented. Over time, you should be seeing fewer “I’s” and hopefully more bylines. You […]

Editor’s Note: We are simultaneously thrilled and humbled to announce that the author of this month’s lead article, C. J. Hirschfield, has agreed to become a regular Splash Pad News contributor. Many of you may know C. J. as the recently retired director of Children’s Fairyland, a beloved institution whose transformation she spearheaded over a period […]

Editor’s Note: We are absolutely delighted this month to be sharing content submitted by eight different individuals writing from their own unique perspectives. Most relate directly to the impact and responses to the Corona Virus pandemic. Our lead story, however,  is a proposal for a food court at the corner of Lakeshore and MacArthur in the […]

GIVING THANKS IN A TIME OF CRISIS by Ken Katz For the past two weeks, this has been my window to the world, as my wife and I (both in our seventies) have sheltered in place. Although inconvenienced and more than a bit anxious, we are grateful for so much, particularly in comparison to the […]