Grand Avenue Merchant News
by Ken Katz – Last October’s Art Walk on Grand Avenue was a big success and this year’s rendition promises to top that. The guided tour will start at Megadeluxe at 6pm followed by 8am Style. Next up will be Radbird, Alyce on Grand, Urban Furniture and Boutique, Brother and Sisters Flower Shop and a final stop for food and libations at Sister Restaurant. Along the way, attendees will be introduced to shop owners. Hear from some local artists and artisans while enjoying complimentary beverages and light snacks. And this past Saturday afternoon, we were delighted to happen upon the Berkeley-based Gumbo Band as they marched up and down Grand…    CONTINUE READING

Lakeshore BID – by Racheal Scott –
Drag Show at Shakewell raises $10,000 for the Oakland LGBTQ Center
Outdoor Shimmy Pop Express at the Hipline, Saturday, July 1
Mondays through July, Proposition Chicken donates 10% of Dine In orders to the East Bay United Soccer Club|
Dhon Dup, a Tibetan gift shop is now open
The Lakeshore BID’s statement regarding their commitment to ensuring shopper’s safety.  CONTINUE READING

Splash Pad Park Update
by Ken Katz – In a bustling location with no fencing and 24 hour per day access, Splash Pad Park has always been vulnerable but in the past twenty years we’d never previously witnessed the kind of rampant destruction that occurred over the last several weeks. For starters, two metal plates bolted to the top of the wall behind the fountain were stolen for scrap causing the water level to drop precipitously and forcing the city to turn the fountain off. Kids showing up at the Farmers Market in bathing suits weren’t happy campers but this Saturday, the now dry wall did become a canvas for some chalk art. The good news is that the perpetrator is painfully aware that OPD has his name and description and he’s unlikely….  CONTINUE READING 

Farmers Market – by Ken Katz –
First corn of the season this past Saturday|
Maria and Eddie Sr. from Sunnyland Farm (nee EGB Farms) welcome the arrival of their first grandchild. |
Re-introducing the Grand Lake Farmers Market staff
An appeal to the Community for support from Farmers Market artisans.   CONTINUE READING

Odds and Ends
The exterior landscape for the International African American Museum in Charleston, which opened this past week was designed by Walter Hood.
The city-sponsored Lake Merritt Freedom Market is well worth a visit. 
In the “Been there. Done that category: In 2017, Keila Diehl reported on a overflow crowd that met with the OPD Chief to talk about crime issues.|
On the agenda for the next Grand Lake Neighbors meeting: crime issues, a charging station for the Walker lot, and filling vacancies on Lakeshore
Summary of the newly-passed City of Oakland budget.  CONTINUE READING