Editor’s Note: A big welcome to all our new subscribers with a special nod to Mahader Tesfani, the Grand Lake Farmers Market’s recently hired Lead Market Manager.
Grand Avenue Merchant News
by Ken Katz – The future of the Grand Avenue business district is continuing to look brighter than ever with folks starting to turn out for special events in pre-pandemic numbers. To cite one example, last Tuesday I popped into the Alley to order their Special Steak Dinner––pricier than it used to be, but still a bargain. Turns out that Tuesdays are Trivia Nights, and the place was totally packed. Check out their calendar for music seven nights a week. Across the street, the Melo Melo Kava Bar has an Open Mic on Mondays, a Tongan Kava Circle on Tuesdays, and a DJ on Friday nights. They’re also scheduling special events: their June calendar includes a Filipino Food pop-up on the 9th, music by Jaylen Green and Elizabeth Lubin on the 10th, the LA River Boys on the 13th… CONTINUE READING
Armed Robbers Have Neighbors Up In Arms
by Ken Katz -After three plus years of Covid-mandated Zoom meetings, the Grand Lake Neighbors Crime Prevention Council’s meeting on May 17 was held in-person and hosted by Pastor Jim Hopkins in Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church’s Sanctuary. At the request of Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, the agenda was focused exclusively on crime issues —prompted by three separate assaults in Crocker Highlands, including one in which a 15-month-old child in a stroller was struck with shrapnel when a gun was fired. The standing room-only crowd had a lot in common with an equally large and passionate turnout at LABC in 2004 to protest a proposed McDonald’s drive-in on Lake Park Avenue. The speakers were just as riveting, and everyone including our council member and Planning Department Director agreed that something had to be done to stop local crime. The difference is that, in the McDonald’s case, an obscure…. CONTINUE READING
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 subjects and themes studied in their 8th grade U.S. history classes. Upon arriving in Washington D.C., the group climbed aboard four different buses along with their guides from Education First (EF) Educational Tours and made their first of many stops at the National Mall. Students marveled at the beauty of the cherry trees in full bloom while touring national monuments and memorials, including the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Washington Monument, and the WWII Memorial. Over a five-day period and at an unflagging pace, students visited… CONTINUE READING
Farmers Market
by Ken Katz – We are very pleased to report that Chase Pennington has been selected as the Agricultural Institute of Marin’s Operations Manager. In that capacity, he’s responsible for overseeing all of AIM’s eight Farmers Markets. In addition, he is continuing to serve as the Lead Manager at the Sunday Marin Farmers Market at the Civic Center. In 2014, Chase started with AIM as a part-time assistant market manager after a short stint in commercial real estate. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2012 with a BA in Sociology. His experience in Oregon really shaped his understanding of different socioeconomic groups and the varying hurdles different people must work to overcome. The opportunity to help support California agriculture, while improving local food systems, really aligned with his passion for helping a wide range of communities while providing equitable opportunities. He lives in San Rafael and enjoys camping, traveling, and cookouts in his… CONTINUE READING
The Dhon Dup Tibetan Gift Shop recently opened on Lakeshore
The Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church’s Annual Hunger Walk is June 4
The 3rd Wednesday Grand Lake Neighbors meeting is June 2
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Lakeshore BID
Racheal Scott, the new Co-Director of the Lakeshore BID reports that, for the past couple of months, they’ve been focusing on the avenue’s aesthetics and also, with support from OPD, recommending that businesses install security cameras, improve lighting and when necessary, obtain restraining orders. They are extremely pleased to have a new shop that just opened in the Urban Indigo Space. Dhon Dup is a Tibetan Gift Shop that carries a large selection of Bali silver jewelry, natural fabric clothing and upstairs you’ll find a wide variety of Tibetan Singing Bowls. It’s a perfect place to stop in and pick up a gift!
June 2023 Calendar
by Sheila McCormick – This month’s top picks:
June 2, Friday, 7-8:30pm Oakland Public Library Oakland Youth Poet Laureate Performances and 2023 Announcement.
June 15, Thursday, 6-7:30pm Main Library, Bradley Walters Auditorium Placing Yourself in History: The Challenge of Writing Memoir. Dorothy Lazard.
June 26, Monday, 6:30-7:30pm *ZOOM* Contra Costa Library. The Pacific Flyway.
For the full month’s calendar, please click on this link.
