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Serving the neighborhoods from Fruitvale Avenue to Seminary Avenue and from Foothill Boulevard to Warren Freeway since 1989Volume 18 Number 5 June/July 2006
A Community Newspaper • P.O. Box 19046, Oakland, CA 94619 • (510) 287-2655
www.macarthurmetro.org
Nancy Cowan, Amy Graybeal, Joan Dark & Cliff Falloon, Lisa Bonta Sumii & Aron Sumii
You, too, can become a friend of the Metro. See page 2.
Your support helps keep the Metro alive! Become one of the Thousand Friends.
Flenoid McClearyYou’ve got to look outfor the kids. They need tohave something to do afterschool. Bring back someof the programs theyused to have, like NYC.Some kind of communitywork. Kids are just sittingaround doing nothing.“A mind is a terrible thingto waste.”
t the new Farmer Joe’sMarketplace in Dimond,the sound of saws and
hammers is being replaced bythe buzz of anticipation. Dianaand Joe Tam’s second store,located at 3426 Fruitvale Av-enue, has put the majesty backinto what was once a reveredOakland destination. Supportedby the Dimond ImprovementAssociation and the City ofOakland, another bustlingmarket will turn an old buildingback into an Oakland attraction.
Creating an attractive,modern market was a prioritybecause they wanted to “findthe right feel and fit for the cus-tomer.” Their honest concernfor neighbors and patrons iswhat has made their first store,on the corner of MacArthurand 35th Ave., a huge success.
Joe is a natural greengrocer.His years in the produce
department at Safewayconfirmed his affinity for freshfruits and vegetables.
By opening his own marketin 1994, Joe could make deci-sions he knew were in the bestinterest of his customers andthe community. Maintaininghis high standards proveddemanding, and soon hiswife Diana joined him to helpmanage the store. Togetherthey sought out local growers,stocked their shelves with foodscontaining natural ingredients,and catered to the community.Diana and Joe always listento suggestions and search forunique items to inspire patrons.“We want to make sure peoplecan choose to eat healthy, topurchase organic foods at areasonable cost.”
Below the flow of the greenpiping and colorful sign thatsoften the boxy façade, theTams welcome people to sitat their tables, having created
Welcome, Farmer Joe’sa space for sharing food andideas. Guests will find the mar-ketplace offers a bounty of pre-pared meals to help stimulateconversation. Be ready to bellyup to the bar with sushi, salad,coffee and fruit smoothies,tacos, a deli, rotisserie chicken,and fresh-baked pizza.
The official Grand Openingis Saturday, June 24. Honoringthe spirit of community andhard work exemplified byFarmer Joe’s and the Dimondneighborhood, the DimondBusiness & Professionals Asso-ciation, the Dimond Improve-ment Association, WashingtonMutual’s Dimond Branch, andFarmer Joe’s are sponsoringa day of music, food, and fun.Come out from 10 a.m. to4 p.m. to hear live music andvisit over 40 exhibitors. Foradditional information,contact Carolyn Vallergaat [email protected] or325-7109.
Kris HolmAdditional support for publicschools. First of all, clean themup. As it is now, much of thisis done voluntarily by parents.How can our children learnin rundown, dirty, unsafeschools? Also, our new mayorneeds to reinstate fundingfor after-school programssuch as music, and an increasein library hours.
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Diana and Joe at their soon-to-open second location.
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What’s the first thing you want the new mayor of Oakland to do?
A
Evelyn SmithAs a retired school teacher,I can tell you that the priorityshould be put on jobs for theyoung. If the new mayorcan find constructive waysto get the young off thestreets, I can assure you thecrime rate will definitelydecrease. Not to mentionhow much it will help theyoung to help themselves.
Maureen HolmesTraffic signals. There areplaces where fatal trafficaccidents continue to occurbecause the traffic lights arenot effective or nonexistent—for instance, the entranceto Highway 13 from theRedwood Road on-ramp.Also, the Safeway onFruitvale just up fromMacArthur is unsafe.
Marcaysha AlexanderI would like to see thestreets safer. Do some-thing about the violence.People are afraid togo outside and walkaround. The new mayorshould put more police-men on the street—walking.
One of Susannah Eloyse Prinz’sportrait paintings of Oakland women.
See story on page 5.
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STREET BEAT B Y M A D E L I N E S M I T H M O O R E • P H O T O S B Y N I C K L O S T R A C C O
2June/July 2006
HOT NUMBERSCITY OF OAKLAND AGENCIES
ABAT—the Alcoholic 777-8670Beverage Action Team
Graffiti hotline 238-4703
Abandoned cars 238-6030
O.P.D. Non-emergency 777-3333
Animal control 535-5602
Beat Health (drugs) 777-8630
Drug Hotline 238-DRUG
Noise Hotline: 238-6777(Oakland CEDA,property complaint line)
C.O.R.E. 238-6351(Citizens of OaklandRespond to Emergencies)
City Tree Unit 615-5850
Oaklanders Assistance 444-CITYCenter can direct youto the appropriategovernmental servicesin Oakland.
PRIVATE AGENCIES
A Safe Place 536-7233(domestic violence)
East Bay 548-2377Community Mediation(neighborhood disputes)
Sentinel Fair Housing 836-2687(free landlord-tenantcounseling anddiscrimination investigation)
Managing EditorSheila D’AmicoCopy EditorsAnne FoxSheila D’AmicoToni LockeCarol LundgaardFinances/BookkeepingReuben GoldbergAdvertising ManagerKrista GulbransenArt DirectorAndreas JonesWord ProcessingDavid RaichPhotographyJody BerkeNick LostraccoClifford StevensonDistributionPeter BondMailingMaggie DorseyCalendarMarilyn GreenFriends and Money HoneysMaggie Dorsey
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Board of DirectorsBeverley BrownSheila D’AmicoDouglas FergusonReuben GoldbergMarcia HenryBrian HolmesToni LockeWilliam MilnyErnest VillafrancaBart Wright�
A special thanks to allresidents, associations, andmerchants for their support.Also, a special thanks to allvolunteer writers, artists,photographers, and distributors.Printing by Wesco Graphics, Inc.,Tracy, California, (209) 832-1000.Opinions expressed in the MacArthurMetro are those of the contributorsand do not necessarily reflect theviews held by the publication.©2006 by the MacArthur Metro,P.O. Box 19046, Oakland, CA 94619,www.macarthurmetro.org,(510) 287-2655.
We welcome yournews and ads;
deadline the 15th.
Publication in thefirst week of each
month exceptJanuary and July.
ISSN 1091-1111
How to Reachthe Metro
WRITE US A LETTER. Sendyour comments to Lettersto the Editor, MacArthurMetro, P.O. Box 19046,Oakland, CA 94619; or [email protected]
GIVE US A CALL. Our voice-mail number is: 287-2655.
Letters may be edited forlength or clarity. Please in-clude name, address andphone number. We do notprint anonymous letters.
Dahlia SilversA lot more affordable hous-ing, and rent-control lawswith some teeth in them.It’s becoming impossiblefor working middle-classcitizens to find decent andreasonably priced accommo-dations. I moved here fromSan Francisco because Icouldn’t find affordablehousing. Now Oakland isgetting just as bad.
Kay DanPublic parks need to be moreaccessible to everyone. Specialareas should be set aside fordogs and horses so as not toinfringe on the “people” areas.
Lori Lee (no picture)That’s easy. (1) Crime reduction;(2) broader economic develop-ment; (3) social services. Oak-land needs serious assistancein all of these categories.
Dee-Lila CamengaEducation should be the firstpriority. K-5, reenteringstudents, and special-needsstudents have had fund cuts.Then he needs to improvethe public-transportationsystem, focusing as well ontraffic-light and crosswalksafety. Also, there should bemore funding for nonprofits,especially for victims ofsubstance abuse.
Dear Editor,We’ve lived in Wilshire
Heights for about threeyears, and there are manythings we have come toenjoy and appreciate aboutthis and the surroundingneighborhoods, includingthe MacArthur Metro.
Earth Day morning wasspent with many neighborspicking up trash, pullingweeds, and planting flowersalong the Highway 580off-ramp at 35th Avenue.Seventy bags of debris werecollected and bagged. I amnow even more proud tocall this our neighborhoodafter seeing the dedicatedvolunteers (over 30 women,men, and children) whopoured themselves selflesslyinto this much-neededproject.
Guidance and supportwere proved by the LaurelVillage Association anda tremendous number ofAlbertsons employees fromGreg Ross’s store (storemanager). We’ve thoroughlyenjoyed getting to knowOakland better than everthrough the outstandingshow of community prideand spirit of our fellow resi-dents.
Please accept the dona-tion enclosed to keep upthe great job you are doingwith your newspaper for ourcommunity.
SincerelyChris & Donna Oldag
Dear Editor,Yesterday I was at the
City Center when my cellphone rang. On the otherend was a woman who hadjust read the article profilingCycles of Change in theMetro. She said she lovedwhat the article told aboutthe program, and offeredto get involved with us!
After that, of course, Ihad to head out and pick up(actually download) a copyof the May Metro. Thanks
Lettersto theEditor
STREET BEAT continued from page 1
Jo-Ann Donivan holds the Metro just outside Albuquerque, NM, while husband John Donivan takes the photo.
THE METRO GETS AROUND
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June/July 2006
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Prize-Winning TrashAfter an endless rainy sea-son, we were delighted towake up to a dry Earth Day.About 50 volunteers scaledsteep banks, hauled trashout of Courtland Creek,weeded, cut ivy, raked,uprooted volunteer eucalyp-tus trees, cleared stairways,pruned, and tidied up thepark. The older kids pulledout a computer monitor thathad been blocking the flowof the water. Other prizetrash included two sewingmachines, an enormousold lock, a complete ward-robe (with a suitcase), andenough furniture and car-peting for a studio apart-ment. We’re proud of theDiscovery Center kidswhose amazing loot wonthe contest sponsored byCouncilmember Jean Quan’soffice. We were also excitedto see two birds’ nests. Andwe pondered the meaningof a philosophical graffitithat proclaimed, “I lost my-self seeking order.”
As we pruned the plumtrees, Chris Ralls filled usin on some local history. In
December 1992 a group ofneighbors planted the firstthundercloud plum treesnear Congress Street. Theparallel rows of trees trace
B Y A D E L L E F O L E Y
High Street Neighborhood News
the path of the Key System’sK line, which ran down fromLeona Heights, through theCourtland turnaround, to
he recent carjacking,robbery, and viciousassault upon a young
woman, starting on LenoxAvenue near Lake Merrittand ending up in LeonaHeights, was a sad and unac-ceptable event. Our heartsgo out to the victim. Severaldays after the crime, twoOakland Police Departmentdetectives looking for evi-dence were aided by a LeonaHeights resident, who ledthem to a critical piece ofevidence observed earlierwhile on a walk. The detec-tives indicated that this itemcould clinch the case againstone of the attackers, whohad been arrested and wouldbe charged with the crime.
B Y G O R D O N L A V E R T Y We decry the whole affair,but it does show that an alertand willing citizen can helpthe police make our systemof law work so that, as in thiscase, the bad guy can be keptoff the streets for some time.
This action by one personcame just three weeks aftera neighborhood in-homemeeting with a representativeof OPD’s Home Alert organi-zation. At the meeting, neigh-bors cited happenings ontheir streets and indicateda mix of OPD responses.People understand the policeunderstaffing problem, butwith the recent authorizedincrease of as many as 100starting to be felt in the force,we have hopes that morepatrols in our area and otherswill lead to a safer Oaklandfor all of us.
Leona HeightsNeighborhood News
Laurel Neighborhood News
Laurel Summer SolsticeCelebration
Mark your calendars nowfor the Fête de la Musique,Laurel Summer SolsticeMusic Festival, on Saturday,June 24, from 3 to 7 p.m.Food and free musical enter-tainment will celebrate theLaurel District’s rich bountyof local musicians, playingall types of music. Start yourmusical tour of the Laurelat the Laurel Lounge, 3932MacArthur Blvd., to pickup a map of directions tothe various venues. Formore information, visitwww.LaurelVillage.org.
Laurel ElementarySchool Principal Retires
Principal Cheryl Garrettis retiring after 10 years atLaurel Elementary School.A school-district officialmade the announcementduring a May 2 meeting atthe school, in which hesought input from parents,teachers, and the communityon the hiring of a new prin-cipal. Given all the tasksand responsibilities of aschool principal, and thehigh expectations of parents,students, and teachers for a
high-performing neighbor-hood school, the new princi-pal will need to “recognizeand build upon what ispresently good about theschool, to lift the school tothe next level,” said PhalinaArmstrong, the After SchoolProgram Director.
On May 12 neighbor-hood parents organized apublic education summitat Maxwell Park ElementarySchool, which has a newprincipal. Guest speakersand parent advocatesCandace Kim of GlenviewElementary and NicoleAruda of Peralta Elementarydiscussed “Growing aSchool.” Lisa Cartolano,event cosponsor and chairof the Maxwell Park NCPCNeighborhood Action Teamon Education, spoke aboutwhy she became involvedwith her neighborhoodschool, even before hertoddler was ready for kin-dergarten.
As summit organizerstold the attending parents,including some from theLaurel Elementary Schoolarea, “Get involved. If youwant a neighborhood schoolthat fits your idea of whata school should be, don’twait for others to do it.”
If you are a Laurel parent
BY KA T H L E E N RO L I N S O N A N D
J O H N F R A N D O
NEWTIST in TrainingOrdinary people are turningto NEWTism to feel closerto nature. As a result, TheNative Environment Water-shed Transformation (NEWT)project at Peralta Creek isblossoming into a first-ratedemonstration garden, thanksto the support of neighbor-hood volunteers, eco-mindedcommunity members, andchildren of Redwood HeightsSchool. NEWT was host toan Earth Day workday/barbecue and was featuredin the Bay Friendly GardenTour in April. In May NEWTwas the venue for a worm-composting class.
Redwood Heightsstudents continue to visitthe Peralta Creek corridoralong Rettig Avenue, oncea hunting and fishing areafor the Huchiun band of theOhlone People. They havebeen instrumental in helpingto restore the natural environ-ment by planting natives.
NEWT project coordina-tors look forward to collabo-rating with RHS and otherorganizations to apply forgrants that support andfurther outdoor educationat the site and have alreadystarted booking field tripsfor next year.
To learn more, call531-3930 or [email protected].
Thirtieth AnnualBlock Sale
On Saturday, June 3, neigh-bors around Avenue TerracePark (Jordan Road) will hosta huge block sale between 9a.m. and 3 p.m. Over 30 fami-lies participated last year.Come out, browse for uniqueitems, and schmooze with
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your neighbors. You’re sureto find great baby and kiditems, furniture, books, andkitchenware, as well as lotsof other goodies. If you liveon one of the streets aroundthe park (Jordan, Bennett,Guido, Norton, or Rettig)call Anna Katz
Redwood Heights Neighborhood Newscont inued on page 5
Myzil Waters (with his mom Christina) with a TV and huge lockhe pulled out of Cortland Creek.
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Want a Traffic Signal on 35th Avenueat Wisconsin Street?
Add your name to the petition atwww.petitiononline.com/Signal
Newtism in action: Third grade students from Redwood Heightsare ready to water the plants.
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4June/July 2006
PauletteAvery,
R.N., M.S.N.,I.B.C.L.C.
To Your Health
s difficult as it is formost of us, thinkingabout and planning
for end-of-life medical careis something we all wouldbe wise to do. As definedby the Medline Plus medicalencyclopedia, advanced caredirectives are “specific instruc-tions, prepared in advance,that are intended to direct aperson’s medical care if heor she becomes unable to doso in the future.”
The Terri Schiavo casegraphically illustrates thehorrors that can unfold whenfamily members are unclearabout the wishes of a criticallyill or injured loved one whois unable to express his orher wishes about the use oflife-support measures. Andalthough most people believeit is a good idea to have someform of advance directive,the majority of people havenot completed the documentsfor themselves.
Regardless of your age,and even if you choose not tocomplete any legal documents,it is a good idea to think aboutyour wishes should you be-come unable to make medicaldecisions for yourself. Talkabout the issue with familymembers, close friends, andyour doctor, and let them allknow your desires. Considerwhether or not you wouldwant CPR in the case of respi-ratory or cardiac arrest. Wouldyou want your life maintainedby artificial nutrition via tubefeedings or intravenous lines?What about the use of a respi-rator if you were unable tobreathe on your own? Wouldyou want blood transfusions?Do you want to die in a hospi-tal, or would you prefer to beat home? These are just a few
of the questions to consider,and answering them may re-quire that you do research tolearn more about the optionsand their consequences. Itwill definitely require you tocarefully consider the optionsand what each means to you.
If you choose to use legaldocuments, there are twomain types, a living will anda medical power of attorney.The living will spells outyour answers to questionssuch as those listed earlier.The medical power of attor-ney designates the personyou choose to make health-care decisions for you if youbecome unable to do so foryourself. This could be aspouse, one of your children,or a trusted friend.
The topic of advance-caredirectives is complex, and Ihave only touched on it here,but I hope I have started youthinking and planning foryourself. Many resourcesexist to help you explore thisarea in more depth and assistyou in completing the neces-sary legal documents. Yourown doctor is a good placeto begin the discussion. Inaddition, these organizationsare a few of those available toprovide information and helpwith this area of health care:
• Aging with Dignity,1-888-5-WISHES orwww.agingwithdignity.org
• Caring Connections,1-800-658-8898 orwww.caringinfo.org
• National Hospice andPalliative Care Organization,1-800-646-6460 orwww.nhpco.org —————————————Paulette Avery is a registerednurse and a freelance writer whospecializes in health issues.
Advance CareDirectives:MakingEnd-of-LifeDecisions?
B Y T O N I L O C K E
To our readers: The Metroneeds a writer/manager for thiscolumn. If you think you wouldenjoy collecting and meting outpraise and blame, please e-mailmetroreaders.com.
Orchids to Ed Cabral,manager of the DimondSafeway Store, for his heroiccrusade to crack down oncrime and restore publicsafety in the Dimond.
Orchids to DebbieKoppmann, Oakland PublicSchool art teacher, for thestriking new mural at BretHarte Middle School onCoolidge Avenue, featuredin the school’s annual StudentExpo on May 13.
Orchids to theexceptionally good neighboron 39th Avenue in the Laurelwho found an ATM card nearthe BofA branch that belongedto High Street columnist andpoet Adelle Foley, trackedher down, and left a messageon her phone.
Orchids to Greg Ross,manager of the LaurelAlbertsons, for the manyimprovements to the storeand parking lot and hiswillingness to cooperatewith the community.
Orchids to MildredEllison. She has been home-cooking dinners, packing themup as individual meals, anddistributing them to homelesspeople every Thursday for thepast three years. She now hasthe support of Everett ChapelA.M.E. church and distributesat the needle-exchange pro-gram on 23rd and E. 12th St.
downtown and the ferry depot.On my first Earth Day, weplanted plum trees in a steadyrain, almost ruining my be-loved purple boots. In 1997 wededicated the park during aspring heat wave that forced usto put the cake under the tableto keep the icing from melting.
Thanks to Laurie Umeh forcoordinating the event, theHigh Street Neighborhood Al-liance for sponsoring thecleanup, Jean Quan’s office forproviding bagels, fruit, drinksand pizza, and Linda Normanfor bringing brownies.
Magnolia Treesat Horace Mann
If you stand on the corner ofYgnacio and Congress Streets,you’ll see 15 new Magnoliagrandiflora trees planted onHorace Mann Garden Day.Robert Newman of Oakland’sTree Section started the morn-ing with “Tree Staking 101,”for those of us unsure of theprocess. Then we formedcrews, put the trees in theground, secured them, addedthe redwood chips, andcleaned up. The 40 participantsrepresented a partnership ofschool kids, parents, teachers,the community, and the treecrew. Organizer Jean Nixonand the Horace Mann GardenCommittee planned the event,which ended with refresh-ments and a group photo.
Summer Readingand Future Plans
When I stopped in on a Satur-day afternoon, I foundChildren’s Librarian SharonSensor, just back from WestAustralia, planning for the up-coming summer reading pro-gram. Youngsters readingeight hours will win a freebook and other prizes. TheMelrose Branch events are at3:30 p.m. each Wednesday,from June 10 through August 9(see page 6). This summer,teens are included, and theSecond Start program will of-fer prizes to adults working onindividual goals.
Community members in-terested in the library’s futureplans are invited to an openhouse at the Melrose Branchon Saturday, June 10, at 2 p.m.There will be activities for chil-dren and refreshments. —————————————Adelle Foley can be reached [email protected].
([email protected] or 482-5839) to sign up. Each par-ticipating household con-tributes five dollars on theday of the block sale to helpcover the costs of advertis-ing. Hope to see you allthere.
Rec Center NewsRegistration has already be-gun for the Summer EscapeDay Camp (first to sixthgraders), the Jr. High Club(seventh and eighth grad-ers) and the Art & Discov-ery Camp, which is helddown at McCrea Park andis in its 15th year. Cur-rently, there are still spacesin most of the weeks forthese day camps.
Open House& Carnival
Redwood Heights Recre-ation Center, along withSummer Escape Day Camp,invites you to their OpenHouse & Carnival on Fri-day, July 14, 1 to 4 p.m.Earn carnival dollars andraffle tickets at the variousgame booths and redeemthe carnival dollars for pop-corn, cotton candy, sno-cones, and little prizes. Wewill hold a raffle for MarineWorld tickets, Water Worldtickets, and other prizeslater in the afternoon.
Bring a friend and comeon out to enjoy the fun. It isfree. Call 482-7827 for moreinformation.
High Street NewsC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 3
Redwood NewsC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 3
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3714 MacArthur BoulevardOakland 530-2330
Over 20 years in the Laurel District
Past Issues ofthe Metro
with asearchable database
availableonline at
macarthurmetro.org
June/July 2006
5
here is a power un-leashed in hearing andtelling our stories to one
another. It’s a transformativepower that we see shapingDistrict 4 of Oakland throughmany different efforts.Susannah Eloyse Prinzwanted to explore this truththrough an artistic projectthat was funded by a grantfrom the Oakland CulturalArts Commission in 2002.She set out to collect thestories of diverse womenof Oakland with the help ofthree Oakland High Schoolstudents she met at HarborHouse, a nonprofit in theSan Antonio District, wherethey were participating ina graphic-design program.
Susannah worked withthe students, training themto interview and photographthe 20 women whose storieswere eventually woven intotheir portraits. In seekingto get a representativecross-section of the women
with young children currentlyconsidering elementaryschool options, a neighbor-hood parent group isforming. Contact Stella [email protected].
35th Avenue &MacArthur Boulevard
UpdateOn May 8 the Laurel DistrictAssociation (Laurel merchants)and Councilmember Jean Quanhosted a community meetingwith Banta & Associates, archi-tects and developers of thenew project, a nine-unit mar-ket-rate development with
eight town homes, a condo-minium, and ground-floorretail. The project is scheduledto break ground within thenext six months. Other ex-amples of Banta & Associateswork can be seen atwww.bantadesign.com.
Jean Quan stated that thismeeting is the first of threeto discuss new developmentsplanned for the Laurel. Futuremeetings will cover the pro-posed senior housing devel-opment on High Street andMacArthur and a smallerproject on MacArthur Blvd.
Traffic Light Requestfor 35th Avenue
and Wisconsin StreetResidents of the Laurel district
have reached the breakingpoint when it comes totraffic speed and safetyon 35th Avenue. Fast-movingcars and high volumesof traffic make pedestriancrossing unsafe and createproblems every day fordrivers turning onto 35thAvenue. Volunteers willbe going door to door forsignatures on the request.Or to sign the electronicrequest, send an e-mail [email protected],and the link will be mailedto you. —————————————John can be reached [email protected] Kathleen [email protected].
The Stories We Tell
Laurel NewsC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 3
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Tof Oakland (from over 49ethnicities), she wanted toempower the three teenage in-terview assistants she workedwith to discover their ownstories as well as those of thewomen of Oakland. She thentranslated the stories of thesewomen into portraits. In thehistory of portrait art, mostportraits created are of therich and powerful. Throughthis project, Susannah aimedto tell the stories ofunderrepresented women,often overlooked becauseof their ages, ethnicities, socio-economic status, or life experi-ence. “I wanted women whodon’t see themselves in themedia, to see their beauty,”Susannah summarized.
At an opening event onMay 13, Susannah told someof the stories of transforma-tion that emerged from thiscollaborative effort. She alsoshared how the three youngstudents, all of whom arefirst-generation Americans,in the course of helping her
Susannah Eloyse Prinz.
Banta & Associates’ architectural drawing of the future development at 35th Avenue and MacArthur Blvd.
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he 40th year of summermusicals under the starsand direction of Jim and
Harriet Schlader of ProducersAssociates starts soon atWoodminster Theater in JoaquinMiller Park, 3300 Joaquin MillerRoad. High-quality productionsof Broadway musicals haveenthralled the East Bay publicfor years. This year’s seriesstarts in July with Ragtime,continues with The King and I inAugust, and closes with Beautyand the Beast in September.
Woodminster Summer MusicalsCelebrates 40 Years of Magic
Ragtime, a multiculturalstory of the shaping of America,plays the weekends of July 7and 16. The King and I, belovedRodgers and Hammerstein mu-sical of the English teacher inthe court of the King of Siam,plays the weekends of August 4and 13. And Beauty and the Beast,the musical retelling of the fairystory, was Disney’s first Broad-way show (a delight for allages), and plays the weekendsof September 1 and 10.
All performances start at 8p.m. For affordably priced tick-ets, call 531-9597 or 531-0671.
B Y G O R D O N L A V E R T Y
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to everyone for followingthrough on putting thearticle together, and bigthanks to Meredith for cap-turing the spirit of the pro-gram so well. I can’t wait toshow the kids!
It’s connections likethese that make a real posi-tive impact on our programand help to build a strongercommunity for everyone.Thanks again, and keep upthe great work. And if youever need anything bike-re-lated, don’t hesitate to get intouch with us . . . we mightbe able to help!
Deep appreciation,Barry Luck,Cycles of Change
LettersC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 2
Angela Dean-Bahan of Oakland playsSarah, and Lawrence Beamen of WalnutCreek plays Coalhouse, in Ragtime, whichopens Woodminster's 40th season.
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1. Joaquin Miller Park, 3590 Sanborn Drive • 238-3187Major recreation area
2. Dimond Park & Rec. Center, 3860 Hanly Road • 482-7831Children’s playground • Picnic areas • Rec. Center programsLions swimming pool • 482-7852
3. Central Rec. Area, Sheffield & E. 29th • 238-3187Rope-climbing gym • Baseball sandlotGrassy area • A few picnic tables in a shaded area
4. W.D. Wood Park, McKillop & E. 29thRustic grassy field with a few benches
5. Josie D. de La Cruz Park and Carmen Flores Rec. Center, 1637Fruitvale Ave. • 535-5631Children’s playground • Small grassy play areaBaseball sandlot • Rec. Center programs
6. Peralta Hacienda Park, 2465 35th Ave. • 532-9142Historic house • Six-acre park
7. Allendale Rec. Center, 3711 Suter • 535-5635Children’s playgroundBasketball court and baseball diamondGrassy area • Rec. Center programs
8. Avenue Terrace Park, Jordan & Bennett Pl.Children’s playground • Small grassy area
9. Redwood Heights Rec. Ctr., 3883 Aliso Ave. • 482-7827Children’s playground • Rec. Center programs
10. Foothill Meadow Park, Foothill & 38thBasketball court • Small grassy area
11. Brookdale Rec. Center, 2535 High Street · 535-5632Children’s playground • Grassy area • Rec. Center programsBasketball court and baseball diamond
12. Maxwell Park, 4503 FlemingChildren’s playground • A few picnic tables in a shaded area
13. McCrea Park, Carson & AlisoFly casting pools • PAL program trout fishing • 777-8622
14. Pinto Rec. Area, Redwood Rd. & CrestmontSports field available by permit · 238-3496
15. Leona Heights Park, Mountain & Oak LeafOpen space, hiking
16. Concordia Park, 62nd Ave. & BrannBasketball court and baseball diamond • Tennis courtGirls Inc. program • 357-5515 ext. 18
17. Courtland Creek Park, Fairfax & CourtlandBasketball hoop • Hopscotch areaGrassy or tree-lined area along creek, Brookdale to 47th
Need more information? Check the OPR Spring& Summer 2006 brochure, call 238-PARK (7275),or visit www.oaklandnet.com/parks.Bathrooms need cleaning at OPR sites?Call 238-PARK or the Public Works call center at 615-5566.
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Summer Activities and Metro Neighborhood ParksC O M P I L E D B Y S H E I L A D ’ A M I C O
Swimming PoolsFremont Pool, 4550 Bancroft Ave., 535-5614Lions Pool at Dimond Park, #2 on map, 482-7852Mills Pool, on Mills College campus, 430-2170
Summer Activities in the Libraries
Oakland Public Library children’s reading programis a chance for young readers to check out books theywant to read and earn points toward prizes. June 10 to August 12.OPL Web site: www.oaklandlibrary.org.Books aren’t the only excitement kids can find at the library.These programs are at the Melrose and Dimond branches:
Melrose Branch Library, 4805 Foothill Blvd., 535-5623(programs at 3:30 p.m. except as indicated)East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, recycle materials into animal masks, June 21East Bay Vivarium, insects, lizards, amphibians, reptiles, June 28Daffy Dave, juggling, plate spinning, magic, July 5Comic Book Art Workshop, learn how to draw comics, July 12Wildlife Associates “Bay Area Wild,” August 2, 3 p.m.Bubble Lady, bubbles and laughs, August 9
Dimond Branch Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave., 482-7844(programs at 7 p.m. except as indicated)Magic Mike, audience participation magic & comedy, June 13Juggler Marcus Raymond, magic, juggling, comedy, June 20Opera Piccola, “Hansel & Gretel” (German folk tale), June 27Willy Claflin & Friends, storytelling, music, & puppets, July 11Castle Crafts, crafts workshop for ages six and up, July 14, 3 to 5 p.m.Daffy Dave, juggling, plate spinning, magic, July 18Oakland Zoomobile, “Animal Introductions,” July 19, 10:30 a.m.Bubble Lady, bubbles and laughs, July 25Gary Lapow sing-along, August 1Puppet Art Theater, “Tommy’s Pirate Adventure,” August 8Paper Airplane Crafts, crafts workshop for ages eight and up, August 11,3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Laurel: the Bookmobile will be in the Albertsons parking lotfrom 2 to 2:45 p.m. on June 20, July 11, and August 1.
Three Programs for Kids
Discovery Center2521 High St. • 535-5657Science workshop, inventor’s workshopLearn bike repairArt studio, potters wheel, woodworkingComputer lab
Boys & Girls Clubs3300 High St. • 535-9461Indoor sports activitiesComputer labs
Mills College • 430-3222Children’s programsSummer arts program, ages 6-12Swim, computers, drama, ages 10-12
Some Ideas for TeensCounselor in Training,Dimond Rec. Center, 482-7831
Jr. Lifeguard and lifeguardtraining, 238-2196
Roving Recreation & Summerin Service, 238-3052
Girl’s Sports Camp, 238-3497
Arts programs, 597-5027
Dance programs, 238-7217
8June/July 2006
B Y C A R O L L U N D G A A R D
Dimond Neighborhood News
that support school beautifi-cation, or would like todonate funds, please contactPrincipal Kyla Trammellat 879-1510.
Neighborhood BlockGroups
Rhoda Avenue (3500-3700)block captain Art Whitereports that they are con-tinuing efforts to get speedbumps and are only a fewsignatures short of the 67percent needed.
Rhoda will participatein the National Night Out(NNO) for the second time.They are proud to have tworepresentatives, ShelleyGardener and MichaelMunk, participating inCORE training. And theywant to nominate neighborsDuong Cong and My Tranfor an “Orchid” for beautify-ing the MacArthur end ofthe block with their charm-ing front garden at 3516Rhoda Avenue.
To start a block group,call Neighborhood WatchCoordinator Brenda Iveyat 238-3091, or [email protected].
Artistic PleasuresA celebration of Dimondartist Debbie Koppman’sbeautiful new mural nearthe eighth-gradeportablesat Bret Harte Middle Schoolwas held Saturday, May 13.Thanks to all who assisted,including Sharon Higgins;art teacher Ms. Brubakerand her students, whocreated sketches that wereincorporated into the mural;Alan Marcus, who helpedprep the wall and arrangedfor the scaffolding; MaliaDinell; Principal MaryHamadeh; Bret Harte PTA;and the East Bay Commu-nity Foundation, for fundingthis project. ————————————Visit www.dimondnews.organd join the list. Write Carolat [email protected].
t’s time for the annual ProArts East Bay Open Stu-dios, Saturdays and Sun-
days, June 3 and 4, and June10 and 11, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The artists welcome youto their studios. Look forsigns in the neighborhoods,or start with 3826 FruitvaleAvenue (between Whittleand Tiffin). The studiosrepresent a rich diversity of
Dimond artist Debbie Koppman‘s mural, “Phoenix Rising, Bret Harte Rising,” at Bret Harte Elementary School.
Neighborhood ArtistsOpen Studios
IB Y R I T A S K L A R styles and prices, and each of
the artists will have maps ofall the artists in the neighbor-hood. Whether you are nearPark Blvd, Fruitvale Avenue,Lincoln Avenue, or 35thAvenue, Route 13 or the 580Freeway, you are welcometo visit artists in their studios.Visit www.proartsgallery.orgfor more information.
Visit www.ritasklar.comto see Rita’s watercolors,current shows, and awards.
“Wait for Me,” a painting by Rita Sklar, can be seen in the Pro ArtsEast Bay Open Studios.
his summer the Mills Col-lege Art Museum presentsthe exhibition “Love and
Betrayal, Bollywood Summerat Mills.” Curated by Mary-Ann Milford Lutzker, the ex-hibit features five films span-ning 50 years of Bollywood, ascinema of India has been des-ignated. The films, Lajja (2001),Henna (1991), Dostana (1980),Guide (1965), and Mr. and Mrs.55 (1955) are centered aroundthe epic themes of love andbetrayal. The exhibit runsfrom June 20 through August6. All films will be showncontinuously throughout theday, beginning at 11:30 a.m.
This exhibition is presentedin conjunction with the UCBerkeley Art Museum’s Sum-mer Exhibition, “The Edge ofDesire: Recent Art in India.”
It is supported by the Societyfor the Art and CulturalHeritage of India.
The community is alsoinvited to the opening recep-tion and lecture, Saturday,June 24, from 4 to 5 p.m., inthe Danforth Lecture Hall.Film scholars Kristy Phillipsand Deborah Stein willpresent “The Art of Film as aCultural Mirror in India.” Theopening reception follows thelecture and will be held in theArt Museum from 5 to 7 p.m.
Admission is free. Formore information, call themuseum at 430-2164.
Films from India at MillsBY HALONA NORTON-WESTBROOK
T
Farmer Joe’sDon’t miss the celebrationfor the opening of FarmerJoe’s on Saturday, June 24,10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the park-ing lot between ChampionSt. and Fruitvale Ave. (Seestory page 1.)
Dimond ImprovementAssociation
The DIA Business SupportCommittee and the DimondBusiness and ProfessionalAssociation have formedteams to work for the benefitof the business district. Theteams will address makingthe Dimond a destination,attracting new business,and cleanliness. To joinone of these teams, [email protected].
The clean team willsteam-clean sidewalks(equipment donated byBooker Clark of First Build-ing Maintenance), pullweeds, clean tree wells,garden, and pick up trashthe last Saturday morningof each month, staging fromthe Giant Burger parkinglot. Next scheduled cleanupis June 24 (coinciding withthe Farmer Joe’s openingday celebration), from 7 to10 a.m.
National Night OutThe Dimond will participatein the 23rd annual event(www.nationalnightout.org)on Tuesday, August 1, tostrengthen neighborhoodspirit and police-communitypartnerships, and to senda message to criminals thatneighborhoods are orga-nized and fighting back.
Contact Ed Goehring,[email protected], toparticipate.
Dimond PublicSafety Council
The DPSC participated in a
citywide disaster drill onApril 29. Chair Ed Goehringreports.
In addition to walkie-talkie tests, Dimond sawwell executed drills by theCORE groups on Everett,Laguna/Hearst, andWhittle/Forest Hill. Specialthanks to neighbors SoraCounts and Joan Cardellino,Robin Goodfellow, thefirefighters of Station 16,and the CORE groups fortheir participation and help.
Contact Ed Goehring [email protected].
Sequoia ElementarySchool
The school is in immediateneed of two new playgroundstructures, with the ultimategoal to beautify the entireplayground. They need toraise $100,000 for the play-ground structures, matting,and installation, and areplanning a combination offundraisers, grants, and do-nations. They have raised$9,000 to date. If you havegrant writing experience,know of specific foundations
Popular Dimond Recreation Center instructor and coach BirrelNicholson, with kids who love him. He’s not retiring.
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June/July 2006
9
METROCLASSIFIED ADS
INSTRUCTION
RENTALS
Interior Painting. Jacob Hart,530-6247. Lic.#705262.
S.I. Computers. Repairs/Upgrades/Retail. Hablamos Español. 510-530-0204, 2710 MacArthur Blvd, Oak-land, www.sicomputers.net
Antique Repair & Finishing. Experi-enced and knowledgeable. All typesof furniture. New finishes, repairs,waxing, p/u & delivery available.Family-run since 1990. E-mail pic-tures for estimates and [email protected],or call 510-534-0603.
Overwhelmed by clutter? Re-locating? As featured on HGTV,NPR, and the Chronicle, ShipShapeoffers expert, simple solutions towhat goes where. We will cutthrough clutter, defrazzle moves,and restore simplicity and peaceof mind to busy lives. Home/Office/Packing and more. Freephone consult at (510) 533-0375,www.shipshape.com.
Affordable local licensed therapist.Individual, couple, family, and childtherapy for the Metro/Oakland com-munity. Everyone needs help some-times. Supportive, practical, slidingscale. Helen Montgomery Lockwood,MFT #27283, (510) 874-4722.
Selling your home? Want morecash for the sale? Want to sellwithout using a real-estate agent?Don’t want the hassle of sellingon your own? Call Sara R. Wynneat (510) 410-6807.
Quality Gardening. Skilled mainte-nance, cleanups, aesthetic pruning,planting, irrigation, roses, fruit trees,edibles, etc. Organic practices, 13years in Easy Bay, local references,free estimates. Green’s Gardens(510) 593-3490.
Nailphoria, Inc. and more. Mani-cure and pedicure. Massages: hour,30, or 15 minutes. Skin/waxing com-ing soon. Call 893-2181, or visitwww.nailphoria.com.
SERVICES (continued)
Mendocino coast cottage: Charmingfurnished 1BR plus living-room sofabed, fireplace, fully equipped kitchen.Minimum 3 days $90/day, $550/week, (510) 482-5577.
Spring Special! $850 spacious 1-bed-room w/balcony apartment located inthe Dimond District. View and court-yard. $500 OFF the first month. Con-tact CWP 510-482-9540.
Bernice & Joe Playschool. For nearly25 years, play-based learning in ourearthquake retrofitted home-like cen-ter near Mills College. The park-likequarter-acre setting has pine andfruit trees, vegetable garden, red-wood playhouse, 20-foot sailboat,two-story wooden rocket ship,outdoor art and block rooms.Curriculum includes pre-reading, pre-math enrichment, field trips, F.I.T.gymnastics, music and Spanish les-sons. Emphasis put on socialization,verbalization. Sibling discount.Lunch, snacks provided. Ages 2 to 5years. License #010214258. Bro-chure. (510) 638-3529. Visit us atwww.berniceandjoe-playschool.com.
Saxophone & Piano. Play music forthe joy of it! Have fun learning jazz,blues, improvisation. Patient, support-ive teacher. Ages 10 & up. Special-ity: Adult beginners. Eva 436-0504.
Piano lessons. Classically trained pia-nist with 30 years’ teaching experi-ence in a variety of styles. Age 7and up. Free interview, lesson. An-drea Simms, 510-336-1556.
SERVICES
African-American manicurist,located in the Laurel District,specializing in manicures, pedicuresw/paraffin wax treatments, sculp-tured nails, silk and fiberglass wraps.Over 15 years experience and ser-vice in this area. Call (510) 482-3229 for appointment.
NeighborhoodDisaster Drill
It was a dark and stormynight. No, wait, it was a grayand cloudy Saturday morningwhen we gathered at MaxwellPark School in the IncidentCommand Center. A statusboard on the wall, sign-insheet on the team-assignmenttable, and two-way radioswith fresh batteries werewaiting. First-aid supplies,food, safety vests, and flash-lights were in their places.All was ready—well, almostready—when the radio crack-led to life: “There has beena severe earthquake; thereis widespread damage tobuildings and freeways “
The classroom heldwilling volunteers ready toplay a part in the citywideearthquake drill. Team assign-ments were handed out: inci-dent commander, assistantcommander, and five teams—communications, damageassessment, hazard reduction,first aid, and search andrescue. I got to be incidentcommander, with TimWilhelmz as assistant. Ourjob was to determine and
coordinate team activities.Alice Ross-Leon and
Joe Davis were the commu-nications team, setting outfor the fire station on HighStreet. Their job was to main-tain a link with the com-mand center in order toreport serious damage tothe fire department. Whenwe didn’t get word backfrom them, Adelle Foleywalked to the fire station todetermine where the recep-tion could be restored.
Damage-assessmentteams were sent out tothe neighborhood to lookfor damage caused by theearthquake. Bright-greendamage scenarios wereposted on telephone polesin our target area. (NickStoughton braved the darkof night to post them thenight before the drill.)
When a team spotted ascenario, their job was to callit in to the command centerwith their two-way radios soit could be posted on the sta-tus board. Damage such as“unsafe building with dam-aged chimney,” “smell of gasfrom house,” “house on firefour houses away,” “scream-ing coming from the base-ment,” “injured people incar with downed power lineon the roof” were reported.
Hazard-reduction teamswere sent out to specific ad-dresses to turn off damagedutilities, clear debris, andrope off hazards. When theycompleted an assignment,
B Y S A R A H H I P O L I T O
Maxwell Park Neighborhood News
they radioed into the com-mand center or returned totake a rest break.
Search-and-rescue teamsperformed rescue operationsafter checking houses to seeif they were safe to enter.If not, they called out tothe trapped victims tellingthem to wait until theycould be rescued.
First-aid teams wereassigned to aid victims whowere not trapped, transport-ing them to the first-aidcenter to have their woundstreated or stabilized.
After an hour and ahalf of our mock disasteractivities, we gathered inthe classroom to evaluatethe exercises. NivieceRobinson, Mills PublicSafety Operations Superin-tendent, and Oakland FireDepartment Deputy ChiefJames Williams gave usfeedback based on theirobservations.
Between professionalfeedback and our own expe-riences, we learned how wecould do better next time.
Who knew that prepar-ing for a disaster could in-volve so much fun?
For free disaster prepara-tion classes, contact Citizensof Oakland Respondingto Emergencies (CORE)at [email protected] or238-6351. For more informa-tion, contact the MaxwellPark Emergency ResponseTeam (MPERT) at [email protected].
CORE members in the Incident Command Center at Maxwell Park School.
CLASSIFIED RATES The rate for classified ads is $.50per word. Discounted prices available for five- and ten-issuefrequencies. Please type or write your copy clearly and mail itwith your check to The MacArthur Metro, P.O. Box 19406,Oakland, 94619. Deadline is the 15th of the month. Forclassified-ad frequency discounts and display-ad information,please contact Krista Gulbransen at 287-2655, fax: 291-2944.
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interview and photograph thewomen of Oakland, devel-oped a new perspective ontheir parents’ culture and thedifficulties of immigration.The interviews that they col-lected and composed accom-pany the portraits, expressingthe stories of the 20 womenboth visually and in words.
The portraits are on dis-play at Fruitvale PresbyterianChurch through July, whereyou can view them and readthe stories of the women.For more information,visit the church Web site(www.fvpc.org), or you cane-mail Susannah EloysePrinz at [email protected].
Prinz PortraitsC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 5
10June/July 2006
Calendar of Community EventsB Y M A R I L Y N G R E E N , C O O R D I N A T O R
The MacArthur Metro calendar welcomes a range of listings. Weemphasize community meetings and actions that address neighborhoodconcerns as well as cultural events that enrich our lives.
To have your event listed, please contact Marilyn Green no later thanthe 12th of the preceding month at 531-9233 or [email protected].
June and July 2006
Ongoing Events and Meetings
St. Jarlath Senior Center: Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Fruitvaleand Pleasant. 532-2068
Family Storytime: Tuesdays, 7 to 7:30 p.m., Dimond Library,3565 Fruitvale. Six-year olds and younger, and adults. 482-7844
Fruitvale Presbyterian Church Senior Center: Wednesdays,8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., 2734 MacArthur Blvd. 530-0915
Preschool Storytime: Wednesdays except June 21, 10:30 to11 a.m., Dimond Library, 3565 Fruitvale. Three- to five-year-olds.482-7844
Maxwell Park Neighborhood Council: Wednesdays, June 14and July 12, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Maxwell Park School Library,4730 Fleming at Monticello. www.maxwellparknc.com
Melrose/High Hopes NCPC (beat 27X): Thursdays, June 15 andJuly 20, 7 p.m., Horace Mann School, Congress and Ygnacio.
MacArthur Professional Alliance: Friday, June 16, noon,Phnom Penh Restaurant, 3912 MacArthur [email protected]
Friends of Sausal Creek: Wednesday, June 21, 7 to 9 p.m.,Dimond Library, 3565 Fruitvale Avenue. Eleanor Dunn, presidentof Friends of Sausal Creek, discusses the early history of SausalCreek and the Dimond. 501-3672 [email protected]
Laurel Village Association: Thursdays, June 29 and July 27, 7p.m. to 8:30 p.m., World Ground Café, 3726 MacArthur Blvd.www.LaurelVillage.org
Friends of Dimond Library: Saturday, July 8, 11:30 a.m.,Dimond Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave. 531-2690
June/July Events
East Bay Open Studios: Saturdays and Sundays, June 3, 4, 10,and 11, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., various locations. Local artists willshow their work. Each artist will have maps of other open studiosin the neighborhood. www.proartsgallery.org or 763-4361
Healthy Aging Conference: Sunday, June 4, 1 p.m., FruitvalePresbyterian Church, 2735 MacArthur Blvd. Topics includeDurable Power of Attorney for Health Care, shared decisionmaking with your physician, California law affecting yourautonomy in decision making, and dietary and exerciseconsiderations as we age. 530-0915
Spaghetti Feed: Friday, June 9, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., BjornsonHall, 2258 MacArthur Blvd. Fundraiser for Sequoia Schoolplay structures; raffle and silent auction. Buy tickets from Sequoiafamilies or school office.
Future of Melrose Library: Saturday, June 10, 2 p.m., 48th Ave.and Foothill. Discuss plans for our branch library.
Film Series at Mills: June 20 to August 6, 11:30 a.m.,Art Museum, 5000 MacArthur Blvd. “Love and Betrayal:Bollywood Summer at Mills,” a series of five films spanningfifty years of Bollywood cinema, shown continuously.Refreshments; free. 430-2164
Film History Lecture: Saturday, June 24, 4 to 5 p.m., DanforthLecture Hall, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd. “The Art ofFilm as a Cultural Mirror in India,” film scholars Kristy Phillipsand Deborah Stein. Opening reception, 5 to 7 p.m.
Farmer Joe’s Dimond Market Grand Opening: Saturday, June 24,10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 3425 Fruitvale Avenue, parking lot. Musicand dance entertainment, barbecue, community servicesinformation.
Bill Jackman Trio: Sunday, June 25, 4 p.m., St. Lawrence/St.Cyril, 3725 High St. Benefit concert, classic jazz, Latin, swing,and ballad. Donation: $10 adults, $7 students, $5 age 14 andunder.
Summer of Discovery Camp: June 26 to August 18, 8 a.m. to 5p.m., Allendale Recreation Center, 3711 Suter St. Day camp for6- to 11-year-olds. $65/week for residents. Swimming, painting,playing softball, kayaking, sculpting, rock climbing, field trips;
just spent a glorious, magi-cal, long-awaited sunnyday working in the garden,
and I can’t even tell you whatI did. The rain did wondersfor so many things. The sweetpeas have grown six feet al-ready, and the Fourth of Julyclimbing rose thinks it’s July.Pathways need clearing,veggies need planting, andthe birdbaths are looking forcustomers.
You can still plant late andshort-season varieties of toma-toes. Celebrity is a good short-season tomato, as is Sungold,an abundant and luscious-tasting cherry variety. Sun-golds ripen fast (57 days) andbear through November un-less the weather gets too cold.
To Bamboo orNot to Bamboo
I decided the time had come
TheImperfectGardener
AdinaSara
to eradicate a 15-foot wall ofbamboo. I noticed that it wasnot only blocking the wintersunsets, but also tramplinga huge sunny corner thatcould be perfect for climbingvegetables, that is, if the sunever decided to return. Theground was so moist thatthe task of digging out thebamboo seemed like it wouldbe easy, even fun.
One broken pick and sev-eral weekends of two strongmen later, the task was notclose to being over. Bamboocorms are thick and deep,and they do not go gently.
It was then that an e-mailcame over the miraculousMetro Garden Club network.A neighbor couple washoping to find some bambooto shield their garden froma rude billboard. I respondedinstantly, telling them theycould help themselves toall the bamboo they wanted,provided that they dig it up,adding it probably was nota good idea to plant the mon-sters directly in the ground.They agreed.
And so they came, picksin hand, to score what theykept insisting were hundredsof dollars worth of bamboo.I felt guilty watching themgrunting and sweating theirway around the impossiblygnarled bamboo bed. Ioffered refreshments, someextra iris, by way of consola-tion, but they didn’t needconsolation. They weregiddy, like miners who
just hit the mother lode.Several wheelbarrows
later, the happy couple filledtheir hatchback to the lastinch with bamboo shoots,and I began to imagine thepossibility of scarlet runnerbeans and sugar snap peasclimbing freely against theback fence. We tripped overour thank yous, each thinkingwe had just scored an unbe-lievable victory.
This is gardening, andneighboring, at its best.One gardener’s headacheis another gardener’sdream come true. [email protected], and askto be added to the growinglist of enthusiastic gardeningneighbors. We may nevercompletely replace the needto spend money at nurseries,but we can come pretty close.
More Plant SwappingThe 14th annual San LeandroPlant Swap will be held Sun-day, June 4, from 11 a.m. to3 p.m., at 182 Sunnyside Dr.,San Leandro. Bring indoor,outdoor, and ornamentalplants, seeds, bulbs, and cut-tings that you don’t want,and take homes ones youdo. The swap also is good forgarden rock, compost, andmiscellaneous gardeningequipment. Bring a bag lunchif you plan to spend the day.Extra chairs and tables are al-ways welcome. Call RoseRiskind, 638-6903, for moreinformation.
I
lunch and snacks included. Register at 535-5635 orwww.oaklandnet.com/parks/registration/default.asp.
Ragtime: Friday to Sunday, July 7 to 16, 8 p.m., WoodminsterAmphitheater, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road. Musical based onDoctorow’s novel.
Dimond Picnic: Sunday, July 16, 11 to 3 p.m., Dimond Park.Magic Dan the Magician, games, free BBQ.
The King and I: Friday to Sunday, August 4 to 13, 8 p.m.,Woodminster Amphitheater, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road.
Laurel residents Domenick and Jean Inferrera with Metro at Greek theatre, Taorminda, Sicily, Italy.
THE METRO GETS AROUND
Calendar continued from left
continued at right
SUPPORTMETRO
ADVERTISERS!
SHOP OAKLAND!
June/July 2006
11
Laurel District AssociationPhillis Robbiano
David J. PittaPat Sawanwatana
Ignacio De La FuenteKitty Muntzel
Trudi & Don RobinsonSister Marie de Porres Taylor
Bonnie HenriquezGary Harris
Linda & Jacob HartKate Phillips
The Banh FamilyLeslie Bialik & Gene Tucci
Victoria WakeMary Ader
Adrienne DeBisschopElizabeth Callaway
Tom George & JoAnn YoshiokaMary SeastrandMark BaldwinGraham CarterCeleste BurtonKeiko Shimada
Robert M. PetersenMarion Blackmer
Christine & Andrew CohnNancy Cowan
Barbara A. GinsbergRuth Malone
Millicent Morris-ChaneyJoan MorrowLaurie Umeh
C. A. & P. Magnuson-PeddleSonja Proulx
Diane & Charles TrostKathleen RolinsonDr. Susan Harman
Scheberies, Inc.Alice Grace LapinNancy Sidebotham
Sharon TothHelen & William R. Shyvers. Jr.
Susan Audap & Dick PageDimond Improvement
Association, Inc.Shoshana & Dave FinacomMargaret Welch & Fruitvale
Presbyterian ChurchMike FerroBen Visnick
Carolyn VallergaNancy & Vic MiloslavichJanet & John BroughtonRichard & Nancy Banker
Hung Liu & Jeff KelleyPhillip W. Wong
Marcia Henry & Gary DelgadoLisa Ruhland
Karen Marie SchroederDolphin Waletzky
Nancy Scott-Ince &William A. Ince
Jacquelyn & Eugene CrenshawHamachi & Wasabi
Richard L. WeinsteinRoussel Sargent
Knud DanildJoan Dark & C. Falloon
Deborah CooperElaine Lyford-Nojima &
Dana NojimaSusanne Lea & Russell BrunoLydia Palmin & Tom Daley
Richard CowanSusan & William Bagnell
Claude & John ElkJohn Coffey
Diane Earl McCanDavid Vahlstrom/Laurel
Hardware
The Metro acknowledges contributionsof $50 or more by listing your name orbusiness as a Money Honey for 10 issues.You keep our paper alive and well.
MONEYHONEYS
Lincoln Square mer-chants have called togetherthe Oakland Police Depart-ment and Safeway manage-ment to put a stop to rowdy,drunken, late-night parking-lot parties outside the LincolnSquare Safeway store.
Lisa Sidorsky callsour attention to the absenceof utility lines in the contem-porary photos accompanyingthe “Looking Back and Driv-ing Forward” article in theMay Metro. Buried linesmake a much better environ-ment, she notes.
Kudos to OaklandPublic Theater. Fruitvale resi-dent and artistic directorNorman Gee shares the newsthat OPT will presentDeontay Wilson’s AmericanLimbo at the Magic Theater inSan Francisco, June 15 to 25.
This is the first time our localtheater has had that re-nowned venue. Call or e-mailfor the Metro special: 2 for$15, or 3 for $20, on openingweekend—[email protected] or534-9529.
McCrea Park, perfectfor a walking or sitting medi-tation during the week, be-comes a lively place on Satur-days when the Oakland FlyCasting Club is present. Thisgenerous group offers freelessons on third Saturdays.But head to the casting poolson any Saturday for castingtips and practice.
The Metro is a memberof the Neighborhood NewsNetwork, a coalition of non-profit newsletter and news-paper publications in Oak-land. In May NNN heard the
latest on the Oak to 9thproject. At past meetings,emergency preparednessrepresentatives gave theirlatest updates, and one publi-cation shared operationaltips. If your organization pub-lishes a newsletter, and youwant to learn more, [email protected] NNN in the subject line.
Don’t throw out thoseold bikes or bike parts. Cyclesof Change can use them, es-pecially middle-school kids’mountain bikes with 24- to26-inch wheels. Call 919-7679.
Pat Sawanwatanawonders why, on street-sweeping day, parking en-forcement seemed to make abeeline to ticket the one carparked in his block, then wentright past more than 15 carsparked down the street?
By Toni Locke and Sheila D’Amico
Allendale SchoolC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1 2
families from various coun-tries around the world.
In an effort to reach outand to be inclusive of all ofthe families, Thomasbergerhired Marta Viteri as familyliaison. Viteri works as aconsultant to OUSD andspecializes in communitybuilding and violence pre-vention. One of her objectivesis to increase interactionbetween the school and thehome. Another is to encour-age families to put Allendalefirst on their school listduring Oakland’s new open-enrollment period. Withmore choices between publicand private schools in thearea and with the generalshrinking enrollment inOUSD schools, Allendalecan accommodate four moreclasses of students.
Viteri is also initiatingdiscussions about establish-ing a preschool on theAllendale campus in order toserve the needs of families inthe neighborhood. She says,“With such a caring staff andwith Mr. Thomasberger’scommitted investment inthe school, Allendale is agem.” If you’d like to visitAllendale, call 879-1010 foran appointment.
Earth Day volunteers at Peralta Creek, Wisconsin Street & Rettig Avenue—a grass-roots park calledNEWT. Photos by Bob and Veronica Vaughan (who generously had a barbecue after the clean-upto reward all the volunteers at this and other Laurel Earth Day sites).
EARTH DAY 2006HelpYour
MetroGet
AroundAsk for a bundle of25 or 50 papers
to deliver door-to-door,once a month.
Peter Bond,distribution manager,will bring them to you.
You can thensay to yourself:
1.I have strengthened
the safety net ofneighborhood
friendship.
2.I have exercised
and burned calories.
3.I have a hearty
appetite for my nextmeal.
Contact Peter Bond: [email protected]
Do it,and take credit!
12June/July 2006
emember the generationwhen kids walked toschool and there was
always a school nurse and alibrarian? Hard to believe,but public schools like thisstill exist in Oakland, rightin our community. AllendaleElementary School is an oasisin an ever-changing neighbor-hood, with enough fundingto ensure services to kids andfamilies. Children like MalikShaheed in Ms. Anderson’sclass say, “Look at this school!Allendale has pride inside,”and Julie Ho in Ms. De LaCruz’s class thinks, “Allendalealways gets an A.”
The school has been work-ing hard on its “A-List” statuswith students. Over the lastfive years, Allendale has raisedstandardized test (API) scores
a whopping 154 points, andunder the leadership of newprincipal, Steve Thomasberger,the goal is to go much higher.Thomasberger, who startedat Allendale last year, believesthat cultivating a sense ofschool pride and commitmentamong students, families,and teachers is key to success.He asks kids, “Whose namecomes up first when peoplelook up Oakland schools onthe Internet?” and explainstheir shared responsibilityof making Allendale a greatschool on paper and in person.
With a brand-new com-puter lab and playgroundon the campus; an adult-to-student ratio of one to ten;a wide variety of accessiblelearning support services,special education, and enrich-ment programs that includethe fine arts and science all in a Allendale kids enjoy each other’s company.
DEN
ISE
DA
VILAAllendale School: At the Top of the List
B Y D E N I S E D A V I L A diverse community, Allendalehas a lot to offer on paper.And, in person, the teachersand staff make all the differ-ence, especially the “riveting”ones, who “enable the rest ofour teachers and staff to blos-som and to make sure that thekids blossom,” Thomasbergertells the Metro. He sees educa-tion like a performance artin which practitioners modeland learn techniques from eachother. In turn, he is focusedon fostering teacher collegialityat Allendale by establishingcollaborative, grade-level plan-ning times and ensuring thatall his teachers receive addi-tional District training in help-ing students who are learningto speak the English languageat school. Approximately60 percent of the children atAllendale are from immigrant
continued on page 11
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