Local links: Chaplin on the Great Highway, 76 remodels, museum strike? & more

Here are a few local links to round out your Tuesday…

• @DevinMcCutchen sent us the video clip above from a 1915 Charlie Chaplin short film, “A Jitney Elopement”, that was shot in San Francisco. The second reel, featured above, features a car chase (and lots of donuts) along the Great Highway and edges of Golden Gate Park (start around the 5:00 mark). You’ll recognize the Murphy Windmill but not much else – there was nothing but sand out there at the time!
• I drove by the 76 gas station at Geary and Funston this morning and saw cyclone fencing going up around it (and cop cars supervising, not sure why). Reader Mark T. informs us that he was there last week and the staff said they are going through a remodel. So it will re-open!
• Picketers may be out in front of the de Young and Legion of Honor museums soon. SEIU Local 1021, the union of museum workers who transport, catalogue, secure and display the pieces and exhibits at the two museums, have voted to strike. Negotiations over their labor contracts, which expired in July, have been ongoing for nine months. Read more at SFAppeal, SFGate and the Examiner.
• Forest Knolls blog has some neat photos of wildlife at Stow Lake, including a sizable crayfish (I know, right?!?) and three baby Great Horned owls.
• Elderwise is looking for some volunteers in the Richmond District to participate in their Friendly Visitor Program. The free program connects trained, compassionate volunteers with lonely, isolated, and homebound seniors. Volunteer coordinator Vanessa Sacks says, “We’ve receive many referrals from RNs, social workers, etc, for seniors living in the Richmond District, but I am challenged in finding volunteers who live around here.” To learn more, contact Vanessa at vsacks@jtm-esc.org or 668-1823.
• Pretty Please Bakery should be opening its doors this week at 291 3rd Avenue near Clement, according to Grubstreet SF. “The woman behind it is pastry chef Alison Okabayashi. She had previously been running a special-order business under the name Two for Two Cakes…the new venture will feature not only wedding and event cakes, but a daily selection of individual treats and smaller cakes as well.” Yum!

Sarah B.