Wow – another year has flown by!! This year the blog got a much-needed facelift, we organized the 3rd annual Jog in the Fog 5k, we snapped pics of spirited Halloween revelers, the new soccer fields were finally completed at Beach Chalet, and as always our readers were a great source of interesting stories, photos and videos.

Below are the top 10 stories of the year. Here’s to an eventful 2016!

Sarah B.

10. Corgi’s set to take over Ocean Beach on Saturday

We don’t get to do too many animal stories here on the blog, so we were excited to hear that hundreds of low-to-the-ground Corgi’s would be taking over the beach in October. Missed it? Mark your calendars for the next one – June 25th, 2016.

9. Park Service removes garbage cans at Ocean Beach, calls it “experiment”

In a head-scratching move, the National Park Service decided to try and discourage people from littering the beach. How? By removing the garbage cans. Whether this is a genius idea or will earn entry into the Bureaucrats Hall of Fame remains to be seen. P.S. – This was also the most talked about story of 2015, with 92 comments and counting.

8. Local history group releases 1,000+ photos from Richmond District’s past

Back in January, we got our first sneak peek of what would be opensfhistory.org, a collection of thousands of old San Francisco photos from a generous but anonymous collector. A lot of them are of the west side of the city and there are some gems from Sutro Baths, Ocean Beach, Lands End and more. Browse photos by topic, event, neighborhood – even by map. We love this stuff!

7. Fresh & Easy closing all U.S. stores; 32nd Avenue location to close soon

After months of rumors and vague statements from Tesco, Fresh & Easy’s parent company, the market on 32nd Avenue finally closed its doors in November after just 3.5 years. The chain, known for its packaged produce, grab & go meals and self-checkout, just never took hold in the neighborhood.

6. Robbery and assault at San Francyclo bike shop on Monday night

Thankfully we don’t have a lot of violent crime here in the Richmond District, and it’s even more rare to catch the crime on video. But Arguello Boulevard’s San Francyclo did just that when a young man in a Bob Marley tee punched a worker at the bike shop and stole a high-end bicycle. Come to think of it, we don’t know if this guy ever got caught…

5. Nike to take over 12 blocks of Balboa for commercial shoot, Monday

Every neighborhood likes to be spotlighted, and the Richmond is no different. Readers were excited to hear that Nike would be shooting a commercial on quiet Balboa Street in June. The resulting ad (below) was a salute to marathon runners, and it sure made ol’ Balboa look pretty!

4. 4 Star Theater property for sale at $2.8 million, targeting developers

Back in June, the 4-Star Theater property at the corner of 23rd and Clement officially went on the market for just under $3 million. The listing (which is still up but with no price) was written with big thinkers in mind, touting the property’s “tremendous development potential”.

3. Hot Sauce and Panko leaving neighborhood; building to be demolished

Further proving the theory that RichmondSFBlog readers seem to care most about their stomachs, the closing of the Hot Sauce and Panko wings joint on Clement saddened readers. The building they occupy is slated for demolition and redevelopment. But don’t despair – Hot Sauce and Panko appears to be relocating into the old U-Lee space at Hyde and Jackson in early 2016.

2. Pizza Orgasmica quietly closes after years on Clement Street

Even though readers clearly weren’t eating at Pizza Orgasmica and commenters called it dirty and dingy, they were still disappointed to hear about its closure in October. No word yet on what will take over the space.

1. Lands End labyrinth vandalized

OK, ok so maybe you DO care about more than just food… Readers were outraged and saddened when the rock labyrinth at Lands End was erased by a vandal in August. That led to commenters offering to help rebuild and just a month later, roughly 200 people showed up on an overcast Sunday to help labyrinth caretaker Colleen Yerge recreate it. Well done, labyrinth lovers.