Photo by sf eyes

Some local links to perk up your Wednesday afternoon:

• We got word this week from a reader that the longtime owners of Joe’s Ice Cream on Geary, Mutsuhiko and Aki Murashige, have sold the business to another family. Their last day with scoops in hand will be this Friday. They’ve owned it for 33 years. With a calculation of them working 360 days a year and scooping 25 cones a day (conservative!), between the two of them they’re probably dished out at least half a million scoops. Thank you Murashige family!
• On Thursday night from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, the Richmond District Library will screen the documentary “In Search of Good Food”, featuring Antonio Roman-Alcalá, an urban farming activist from San Francisco, on his search for the “sustainable” food system in California. Supervisor Eric Mar will be there for the post-film discussion panel.
• Welcome Ingenious Salon to the neighborhood. Located at 389 Arguello near Clement, they specialize in precision haircuts and are certified organic color specialists. Video
• This Saturday, St. James Preschool (4620 California) is having a children’s used clothing sale from 8am until 12noon, gently used clothes for kids age up to 5 years old.
• This Saturday in Golden Gate Park there is a “March to End Capitalism” leaving from the County Fair Building. “Go around back to drop acid with John Zerzan and talk about robot sex,” they include in their description. No idea WHEN the march takes place because they didn’t specify, but if you’re into that type of thing, keep an eye on the 8 Days of Anarchy website for details.
• Also on Saturday in GGP: Join Park and La Puerta de Oro from 1pm until 3pm for a celebration event at the Pioneer Log Cabin Picnic Area, just north of Stow Lake, in a joint project to renew and revive Golden Gate Park’s historic “Arch of Colonial Trees.” Planted by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1896, the “Arch of Colonial Trees” is a graceful allée of trees, each representing one of the original thirteen American Colonies. Golden Gate Park staff will gradually replace the original trees as needed. The first new trees to be dedicated will be a magnolia for South Carolina and a hemlock for Pennsylvania.
• Kookle Toys (6 Clement) will soon become “Sparky’s Toys”. That’s because Sparky’s Balloons, located right next door, has decided to expand their business.

Sarah B.

On Wednesday night, Supervisor Eric Mar, representatives from the Entertainment Commission, and the Richmond District Police Station are hosting a community meeting on nightlife and public safety.

Invited to the meeting are members of the entertainment industry, small businesses, and community groups and individuals to voice their opinions and concerns regarding community relations, entertainment, nightlife and public safety issues.

Up for discussion will no doubt be the recent conditions placed on Clement Street’s Rockit Room club by the Entertainment Commission, as well as the debate that heated up over the after-hours permit for Jack in the Box on Geary Boulevard.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday night from 5:30pm to 7pm in the Community Room at the Richmond District Branch Library, 351 9th Avenue. No RSVP is required.

Sarah B.

On Thursday, April 5, the Richmond District YMCA will celebrate 90 years in the neighborhood with a special Silent Auction event. And we’re giving away a pair of tickets!

The birthday event will be a celebration of the history of the Richmond District and the Richmond District YMCA, featuring food, drinks, exciting auction items to bid on, raffle prizes, and a short program highlighting some milestones of Richmond District history throughout the 90 years the YMCA has been in the neighborhood. The YMCA has also prepared a commemorative program with photos from the neighborhood throughout the 90 years.

All proceeds from the event go to the Richmond District YMCA’s Annual Giving Campaign, which supports their community programs.

So far the list of sponsors who have donated auction items includes Bi-Rite Market, Gaspare Pizza, Hearst Castle, iFlySF, the Oakland A’s, San Jose Sharks, VJB Winery, SF Opera and many more.

The YMCA is even offering childcare and rides home to attendees. Free childcare is available at the Richmond District YMCA branch on 18th Avenue during the event, and free rides home within the Richmond District are available from the event. To RSVP for childcare, contact Lara Rempel at lrempel@ymcasf.org by March 30th.

The silent auction event will take place at the Congregation Beth Sholom (301 14th Avenue) from 6pm until 10pm. You must be 21 or over to attend. Tickets are $25 in advance online (or at the YMCA), or $30 at the door. VIP tickets are also available for $50 and include a reserved seat, wine at your table and a gift bag.

The YMCA generously provided us with a pair of tickets to give away to a RichmondSFBlog reader. Click here to enter for a chance to win. The deadline to enter is Friday, March 30 at 5pm. We’ll pick a winner at random from the entries.

Happy 90th birthday to the Richmond District YMCA!

Sarah B.

This is for all you planners out there… This summer in June and July, the Richmond Village Beacon (part of the Richmond District Neighborhood Center) is offering two, free family trips.

The first is a free family day trip to Angel Island on Saturday, June 23rd. After taking the ferry to Angel Island they will have games, performances, food and fun. The island is a great place to explore with fun trails, beaches and lots of interesting Bay Area history.

On July 6th & 7th, join the Beacon for an urban camping trip at the Robb Hill campground in the Presidio. Nothing’s better than camping right in your own backyard! Food (hopefully smores!), equipment and accommodations will be provided.

Space is limited for both outings, so RSVP to sarah@rvbeacon.org or call 750-8554 with the ages and number of family members who will be coming.

Sarah B.

On Sunday, March 11 at 2pm, the choir from the Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Cathedral will give a performance of Sacred Choral Music.

The concert will feature the compositions and arrangements of Mikhail Konstantinov, the composer/conductor who directed the Holy Virgin Cathedral Choir for many years. The concert commemorates the 30th anniversary of his repose and will be conducted by Mikhail Konstantinov’s successor and choir director, Vladimir Krassovsky.

The performance will take place at the Star of the Sea Church, located on Geary at 8th Avenue. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students. Children under 12 are free.

Here’s a sample of the kind of choral music you’ll hear at the concert:

Eirmos to the Mother of God

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Now Lettest Thy Servant Depart

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

You can purchase tickets online in advance, at the Holy Virgin Cathedral Bookstore (6210 Geary, open Tuesday-Friday: 10:30am – 6pm, Saturday from 10:30AM – 3pm), or at the door the night of the show. Ticket purchases are tax-deductible.

Free parking is available for the event at Star of the Sea School.

Sarah B.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get back to its Richmond District backyard! Sorry, bad joke.

This Sunday from 10am until 1:30pm, the Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park is hosting a class called URBAN EGGS: Raising Chickens and Ducks in the City. This is your chance to learn what it takes to keep chickens and ducks in your own backyard.

The class will be led by Paul Glowaski of Dinner Bell Farm in Grass Valley.

Paul will cover all facets of chicken and duck farming, including raising your own chicks, shelter and coop design, feed and water requirements, disease, pest and predator information.

The cost for the class is $25 for Botanical Garden members, $35 for non-members. To register, download the form from the SFBG website. Then visit this page for details on how to turn it in.

Sarah B.

Like reading? Love chocolate too? Then this Sunday, there’s a perfect event happening for you.

It’s the San Francisco Bookstore and Chocolate Crawl, where you can spend the the day exploring the city’s great independent bookstores AND eating chocolate.

Participating bookstores include Green Apple, Booksmith, Books Inc., Adobe Books, Forest Books, Borderlands Books, Dog-Eared Books and Modern Times Bookstore.

Chocolate will be provided by some delicious companies including Coco Luxe, La Victoria Bakery, Harvest Market and more.

The crawl begins at our very own Green Apple Books at 12noon. The event is free, but you’re of course encouraged to buy some books from the participating retailers.

The event runs from 12noon until 6pm, and will take book and chocolate lovers from the Richmond DIstrict all the way to The Mission – so wear comfortable walking clothes and shoes. You can get all the details, schedule etc. on the event’s Facebook page.

Sarah B.

This Sunday night, the Balboa Theater is rolling out their own red carpet for a special viewing event. Join other movie enthusiasts to watch the live broadcast of the Academy Awards on the Balboa’s big screen.

In addition to screening the live broadcast, the Balboa is also hosting a Red Carpet event beginning at 3:30pm, inviting guests to dress “up or down as your favorite nominated movie (literal translation and bad puns allowed), or as a movie star”.

There will be prizes for the most creative costumes including movie passes, DVDs, posters, t-shirts, and much more. And whoever guess the most correct Oscar winners goes home with a VIP Season pass to the Balboa Theater.

Reed Kirk Rahlmann is back this year as the master of ceremonies at the event (Billy Crystal will be hosting the real deal). The Balboa will also be selling beer and wine for those who want to imbibe during the show.

The Oscars air at 5pm, the red carpet event begins at 3:30pm. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in advance or the night of the show.

Sarah B.