There’s no shortage of Halloween happenings in the neighborhood this year, including screenings of the original “Halloween” film from 1978 at the Balboa, and plenty of family-friendly parties and festivals. Have a spooktacular Halloween!

Sarah B.

YMCA Medieval Adventure Halloween Festival | October 26, 5:30-8pm
360 18th Avenue
The Richmond District YMCA will take you back to medieval times with princes, princesses, dragons, and castles. Featuring activities for toddlers through middle school like bouncy castles, S’mores, palm reading, healthy halloween treats, pumpkin carving and more. Entry is $5 per child which includes a pumpkin. View event flyer

Supernatural Halloween Party at the Academy of Sciences | October 27, 6:30-9:30pm
The Academy’s annual Halloween party is full of haunted treats including live animal demonstrations, musical performances, arts and crafts, trick or treating, pumpkin carving demonstrations, face-painting, “A Haunted Tour of the Night Sky” in the planetarium and more. $50 for adults, $35 for children; children under age 1 are free. Tickets available online

Helluva Halloween 5K Costume Run | October 27, 9:30am
Polo Fields, Golden Gate Park
Throw on a costume and race in the first annual halloween 5k presented by MadDash. There will be plenty of entertainment after the race ends, including a costume contest, beer & wine garden, local eats, live music and DJ, cash raffle, kid zone with spooktacular activites for children 12 and under, and more. Advance registration is $30 or $35 the day of race. All ages, runner and walkers are welcome.

Scary Story Night at the Bazaar Cafe | October 27, 7pm
5927 California Street
For many years radio journalist/playwright Peter Finch and his wife Alice hosted a Scary Story Party at their San Francisco home. Last year they brought it to the Bazaar Cafe. Everyone is invited to show up and share a story, song, or performance piece, as long as it is original, and it’s not too long (3-10 minutes). Costumes are optional. All are welcome, even if they don’t bring a story.

Many Haunts of the Richmond District Neighborhood Center | October 28, 12:30-3:30pm
RDNC, 741 30th Avenue near Cabrillo
Children and their families are invited to come in costume and explore the Richmond District Neighborhood Center, transformed into a haunted wonderland complete with games, attractions, baked sale and fortune tellers. Visit the spooky-but-not-scary Building B, make experiments with different potions in the witches’ and wizard’s school, and enjoy a full brew of games, activities and fun. FREE! View event flyer

Really Freakin’ Scary Stories” at the Library | October 30, 5pm
351 9th Avenue
The Richmond District Branch Library is haunted! Come hear gruesome stories to give you nightmares. For children and teens ages 10 and up, no exceptions.

HALLOWEEN NIGHT EVENTS

“Halloween” the original movie at the Balboa Theater | October 30 & 31, 10pm
The 1978 classic “Halloween” is back in theaters for two nights only at the Balboa. A psychotic murderer institutionalized since childhood for the murder of his sister, escapes and stalks a bookish teenage girl and her friends while his doctor chases him through the streets. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis (and that creepy theme music!!!). Purchase advance tickets online ($10, $7.50 for children and seniors)

22nd & California Haunted House | October 31, starts at 6pm (be in line by 9pm to get in)
Don’t miss this neighborhood tradition when the basement of Appel & Dietrich market is transformed into a haunted house. Start your adventure with a slide ride that descends you into the depths of scary! This year’s theme is under the sea, so be on the lookout for nasty sea creatures, haunted sea caves and other ghoulish delights. And whatever you do, don’t try to steal the treasure… Free admission, all ages welcome.

Trick-or-Treat Thing at Frankenart Mart | October 31, 5:30-9pm
This funky, hands-on art gallery/experiment at 515 Balboa always has something cookin’ for Halloween. “This year’s theme is the theft of our electoral system – pretty scary. We will also be collecting signatures for a presidential petition to push the end of Daylight Savings Time back a week or two (blame Bush), so it’s actually frackin dark on Halloween. Trick-or-treating in broad daylight is wimpifying our nation. Candy available to SuperPACs.” They also welcome zombie participants – “Come dressed as a corporate zombie anytime to join our fright fest.”

This Saturday, LEAP will hold their 29th annual Sandcastle Contest for elementary schools. Each year, LEAP teams up architects, designers, contractors, corporations, engineers and local elementary school students for the contest.

Before the event, teams meet with students in the classroom to develop ideas based on a set theme. Plans are finalized, clay models are shaped, team structure and schedules are defined, and tasks are assigned, all in preparation for the big day.

On Saturday morning, the teams and students will arrive and await the whistle that signals the start of the contest at 10am. From there, four hours of intensive building begins and results in over two dozen creatures and structures all made from sand.

This year’s theme is “Leap Year 2012 (things that jump)!” so be prepared for lots of frogs and other jumpy characters. Two of our own neighborhood schools will be in the competition – Lafayette Elementary and George Peabody.

Teams and sponsors involved in last year’s Sandcastle Contest raised $205,000, which goes towards funding LEAP’s programs which serve over 8,000 students in over 40 schools across the Bay Area with hands-on learning experiences in the arts.

Stop by Ocean Beach on Saturday between 10am and 4pm to watch the action – it’s free! If you just want to see the finished designs, we recommend arriving after 2pm.

Sarah B.

Next Tuesday night, the Balboa Theater (3630 Balboa) will host a free viewing party for the Presidential Debate, beginning at 6pm. Admission is free.

Sarah B.

The proposed residential apartments that would be built on the lot behind the Alexandria on 18th Avenue

The agenda has been set for the meeting this Friday night regarding the Alexandria Theater development project, which begins at 6pm at the Richmond District YMCA on 18th Avenue.

Mary Woods from the Planning Department will be there to explain the process for moving the plans through city channels, and members of the ownership group and architects will be there to present the plans and answer questions.

We were also provided with a more complete PDF of the development’s plans, which includes an illustration of the residential apartments that would be built on the back lot on 18th Avenue. The first level of that residential complex would be retail space, with parking underground for residents and shoppers.

The document also includes schematics of the first and second floor of the theater building, which as discussed in the past, would house retail stores on the first level, with a 211 seat theater and a full service restaurant on the second level. The design features open walkways on both sides of the interior of the building so when you’re on the second level, you can see down to below.

Original architectural elements of the art deco building would be preserved, including the domed roof that was part of the original theater before it was sectioned off when it became a multiplex. The ornamental decoration on the facade of the theater building would also remain, including the blade sign (though the 1-2-3 numbers would be removed from the sign, an addition made in 1976).

The plans also indicated that some (or all?) of the original murals inside the building would also be preserved and on view.

To get all the details about the Alexandria development, and ask questions of the developers and architects, stop by the meeting tomorrow night from 6pm until 8pm. We hear snacks will even be provided.

Sarah B.

MEETING AGENDA
6:00-6:10     Seating
6:10-6:15     Eric Mar: Introductions
6:15-6:25     Mary Woods: Explaining the process
6:25-7:00     Ownership Group and Jonathan Pearlman, ELEVATIONarchitects: Description
7:00-8:00     Audience questions

The Alexandria Theater, 1942

A wild otter frolicks in the sun at Sutro Baths on Wednesday. Photo by Natures Lantern

TGI-A-F. Here are some local links to get you there faster…

• Reminder: Friday night is the meeting about the status of the Alexandria Theater development. 6pm until 8pm at the Richmond District YMCA, 360 18th Avenue. Stop by to see the latest plans and talk to the developers and architects.
• Free admission to the Academy of Sciences this weekend for our ‘hood! Adults with a valid ID that shows 94118 or 94121 on it can get free admission on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Each visiting adult is limited to six children for free entry. Check the website for full details.
• Like to plan ahead? The Richmond District Branch Library is offering a free seminar on will writing on October 15 from 2 to 3:30pm. Stuart Bronstein, an estate planning and probate lawyer in San Francisco, will help participants create fully-functional wills. Advanced registration is required so please call 355-5600 to sign up.
• The Lincoln Park Steps Restoration Project is still underway, and organizers are in full fundraising mode (view letter). They need to raise their own matching funds to secure a $187k grant from the city’s Community Opportunity Fund. And they only have until December 31 to make it happen. To make your donation and for more information visit the project website. Spread the word!
• The Conservatory of Flowers is hosting their final after-hours 21+ event, Going Extinct!, on Thursday, October 18 from 6 to 10pm. “Enjoy this last chance to sip some suds by local brewers as you wander a primordial paradise of plants. Dress in “cave couture” to get a free drink ticket, and strike a prehistoric pose in our Photobooth with all your neanderthal friends.” The first 200 attendees can also build and take home their own mini terrarium courtesy of Urban Bazaar. $5 admission.
• Things we already know: 7×7 Magazine called the blocks of Clement between 3rd and 5th Avenues “badass”, calling out Park Life (“their quirky boutique items, magazines and books that always inspire and amaze”), Q Restaurant (“You can’t go wrong with a huge plate of down-home food”), Seedstore (“It’s packed with colorful racks of classic Americana clothing and accessories”), Burma Superstar (“expect the food to pack a punch and taste unlike much you’ve ever put on your tongue before”), Grain D’Or (“We dig their jalapeño bread, pesto rolls, whole grain loaves, and baguettes”) and acupuncturist Johnson Yu (“people [on Yelp] rave about the acupuncture”).
• Next Saturday, October 20 is the annual Family Festival at Burke’s School (7070 California) from 10am until 4pm. Stop by for games, bouncy houses, shopping, a giant slide, festival treats, food trucks and much more (our personal favorite is the goldfish toss – everyone wins!). Parking can get tough around the school so try to walk or bike to the festival to save yourself the headache.

The election is just weeks away and while we’re all focused on the Presidential race, there’s a very important race going on right here in the neighborhood for who will be our next Supervisor.

Next Wednesday night, a “Candidate Forum” (debate?) will be held for candidates in the District 1 Supervisor race – incumbent Supervisor Eric Mar, David Lee and Sherman DSilva.

The event is being put on by the Planning Association for the Richmond (PAR) and the League of Women Voters.

To find out more about each candidate, visit their websites:

Sherman DSilva
David Lee
Supervisor Eric Mar

The event will take place at the Richmond Recreation Center, 251 18th Avenue from 7pm until 8:30pm.

Sarah B.

This Saturday from 10am until 6pm is Star of the Sea School’s Annual Fall Festival, taking place on 8th Avenue between Clement and Geary.

The festival is in its 40th year and is a great time for families, featuring food, games, face-painting, crafts, a bouncy house, live entertainment and more.

Returning again this year is the “Touch-A-Truck” area where kids can climb in and play with all kinds of cool trucks from the SFPD, SFFD and other city agencies.

Entry to the festival is free, with food and game tickets starting at $.50. Entry to the Touch-A-Truck area is $10 for unlimited access.

On Saturday, the school is also hosting an Italian pasta dinner fundraiser from 4pm until 7pm (dinner starts at 5:30pm). The event includes an all you can eat pasta and cash bar. Tickets to the dinner can be purchased at the festival.

Sarah B.

Roller Derby girls in Life Magazine, 1948

Arcadia Books has released a new local history book about our Roller Derby legacy, co-authored by Jerry Seltzer, the man who brought Roller Derby to the Bay Area.

Roller Derby found a home in the San Francisco Bay Area following its Depression-era Chicago origins. An early television sensation, it faded to a modest existence in Los Angeles during the 1950s. Creator Leo Seltzer turned the game over to his son Jerry, who repositioned the traveling Bay Bombers from their home terrain of San Francisco to Fresno and everywhere in-between. He shined television camera lights on skaters who became the zenith in Roller Derby, including Charlie OConnell, Annis Jensen, Joanie Weston, and more. Syndicated television games seen by millions yielded sellout crowds in every major arena in the country. However, economic and cultural changes closed Roller Derby in 1973. Passionate fans clung tenaciously to its memory. In the 21st century, the game made an astonishing return not only in Northern California but also worldwide.

Bay Area Roller Derby is full of interesting history and fantastic pictures, detailing the rise of the sport here in the Bay Area and the leagues it spurred across the country. At one time it was on 120 television stations in the US and Canada and filled Madison Square Garden, the Oakland Coliseum and Chicago White Sox Park.

Join Seltzer at Green Apple to hear about his adventures as “The Commissioner” of Roller Derby. He has a real legacy in the sport – his father Leo created the sport and first league in Chicago in 1935. Jerry Seltzer assumed ownership of the league in 1959 and ran it until its demise in 1973 (he’s even got a cool blog about the sport).

The event takes place at Green Apple Books (506 Clement) this Friday at 7pm.

Sarah B.