Hi everyone,

‘Tis the season for giving so we reached into our Richmond District Blog treasure chest to put together some fun items for this year’s giveaway. Like last year, Kookle Toys on Clement contributed a nice gift bag as well.

Here’s what’s in store for our lucky winners:

• A Kookle Toys gift pack including a Blacksmith’s Puzzle, a bag of entertaining squeeze rockets (annoy your relatives!), and other assorted fun toys.
• $50 Amazon gift certificate (our prize for being a CBS Most Valuable Blogger thanks to your votes!)
• A copy of the book “Carville-By-The-Sea”, a great 144-page photo essay on the bohemian settlement that lived in old transit cars out by Ocean Beach in the early 1900s. We’ve got two to give away.
• A Richmond District messenger bag, available from the Western Neighborhoods Project store.

And every winner also receives a Richmond District Blog t-shirt and snazzy, eco-friendly logo pen.

How to enter you ask? Just fill out this form by 5pm on Wednesday, Dec. 21 and we’ll pick five winners at random.

Good luck and Merry Christmas. And as always, thanks for reading the blog!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Louise S., Melissa B., Sharon S., Jamie O. and Jimmy L. for winning one of the prizes!

Sarah B.

Registration begins December 1 for the free weekend winter art workshops at the Richmond District Neighborhood Center for kids age 5 to 12 years. This winter’s courses include:

Saturdays in January with Donna Ozawa
Every Saturday from 1-3pm, artist Donna Ozawa will show students how to create fun artwork using a variety of mediums. Students will learn how to make marble mazes, scribble monsters, portable landscapes and cardboard automata (simple machines).

Saturdays in February with Lyall Harris
Artist Lyall Harris will lead art projects in book making, valentine’s day cards, map making and printmaking. Every Saturday in February from 10am until 12noon.

Fun with Photography Scavenger Hunt | January 15 & February 12
Photographer Jan Nicholas is back with more inventive photo challenges for young shutterbugs. Each day from 1pm until 2:30pm, kids will explore the neighborhood around the RDNC, as well as Mountain Lake Park, as they participate in a photo scavenger hunt.

To register for the free RDNC winter art workshops, download and complete the Multicultural Arts Program application and turn it in at the RDNC offices at 741 30th Avenue, or fax it to 751-5606. You can also register by phone at 751-6600.

There is a limit of two workshops per child, who must be between the ages of 5 and 12 and reside in San Francisco. Registration opens December 1 but spaces fill up fast so get your application in as quickly as you can.

Sarah B.

A tree frog at the Academy of Sciences. Photo by tibchris

This Friday through Sunday, residents living in the 94115, 94118, 94121, and 94129 can get free admission to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.

Details on how to get in:

Each visiting adult must show a valid photo ID with proof of residency. The following items or combinations are acceptable: A driver’s license or state ID card; Photo ID plus postmarked envelope, postcard, or magazine label with name and date; Photo ID plus utility bill (gas/electric/cable), bank statement, or letter from a government agency with name and home address (not a P.O. Box). Only residents from the zip codes invited on the designated dates will be admitted free of charge.

Each visiting adult is limited to six children for free entry.

The Academy is open from 9:30am until 5pm on Friday and Saturday, and from 11am until 5pm on Sunday. If you’ve got an iPhone, don’t forget to download the free Academy Insider app to enhance your visit.

Sarah B.

If you’re looking for some fun activities this weekend, stroll over to Golden Gate Park to check out these events:

Zine Fest | Saturday & Sunday, 11am – 6pm | SF County Fair Building (9th & Lincoln)
It’s the 10th anniversary of this free festival which celebrates small-press publishing, from zines and comics to art books and beyond. The Zine Fest serves as a vital showcase of the diversity, creativity, and ongoing exuberance of the small-press movement. They’ve got exhibitors, workshops (DIY Gadget Cases!), panels – plenty to keep you amused and inspired.

Doin’ It In The Park 2011 | Sunday, 12noon – 6pm | Marx Meadow
Drop in to this free, all ages event to enjoy music from some fly DJ’s, as well as some free BBQ. “Leave the negativity at home. This is a time to celebrate life, love and music with your closest friends and a chance to make new ones.” OK! Marx Meadow is located on John F. Kennedy Drive off Fulton Street between 25th and 30th Avenues.

Sarah B.

This Wednesday, July 20th is National Lollipop Day and See’s is going all out to celebrate.

See’s will give away a gourmet lollipop to every customer who visits any of its 200 stores, which includes our neighborhood store on the corner of Clement Street and 9th Avenue. They’re also offering boxes of their lollipops at reduced prices.

See’s lollipop flavors are cafe latte, butterscotch, chocolate and vanilla. They are also offering a special summer flavor: root beer.

The foodies over at the Sacramento Bee had good things to say about the limited edition lolly: “Not too sweet, but the flavor could be bolder… Very nice, not cloyingly sweet, good root beer flavor, with a touch of creaminess.”

Which flavor will you ask for when you stop in for your free lolly? See’s at 754 Clement is open from 10am until 6pm.

Special thanks to RichmondSFBlog reader Jean for the tip.

Sarah B.

• We caught Gavin Newsom skateboarding at Rochambeau; The Bay Citizen caught him wiping out
• Namu dropped from the latest 38 Essential San Francisco Restaurants list. Halu and Aziza are still on the list.
• Louis’ Restaurant announces that they will reopen on Wednesday, August 3, with plans to be open daily from 6:30am until 9pm. They also have a new website but no new menu posted yet.
• Cuteness in your pocket: Penguins in Your Pocket iPhone app released yesterday from the California Academy of Sciences. The app features live webcams in the Penguin habitat so you can tune into cute no matter where you are.
• A bison in Golden Gate Park is laid to rest. R.I.P Tenny. 6 more are coming to the paddock this year.
• Brain freeze! Free slurpee day at 7-11, next Monday July 11. Get it – free slurpees on 7/11 at 7-11! Ours is on the corner of Geary and 15th Avenue.
• Surf shop owner Bob Wise talks about the surfing legacy of Ocean Beach

A sign at Green Apple Books. Photo by _lmc

This weekend, residents that live in zip codes 94115, 94118, 94121, 94129 can get in FREE to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.

Each visiting adult must show a valid photo ID with proof of residency. The following items or combinations are acceptable: A driver’s license or state ID card; Photo ID plus postmarked envelope, postcard, or magazine label with name and date; Photo ID plus utility bill (gas/electric/cable), bank statement, or letter from a government agency with name and home address (not a P.O. Box). Only residents from the zip codes invited on the designated dates will be admitted free of charge.

Each visiting adult is limited to six children for free entry.

While you’re there, be sure to check out the new Snakes & Lizards exhibition. I recommend getting your pass to that show (and the planetarium) as soon as you arrive.

The next free weekend for our neighborhood is September 30 – October 2. Visit their website for more information on 2011 free days at the Academy.

Sarah B.

There’s been a resurgence of interest in the Playland at the Beach amusement park ever since the first documentary about its history premiered at the Balboa this time last year (DVD info).

Late last year, a new 152-page book was released by historian James R. Smith entitled San Francisco’s Playland at the Beach: The Early Years. It contains a pictorial history of the amusement park including images that have never been published.

This collection contains a comprehensive photographic record of the enthralling amusement park from its construction in 1920 through its glorious heyday in the 1930s and 1940s. Each of Playland’s famous rides receives its own chapter—including the Hippodrome Merry-Go-Round, the Merry Mix-Up, and Rocket Speedway—with photographs showing both how the rides were built and how they looked in their prime. Painstakingly researched, this book also includes chapters on the pioneering park’s attractions, arcade amusements, restaurants, and nightclubs, along with incidental photographs depicting the clothes, cars, people, and customs of the era. Describing the fun sights, sounds, and flavors, this little-known history gives readers an enchanting vision of a glamorous and care-free time.

This Saturday from 12noon until 1:30pm, author James R. Smith will be at the Main branch of the San Francisco Public Library to give a historical talk in support of his new book. Here’s your chance to ask all the questions you wanted to know about the once popular attraction that sat on the Great Highway.

The lecture will be held in the Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room B of the Main Library, 100 Larkin Street.

Sarah B.

[via SFAppeal]