Next Saturday there are two volunteer opportunities for those looking to give back to the neighborhood. Both of these events are suitable for the whole family to chip in and help.

The Department of Public Works (DPW) is hosting a Community Clean Team event in the Richmond District from 9am until 12noon. Volunteers of all ages can help out with cleaning and greening the neighborhood including landscaping, painting over graffiti, cleaning tree basins, weeding, picking up litter, etc.

This is a great chance to get your whole family involved in helping take care of the neighborhood. The event kicks off at George Washington High School at 9am (600 32nd Ave at Cabrillo). Lunch will be served to volunteers at the end. To participate, be sure to sign up by emailing dpw@sfdpw.org or calling 641-2600.

Also on Saturday, as part of a city-wide “Love Your Parks Day”, the Friends of Mountain Lake Park and SF Parks Alliance are hosting a clean-up event and nature walk at Mountain Lake Park (Lake Street at 12th Avenue) from 10am until 1pm. Help with new plantings and cleaning the beach, followed by a “kid-friendly nature walk to learn about the lake’s history, habitat and resident critters.”

Volunteers will receive a free “Love Your Parks” t-shirt and lunch afterwards. Register online in advance to participate.

Sarah B.

This Sunday, the Legion of Honor museum is throwing an Easter celebration, in theme with its current exhibition “The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde 1860–1900″.

The event kicks off at 12noon with a free, Victorian Easter Egg hunt for kids on the front lawn of the museum. A Mad Hatter – outfitted by the A.C.T. Costume Shop – will be on hand to emcee the hunt. Bring your baskets!

Other events on Sunday include Victorian hat decorating, a screening of the animated Alice in Wonderland film, and more:

12-3:00 p.m.
Adorn your Easter hats in the Mad Hatter fashion. Petrushka of Petrushka Couture Accessories will assist museum visitors with transforming their bonnets and top hats into a colorful and crazy headdress! Don’t worry, you can put your bonnets and top hats back to “normal” after you are done impressing the Mad Hatter.

12–3:00 p.m.
Join our museum artists in Gallery 8 and create an origami Easter basket for your hunts beyond the museum.

12:00-3:00 p.m.
Paper cut-out demonstration will be given by Sara Burgess in Gallery 10. Her intricate details reflect the beautiful aesthetics of the Victorian Era.

Florence Gould Theater
1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Enjoy the 1951 classic animated version of “Alice in Wonderland.” (75 minutes) Rated: G.

Happy Easter!

Sarah B.

Photo by forte

Happy Wednesday to everyone. Here’s some local links to go with the sunshine.

• Brewster Kahle, head of the Internet Archive on Clement at Funston, was profiled in People magazine recently. “Internet entrepreneur Brewster Kahle has made it his mission to collect – and preserve – one copy of every book published”. View article
• The Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park kicked off their extended spring/summer hours. They open at 9am and last entry is at 6pm, with the garden closing at 7pm. In other news, their huge annual plant sale is coming up on May 4th and 5th.
• Looking for good kosher food? CBS News says Israel Kosher Meat, Poultry and Deli (5621 Geary) is among the best in the city. “While it has built its reputation on offering a wide selection of kosher foods, it is the matzo ball soup that has people of all religious persuasions coming to the store.”
• In a totally unrelated list, CBS News also named Purple Skunk Board Shop (5820 Geary) as one of the best skateboard shops in the city. “Come on Purple Sundays wearing a Purple Skunk tee or hoodie and get 10 percent off your purchase.”
• Get a parking ticket for not curbing your wheels properly? Think it was bogus? This article from 7×7 explains how a little math and a city map of the street grades may help you get out of it.
• The de Young Museum has contributed images of 31 works of art from its permanent collection of American Paintings to the Google Art Project. “Thanks to Google, art lovers are able—with a few simple clicks of their fingers—to discover not just paintings, but also sculpture, street art and photographs.” View the de Young Collection in the Goodle Art Project
• Summer camp registration at the Richmond District Neighborhood Center has begun. Early bird signups save $200 when they register by this Thursday, April 5. There are camps for all ages that include activities related to history, art, cooking, exploring San Francisco, outdoor education and more.

Sarah B.

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.

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.

The Richmond District Neighborhood Center is getting ready to accept signups for their Multicultural Children’s Spring Art Workshops for kids age 5 to 11.

The free workshops focus on teaching traditional and contemporary art forms from around the world. This session, kids can create robots, marionettes, paintings and more.

The following workshops will be offered:

Monsters & Robots with Michelle Chan
March 10, 17, 24, 31 from 10am-12noon
Students will learn how to create their own robots from scratch, as well as learn how to draw monsters, create robot stickers and more.

Recycled Art with Cathy Lu
April 14, 21, 28 from 1-3pm
Cathy will show students how to create masks, marionettes and flowers out of recycled materials.

Watercolors with Gage Opdenbrouw | May 5, 12, 19 from 10am – 12noon
Students will design and paint motifs focused on sunflowers, butterflies and dragons.

“Fun with Photography” Scavenger Hunt with Jan Nicholas | March 11, April 15
Families meet at locations in the Richmond District to explore nature and architecture, take fun photos and go on a scavenger hunt.

All classes except the Photography Scavenger Hunt take place at the Richmond District Neighborhood Center, 741 30th Avenue. Classes are free but pre-registration is required. Download a sign up form from the RDNC website, then drop it off at the RDNC offices or fax it to 751-5606.

Registration opens this Saturday, February 18 and spaces do fill up quickly so don’t delay! Workshops are open to kids age 5 to 11 who live in San Francisco; there is a limit of two workshops per child. View the Workshop Flyer for more information

Sarah B.

On Saturday from 2pm until 4:30pm, the Richmond Library will host “Quilt Craft for Kids”, a special program in honor of Black History Month.

Members of the African American Quilt Guild of Oakland will be on hand to teach the history of the African American quilting tradition, plus give kids a chance to make a 9 patch pieced potholder to take home.

The workshop is designed for children age 7-12. Children younger than 9 are welcome, but need an accompanying adult to assist them with the project.

The Richmond District branch library is located at 351 9th Avenue.

Sarah B.

Ho ho ho! Santa (aka comedian Will Franken) will be making a special appearance at Green Apple Books this Saturday from 2pm to 4pm in support of the San Francisco Fire Fighters Toy Drive.

From Green Apple’s website:

If you bring in a toy (or make a $ donation) for the SFFD Toys for Tots program he’ll let you sit on his lap – he’ll tell you a dirty joke – he promises not to touch you… We didn’t have a single complaint last year, so we invited him back again.

So, there you have it – Santa, dirty humor and a good cause! Stop by this Saturday to participate.

If you’re bringing a gift to donate, make sure it’s a new, unwrapped toy, suitable for infants up to age 12. Or you can always pick up something at Green Apple to donate as well.

Sarah B.

Photo by Dman861