LakeFest Street Fair in Oakland, CA - August 1st 2009

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LakeFest is a street fair that was held last Saturday and Sunday August 1st and 2nd on Lakeshore Avenue between Lake Park and Mandana near the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland. After a long absence, it's back for its second year and with great bands and vendors selling clothes and representing everything from the new Lake Chalet restaurant to "Friends of the Oakland Public Library."

I talked with a number of Oaklanders about the festival because there was a long period of time that, well, there was not an event of this kind at this location. That is until Helen Wyman stepped in.

Helen Wyman is an event producer currently best known for the first, successful Uptown street fair held June 18th of this year. She explained that this event has nothing to do with the version of year's past and is brand new. "'LakeFest' was a concept we came up with through my company Oakland Events. We decided that Lakeshore was a great spot because of the community and the neighborhood, location and the weather and so many people that can walk here. And they didn't have a festival so we wanted to bring the festival back here."

But what happened to the first version of what is now called "LakeFest"? For the answer to that question I turned to long-time Oaklander Pam Drake, who is Executive Director of the Lakeshore Business Improvement District (LBID). "WE had put it on with an art organization that didn't work with the vendors and it ended up costing us a lot of money and didn't involve our stores as much as it should. So the businesses, we weren't really sure if we wanted to go on with it.

"So, we hadn't done anything in a while and we felt like even though we have the wonderful farmers market, that people wanted to see Lakeshore on the map again. So Helen Wyman, who's someone who I worked with her mom, came up and said 'We've done all these events and I'd really like to do an event for this district.'"

LakeFest was Wyman's first independent event so she wrote a proposal to the LBID's Drake and she liked and endorsed Wyman's idea. Last year was the first one; this is the second year in a row for Wyman's festival concept.

Personally, I love what she's done. It captures the feel and the sprit of Oakland without really any "trick" other than organizing businesses and entertainment and booths. But with that, I have to complement Oakland Events on taking steps to guard against overcrowding. Many street fairs in San Francisco have the booths so close to the side walk that its hard to walk back-and-forth because folks are pressed so close together; not so at LakeFest.

LakeFest also helped the businesses along Lakeshore, especially Easy Lounge, which was perpetually crowded with a great mix of people and Starbucks and Noah's Bagels, which benefited from being near the music stage at the Mandana Avenue end of the street fair. Combined with the Grand Lake Farmers Market, the whole neighborhood was just one big party.

So, congrats to Wyman and Oakland Events for a fun time. But I look forward to the day when both Grand Avenue and Lakeshore are both closed down for one big Grand Lake Festival.

Oakland: Lake Merritt People On A Saturday

 

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Have you ever walked by a group doing something interesting and yet never stopped to, or perhaps feared to, inquire what they were doing?  If so, this video-blog is for you.  I'm in Georgia as I write this and visiting my Mom, but two Saturdays ago I saw a YouTube video of people playing drums under the "Columns" at Lake Merritt in Oakland, where I live for those of you reading this in, er, Japan.  I said to myself, and wrote on the Oakland Focus Blog , that if I ever encountered that group I was going to have my camera at the ready and interview them (if they let me of course).

Well that's what I did on that Saturday morning.  The group is called "Emeryville Taiko" at www.etaiko.org, and as Sensei Susan Horn informs us in the video, they were located in Emeryville, but are now at 27th and Harrison St, near the Whole Foods Market and near Lake Merritt.   But on Saturday's they have this Taiko class and jam session at the Columns.  Many people love their activity, except one Lake dweller that seems to have a problem with the sound, according to Sensei Horn.  Frankly, I love what they do; they're an example of why the Lake is such a fun place to live, with the vibrant energy of people creating art.

I suppose prayer could be considered an art form as well.  For those who need a prayer in this time of economic disaster, Melena and Bruno of the East Hills Community Church have set up a table near the corner of MacArthur and Lakeshore just for you to stop by and have a prayer said for you or share a prayer of your own.  The couple shared an interesting account where one man they prayed for didn't look well, so they flagged down a fire truck that happened to be passing by and the firefighters determined he was having a heart problem.  They got him the treament he needed.

If you want to help the Church visit their website at www.easthillscc.org

After that conversation I walked over to visit Scotty who runs the Hawaiian Coffee Roasters booth at the Lake Marritt Farmers Market.  Hey, Scotty makes the best coffee and the market's a hoot.  I just wished the organization responsible for the market was based in Oakland and not Marin County.  But that's for another blog post and I digress.  Scotty's more right of center than I, so I have to challenge his libertarian beliefs just to keep him intellectually honest, but it's all in fun and worth the price of the coffee.

As I walked through the market, which you should do on the hot days that are before us in Oakland, I noticed that two groups of people were standing on opposite ends of Lake Park in front of the legendary Grand Lake Theater and thought "they're back".   The "they" are two organizations that have opposing views on the Mid East.  If you've seen the women dressed in black they call themselves "Bay Area Women In Black" and are against the "occupation of Palestine" as one of them explained to me.  The group on the other side, "San Francisco Voice for Israel" was once led by my friend Dan Kilman who I met in 2007 on a video-blogging walk around the neighborhood where he gave this interview:

Part One:



Part Two:




Kilman organized at the corner to counter Bay Area Women In Black, which led to what I described as a "culture war" played out right in front of the Grand Lake under the collective nose of Lake Merritt dwellers (who sometimes don't stop to talk to each other, though that's changing).  Unlike many, Dan was always ready with not just a comment but a full explaination of what's happening in the Mid East and a strong defense of Israel's postion. As happens with my life, Dan and I were later in the same debate club in San Francisco called "SF Debates." 

But sadly, Dan fell to his death on November 25th and was found December 1st 2008 at the bottom of an elevator shaft in downtown San Francisco in an act that many friends feel was deliberate because Kilman was so outspoken, but was officially ruled an accident.   Dan's energy is missed, but his work lives on in the presence of San Francisco Voice for Israel in front of the theater each Saturday.

Finally there was a cool Capoata dance-off that spontaneously started by the International Capoeira Angola Foundation on the park lawn near MacArthur and Grand Avenue.  As they were so into their movements, I didn't want to interupt them with questions.  But if you want more information, their website is www.ficaoakland.org

The Lake Merritt neighborhood is a place rich with fun activities and interesting people.  I have to share that the majority of these group activities call for a fee if you want to participate, so one can say it's a way of making money in a recession.  At any rate, stop and talk to them this Saturday when you're down there rather than just walking by.  It may change your life.

Visit "The Alley" On Grand Avenue

I just went around Oakland to really get out of the house, which means heading to places like Luka's, Cafe Van Kleef, and other venues. It's to socialize -- some of my best blog story tips have come in this way. But it's also to support the local businesses. In this case, the crowds generated by the successful appearance of Green Day at the Fox went away and downtown Oakland and the Lake was largely full of locals. So I dropped into The Alley really to get a copy of their menu, and the walked over to a drinkery called Smitty's two doors away.

Now I am not comfortable with Smitty's at all. Sorry but some of the clientele look like they're going to take hostages! Hey, I'm serious -- some rough-looking folks hang there. Not that I would not help raise money for an event there, but geez. I've had it with this "We're Oakland and so it's ok not to excel or be ambitious, in fact we'd prefer it if you want to be a loser."

Whatever.

That's why I'm happy for places like Pican and Flora, where you feel good for liking nice places and preferring to be around people who can dress appropriately!

Geez.

On Rush Limbaugh, His $400 Million Contract & Bo Snerdley

Today, it was announced that Rush Limbaugh signed a %400 million contract with Clear Channel. In this video, I explain that Rush's success came at a price. Michelle Sixta is a friend of mine and at one point lived on Madison, across Lake Merritt from me in Oakland, Ca.

Michelle was a lot of fun. She and I would go on something called the "Back Yard Bird Watch" and generally had a good time, then lost touch after a few years.

She was also -- prior to our meeting -- married to Rush as his second wife. She didn't talk about him much at all, but when she did, she explained that at first their marriage was fine, but as the years went on, Rush was more into himself than into her. He'd rather read a book than have sex.

I hope she's going to get part of that $400 Million.

Meanwhile, Rush has taken aim at Senator Barack Obama's run for president by employing his call screener James Gould as "Bo Snerdley" the official Obama criticizer.

In my view, picking someone who looks like the Pillsbury Doughboy and Austin Powers' "Fat Bastard" to supposedly criticize Obama just helps the Obama for America campaign.

Thanks Rush.

Finally, Rush should never be allowed to have himself photographed smoking a cigar as he was in my video. He looks like he's giving some dude a BJ, and that's from a straight guy.

IRON MAN | Iron Man Is Excellent; Robert Downey Jr.'s Cool Performance

I just returned from seeing "Iron Man" at the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland, and I must say that it did indeed meet my expectations; in fact, it surpassed them. The movie, Directed by Jon Favreau, is tight, with little wasted scene or motion, and it manages to pull a lot of ideas in for you to grasp but it doesn't hit you over the head with it's overall anti-war theme.

The images of the idea of de-militarization are all around us in the film and the biggest one is of Stark as Iron Man destroying the very weapons he made for use by the U.S. Defense Department, which have fallen into terrorist hands. But that's only part of a great movie. There's the love between Stark / Downey and Pepper Potts, expertly played -- really well played -- by Gweneth Paltrow. There's also the family feeling between Stark, Johnson, and General James Rhoades, performed with ease by Terrance Howard, who also gives us the idea that he will be in that Iron Man suit in one of the future films.

I could go on and on about this movie. Yes, it really is as good as the first Spiderman. Yes, the special effects are terrifically real, and the sky scene featuring Iron Man being chased by two F-18s is a classic in movie making. It's better -- far better -- than the Space Shuttle crash-save scene in Superman Returns of two years ago. And the best effects are when Stark is testing the parts and engines that make up the Iron Man suit.

The villian. Well, there are two really, but Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane is simply so good you hate him. He's really the heavy. Indeed, there's much about this movie that's heavy and light all at the same time. A good flick. See it.

Whole Foods Market is now in Oakland at 27th & Harrison

The 55,000 square-foot Whole Foods Market has just opened today at 27th and Harrison and brings good news and the promise of reviatalization to an area that has been waiting for both for too long.

I was given a tour of the new place one day before its opening by Jolyn Bibb, Marketing Specialist of Store Openings for Whole Foods. While the video shows the store and what Jolyn said, I can tell you its quite a place to be in. A breath of fresh air.

There's an official opening today which begins with a "Bread and Baking" ceremony at 8:45 am before the doors open at 9 AM. Through the day there will be music, food samples, and a guest appearance by famous local chef Paul Bertolli. Plus, reusable Whole Foods Market Green Bags will be given to the first 5,000 customers with a purchase of $15 or more, and a raffle for a giant gift basket filled with a variety of products.

There's a lot of food stations in this facility as well. There's something called a dine-in Market Bistro which has made-to-order foods including sandwiches and soups, and an Asian Express Island, to name some of the areas in this giant food city.

Whole Foods has made an exciting place to be. Check it out!