Local Events

Our Picks For Mother’s Day

For many families, Mother’s Day represents another opportunity to cherish the maternal line. It’s a reason to buy cards and gifts, and go out for a good meal. Sometimes kids attempt to take care of their mothers as well.

While mothers appreciate all the family attention, we had an inkling that this special day could be even better. Through our ultra-secret poll, we asked Montclair moms what they would like to do most – if only for that day.

Peaceful Desert Rocks

Mother’s Day 2009: Top Ten Plans

  1. Visit a peaceful desert, without the family
  2. Get together with friends and eat tapas
  3. Shut down chauffeur services for parents and kids
  4. Go to a yoga retreat up north
  5. Catch up on my work and work emails
  6. Visit three museums, on free access day
  7. Hit the theater for chick flicks sans guilt
  8. Sleep without interruptions
  9. Devour all the candy delivered to me
  10. Obsess about my kids anyway

Having said all that, you don’t have to suffer this weekend with your loved ones.  Around here, you can keep things low-key by taking the family to the Chabot Space & Science Center, where Sunday admission is free from 11am-5pm.  Plan on eating brunch at their Celestial Cafe, from 11am-2pm – for a reasonable $8/mom and $10/others.

New moms and moms-to-be can also check out the Best from Belly to Baby Fair on Saturday, from 10am-5pm.  The Tulip Grove is luring all comers with offers of free food and massages, over on Antioch Court.  Or if you are so inclined, then indulge in a mini-mommy makeover too.

Have a great weekend, wherever you end up chilling out.

Town Hall For Northern Montclarions Tonight

Local construction or solicitors getting you down?

Tonight you can meet with City of Oakland reps who know what to do when there are problems, and can cut to the chase.  For Montclarions living north of Thornhill Drive, there’s a Town Hall meeting tonight at 7pm – at the Highlands Country Club, 100 Hiller Drive (map).

North Hills NCPC

Bad-News Construction Sites

This Town Hall addresses problems related to local construction.  Do you know of a construction site that has been abandoned, has piles of debris, has illegally parked trucks, or is working without proper city permits?  Do you know how to file a complaint?

Rich Fielding, who manages Oakland’s construction complaint/code compliance unit, will review the steps you take when you see issues around your neighborhood.

Irritating or Non-Kosher Solicitors

The meeting also covers solicitors and how to handle them.  Scammers and other nefarious characters have been known to pose as solicitors, so it’s unclear how to react these days.

Are you unsure what to do when a solicitor comes to your door?  Would you like to know what you can do to prevent them from ringing your doorbell?  And what you can do if they persist beyond your “No Solicitors” sign?

Barbara Killey, who works in the City Administrator’s office, can answer your questions about how to handle solicitors of all types.

Other Safety and Hot Topics

We hear that Officer John Haney will attend tonight’s gathering.  As the police officer assigned to Beat 13Y, Haney is up-to-date on the Craigslist robberies and other safety matters around the northern reaches.

To help neighbors out, North Hills Council volunteers will have a few safety items for sale at the meeting:  special FRS radios and “No Solicitation” signs.

Anyway, come join your neighbors at the Town Hall.  These meetings only take place three times a year, and it’s good to meet folks you “know” online.

May 11th Update:  The North Hills Council sent out tips about handling construction blight and solicitors.   Please donate to the Council right here and receive a “no solicitors” sign for your yard.

Wildflowers Showing Off At the Museum

Rather than hike in the Sierras, here’s a lazy way to appreciate the spring profusion of wildflowers.  All you have to do is head to the Oakland Museum of California (map) – and see colorful evidence at the 40th Annual California Wildflowers Show.

The show officially opens this Saturday from 10am – 5pm, and Sunday from 12 noon – 5pm.  There’s also a preview party on Friday night from 5pm – 10pm.  Or start now and gawk at the beauty right here.

Purple Mouse-ears

(Purple Mouse-ears)

Seep Monkeyflower

(Seep Monkeyflowers)

Indian Warrior

(Indian Warrior)

Cliftons Fawn Lily

(Cliftons Fawn Lilies)

Fresh from the foothills, the wildflowers will be showing off their best colors at the show.  There will be full displays, microscopes available to study them closely, and botanists around to describe the flowers.

Various lectures take place at the museum, about the wildflowers and even how to cook them!  Here’s the schedule for Saturday and Sunday:

  • In the Shadow of Darwin –  Dr. Richard Beidleman – Sat, 11:00 am
  • Sierra Nevada: A Celebration of Wildflowers – Dr. Linda Vorobik – Sat, 12:30 pm
  • Sustainability and the Living Roof of the New Cal Academy – Dr. Frank Almeda – Sat, 2:00 pm
  • Native Plants for the Garden – Glen Schneider – Sat, 3:30 pm
  • Invasive Plants:  A Serious Threat to California Wildflowers – Bob Case – Sun, 1:00 pm
  • Slide lecture about cooking with native plants – John Farais – Sun, 3:00 pm

The Wildflowers Show takes place through support from the California Native Plant Society, the Jepson Herbarium, the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, and Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour.

More info:   The Oakland Museum of California is located at 1000 Oak Street (map).  Admission to this weekend’s show runs $8 for adults and $5 seniors/students with ID.  It’s free for kids age five and under, City of Oakland employees, and museum members.  For questions, please call 510-238-2200.

Hillside Gardeners Quietly Toil Away

Have you even heard of the Hillside Gardeners of Montclair?  The Hillsiders have been quietly toiling away and making our public gardens flourish since 1947.  Since these gardens don’t live by sweat equity alone, the group will host a fundraising garden tour – this Saturday, April 18th, from 11am – 4pm.

Our interest in this gardening club was piqued, because we seldom hear about them.  We were able to catch up with one Hillsider, Barbara Goldenberg, who graciously filled in the blanks and shared their history and projects with us.

Conquering the Difficult Hillsides

As part of the post-WWII civic boom, Hillside Gardeners was founded in Montclair.  “Women were interested in putting in gardens into their new homes, and sharing information about gardening on these difficult hillsides,” explained Goldenberg, who has belonged for years.

“There were 10 ‘founders,’ all known by their husbands’ names, as was typical of the times.  All have passed away,” said Goldenberg.  However one long-time member of the Hillside Gardeners, Marj Saunders, is nearing her centennial and has been a club member since 1950.  She is a well-known green-thumb around Montclair, and even has an eponymous park!

Marj Saunders - Park Dedication

Hillside Gardeners Thrive Today

Today, the group is thriving while others have become extinct.  Under the current leadership of President Merle Boese, VP Ann Livingston and four other board members, there are 120 members and 21 standing and special committee chairs.  The point isn’t to bestow titles on members – it’s to assign and oversee many projects on a long-term basis.

Over the years, the membership has evolved well beyond Montclair borders.  Last year, the former Skyline Garden Club officially merged into this Hillside Club.  Today gardeners come from all over Oakland and carpetbaggers have been welcomed from Alameda, Berkeley and San Leandro.

Where the Green Thumbs Go

Hillsiders have restored and maintained some interesting gardens in publicly-owned places as well as health care locations.  Here’s where they till, plant, weed and prune these days:

  • Montclair Library Garden – about 10 years
  • Joaquin Miller School Gardens and Ecology Club – more than 12 years
  • Joaquin Miller Community Center – since the late 1980s
  • Moraga & Masonic Neighborhood Garden – after the 1991 firestorm
  • Lakeside Park Gardens – old Sensory & new Mediterranean Gardens – in the last five years
  • Water’s Edge Nursing Facility in Alameda, Horticulture Therapy – over 10 years

Each location requires around a day or two of monthly work, with Hillside teams ranging from six to 15 volunteers.  Lakeside Park requires more time, and Hillsiders work one evening a week from late spring until early fall.

From Earth to Table

The Joaquin Miller School gardens take even more time and attention.  Originally Montclarion Peggy Hulse had grand kids at the school, and she convinced their principal that growing food there was a good thing.  While Peggy has moved away, her legacy continues and the grade schoolers grow vegetables and native plants – and make nutritional snacks from their harvests.

Kids from first to fifth grades participate in three different weekly classes.  Lots of students get hands-on experience in the garden, and new participants join every half-semester.  Future gardeners naturally emerge, when a few older ones help the first and second graders.  It’s a rewarding project for the volunteers as well.

Sowing Oats with Scholarships

Hillside Gardeners also encourage college students through scholarships and part-time jobs.  They award horticulture and ecology students at Merritt College, granting enough for their expensive textbooks.  In addition, the Hillsiders hire and pay UC Berkeley students to work in the Botanical Gardens.

The club’s investment works well, since Merritt students and alums turn into active volunteers.  Barbara Goldenberg gave a shout-out to the Merritt pruning class who has helped restore the Sensory Garden at Lakeside Park, by pruning old camellias and other specimen trees.

Over the years, some Merritt graduates have joined the club and contributed their expertise.  Other grads just show up anyway – and pitch in with garden planting and clean-up efforts.

The Ups and Downs of Hillside Gardening

Earth Day is celebrated by Oaklanders this Saturday morning, but the afternoon is free and clear.  Why not take a tour of some extraordinary gardens and support the Hillside Gardeners?  They only hold a fundraiser every two or three years, and here are the official details:

The Hillside Gardeners of Montclair present “The Ups and Downs of Hillside Gardening,” a self-guided tour of eight fabulous Oakland gardens on Saturday, April 18th from 11 am – 4 pm.

See a terrific succulent garden, a butterfly garden, a sculpture garden, spectacular water features and four different vegetable gardens.  The gardens range from tiny and personal to large and household-sustaining, with lots of variety in between.

Each garden has a different way of using water wisely, including drought-tolerant plants, a home-made rain barrel, a well and a sophisticated rainwater collection and distribution system!

Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 that day.  For tickets, email hgmgardens@gmail.com or call (510) 530-1681.

Visit Our Little, Local School On Cal Day 2009

2010 Update:  Cal Day 2010 takes place on Saturday, April 17th, from 9am-4pm.  Click here to select events by subject or time.  Also click here to see all the kid-friendly events.

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If you are not part of UC Berkeley’s community already, then Cal Day 2009 is your chance to see what’s happening at our little, local school in the hills.  Just you and 35,000 of your neighbors (!) are expected to partake Berkeley’s annual and free educational buffet next weekend.

Cal Day jam-packs special museum, library, lecture, concert and tour programs into a mere nine hours.  Just browse or search the event options, which are endless yet wonderful.

UC Campus Map

To The Campus

One option is to join the crowd and then go mellow out.  We suggest arriving at Sather Gate by 10:30am, to hear the rousing Cal Marching Band.  Visit the top of the Campanile next, for a great campus view.  Then proceed to your free massage or Ashtanga class, and call it a day.

There are other nice options, too.  You could listen to live music all day, ranging from a symphony concert to Javanese percussion.  Getting free admission to the museums and gardens is also pretty sweet.

Cal Day has geared up for kids, and we’re impressed by the hands-activities at the archaeology and life sciences buildings.  Make sure to browse through all the kids stuff, and plan your trek across campus.

To feel that academic glow, you might visit the libraries or wander into some academic buildings.  There are many tours scheduled on Cal Day, where you’ll also get a dose of history from the guides.

To The Classroom

Let’s not forget that Cal is a school of higher learning.  In that spirit, we think you are supposed to attend at least one hour-long lecture.  Here are ten nominations:

After Cal Day

We’re fortunate that some UC Berkeley folks call Montclair home, and have learned (from them) about Cal resources available to the public anytime.  For example, the Bancroft Library welcomes all locals who supply two IDs.

All year long, the UC Berkeley events calendar lists a large variety of campus lectures, performances, exhibits and events.  Other Cal sources include the news center as well as the Daily Cal, which is worth reading now and again for the student pulse.

Yet we still forget the embarrassment of riches at our little, local school – and never get around to doing anything until the Cal Day crush.