Local Events

60 Music Acts Playing Oakland

For Oaklanders, Labor Day weekend is a great time to stay home!  The Art & Soul Festival features 60-plus music acts performing blues, jazz, culture jam, gospel, latin, hip-hop, world music, and more.

After reviewing the acts, I’m most attracted to the Art & Soul Stage, which will be located at 12th and Clay Street.  Click to preview these headliners: The Matches on Saturday, 4:45pm; Indigo Girls on Sunday, 4:00pm; and Stephanie Mills on Monday, 4:30pm.

Who are these headliners?  First, The Matches are local guys who went to Bishop O’Dowd High School and made it as successful, punky alt-rockers.  Welcome back to the 1980s in this mini-concert:  Their City;  December Is for Cynics; Violent Love; Dog-Eared Page.

Indigo Girls are Atlanta singer-songwriters, who have been touring for years.  Love ’em!  According to their website, “Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have politely declined the opportunity to mellow with age.”  Feel the 1960s in this mini-concert:  Galileo; Ghost; Power of Two; Land of Canaan.

Finally, Stephanie Mills has a powerful voice.  Years ago, she played Dorothy in the original Broadway production of The Wiz.   She also dated Michael Jackson for a brief time, what a claim.  Get that 1970s vibe in this mini-concert:  Home; The Medicine Song; Sweet Sensation; Starlight.

More Info:  The Festival runs from Saturday through Monday, 12 noon to 6pm daily.  The music, art, kids zone and food options are scattered throughout downtown Oakland (directions).  Tickets cost $10/day for adults, $5/day for teens (13-18) and seniors (65+), and are free for kids.

Local Empty-Nesters Tell All, Wed at 7pm

When Oakland parents bid their kids farewell, they share and bond over the experience like any other new empty-nesters.  What’s unique is this trio started curating the experience and ultimately produced this bittersweet tome of loss called Writin’ On Empty.

Whether you are an empty-nester or not, the writing really grabs you.  Editor/writers Joan Cehn, Risa Nye, Julie Renalds and 23 contributors have created a heartwarming snapshot of this separation experience.   Their book is an anthology of “how it feels” when kids leave home.

In the Montclarion (register here), Ginny Prior explained the genesis was a newspaper ad:  “Thinking it would help to talk with someone, [Julie Renalds] ran a notice in The Montclarion advertising a discussion group and got seven calls in three days.”

Julie met Joan first, when they shared sorrows with other local mothers.  Then Julie thought they should write a book, and Joan asked experienced author Risa for help on the tome.  The rest is local Montclarion history in the making.

They begin their Bay Area book tour with a first stop, appropriately, at  A Great Good Place for Books (map) on Wednesday night, at 7pm.  Come support your neighbors!

Honeymoons Remembered At Dunsmuir

Dunsmuir Estate is a great spot in the Oakland Hills, which the public may visit and enjoy on special occasions.  On Friday, there’s a Movie Night celebrating the estate’s star-crossed honeymoon history and So I Married An Axe Murderer will be shown.

Dunsmuir was built by a groom who died on his honeymoon and never moved in.  After his death, his widowed bride lived there until her untimely death two years later, in 1901.

Hollywood discovered this photogenic estate years later, including honeymoon scenes filmed for So I Married An Axe Murderer (see video trailer).  Starring Mike Myers and Nancy Travis, this 1993 summer flick is about a guy who definitely picks the wrong person to marry!

This outdoor screening of Axe Murderer sounds like a nice way to wind up the week.  Dunsmuir’s gate opens at 6pm for picnics, while the movie begins at dusk.  Admission costs only $5/person.  The estate is located at 2960 Peralta Oaks Court, off Highway 580 (directions).

Obama Rally At The Park, With George Lakoff

Check out the special Barack Obama rally at Montclair Park, which begins right after the Farmers Market – Sunday at 1:00pm.  At the rally, Obama will only be there in spirit.

Professor George Lakoff will be the main speaker, and he will focus on what the Obama candidacy means to Oaklanders.  He teaches cognitive linguistics at UC Berkeley, and also has been writing about differences between conservatives and liberals for years.

Alameda County has favored Obama since the Presidential primaries.  Back on February 5th, here’s how we voted for Democratic and Republican candidates.

During the primaries, Lakoff penned a Huffington Post article about the splintering Democrats and different “issues” between Clinton and Obama.  He applauded Obama’s progressive agenda and will likely have some interesting insights to share at the Sunday rally, too.

This Obama gathering hasn’t been that well publicized – and I just happened to notice a sign posted on the Thornhill 7-11 door yesterday.  I think that Lakoff will be the main draw, because he won’t deliver a regular stump speech.

Of course, the rally will include more typical things, like Obama campaign swag, voter registration efforts and a few baked goods to lure you.

Event Updates: The Montclarion reported that 250 villagers heard George Lakoff, who “supported Obama even before the senator decided to run for the presidency.”  In the Oakland Tribune, one attendee said she’ll vote for the Dem because “I like my president to be smarter than me.”

Seussical For Almost Free

Why not pay homage to the great Horton?  Seussical is now playing at Woodminster Summer Theater, and each paying adult can take two kids, 16 and under, free.  Performances start at 8pm, tonight through Sunday.

Now in their 42nd season, these Woodminster shows have become an authentic summer tradition.  The theater is located within Joaquin Miller Park (map), near the main entrance.

Paid tickets run $23-38 per adult, depending on where you sit. To ensure that your paid and free seats are together, I would hit the box office right before the performance.  Here’s more info about the bargain deal.

Seussical is perfect fare for all youngsters who love Dr. Seuss.  This musical brings Horton and other great Theodore Geisel characters to life.  Horton’s just a cool elephant who tries to do the right thing.

For a little inspiration before you go, you could pull out the tried-and-true books or watch some movie clips.  Also try this interactive Seussville game where you select scenes, cast characters and write their lines.

Kids of all ages can’t go wrong at Seussical, taking in the amphitheatre ambience too.  Remember to bundle up, since it gets “cold” at night in the hills – as you well know.