Eat Real Festival this weekend!

Friday 8/27 thru Sunday 8/29
Jack London Square

Another reason to be proud of Oakland's movements to reconnect with real food grown real close by! Eat Real showcases local sustainable ingredients in all their delicious glory, with all chow and beer costing five bucks or less. Not only can you fill up on tasty local food and drinks for cheap--you can also learn how to make it and grow it!

To download a festival schedule and map and learn more about the fresh food wonders awaiting you visit eatrealfest.com.

OBUGs Weekly Farmstand with Chef Maurice

Oakland Based Urban Gardens (OBUGs) provides the fresh organic herbs & vegetables and Chef Maurice demos fun and healthy recipes weekly in West Oakland:

Mondays: 3:30-5:30 @ St. Vincent's Day Home,1086 8th Street 
Wednesdays: 3:30-5:30 @ St. Martin de Porres Elementary School, 675 41st Street
Fridays: 3:30-5:30 @ Mohr 1 Housing, 741 Filbert Street

For more info visit www.obugs.org.

San Antonio Art Installation by EastSide Arts Alliance Community

Munson Way Alley between E.15th and Foothill

Says EastSide: Please take a walk through Munson Alley Way below Garfield School, and check out the wonderful public artwork that the families of EastSide Arts Alliance and the San Antonio neighborhood have created. Art for the people by the people!

While you're at it sign up for EastSide's email newsletter--they have relevant, unique and entertaining programming that you need to check out!

Community Gardening and Permaculture Classes at Merritt College

The Merritt College Landscape Horticulture Program is an Oakland gem offering tons of interesting classes on a wide variety of gardening topics including urban food gardening and sustainable horticulture. Classes are affordable and taught by people who really know and love plants and gardening--worth every penny.

Go to the Horticulture Program's website for class descriptions, course schedules and directions to the gorgeous campus in the hills.

Two New Farmer's Markets at Oakland Schools

OUSD has launched a new program of selling fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts and honey every week at local schools!

We're researching locations, so far we've got Melrose Leadership Academy and Manzanita Schools. Both happen every Wednesday, 12:45-4 pm. Melrose Leadership Academy is at 5328 Brann Street near MacArthur and 55th Avenue, and Manzanita Community School/Manzanita SEED is at 2409 E 27th Street near Fruitvale Avenue.

For a schedule of all Oakland Farmers Markets visit our downloads page and scroll down to the 'Oakland Farmers Markets' link.

Neighborhood & Park Ongoing Clean-Up Walks

Join locals in keeping your hood looking good!

We'll be adding to this listing so check back regularly!

Allendale Park:

Meet on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays @ 38th Street between Nevil and Suter Streets, to clean up streets, tree wells and storm drains. Call Steve Reuss at 536-9551.

Dimond Park:

1. Wednesdays 3pm: Meet at the Pocket Park @ Lincoln & Champion.

2. Tuesdays & Fridays 8am: Meet in front of Dimond Library @ 3565 Fruitvale Ave. Contact krussell@russell-gordon.com to confirm. Also contact Kathleen to schedule your own weekly clean-up shift.

Anyone who participates gets two free pastries and drinks from La Farine!

Maxwell Park:

Daily clean up by Friends of Maxwell Park. Contact Nancy Karigaca at 436-6680.

Monthly Clean Up: Third Sunday of the Month, 9am.

Peralta Creek Park:

Meet the third Tuesday of the month from 6:30-7:30pm, at the corner of Rettig and Wisconsin.

Weekend Nights at Chabot Space & Science Center

Dinner, A Movie and the Universe--a great place to take a date! Chabot's unique evening social rendezvous has it all: dinner and drinks, flicks in in both theatres, and telescope viewing of the cosmos.

Every Friday and Saturday night, check the Chabot website for details and up to date schedule info.

Get Your Local Oakland Honey!

Marshall's 'Hood Honey' is made with Oakland-procured honey. Besides being super tasty, it may help with your allergy issues--some studies say that consuming local pollen can help build your resistance to pollen-based allergies.
Support your local honey--pick up some up at Fernseed, a new and cool shop in the Dimond that's all about reclaiming and renewing what's been deemed 'undesirable.'

This all-natural, pure, grade-a, unfiltered, raw honey is now available for purchase at Fernseed. Yay.

Got Extra Fruits & Veggies Growing In Your Yard?

Students working with PUEBLO and Cycles of Change will bike over to your house, harvest your extra edibles, and deliver them to Oakland's low income seniors.

For details or to arrange a harvest. contact Annie Burdett at 708-7010 or email pueblo@peopleunited.org.

Volunteers Needed: Charcoal Park Community Garden in the Fruitvale

Charcoal Park, a unique gift store which specializes in Black Americana Gifts, History and Culture, is also the site of a future community garden on Fruitvale Avenue and E.28th Street. Volunteers and donations are needed to turn this piece of urban ground, which contains an orchard with over a dozen fruit trees, into a productive and nutritious food garden.

If you're interested please contact Shirley Everett-Dicko @ (510) 689-6725.

Estuary Art Attack

Discover the creative life of the East Bay Estuary from Jingletown to Alameda. 2nd Fridays every month. For more info check out www.estuaryartattack.com.

Grow Your Oakland seeks local artists & walk-lovers!

Are you a local artist whose work is influenced and informed by the complex and beautiful phenomenon that is Oakland? Or are you in possession of a favorite walk route you want to share? Grow Your Oakland seeks to feature Oakland-informed work by local artists and contributions to our Oakland Walks series. Contact us--let's do this thing!