National Night Out
Citywide
Tuesday, Aug. 6, 4 – 7 p.m. | Free
Imagine how fun it could be to do the “cha-cha slide” with your neighborhood police captain or play hopscotch with McGruff the Crime Dog. That’s the vibe this week for National Night Out—an event focused on building and fostering friendlier relationships between residents, small businesses and law enforcement.
“National Night Out is about our relationship with the community,” said San Francisco police Sgt. Adam Lobsinger. “We understand that we have a job to do. We need to prevent crime, make arrests and conduct investigations. But our job doesn’t stop there, and we believe there is a whole other side to policing, which involves having officers engaged in the community.”
During National Night Out—which traditionally takes place on the first Tuesday of every August—neighborhoods host block parties, parades, cookouts and various events.
Jasmine Tran, 6, greets Officer Jim Arnswald through the net of a bouncy house at Victoria Manalo-Draves Park in San Francisco on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012, during a party celebrating National Night Out. | Photo by Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
San Francisco is going all out in true party fashion with some of the festivities. For example, the first 350 visitors who head to Herz Playground in Ingleside will get free barbecue and a chance to win Golden State Warriors tickets. Across the city, the Bayview Opera House will host a talent show, a kid zone, a resource fair, and offer free food. At Ella Hill Hutch Community Center in the Fillmore District, there will also be a barbecue, a backpack giveaway, and a motorcycle show.
According to Lobsinger, all SF police district stations will be participating. So, if you have a hankering to get out and connect with your neighborhood, check out the full list of National Night Out event locations.
“When we connect with the community when they’re not in distress, we quickly realize that, although we may have differences at times, we are all working together to build a better San Francisco,” Lobsinger added.
—Meaghan Mitchell
ReImagine: The Art of Sustainable Thinking
Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way
Tuesdays – Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Free
Prey by Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson. Nearly all the feathers of this eagle were made from the donated of pennies, nickels and dimes from Burning Man. Photo by Mariah Bintliff
We’ve all heard the mantra, “Reduce, reuse, recycle.” Today, nearly 30 local artists are taking it to the next level, in the Randall Museum’s exhibit, ReImagine: The Art of Sustainable Thinking. The museum collaborated with SCRAP, a local reuse center and arts education nonprofit, to display over 60 pieces featuring recycled materials. The exhibit runs Tuesdays through Saturdays until Aug. 31, and it’s designed for all ages. It’s a great way to show your kids that recycling can be cool. (CE)
Yerba Buena Gardens Public Art Tour
750 Howard St., Yerba Buena Gardens
Tuesdays, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Free
Green space can be difficult to find in Downtown San Francisco, so why not take a walking tour of the outdoor art collection housed on the sprawling lawns of Yerba Buena Gardens? Nestled at the base of towering skyscrapers just a block south of Market Street, the gardens are an important artistic and cultural presence in the city. These public works of art have deep ties to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., indigenous peoples and San Francisco’s maritime past. The tour promises to be both educational and impactful. (BF)
‘Shaking Man’ by Terry Allen. Courtesy of Yerba Buena Gardens Festival
Blockchain for Beginners: Understanding Web3
Atlas Cafe, 3049 20th St.
Thursday, Aug. 4, 6 – 8 p.m. | Free
As crypto becomes more popular—especially in the Bay Area— it’s more important than ever to be able to speak about it correctly. Chainlink, a San Francisco-based tech company, wants to help you become fluent. The free workshop is designed for beginners and will explain—in simple terms—buzzwords like smart contracts and blockchain. After you’ve added new skills to your professional repertoire, there are opportunities to join the Chainlink network and the other like-minded learners—plus food, drink and exclusive swag. (CE)
Red Cross Blood Drive
LightHouse for the Blind, 1115 Market St.
Friday, Aug. 5, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. | Free
The American Red Cross and LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired are partnering up to run a blood drive this Friday. Centrally located on Market Street, a few blocks north of Civic Center, this drive is an opportunity to do some good in the world. Maintaining a robust blood supply is a matter of life and death for medical patients in need, so take some time out of your Friday to give. If you have questions about your eligibility, you can contact the American Red Cross Blood. (BF)
Power Hungry: Author Suzanne Cope in Conversation with Cleo Silvers
Virtual
Friday, Aug. 5, 12 – 1 p.m. | Free
View of two young boys as they eat during a free breakfast for children program sponsored by the Black Panther Party, New York, New York, winter 1969. | Bev Grant/Getty Images
The San Francisco Public Library invites you to a conversation with Suzanne Cope about her new book, “Power Hungry: Women of the Black Panther Party and Freedom Summer, and Their Fight to Feed a Movement.” Also joining is Cleo Silvers the main subject of Cope’s book detailing the efforts of the Black Panther Party to feed their community in a time of need. The program was said to have fed more children than the state of California at the time. Absent from the event, but present in the book is the story of Aylene Quin, who used her restaurant in McComb, Mississippi to feed the hungry and host meetings for civil rights leaders and activists, becoming a leader in her own right. Separated by thousands of miles and a handful of years, Silvers and Quin share a story: how food—when harnessed by women—can be a powerful and essential tool for lasting social and political change. (XL)
Women Leaders Reversing Global Warming
Taube Family Auditorium,110 The Embarcadero
Friday, Aug. 5, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. | $10-$20
The Spectre of climate change looms ominously, especially when record-breaking temperatures aren’t even special anymore. COOL: Women Leaders Reversing Global Warming was written by Paola Gianturco and her 12-year-old granddaughter Avery Sangster as the first book to document the work that women climate leaders have been doing all over the globe, from Sweden to Hong Kong. And on Aug. 5, they will be leading a conversation with the Commonwealth Club of California, along with Sheila Watt-Cloutier, an Inuit climate activist based in the Arctic. This intergenerational event will mine the stories and experiences of these female climate leaders for inspiration at every age. (XL)
Community Planting Day at Muriel Leff Mini Park
Muriel Leff Mini Park, 420 7th Ave.
Saturday, Aug. 6, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Free
Courtesy of San Francisco Parks Alliance
It seems like construction projects in San Francisco are never ending. A neighborhood-wide headstart could be the answer. Bring friends, neighbors and pets to Muriel Leff Mini Park and help San Francisco Parks Alliance kick off their next landscaping project. They’ll provide the snacks, drinks and shovels; you provide the hands. All they ask of you is to bring some gardening gloves and get dirty—you can walk away knowing you did some good this weekend. (CE)
Plant Swap
San Francisco Public Library, 3223 Ortega St.
Saturday, Aug. 6, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Free
You don’t need a green thumb to attend the bi-monthly plant swap located at the Ortega Library Branch in the Outer Sunset. Bring a houseplant or outdoor plant to the library’s ocean-facing outdoor patio, and take a different one home with you! And if you’ve only got a budding interest in plants, just bring yourself, and learn more about what you can grow based on your lifestyle, which neighborhood you live in, and your own aesthetic. (GL)
Upcycling 101: Intro to Sewing
Maker Studio Kids, 1334 Haight St.
Saturday, Aug. 6, 1 – 3 p.m. | $45
Courtesy of Maker Studio Kids
Fashion is one of the most environmentally unsustainable industries in the world, which is why upcycling old garments and accessories is more important now than ever. This creative, hands-on sewing workshop will introduce you to the basic skills you need to make a small purse out of recycled material. Resources will be provided by SilkRoll, an upscale designer fashion exchange program, and the tools you acquire will help you transform old and found articles of clothing into something stylish and environmentally friendly. (BF)
Ignominious Anniversary: Remembering Hiroshima
2041 Larkin St.
Saturday, Aug. 6, 6:30 – 9 p.m. | Free
This year marks the 77th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing on Aug. 6, 1945. Join writers, activists, and professionals in tech and international relations for an evening talk on technology applied in the military, the ethics behind it, and how Big Tech companies can make some change in the world. The event is held by Ethics InTech, an activist group aiming to raise awareness of the ethical use of technology, sustainable environmental practices and labor rights in the tech industry. (JT)
The aftermath of the United States detonating an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima on AugCourtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Nihonmachi Street Fair
Japantown Peace Plaza, 1581 Webster St.
Aug. 6 & 7, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m | Free
Courtesy of Nihonmachi Street Fair.
For neighborhoods like Japantown, the pandemic dimmed the lively energy of storefronts, street vendors and restaurants. But, for the 48th year in a row, the Nihonmachi Street Fair will light up the city as bright as ever, making a comeback with their Summer of Love theme. There’s an area for everyone to enjoy: Doggie World, Asian Artisans and even a special Sounds of Thunder Car Show, all accompanied by hours of live music with new DJs every hour. (CE)
The post This Week in Civics: Learn To Sew, ‘ReImagine’ Fashion, Meet Your Neighbors at National Night Out appeared first on The Paloalto Digest.
