This morning I was sleepily reading in the recently opened and very nice Café Sainte Honoré on the corner of San Pablo and Solano in Albany (for those not familiar with the East Bay, that’s just north of Berkeley) when I was roused by police sirens. Through the windows I could see a large crowd at least two blocks long coming down Solano, led by police and fire vehicles. They were proceeding at such a funereal pace that I thought at first it had something to do with yesterday’s huge funeral of four Oakland police officers.

But as the crowd — demonstration? religious rite? — grew closer, I saw all the kids. And then I realized it was the town’s Little League parade.
More after the jump

It’s tonight, and the exclamation point is mandatory. It’s the last event until next year for the Asian Art Museum’s Matcha series, and I think you can probably guess what the focus will be: “the food, music, and dance of Afghanistan.” The AAM continues:

[This grand finale is] In celebration of the highly anticipated, critically acclaimed special exhibition, Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul. See what the press is saying about this “at once revelatory and heart-rending” show (New York Times).

The Bay Area’s own Ballet Afsaneh, a dynamic ensemble whose repertory focuses on Silk Road regions in Central Asia, will perform colorful, kinetic traditional dance. See Afghanistan, go on a guided tour, make jewelry inspired by the ancient Bactrian gold on view, nibble on tasty bites, mingle with friends over cocktails from the cash bar, and much more.

The museum is on Larkin, next door to Main Library. As always, the event runs from 5-9 PM and admission to it is $5. Plus, for that awesome wallet-friendly price, you can check out any exhibit you like. The full evening schedule is here on the event page.

Californians continue to mount a significant opposition to the state legislatures decision to allow spraying for the LBAM (light brown apple moth). Tomorrow there is a vote scheduled at the state senate that could stop the spraying without the consent of the communities being sprayed. There is transport arranged (pavement reference for those paying attention) from the Ferry Building early am. Taking all interested parties right to Sacramento where you can make your presence felt on this issue.

Interesting the Governator is being quoted as saying that the spray is completely safe for humans. This taken from The SFBG Blog, “Q: Will the Spray Cause Erectile Dysfunction?“:

ABC: Will you comment on LBAM spraying?

Governor: It’s important we do everything we can because it can destroy our agriculture products and harm our environment. Other countries can cut off our agriculture trade. Public safety is my number one priority and there is nothing that shows this program is unsafe.

ABC: Senator Migden is proposing legislation to prevent spraying before an EIR is done. Do u have a position?

Governor: We have done all the studies in the world and nothing says it is unsafe. We wouldn’t spray if it were unsafe.

Ballsy considering that they won’t even disclose the sprays makeup. Duck! Here comes the Trade Secret claim to protect this vendors secret recipe they want to spray on us.

Details From the Flyer in circulation:

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THE SPRAY – Come to Sacramento: Wednesday 4/16 1:30 PM CAPITOL, Room 4202

Agriculture Committee hearing Support LBAM legislation: Five bills and two resolutions collectively correct a broken system in California by providing both the information and the process to enable communities to
protect themselves from the dangers posed by aerial pesticide spraying.

The AG Committee hearing is the main hurdle for these bills. Show your support and make your voice heard during the public comment period! Bring your kids!

Fax or call in support of legislation to:
Assemblymember Nicole Parra Chair Agriculture Committee
Fax (916) 319 – 2130
Phone (916) 319 – 2030

“I am in support of the package of aerial spray legislation, AB 2892, AB 2763, AB 2764, AB 2765 and AB 2760 and related resolutions SCR 87 and ACR 117. I support this legislation because Californians have a right to informed consent regarding pesticides sprayed by the state over homes and communities.”

Sample letter and more info on www.StopTheSpray.ORG.
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Related

• Sign the petition to stop the spraying
• Get Ready To Be Sprayed… But Will “Sexual Confusion” Be Enough?
• SFBG: Mirkarimi: Don’t spray on me
• HuffPo: Bush Administration to Blue-State California: Drop Dead!

Hey Kids Of All Ages…

This Saturday afternoon March 31st, Baby Doe and her troupe of Devilettes present another fun filled edition of Pip Squeak A Go Go feauring live music The Time Outs at the Rickshaw Stop. If you’re not a fan of Pip Squeak A Go Go, then you might not be in touch with your inner 8 year old.

Details and more Pipsqueak A Go Go pix after the jump…
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I have mixed feelings about zoos. I realize that ‘conservation of wildlife’ is a complex, messy issue – oh we could go on for days! Nothing about it is black and white. So if you asked me why we signed up for an annual family membership at the San Francisco Zoo last weekend, it would take me a long time to answer… and I’d probably just direct you to this photo of my eldest son peacefully observing and drawing a chimpanzee in his always present sketchbook.
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The glorious weather we’ve been having belies that Halloween is right around the corner, but the macabre decorations appearing around town have been a constant reminder. Aside from the occasional grand gesture, the best show of spooky spectres I’ve come across is a Dead Man’s Party front yard ensemble located on Chenery Street, in the sleepy hollow of Glen Park.
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For the best annual family-friendly event in San Francisco, I’ll put my money on Hardly Strictly Bluegrass.This year–yesterday and today– was the sixth in what I hope will be a longstanding venture. What makes this event so swank? It’s in Golden Gate Park; it’s free; the music is swell; the food ranges from corndogs to jambalaya; and the people-watching is hard to beat. We missed out on Billy Bragg, Gillian Welch, and Kelly Willis yesterday, but made it to T-Bone Burnett & Iris Dement today.
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We spent Labor Day weekend at Emandal farm near Willits, about a four-hour drive from San Francisco. This is a fabulous three-day trip for families in the Bay Area. It’s a working farm, where the kids get to pet the animals, watch during feeding time, help gather eggs, and even milk a cow. Each evening there’s a campfire. Our first night was perfect–starry night and campfire songs. The food is amazing, most of it grown right there on the farm, suited for discerning Bay Area taste buds. On Saturday, for example, we had burgers made with fresh-baked rolls, huge heirloom tomatoes, and a homemade sauce. The sweet little delicious beef patties were the sideliner, the tomatoes being the real star. On Firday night, there was homemade pizza, with fresh ice cream and berry pie for dessert.
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Nestled in a wooded grove not far from the gangs of ducks & geese that troll Oakland’s Lake Merritt is Children’s Fairyland, a haven for lil’ people and the lucky parents & guardians that can accompany their kiddies. Tomorrow it just so happens is Fairyland’s 56th birthday, and although the wee ones still smile whle riding the train and eating a corn dog, one can see the wear and tear that the years & over 10 million visitors have brought upon the park. Proposals to use public funds are currently ciculating that hopefully can restore some areas of the park like the creepy & currently closed Thumbelina Tunnel to it’s original opening day shine.

Considered the first theme park exclusively for children in the country,(if not the world), it was built with $50,000 raised by various local organizations and business donations. 6000 people were admitted on opening day, admission being from 9 to 14 cents, depending on your age, and your guides were apparently a glamorously garbed Munchkin-esque couple, (actually two local married midgets). Children could even mail a letter postmarked at the Fairyland Post Office.

Lore has it that Walt Disney himself soon came through Mother Hubbard’s Shoe and picked up some ideas and inspiration for his much more ambitious theme park that opened in Anaheim a few years later. But there’s no doubt that Oakland’s came first, and was definitely still in Walt’s scheming mastermind when in April of 1952, he submitted his first vague plans for a similar Souhern California ‘Fairy Land’ to the California Parks and Recreation Commision.

Today, Disney is of course a diversified multi-national conglomerate, while our humble Children’s Fairyland is run off donations to a struggling local non-profit. Even with no marketing budget, the site consistently features a multi-cultural mass of happy kids scrambling up and down the many paths, and the concrete stairs of it’s numerous attractions from 10 am until at least 4pm daily, (a lil’ later on weekends). Located in Lakeside Park, it’s a neighbor of the beast at 699 Bellevue Ave, Oakland CA. Look for the big shoe… and keep on clicking if you’d like to help out or learn a lil’ more history of this jewel with it’s on Jolly Roger pirate ship, in an oft overlooked urban oasis of the East Bay…
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Welcome to the first installment of an occasional series titled, “A Step Out of the City.” Though MetroBlogging has a dedicated cadre of intrepid reporters outside the San Francisco city limits, I want this series to reflect places a city resident can visit by a short (usually) trip over a bridge or down the peninsula.

On the occasion of a friend’s son’s first birthday party today, my family drove over the Golden Gate into Marin. In twenty minutes we were in the shadow of Mt. Tamalpais at the newly renovated Eastwood Park, a short distance up Highway 1 past the Tam Junction.
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