This weekend in Oakland

Community events and activities for the weekend of August 19-21. Got an event we didn’t know about? Please add it in the comments!

Friday August 19

Fireside Lounge: Playa Bound
6:30 – 9:30 pm
The Crucible, 1260 7th Street, Oakland

Get ready for Burning Man by picking up some supplies for your costume or bike, getting help from the Crucible’s textiles or kinetics experts, or just come check out the fire performances or the live deejay performance by DJ Zach Moore of the Space Cowboys. More info and ticket prices here.

RefleKTions: On the Right Side of the Bay
Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street, Suite 290

Sketch comedy by group KT Comedy, featuring DJ Danimals and comedians Alex Shen, Joe Nguyen and Dave Thomason. Show runs August 19 – 20. More info about times and ticket prices here.

Mo’ Rockin Project
noon – 1 pm
Kaiser Center Roof Garden, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland

A free afternoon concert, featuring Moroccan meets American music. More info here.

Bites off Broadway
5:30 – 8:30 pm
365 45th Street in front of Studio One Art Center, Oakland

Mobile food, live local music, and lawn games — now at a new location. Continues every Friday through October 21. More info here.

Decompression Sessions
5 – 8 pm
Actual Cafe, 6334 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland

Weekly get-together featuring music, popcorn, ice cream, and beer, this week featuring a rotating crew of deejays; this week featuring DJ’s I-Tan and Joe Rice. More info and prices here.

Comedy Off Broadway
8 pm
Miss Pearl’s Jam House (at The Waterfront Hotel), 1 Broadway, Oakland

Comedy featuring Jen Slusser. Admission $10, $8 for students, seniors and peace officers. More info here.

Dancing Under the Stars: Salsa
8 – 10 pm
Jack London Square

A weekly free dance lesson followed by an outdoor dance party. More info here. See our coverage of the recent waltz lesson night here.

The ShePeople’s Monthly All-Female-Artists Showcase
9 pm – midnight
4148 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland

A night of spoken word, visual art, theater and singing puppetry by female performers. More info and ticket prices here.

Foreign Legion with live band
9 pm
Disco Volante, 347 14th Street, Oakland

Indie hip-hop. $5 cover. More info here.

Zili Misk +Wisdom
Doors at 8 pm, show at 9
The New Parish, 579 18th Street, Oakland

 New World Soul, influenced by samba, reggae, African American spirituals, Haitian music and many other styles. More info and ticket prices here.

Lee Ritenour & Dave Grusin
Yoshi’s Oakland, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland

Jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour and pianist/composer Dave Grusin team up for a three-day stand at Yoshi’s. Series continues August 19 – 21. More info about ticket prices and showtimes here.

Steve Freund
Cafe Van Kleef,  1621 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland

Unconventional Thought Process, Giving the Devil His due, Aura of Lesya and others

Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland

More info here.

White Graves, Get Dead
7 pm
Eli’s Mile High Club, 3628 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Oakland

More info here.

El Elle, SISU, Bam! Bam!
Doors at 9 pm
The Uptown, 1928 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland

Indie/alternative rock. $8 admission. More info here. 

Saturday August 20

Art & Soul Festival
noon – 6 pm
Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland

The city hosts its 11th annual all-weekend Art & Soul festival, featuring Five for Fighting, Tower of Power, Goapele, Mingus Amungus, and the Kev Choice Ensemble, among other performers, as well as a Gospel Showcase on Saturday and a Dance Stage on Sunday. More information about tickets, festival attractions and the line-up of performers can be found at ArtandSoulOakland.com. More info about downtown street closures during the festival is here.

Fit Rave
2 – 5 pm
Jack London Square, Oakland

Fitness trainers will provide an outdoor workout to the sounds of a live deejay, with yoga, spinning, core workout stations and more. Activities for kids ages 5-12 provided for participating parents. More info and ticket prices here.

Richmond Boulevard: Remnant of City Beautiful walking tour
10 am – 12:30 pm
Meet at the pergola at Croxton Avenue and Richmond Boulevard

Valerie Winemiller leads a walking tour for the Oakland Heritage Alliance of the neighborhood near Glen Echo Creek of architecturally significant homes from the “City Beautiful” movement and the California bungalow, Mediterranean and Mission homebuilding styles. More info and prices here.

Emerson’s Community Work Day
10 am – noon
Emerson Elementary School, 4803 Lawton Avenue, Oakland, meet near the kindergarten playgound on Shafter

Volunteers can help the school get ready for the new year by assisting with gardening, painting and clean-up tasks. Fresh lemonade for everyone; most tools provided but if anyone can bring gloves, rakes or other gardening tools from home it would be appreciated. More info here.

Bancroft Median Cleanup
Registration begins at 8:30 am
Meet at the parking lot of St. Benedict Church, 82nd Avenue and Bancroft, Oakland

Volunteers and the Oakland Parks Coalition will clean up 20 blocks of the Bancroft median. Light refreshments provided; bring water, sunscreen, gardening tools and gloves, and a bucket or backpack. More info here.

Gardens at Lake Merritt Community Work Party
9 am – noon
Lakeside Park Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland

Volunteers will help clean up the Rhododendron, Palmetum and sensory gardens. More info here.

Arroyo Viejo Creek Crew Work Day
10 am – 1 pm
Oakland Zoo: 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland

Help the Oakland Zoo clean up the nearby creek; bring gardening gloves and comfy clothes.  More info here.

Fruitvale Community Town Hall Meeting with Spanish Speaking Unity Council, Univision & State Farm

10 am – noon
Fruitvale Transit Village, San Antonio Senior Center, 3301 East 12th Street, Suite 201.

An opportunity for neighbors to gather to talk about public safety and education.

3rd Annual Oshun Festival and Film Screening
Festival 12:30 – 4:40, film and conversation 6:30 – 9:30 pm
Humanist Hall: 390 27^th Street, Oakland

Free community festival, followed by a showing of Flow: For the Love of Fresh Water and a community conversation. More info here.

Puppet Fair Weekend
Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland

A special weekend at the park featuring puppet shows and a “puppet petting zoo.” More info and ticket prices here.

Comedy Off Broadway
8 pm
Miss Pearl’s Jam House (at The Waterfront Hotel), 1 Broadway, Oakland

Comedy featuring Donald Lacy. Admission $10, $8 for students, seniors and peace officers. More info here.

Youth Summer Concert Series
Doors at 7 pm, show at 8
EastSide Cultural Center, 2277 International Boulevard, Oakland

Free all-ages show featuring Teka and Napolean. More info here.

Pedal Powered Musical Jam
6 – 9 pm
A PLACE for Sustainable Living, 1121 64th Street, Oakland

Shake Your Peace and Cradle Duende perform, along with Fossil Fool the bike rapper. Sliding scale admission fee, more info here.

MJ’s Brass Boppers
Cafe Van Kleef,  1621 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland

New Orleans style brass band. More info here.

Kim Tillman, Bottle Rocket, & Eidolon Noise
7 – 10 pm
Actual Cafe, 6334 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland

More info here.

45 Sessions
9:15 pm
Disco Volante, 347 14th Street, Oakland

Deejays spin using only 7″ vinyl records. $5 cover. More info here.

The Black, East Bay Grease, Total BS
Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland

Funk, rock and Bob Seger covers. More info here.

Hella Gay
Doors at 9 pm
The Uptown, 1928 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland

Electronic/house/hip-hop dance party featuring deejays Astro, GStar and guests. $7 cover. More info here.

Amorpour the Lovebar presents Feed Your Soul! Mystery School, Acid Fast, Mario Di Sandro, plus spoken word by Alex Walker of Vagrant Poetics
7 pm
Mama Buzz Café, 2318 Telegraph Ave., Oakland

More info here.

Sunday August 21

OMCA Bike Tour: Oakland on Two Wheels
10 am
Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street, Oakland, meet at Oak Street entrance

Join the museum’s docents on a bike tour of the Uptown area, including a stop inside the 1917 train station on Wood Street and a tour of the interior. Bring your bike, helmet and repair kit. Free; riders must be 12 or order. More info about reservations here.

Church of Craft
noon – 5 pm
Rock, Paper, Scissors Collective, 2278 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland

A drop-in afternoon of crafting; bring whatever you’re working on. Snacks to share welcome.  More info here.

Making the Road by Walking: Thomas Haag and Martin Webb, Artist Talk and Closing Tea
3 – 6 pm
The Compound Gallery, 1167 65th Street. Oakland

A closing talk by two artists whose work explores travel. More info here.

Oakland’s Cable Railways walking tour
10 am – 1 pm
Meet at Whole Foods Market, 2500 Harrison Street at Bay Place, Oakland

Jay McCauley leads a tour for the Oakland Heritage Alliance retracing the route of Oakland’s historic cable cars. This walk is hilly, bring water. More info and prices here.

Golden Gate Community Cleanup
11 am – 2 pm
Meet in front of  Bike Man Dan, 5927 San Pablo Ave, Oakland

Community members will get together to clean up the area between 59th and 61st Streets. More info here.

Get ‘er Done Day and Community Potluck
noon – 6 pm, 6 – 8 pm
A PLACE for Sustainable Living, 1121 64th Street, Oakland

Volunteers can work on a variety of tasks including carpentry, seed planting, plumbing work and more to benefit the center. Followed by a “Souper Sunday” community potluck dinner; bring a vegetarian dish or something to add to the “stone soup.” More info here.

Laura Sheppard
4 pm
Mrs. Dalloway’s, 2904 College Avenue, Oakland

Laura Sheppard performs an interpretation of Harriet Lane Levy’s travelogue Paris Portraits: Stories of Picasso, Matisse, Gertrude Stein, and Their Circle. More information here.

Jazz Brunch
11 am – 1 pm
Musically Minded Academy, 5776 Broadway, Oakland

A morning of eclectic jazz originals and a few standards, featuring musicians Tidball, Poryes, Barshay, and Alan Hall as well as a catered breakfast by Foods by Jude. More info and ticket prices here.

Kissing Cousins with James & Evander, Mist Giant
Doors at 7 pm, show at 8
The New Parish, 579 18th Street, Oakland

All-girl indie rock. More info and ticket prices here.

The Actual Jazz Series curated by Doug Stuart
5-7  pm
Actual Cafe, 6334 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland

First set by the Eric Vogler/Howard Wiley Duo; second set by jazz/blues group Catfish. More info here.

Pure Cane, The Musistics, Peck the Town Crier, Children of Time
1 pm
Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland

More info here.

Ongoing community weekend events and gatherings

Talks, Meetings and Groups

Oakland Walking Tours
Saturdays at 10 am

Free 90-minute walking tours through Oakland’s downtown, offered May through October. Reservations recommended. For more information, including details of the 8 itineraries available, click here.

Wildlife Theater
Saturdays at 11:45 am and Sundays at 1:45 pm
Oakland Zoo: 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland

Every Saturday, hear a story and meet an animal with the Oakland zoo staff.  On Sundays, there are more animals to meet and a chance to learn cool nature facts.

Toddler Storytime

Saturdays 10:30 – 11:30 am
Oakland Main Library, Children’s Room, 125 14th Street, Oakland
and Rockridge Branch Library, 5366 College Avenue, Oakland

Every Saturday, children ages three and under can listen to stories, sing songs, and enjoy family play time. More info here.

Piedmont Avenue Branch Knitting Group
Saturdays, 3 – 4 pm
Piedmont Ave. Branch, 160 41st Street, Oakland

Weekly knitting get-together and help session.

Open Spinning/Knitting Gathering
Every second Saturday of the month, 10 am – 1 pm
A Verb for Keeping Warm, 6328 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland

A free get-together to work on knitting, spinning or fiber arts projects, with complimentary coffee and tea. More info here.

LOUD Youth Group
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 4 – 6 pm
Pacific Center: 2712 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley

LOUD Youth Group is a drop-in group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) youth.  Tuesdays focus on arts and crafts, writing, and music.  Thursdays focus on hot topics and guest speakers.  Fridays focus on queer moves and video games.  More info here.

Chemical Dependency Workshop
Saturdays 10 am – 12 pm
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center’s MPI Treatment Services: 3021 Summit Street, 5^th Floor, D Wing, Oakland

Whether you are dealing with alcohol or drug abuse yourself, or helping a family member or friend through the addiction, everyone is welcome at Alta Bates’ Dependency Workshops.  Call 510-652-7000 for more information.

MTC Community Garden Hoe-Down
Saturdays 9 – 11 am
Memorial Tabernacle Church: 514 58th Street, Oakland (enter through the driveway)

Come join the weekly garden work party!  Whether you are a novice or an expert, all levels of gardening are welcome. Bring your gloves and gardening tools.

MTC Let’s Walk Together program
Second and fourth Saturdays, 8 am – 10 am
Memorial Tabernacle Church: 514 58th Street, Oakland

A twice-monthly group walk through different Bay Area parks and trails. Meet at the church and carpool to the week’s location. More info here.

Scrabble Club

Third and First Saturday of every month, 1 – 4 pm
It’s Your Move Games and Hobbies: 4920 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland

The club meets two to three times a month and hold a monthly tournament.  Cost: $1 to join the club and $25 for six games at the tournament.  More info here.

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous
Sundays 8:30 – 10 am, Thursdays 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Summit Campus, Merritt Pavilion
350 Hawthorne Avenue, Oakland, in the “Fir Room.”

A program based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. There are no dues, weigh-ins, or fee, but pre-registration for this free program is required. The program is provided through Alta Bates Summit Medical Center and Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the East Bay. Call (510) 523-4361 for more information.

Farmers markets

Old Oakland Farmers Market: 9th Street between Broadway and Clay, Oakland

Fridays 8 am – 2 pm, year-round.  More info here.

Kaiser Permanente Oakland Farmers Market: 3801 Howe Street, Oakland

Fridays 10 am – 2 pm, year-round.  More info here.

Grand Lake Farmers Market: Splash Pad Park at Grand Avenue and Lake Park Avenue

Saturdays 9 am – 2 pm, year round.  More info here.

Phat Beets Produce Market: 5717 Market Street, Oakland

Saturdays 9 am – 2 pm.  More info here.

Temescal Farmers Market: 5300 Claremont Avenue, Oakland (at the DMV)

Sundays 9 am – 1 pm, year-round.  More info here.

Jack London Square Farmers Market: Webster & Water Streets, Oakland

Sundays, 9 am – 2 pm, year-round.  More info here.

Got an Oakland event to share for next weekend’s events listing? Send info including address, time, and ticket price for events taking place in Oakland to staff@oaklandnorth.net.