Culture
This year’s White Elephant sale topped the charts by earning $1.6 million from its annual event in March. For the 52nd year in a row, the Oakland Museum Women’s Board organized this gigantic rummage sale where people can find anything from picnic baskets to record players to wedding dresses. All proceeds from the sale benefit the Oakland Museum of California.
Musically Minded Academy, a brand new school, community center and concert venue in Rockridge, opened its doors to students of every age this January. Singers, drummers, and classic pianists—and no matter what their experience level—can find a place at this progressive, nonprofit facility.
During a contentious meeting Tuesday afternoon, the Oakland City Council’s Committee on Community and Economic Development debated whether or not to expand the boundaries where food trucks can do business throughout the city, as well as loosen some of the restrictions that govern where food trucks can park.
Some people coming out of the Rockridge BART station stop and observe; some just shake their heads and continue walking. The scene before them is not what one would expect on a sunny Thursday evening—it seems as if a window to the Middle Ages has been opened in the parking lot next to the BART station.
This story takes us under the big top. Traveling troupes of trained animals, acrobats and clowns may have originated in Ancient Rome, but today in West Oakland, a group of twenty-somethings are not just reinventing the old art form—they’re living it.
Though Saturday ended with rainfall, the early afternoon hours were sunny and the perfect weather for this year’s annual Old Fashioned Egg Hunt & Games at Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate. Children of all ages roamed the meadow in search of Easter eggs (which they later traded in for Pixy Stix and chocolate), had their face painted, and took a ride on the ponies.
Oakland designer Zoe Hong is a 31-year-old emerging fashion talent in a region rarely recognized for its style. Hong is currently working on her third season, a 10-piece mini-collection for summer, and is planning a larger collection for Fall. She sells her creations at Etsy.com and Kreeya.com, as well as in three boutiques, including The Factory in San Francisco.
The official Earth Day is today, April 22, but Oaklanders got started with hikes, clean-ups and plantings last weekend. Check out our slideshow of community-submitted photos. It’s not to late to send in your own photos! Just email them to lillian.mongeau@oaklandnorth.net.
One of the all-time favorites dishes at the old Jon’s Street Eats was the ahi tuna roll. Chef Jon Kosorek would lightly sear rare tuna encrusted with black sesame seeds, top it with Asian-inspired slaw and wasabi aioli, then layer it all into a grilled soft white roll. When Kosorek shuttered Jon’s Street Eats in February, moving onto an executive chef job in Calistoga, his customers lamented the loss.