Oakland North TV

Circus Bella brings a traditional outdoor one-ring circus to Oakland

A circus has come to town—a dancer rounds dozens of hula-hoops on her hips, one woman swings from a trapeze, another treads a fine line on the slack rope, and a clown puts up a formidable act for the audience. Meet A circus has come to town—a dancer rounds dozens of hula-hoops on her hips, one woman swings from a trapeze, another treads a fine line on the slack rope and a clown puts up a formidable act for the audience. Meet Circus Bella, a one-ring outdoor circus comprised of 13 troupe members and several live musicians.

Through Power Soccer, an athlete in a wheelchair takes home a gold medal

When Kendra Scalia-Carrow discovered the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program’s (BORP) Power Soccer group in 2006, she had no interest in joining the team. The 28-year-old, who suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy, had never played a sport. But as soon as she kicked the ball, she was hooked.

In 2009, Scalia-Carrow, an Americans with Disabilities Act program analyst for the city of Oakland, decided to try out for the U.S. National Power Soccer team. Despite having only played the sport for three years, Scalia-Carrow was chosen as one of only eight players on the starting roster at the 2011 FIFPA World Cup in Paris.

Bandwidth: Pooka’s transformation

Since he was kid, Dvondre Woodards has gone by another name, Pooka. Given to him by his grandmother, the name stuck, be it with friends, family, and even teachers. It doesn’t have any meaning as far as 22-year-old Woodards knows. “It’s just unique. So I’m making my own definition of it,” he said.

Chop Bar pig roast at Linden Street Brewery draws hungry spectators

Two local businesses—Linden Street Brewery and Chop Bar—came together in Oakland Sunday for their annual pig roast celebration, held on the third Sunday of every month between April and September. Dynamic, an Oakland based band, performed throughout the evening. The four pigs they roasted came from Langley Farm in Petaluma, about 50 miles north of Oakland. Chefs at Chop Bar received the hogs two days before the roast, putting them in big white coolers while brining then for two days…