Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’
Tree-lighting ceremony in Oakland’s Jack London Square draws crowds
On Friday, December 4, Oakland’s Jack London Square drew crowds for a festive tree-lighting ceremony to celebrate the holiday season. Live music filled the square as the Oakland School for the Arts’ Vocal Rush, Chamber Choir and Jazz Guitar Ensemble performed holiday favorites. Other entertainment included performances by the Tap Dancing Christmas Trees and West Oakland Middle Schools’…
Read MoreWinter holidays: Oakland North’s favorite stories from the most wonderful time of the year
Happy holidays, Oakland! Here are some of our favorite winter holiday stories from the last few years, on everything from how the city installs its giant Christmas tree to how to make gingerbread cookies to how the postal service handles the deluge of holiday mail.
Read MoreChildren’s Fairyland to turn into “Fairy Winterland” to celebrate the holiday season
The Nutcracker Prince, the Grinch, Snowflake the Elf, Santa Claus and even a tap dancing Christmas tree will be joining the whimsical cast of characters at Children’s Fairyland this holiday season. For 10 days, the beloved Oakland theme park will be transformed with twinkling lights and decorations into a multi-cultural winter wonderland.
Read MoreWith increased poverty and more than 2,000 requests, this year’s toy drive needs more donations
Oakland’s holiday kids’ charity needs toys — lots of toys. This year’s Toy Drive, a city program that provides low-income families gifts for their children during the holiday season, has received more than 2,000 petitions. Its organizers expect this number to quadruple over the next few days.
Read MoreFor Oakland’s mail carriers, it’s the busiest week of the year
The week before Christmas is the busiest time of year for Oakland’s mail carriers, so reporter Roberto Daza tagged along to see how they get the job done.
Read MoreCrèches light up the scene at Catholic Christmas festival
For Christmas this year, Leo Keegan set out to create a nativity spectacle at the Cathedral of Christ the Light, the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Oakland. The result was the Starlight Festival: seventeen unique displays of the crèche, or nativity scene, each an interpretation of the biblical story of Jesus’ birth
Read MoreChristmas beer spreads goodwill, intoxication
The Trappist was overflowing Friday as thirsty Oaklanders tossed one back in honor of KerstBier Fest—a two-day celebration of the rich brews of the season. On offer at the downtown pub that specializes in artisan and speciality brews were about 30 beer varieties from Belgium, Norway and the US.
Read MoreThis weekend in Oakland
Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Check out the great events that the Oakland North staff has compiled just for you.
Read MoreOakland kicks off the holiday season with City Center tree lighting ceremony
Oakland City Center hosted its second annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Thursday, ringing in the holiday season with music, edible treats and of course, Santa Claus.
Read MoreMayor’s Community Toy Drive brings cheer to many
At this time of year, many parents grab up lists to Santa and race to the mall in hopes of nabbing the year’s hottest toys to hide under the tree. But for Nombuyiselo Gqajena, an Oakland mother living at the Henry Robinson Multi-Service Center—a transitional housing facility—Christmas presents great emotional and financial stress.
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