Short Takes

Noe Valley's Past on Parade
Come see Noe Valley "The Way It Was" this month at the local library. The Noe Valley Historical Archives will be on display at 451 Jersey St. throughout June, with class pictures from local schools, early landscape photographs, 24th Street moviehouse posters, and other neighborhood artifacts and memorabilia.
This year's exhibit will also include awards and mementos belonging to Fred Methner, an anti-litter crusader and founder of the East & West of Castro Street Improvement Club who died in 1991. For decades, Methner roamed the streets of Noe Valley, picking up trash, sweeping sidewalks, and painting out graffiti. (Many of our city trashcans bear a plaque with his name.)
To further celebrate Noe Valley History Month, the library will host an open house and party on Saturday, June 13, from 1 to 5 p.m. In addition to sharing refreshments and chatting with old- and new-timers, visitors can peruse the exhibit and see historical films, such as an interview with Tillie Smith, a Jersey Street resident who was 17 years old during the quake of 1906.
For the kids, the event will offer surprises from two local entertainers: At 1:30 p.m., ventriloquist and comedian Steve Chaney will present a program featuring his gabby friend Cornelius. At 3 p.m., Germar the Magician will do a magic show that includes lots of audience (and live animals!) participation.
If you have historical artifacts you'd like to bring, call Archives chair Paul Kantus at 647-3753. For questions about the library, call Carol Small at 695-5095.
Doings at the Ministry
As usual, the Noe Valley Ministry at 1021 Sanchez St. (near 23rd) has all kinds of events going on in June.
Throughout the month, the church's Gallery Sanchez will host an exhibit of art by home-schooled children and teen-agers, sponsored by the San Francisco Home Schoolers Association. There will be a reception and celebration for the show in the Ministry's upper hall on Sunday, June 7, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Then at 7:30 the evening of June 7, Margaret Bean, a Noe Valley Ministry member who is briefly visiting San Francisco after a long stay in Guatemala, will show a video created by a women's cooperative in Todos Santos titled, "What the Women Are Saying." She will also be raffling off a couple of Momostenango blankets and collecting donations to create a scholarship fund for Mayan students in Guatemala.
On Saturday, June 6, the Noe Valley Ministry Family Picnic will take place in Douglass Park, at Douglass and 26th streets. Family and friends are welcome, but please leave the pooches at home. Bring a side dish to share, plus lawn chairs, blankets, and Frisbees if you like. And if you like grilling in the mist, bring something to throw on the barbecue.
The Ministry could use some help setting up the picnic, so call John Bird at 821-5829 or e-mail him at johnbird @earthlink.net for more information.
James Lick Flea Market
Are you a garage sale fiend? If so -- or if you're cleaning out your closets and want to sell some old clothes and furniture -- check out the James Lick Middle School Flea Market happening the last Saturday of each month.
The swap meet has a mix of neighbors and merchants selling everything from tools to jewelry to antiques. James Lick students are on hand to help run the show and to dole out coffee, donuts, bagels, and hot dogs at reasonable prices.
You can scrounge for bargains, or rent your own booth space for $10 to $30. Proceeds from booth rentals and food sales go to benefit the band and P.E. departments at James Lick.
This summer's flea markets will take place on June 27, July 25, and Aug. 29, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Booths are set up on the blacktop behind the school, off Castro Street between 25th and Clipper. Setup is from 7 to 9 a.m.
For more information, call Beatrice Braojos at 826-2655.
Networking in Noe
Professionals in Noe Valley, take note: a new chapter of Business Network International (BNI), a group specializing in business referrals, has popped up in the neighborhood. The groups meets weekly at Miss Millie's Restaurant on 24th Street to provide "word-of-mouth" marketing for its members.
"So far, we're small but mighty," says Ed Craine, a 22nd Street mortgage broker who helped launch the Noe Valley chapter of BNI in April. "Right now we're trying to build our membership."
Craine said Michael Hager, a well-known local architect, is leading the Noe Valley group. Members also include a local real estate agent, a chiropractor, an attorney, and a life insurance agent.
Members trade business advice and keep each other posted on the services they offer. They also exchange leads on friends or customers who might be interested in those services.
If you'd like to join the network, stop by Miss Millie's on Tuesday mornings. The meetings start at 8 a.m. and run until about 9:30. For more info on the group, contact Ed Craine at 821-6827.
Nursery School Quilt Raffle
Want to support a good cause while taking a chance on winning a beautiful handmade quilt? The Noe Valley Nursery School, the parent co-op that operates out of the Noe Valley Ministry, will hold the drawing for its annual quilt raffle on Friday, June 12.
Lovingly stitched by school parents, the quilt features a "Tea Time" theme and will be on display in the window of Cover to Cover bookstore on 24th Street until the drawing.
Raffle tickets are $1 each, 6 for $5, or 12 for $10. You can get them at Cover to Cover, 3910 24th St., or at the school at 1021 Sanchez St. (near 23rd) on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For more information call the Noe Valley Nursery School at 647-2278.
Forum on Chain Stores
The residents group Friends of Noe Valley will sponsor a forum on Thursday, June 11, to discuss the growing presence of chains and franchises in the neighborhood. The meeting will explore the history of 24th Street as a commercial strip, and a proposed ordinance to establish a permanent moratorium on specialty grocery and retail coffee stores.
The forum's panel will include Grace Hing of the City Planning Department; Friends member and land use attorney Claire Pilcher; Dave Monks, president of the Noe Valley Democratic Club; and Indigo V owner Diane Barrett, who chairs the Noe Valley Merchants Association's committee on moratoriums.
Friends of Noe Valley invites the neighborhood to come talk about how the moratorium might affect shops, traffic, or parking on 24th Street, and how local residents and merchants can best preserve Noe Valley's unique character.
The meeting will kick off at 7:45 p.m. at the Noe Valley Library at 451 Jersey St. If you need further details, call Harry Stern at 821-1086.
Interesting Walks and Talks
You can get your exercise and soak up some local color by taking two neighborhood walks this month.
A June 14 stroll on the part of San Jose Avenue also known as the "Bernal Cut" will give walkers a chance to learn about the history of the area and the importance of plants and trees in making it a quieter and safer neighborhood boulevard. After the walk, participants will share ideas on how to beautify San Jose, specifically the stretch running from Cesar Chavez Street to the 280 freeway. The two residents groups sponsoring the walk -- Fair Oaks Neighbors and Southwest Mission Neighbors -- will use those ideas to form a plan to upgrade the neighborhood.
To join the brigade, meet at the northwest corner of San Jose and Randall streets (one block south of 30th Street) at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 14. The walk will end at 12:30 p.m. at Mitchell's Ice Cream Store near 29th and San Jose. For information about the walk (and a bike ride to follow it), call Paul Nixon of Fair Oaks Neighbors at 647-5183.
Meanwhile, every Saturday in June, Precita Eyes will be giving walking tours of Mission District murals. Tour goers should meet at Precita Eyes Mural Center at 348 Precita Ave. (near Folsom) at 1:30 p.m. First, you'll view a brief slideshow on the history of the murals. Then walkers will set out, led by a professional muralist, to see over 70 murals within an eight-block area.
The cost of the tour is $5 general, $4 for seniors, or $1 for people under 18. For more information call 285-2287.
Know Any 'Old Dykes'?
Do you know any older lesbians who've been real movers and shakers but who've never actually heard much applause? The Pat Bond Memorial Old Dyke Awards ceremony is coming up -- and the sponsors are seeking nominations.
The fourth biannual event will be co-chaired by well-known lesbian activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, and will be held on Nov. 1 at St. John's Presbyterian Church in Berkeley. The awards honor Pat Bond, a Bay Area lesbian who was a beloved comedian, monologist, and playwright. Though she died in 1990, her life inspired others to honor lesbians who have made significant contributions to their community.
The candidate should be an "out" lesbian who is 60 years of age or older and someone who has not been sufficiently recognized for her achievements. She also must live in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, or Sonoma County.
Nominations must be turned in by June 30 to: Pat Bond Awards, GLOE, 1853 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94103. For more information or to get nomination forms, call 255-2937.
A Writing Parlor with a View
Most of us have stories we'd like to tell. You can get yours down on paper this summer by taking a class at the Writing Parlor, on 23rd Street near Grand View.
The Parlor offers a range of classes, including "Breaking into Freelance Journalism" (June 8 to Aug. 3), "Screenwriting for the Movies" (June 14 to Aug. 9), "The Art and Craft of Playwriting" (June 11 to July 30), and a workshop for parents on creating a journal (June 13 to Aug. 8). From June 10 to July 29, Voice features editor Jane Underwood will teach a course on writing personal essays and memoirs.
Workshops meet once a week, and class size ranges from 8 to 12 students. The cost is $235 for a two-month course. To register by phone or be put on the mailing list, call 642-7875.
AIDS Benefits in June
June brings two outdoor events that will help support people with HIV/AIDS. One showcases gardens, and the other dogs and their pals.
The first is the June 7 San Francisco Garden Tour, sponsored by the Stop AIDS Project, a community-based HIV prevention program by and for gay and bisexual men. Participants will spend Sunday, June 7, on a self-guided tour of 10 private residential gardens in the city.
The tour starts at 11 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m., and includes the former home of the late Mayor George Moscone in St. Francis Woods. There's also a visit to the Marina District home where the treaty ending the war with Japan was signed. A champagne reception will be held in conjunction with the tour from 2 to 4 p.m.
Tickets are $30, or $75 for both the tour and reception. To participate, go to 360 Eureka St. (near 21st Street) the day of the event. Or you can purchase tickets in advance by calling 575-0150, ext. 257, or by e-mailing Kprice@stopaids.org.
The following weekend, on Sunday, June 14, runners, walkers, and their canine companions will frolic in the third annual Doggone Fun Run to benefit Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS). This group is a nonprofit that helps low-income pet owners with AIDS in keeping their animals at home.
The 5K run -- which also includes contests, food, and entertainment, for both humans and animals -- will be held at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park, from 9 a.m. to noon. Naturally, the dogs will be in charge of collecting pledges.
For a registration packet, call 241-1460 or stop by the PAWS office at 2189 Market St.
This month's Short Takes were written by Erin O'Briant and Sally Smith.