Noe Valley Voice May 1999
RETURN TO HOME PAGE
FEEDBACK

Short Takes

'Three Strikes' Documentary

===

A documentary produced by 25th Street resident Michael J. Moore -- The Legacy: Murder & Media, Politics & Prisons -- will open May 17 ­ 20 at the Roxie Cinema on 16th Street. It also will be shown on KQED (Channel 9) on June 1 at 10 p.m.

The film traces the history of the controversial "Three Strikes" initiative, by exploring the relationship between Marc Klaas and Mike Reynolds, the two men whose daughters' murders led to the law's enactment in 1994. (Reynolds' daughter was shot and killed by a purse snatcher.)

"It also will inform the public about what the law really does," says Moore. "Few people know that 25 percent of all prisoners in California are now incarcerated under Three Strikes. And 79 percent of those are in for nonviolent crimes."

To find out more about the premiere at the Roxie, which will include an appearance by Polly Klaas' father Marc Klaas and San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan, call 282-2303.

30 Years of Pampers

===

Did you or someone you know attend the Noe Valley Cooperative Nursery School? The school is calling all past and present alumni, to come celebrate its 30th anniversary.

The nursery school, housed in the Noe Valley Ministry at 1021 Sanchez St., will host a grown-ups only anniversary party on May 21 from 7 to 11 p.m. Then there will be a picnic the next day, May 22, for families and their children.

If you are an alum and have not yet received a survey from the school, please call co-op president Caroline Scott at (415) 563-6238 to give her your current address and phone number.

The party will also launch an exhibit of 14 glorious quilts created by parents at the school. Many have been raffle prizes displayed in storefront windows on 24th Street over the years. The show will run through June 11 at the church. Call the Ministry at 282-2317 for more information, or the nursery school at 647-2278.

Music on Mother's Day

===

How better to spend Mother's Day than to soak up some jazz and classical music in an intimate neighborhood venue? The Noe Valley Chamber Music Series presents "Pursuit of Excellence," a concert performed by students and faculty from Community Music Center (CMC), on Sunday, May 9, at 2:30 p.m.

The free program includes everything from Baroque flute music from Europe to Guzheng music from ancient China. The CMC Jazz Band and Inner City Young Musicians will also play sets. Advanced chamber music ensembles, the Collegium Musicum, and a Bulgarian women's a cappella group round out the program, which will be held in the upstairs sanctuary at the Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez St.

For further details on the concert, call the CMC at 647-6015.

SLUG's Open Garden Day

===

Now that spring is here for real, it's the perfect time to visit some of the many flourishing school and community gardens in the area, with knowledgeable tour guides leading the way.

On Saturday, May 22, you can take a free tour -- by bus, by bike, or on foot -- of community gardens on "Open Garden Day," an event sponsored by the San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners (SLUG) and the Center for Urban Education About Sustainable Agriculture.

"A Walking Tour of Mission Gardens" will explore hidden pockets of nature you may have missed in the Mission District. That tour starts at the Dolores Street Garden at 15th and Dolores streets at 11 a.m.

Meanwhile, a city garden bicycle tour, co-sponsored by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, meets at 19th and Dolores (also at 11 a.m.).

Or if buses are more your style, you can take a San Francisco gardens tour by catching the bus at St. Mary's Urban Youth Farm on Alemany Boulevard at Ellsworth at 10:45 a.m. There is also a school bus tour of outdoor classrooms, which will meet at Alice Fong Yu Alternative School at 1541 12th Ave. at 11 a.m.

To reserve a seat on any of the tours, or for a free map of Open Garden Day sites, call SLUG at (415) 285-7584.

Fair Oaks Fair and Fleas

===

Get ready for the Fair Oaks Neighbors Street Fair and Flea Market on Saturday, May 8, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There'll be five full blocks of garage sales, food, and fun, with special kids' events at James-town Community Center, 180 Fair Oaks.

The fair, a Noe Valley tradition now in its 23rd year, will run all along Fair Oaks Street from 21st to 26th Street. (Fair Oaks Street is the one that is parallel to Dolores Street, between Dolores and Guerrero.)

Please note that in case the fair is rained out on the 8th, the alternate date is Saturday, May 15.

Secret Gardens Revealed

===

Ten breathtaking San Francisco private gardens, including three in Noe Valley, will be open for touring on Sunday, May 23, as part of a benefit for the STOP AIDS Project of San Francisco. The gardens represent the work of local landscape architects and avid gardeners, and are not normally open to the public.

The garden of a Marina District home will also host a champagne reception, with wines and delicious food from San Francisco restaurants. This particular garden happens to be where the treaty ending the war with Japan was signed.

All proceeds from the event will support the group's HIV prevention program for gay and bisexual men. The tour costs $40 per person and will last from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The champagne reception will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Attending both the tour and the reception costs $75.

For advance tickets and information call either (415) 864-8523 or (415) 252-1967. For tickets on May 23, go to 4547 19th St. (at Douglass).

Food Drive Goes Postal

===

Letter carriers will be collecting food from San Francisco residents on Saturday, May 8, in a nationwide food drive for families in need. You'll soon be getting a flyer in your mailbox, asking you to leave canned food and nonperishable items by your mailbox the morning of the 8th.

The Post Office will deliver all the food the carriers collect locally to the San Francisco Food Bank, where it will be sorted and distributed. Last year, nearly a million pounds of food were collected across the country in just one day.

"This annual food drive is so important in helping to feed the more than 90,000 low-income children and families living with the threat of hunger in San Francisco," said Paul Ash, executive director of the Food Bank.

Canned or packaged items such as tuna, beans, rice and pasta, canned soups and stews, canned fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, and cereal are your best bet. Please remember not to include glass or perishable items.

The food drive is being organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers, in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Service, the AFL-CIO, and the United Way. To contact the San Francisco Food Bank, call (415) 282-1900.

Are 2 Wheels Better Than 4?

===

Bike to Work Day is coming up on Tuesday, May 18. You can save money, get exercise, and have some fun by getting away from the traffic congestion and Muni frustrations.

To put even more zip in your pedaling that day, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is sponsoring 11 "energizer stations" around town, with free treats and goodies for bicyclists only. At Valencia and 17th streets during the morning commute (7 to 9 a.m.), free coffee, juice, bagels, and tote bags can be had, and at Valencia and 18th streets during the evening commute (4:30 to 6:30 p.m.), free bike lights and helmet fittings will be available.

Once you get downtown, free valet bike parking all day will be provided at Market and Battery streets. If you're nervous going solo, join a "bike train" riding toward downtown in the morning.

Or if you're a little rusty on cycling, take advantage of the Coalition's Urban Biking Workshop on Sunday, May 9, at 10 a.m., or Thursday, May 13, at 6 p.m., rain or shine. The class will cover basic riding skills and safety tips. Bring your bike for the hands-on practice.

For details on the workshop or Bike to Work events, call (415) 431-BIKE, or check out www.sfbike.org.

Radical Labor Conference

===

"I-99," an international labor conference co-sponsored by the Bay Area Workers Solidarity Alliance, will be held at New College of California, 741 Valencia St., June 1 through 5.

The goal of the conference is to rebuild the global grassroots labor movement and to open channels of communication between existing radical unions and organizations. "We hope that the common values of all members of the radical labor movement become clear through the course of the conference," said Deke Nihilson, one of I-99's organizers.

According to conference literature, "attendees will be asked to agree to three basic principles: The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. The working class should take over the economy. The working class must organize into unions to fight the capitalist class." For more information about the conference, call (415) 863-9627 or send e-mail to intI99@iww.org. There is also more information at the Industrial Workers of the World web site at www.iww.org.