Short Takes

We Have Big Plants for You

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A tree will muffle noise, clean the air, block the wind, and beautify the street. For all these reasons and more, Friends of the Urban Forest wants to help you plant them in Noe Valley.
The cost of obtaining and planting a tree is about $300, but thanks to funding provided by the City of San Francisco, you can plant one in front of your digs through Friends of the Urban Forest for only $70. To qualify for this discount, however, a minimum of 40 neighborhood properties must sign up for the program. Renters, business owners, and property owners are all welcome to participate.
"There's no deadline per se," says Alison Horton Eastwood, the organization's Noe Valley representative. "I have so far completed forms for five properties, so we need to get the word out to get the remaining 35. It has been fun for me so far. I am meeting neighbors and improving the environment."
To get in on the action, call Eastwood at 285-2316 or e-mail her at Horton
Eastwood@yahoo.com.
Town Hall on Breast Cancer

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To spur research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of breast cancer, the fiesty Breast Cancer Action will hold a town hall meeting on Saturday, April 20, from noon to 5 p.m. at the San Francisco Women's Building.
Titled "Beyond the Pink Ribbon: Challenging the Culture of Breast Cancer" and co-sponsored by such groups as Strike Out Breast Cancer, KPFA Radio, and Mother Jones magazine, the event will also offer a chance to "learn how mainstream culture has co-opted the breast cancer movement -- and how you can get involved in helping to end the breast cancer epidemic," say the organizers.
The keynote speaker will be author and social critic Barbara Ehrenreich (whom many know from her book Nickel and Dimed: Surviving in Low-Wage America). Ehrenreich's essay "Welcome to Cancerland: A Mammogram Leads to a Cult of Pink Kitsch" appeared in the November 2001 issue of Harper's magazine and can be downloaded at the Breast Cancer Action web site: www.bcaction.org.
Mistress of ceremonies will be Anne LaMott. A Marin County author of five novels and three bestselling nonfiction books, as well as a columnist for Salon magazine, LaMott is known for her wit and self-effacing humor. Composer/musician Adrienne Torf, who has played with such stars as Holly Near, Ferron, and Cris Williamson, also will liven up the event.
The Women's Building is at 3543 18th Street, near Lapidge. Suggested minimum donation at the door is $10. For further information, call 355-9988 or e-mail bcatownmeeting@hotmail.com.
Classical in a Classic Place
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A new music series, the Second Sundays Series, began in October at Holy Innocents Episcopal Church on Fair Oaks Street. It presents monthly, live classical music concerts to the public.
"We wanted to create a concert series of great local performers to take advantage of the acoustics at Holy Innocents Church. It's an exceptional space for live music, especially for chamber music," says Jess Perry, who, along with co-producer Katherine McKee, helps selects the artists for the series.
The April 14 concert will feature Emil Miland, a cellist with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. Guest artists will include Bryndon Hassman on piano, Carey Bell on clarinet, and Dawn Harms on violin. The program will feature works by Bridge, Kodaly, and Brahms.
On May 12, the Schola Cantorum of Holy Innocents Church will present its 10th-anniversary jubilee concert.
Concerts begin at 5 p.m., and last about an hour and a half. There are no advance tickets; a $15 donation is requested at the door (free childcare is provided).
The 1890s church is tucked away at 455 Fair Oaks Street, a block east of Dolores between 25th and 26th streets. For further information call 776-7538, or e-mail jessgperry@aol.com.
Motion for the Masses
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National Dance Week is April 26 through May 5, and Rhythm and Motion Dance Center wants us to celebrate by sliding on down to its Mission Street studio on Sunday, April 28, from 3 to 7 p.m.
Rhythm and Motion offers more than 100 classes each week for children, teens, and adults. They're held at the studio and in nearby Glen Park, Bernal Heights, and the Castro. "Everyone should come to the open house -- to dance, to play, to become stronger, to watch, to eat, to meet people in our incredibly diverse community. This is the perfect opportunity to try something you've never tried before," says Consuelo Faust, who founded Rhythm and Motion in 1979.
Free sample classes for adults are scheduled throughout the event. They include Afro-Cuban dance with Jose Barroso, a self-defense class with James Hundon, yoga with Paul Sullivan, contact improvisation with Sean Seward, and exercise dance workouts with Faust and Stephanie Forster. Sample classes for children include capoeira with Adeofun and hip-hop with Jessica Wolf. There will also be chances to sign up for regular classes on a first come, first served basis.
Rhythm and Motion's studio is at 1133 Mission Street between Seventh and Eighth streets. For more info, call 621-0643, or visit www.rhythmandmotion.com.
Glen Park Festival
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Are you in the mood for a free outdoor festival, especially one that benefits a summer day camp favored by children in Noe Valley for generations? If so, buy some fresh sunscreen and mark your calendar for April 28, the day when the Glen Park Festival takes over downtown Glen Park. To make way for the revelry, festival organizers will close off Wilder Street, and Diamond Street from Chenery to Bosworth streets.
Setting up shop on the sidewalk from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. will be more than 30 artists and crafts vendors from all over California. Restaurants such as Chenery Park, Alma, Destination Bakery, and Tiger's will have booths as well. Entertainment will include the Randy Craig Jazz Quartet from 10 to 11:30 a.m.; Mestizo, a Latin rock band, from noon to 2 p.m.; and London Street Project, an R&B group, from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
There will also be a raffle, free fire hats and lollipops, and a fire truck manned by members of the San Francisco Fire Department. Proceeds from the event will go toward scholarships for disadvantaged youth to Silver Tree Day Camp, located in Glen Park Canyon.
For more information, call the festival hotline at 835-2112 or check out the web site: www.glenparkfestival.com.
Join the Write Crowd
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The Writing Salon has provided instruction for writers and aspiring writers in Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Glen Park, and the Mission since 1999. And if you're one of those (or not), you are cordially invited to an open house, potluck, and reading on Saturday, April 6, from 6 to 10 p.m.
"I started the Writing Salon mainly because I'm a writer who loves to write and who also loves to teach," says Jane Underwood, the Writing Salon's founder and owner. "But something else also happened, something that I didn't fully anticipate. [The Salon] created a sense of community, and it continues to grow."
Among the readers at the event will be several of the Salon's teachers, including Alan Kaufman (who teaches a memoir class), Michelle Richmond (fiction), Lisa Alp (travel writing), Marcy Sheiner (overcoming writing blocks), Suzy Parker (personal essays), Suzanne Weiner (poetry), and Hank Hyena (comic monologues).
Students will be reading from their work as well. "There will be equal amounts of time for eating and schmoozing," says Underwood, "so bring something yummy to eat or drink, and hang out for as long or as short a time as you'd like."
The Writing Salon is located at 673 Moultrie Street in Bernal Heights. For further information, call 642-9793 or go to www.writingsalons.com.
Apples and Oranges, Not
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1977. Twenty-five years ago. Were you here when Harvey Milk became our city's first openly gay supervisor, when 125,000 people thronged to San Francisco to attend the gay pride parade, when right-wingers vilified the gay rights movement, and gays and lesbians formed such groups as the Butterfly Brigade to put an end to attacks on non-heterosexual people?
For those of us who lived through those days, and for those who are simply interested in a vibrant part of our city's history, the "Butterflies and Oranges" show organized by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society is a must-see.
It's chock full of photographs, fliers, T-shirts with slogans such as "Anita dear, cram it," and other memorabilia, much of which had been boxed up in the garages of people who were involved in the early days of the gay rights movement.
The show runs through May 15 at the new GLPT Historical Society, 973 Market Street, Tuesday through Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. It is running simultaneously at the San Francisco Public Library's main branch (100 Larkin Street) during regular library hours. For more information, call 777-5455.
Riley Is Really Coming
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Heads up, postmodern neighbors! Renowned avant-garde composer and pianist Terry Riley is doing a benefit performance at the Noe Valley Ministry on Sunday, April 7. Produced jointly by Noe Valley Chamber Music and the Noe Valley Music Series, the concert will help pay off the Ministry's Steinway grand piano and also pay for installation of a new sound system recently donated to the church by the Good Sound Foundation.
"Terry Riley is a major figure in contemporary music, and the opportunity to hear him in person shouldn't be missed. He's the father of minimalism, and many composers are influenced by him," says Karen Heather, artistic director of Noe Valley Chamber Music. "When I say the name Terry Riley," she continues, "people say 'Is he really going to be there?' It is phenomenal that he's willing to do this benefit for us; we feel very privileged."
Riley plans to open the concert he has dubbed "Night and Day Dreams" with standards, and then follow with some pieces he calls "un-premeditated." His son Gyan, a guitarist, will join his father on stage for one set. The show starts at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $25, and reservations are highly recommended. To save your place, call 648-5236. The Ministry is located at 1021 Sanchez Street.
Party Time for Book Lovers
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It's been three years since Cover to Cover moved to its spacious new quarters near Church Street, and the bookstore is throwing a party to mark the occasion on Sunday, April 14.
"We're going to try to have things going all day long, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.," says co-owner Tracy Wynne. "But the biggest part will be from 2 to 4 p.m."
Neighborhood devotees of the store have offered their services to help make the party a success. Plans include juggling, balloon hats, and cookies and cake.
"It's going to be lighthearted and fun," says Wynne. "We're just happy to be celebrating another year in Noe Valley. We're very proud to be part of this community."
Cover to Cover is located at 3812 24th Street. For further information, or to volunteer your clown, magician, or other creative talents, call 282-8080.
This month's Short Takes were written by Laura McHale Holland.