OAKLAND
This year’s Oakland Greek Festival, sponsored by the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension, will return this Friday through Sunday.
Along with breathtaking panoramic views from the Oakland hills, festival-goers can anticipate their delectable favorites such as gyros, souvlakia, lamb sandwiches, spanakopita, loukoumades, baklava and much more. Celebrating its 52nd year, the festival will kick off the festivities at 4 p.m. Friday and run through 9 p.m. Sunday.
The Ascension cathedral’s award-winning Greek folk dance troupes, liturgical choir concerts, historical festival photo displays, tours, lectures and cooking demonstrations will be featured throughout the weekend. A unique array of wares and take-home pastries will also be available for purchase.
The festival will be open until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and will start at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $5 at the door or available in advance online via EventBrite (bit.ly/4bIztzH). Admission is free for children 12 or younger. Plenty of free parking will be available at the cathedral and surrounding lots, as will be premium parking for $20 a day. For more details online, please visit oaklandgreekfestival.com.
— Oakland Greek Festival
PIEDMONT
Police station walk-in services to be limited temporarily
Walk-in services at the Piedmont Police Department will be temporarily limited starting in June, as the police station is reconfigured to accommodate construction for the department’s dispatch center relocation project.
With the reception area under construction, visitor accommodations similar to those used during the COVID-19 pandemic will be put in place, with commonly requested forms and a phone to connect with staff available outside the building.
The project, which is intended to improve 9-1-1 response capabilities, will relocate the dispatch center into the space that now jointly serves as the city’s emergency operations center and the Police Department’s conference and interview room.
Visible construction work will start in June, but behind-the-scenes preparations have been underway for months as police and city public works staff reconfigure the police station to accommodate a 32% reduction in workspace. For more details, visit bit.ly/3V1rvvQ online.
— city of Piedmont
Donations can help those in need in Africa, Latin America
Recent contributions to the Piedmont-based Lantern Projects charity organization in March and April provided much-needed supplies to people in need in the developing world. All funds received by the organization go to the projects, and every donation really helps.
Lantern Projects is accepting donations now to fund school uniforms in Kenya (project #494), a school playground in Cameroon (project #495), food relief and deworming medicine in Haiti (project #496) and costumes and uniforms for a ballet school in Cuba (project #497).
Tax-deductible donations in any amount (please identify which project number is being funded) can be made online at lanternprojects.org or sent by a check payable to Lantern Projects at 51 Glen Alpine Road, Piedmont, CA 94611-3522.
— Lantern Projects
OAKLAND
Montclair Beer, Wine & Music Festival happening June 15
The Montclair Village Association (MVA) and generous presenting sponsor Ken Betts Co. are excited to announce the 10th annual Montclair Beer, Wine & Music Festival from 12 to 6 p.m. June 15 in the Oakland hills’ Montclair Village business district.
Several blocks will be closed for this community celebration and fundraiser that drew more than 3,000 attendees last year. Proceeds will benefit the MVA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has served the Montclair Village district and surrounding community for 75 years.
Funds raised will help improve safety, beautification and ensure free family-friendly gatherings continue throughout the year. For tickets and more details online, visit bit.ly/3wtvwzM.
— Jody Colley
Grand opening celebrated for renovated, larger Roberts Pool
The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) celebrated the grand opening of the new Roberts Pool at Roberts Regional Recreation Area recently with visitors and special guests. The Oakland hills pool is now open to the public for swimming on weekends and holidays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The newly renovated pool provides additional swimming opportunities for the community. Visitors can now enjoy the increased size of the pool, including additional shallow areas for recreational activity, swim lessons and other training along with an upgraded changing room.
The original Roberts Pool was built for the park’s opening in 1953 and served as a public recreational facility until its recent closure for this renovation. Programs traditionally offered at the pool include group and private swim lessons, recreational swimming and special times set aside exclusively for swimmers with disabilities.
The Roberts Pool Renovation Project was made possible through funding from California State Parks, Measure WW, Regional Parks Foundation, the EBRPD and a generous bequest from John and Ellen Sutter.
The pool capacity has doubled from the original size, with additional shallow areas for recreation, swim lessons and training. It is a significant improvement over the previous pool, as the new configuration accommodates lap swimming and swim lessons or other programming simultaneously in the shallow end of the pool.
Visitors can also now enjoy a new public changing room building and restrooms with gender-neutral facilities and access compliant with the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act. The pool will also be open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting June 10. Visit ebparks.org/recreation/swimming/roberts online for more information.
“What could be more inviting than an outdoor pool in such a beautiful setting as Roberts Regional Recreation Area, surrounded by redwoods?” asked Sabrina Landreth, the EBRPD’s general manager. “We hope the award-winning facility will continue to provide the public with enjoyment for many years to come.”
— EBRPD
Rockridge thrift shop raffle to benefit children’s hospital
While supporting the Bambino Thrift Shop and in turn UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, The Bambino is celebrating 30 years in business on College Avenue in North Oakland’s Rockridge district with a raffle that has roughly 30 prizes for players to win. Tickets are on sale now through Saturday.
Prizes include a night’s stay at Berkeley’s Claremont luxury hotel, a selection of wines, sessions with a personal trainer, a session with an acupuncturist, hair and nail care, coffee and chocolate baskets, restaurant packages and a grand prize of a 30% discount once a month for a year on any full-price item not already discounted at the shop.
The raffle drawing will take place between noon and 4 p.m. May 18, when cookies, tea and and lemonade will be served. Players needn’t be present to win, but the event will be more fun if they are.
All proceeds will support Children’s Hospital Oakland’s requests for specialized equipment to provide care for injured and ill kids throughout Northern California. The hospital never turns away families for any inability to pay. Raffle prize restrictions apply. For more information, visit bambinothriftshop.org online.
— Bambino Thrift Shop
CRUfit rowing team places second in recent world contest
During the 2024 World Erg Challenge from March 15 through April 15, 101 members of Montclair Village fitness studio CRUfit collectively rowed more than 10.25 million meters. This secured CRUfit’s position as the second-ranked team globally in the health-and-fitness category, outperforming 62 other teams.
CRUfit also clinched the 14th spot overall among all 407 teams worldwide. Team CRUfit comprises athletes of all fitness levels ranging in age from 13 to 86. For more details about CRUfit’s rowing program, visit bit.ly/3JE8jOm online.
The team aims to expand its roster by recruiting 30 more rowers before Sept. 15 to surpass the larger, first-place Greenville, South Carolina, team during the 2024 Fall Erg Challenge from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.
— MJ Broadbent
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