LOVE THEM BABIES

Meet 50-year veteran teacher Miss Hayden.

Yes you read that right 50 years and this year will be her 51st first year as a kindergarten teacher at Lafayette elementary school right in West @Oakland. If you know anything about me you know I run screaming from the squirmies. She on the other hand loves teaching as she affectionately calls them.... "Them babies." Did you know that OUSD only gives teachers 1 day to get their classrooms ready? Some principals like the new one at Lafayette are flexible and will come in on Saturday to give teachers some more time. Well school starts on Monday and Miss Hayden could use a little bit of a helping hand. Do you have a little time to spare? If you do give me a holler to arrange a day or time. You can email me at hollaatus@towntrippin.net or call 772-444-RISE to chat. 

ATTENTION Sky Lovers!!!! The Chabot Space & Science Center will be Open Tonight

ATTENTION Sky Lovers!!!! You can go to the  @Chabot_Space & Science Center​ to watch #thebestmeteorshower aka #Perseid aka "Old Faithful" tonight. This annual and very popular meteor shower is called Old Faithful because it arrives in the skies this time of year each summer and is said to deliver a high number of bright, and fast dazzling meteors. Tonight is the best night to observe it due to the absence of the moon.

Chabot's Observatory Deck, which is located behind the museum, will open at 12am until 3am and tickets are only $8 per family. Be sure to wear warm clothing and you can bring blankets, chairs, etc. Astronomy experts will be there to answer any questions.

Now the guys at Chabot do warn that because of the threat of fog the shower might not be visible from their deck. They advise that you check the weather and if fog is on the menu try traveling further east to destinations through the Caldecott Tunnel and with little or no light pollution from city skylines.

 You can go here to purchase advance tickets. Enjoy!

Oakland's First Friday--August 2015

I gotta be in SF at 9 am later this morning so WTF am I up writing?? 

 Oh cuz first of all---I drank an iced coffee while witnessing an awesome jam session at +awakencafe with Kev Choice and 2 very talented and very young men and when I say young I mean that the bass play in this pic is 17 years old young.  Yesterday (since it is now 1:39am) was #firstFriday in the Town and like always the Town did not disappoint. I mean if your eyeballs just got finished viewing the Roots of the Cotton Tree collection by Paul Lewin like my eyeballs just did then maybe they would protest going to sleep.

sorry about the glare

I'm no art critic so I'm not going to try and impress you with whatever art critics use to impress folks with. But I will say that the images in this collection are brilliant with color and imagination. Folklore,sci fi, tradition, and fantasy....yes, yes, Yes, and hell yes. Hey it's after 2 am right now so  #dontjudgeme.

I guess all I had to do was write cuz I'm finally getting sleepy. This First Friday was a long day of discovery and exploration for me. I would give you every detail buuuut my little fingers are on auto pilot right now. But I will gladly delve deeply into my August #firstFriday later. But for how about for now I just leave you with one of the first pics that I took today which is from the Old Oakland Farmers Market. Yes those are very alive and jumping catfish which I learned is a very popular item. Good night friends and you're welcome!

ICYMI BART Thinks That You Should Stay at Home

Hey did you know that I am +SFBART first baby? Yep my mom was the first passenger and she was gracious enough to carry me on her hip as she crossed the BART threshold into history. Check us out. I'm, the cute adorable baby. My mom is the super fabulous Go-Getter chick sliding the first ticket through BART's entrance system. And that guy was making sure she did it right I guess.

Me and My Mama  September 11, 1972

Which brings me to today's topic..... BART's service between San Francisco and Oakland will be suspended on August 1 and 2 so they can make critical repairs to about 2400 feet of track. They explained that the repairs being made to those 45-year old tracks are long overdue. I get it I'm almost 45 years old and I wish that I could shutdown for a weekend or two for overdue repairs.

Nonetheless, the Transbay Tube is closed this weekend due to repairs meaning that any connection between the EastBay and San Francisco through BART is closed. In other words you will be not be able to use BART to travel from Oakland to SF or SF to Oakland for that matter. BART's advice to everyone because of this is to just stay home. Well hey BART thanks for the advice but I don't think I have a problem with that.  Let's brainstorm a bit and think of some things we can do this weekend if we just stay home --aside from doing laundry-- Especially when @KTVU's lovely weather expert, @RosemaryOrozco, says that temperatures will be quite nice this weekend.

Oakland Art and Jazz Festival

Saturday, Aug. 1, 2015 Noon to 6pm
Sunday, Aug. 2, 2015 Noon to 6pm 

The 15th Annual Oakland Art and Jazz Festival happens this weekend which of course features the music, art, and food. But the best highlight of Oakland's most popular Festival in my opinion is our dance community. Oakland Dance is a wonderful expression of what we offer to the world. Whether traditional, Hip Hop, or Modern dance in Oakland challenges the social norms, provokes thought, and beautiful. This year's line-up includes the vertical dance troop, BANDALOOP, the Turf & All Styles Dance Battle, and the treasures of Oakland dance featured through the World Dance Festival.

Other Highlights: 

• Blues & BBQ Blowout featuring 2nd Annual Oaktown Throwdown
• Elevate Oakland Stage
• Gospel Showcase
• National Poetry Slam
• Kinetic Arts Circus Stage and Family Fun Zone.

Oakland's own Sheila E will be headlining. Lenny Williams, Kevin Choice and Ray Obiedo with Leah Tysse are also on tap. There are oodles of music happening at this festival. You can find out more about the musical line-up here. 

Admission Prices at the Gate:
$12 Adults, $7 Seniors (65+) & Youth (13-17), 12 & under free

Urban Wine Xperience – Saturday, August 1, 2015

55 Harrison St. – Jack London Square, Oakland
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Did you know that Oakland has over 12 wineries around town? Well the Urban Wine Xperience is an annual event that spotlights wines produced and housed in Oakland and other East Bay cities nearby. Celebrating it's 10th Anniversary, this years celebration will benefit the Alameda County Food Bank. 

TICKET Prices:Wine club members of any EBVA member winery: $35 (contact your wine club for their member discount code)

Regular ticket price (and at the door): $70
Designated driver: $15

Participating wineries include: Aubin Cellars, Bishop’s Vineyard,Campovida, Carica Wines, Cerruti Cellars, Chouinard Vineyard and Winery,Dashe Cellars, Irish Monkey Cellars, Jeff Cohn Cellars, Lusu Cellars, Mead Kitchen,Paradox Wines, R&B Cellars, Rock Wall Wine Company, Rosenblum Cellars, Stage Left Cellars, Two Mile Wines, Urban Legend Cellars and Urbano Cellars.

Oakland A's vs. Cleveland Indians

Saturday, August 1, 7:05 pm
Sunday, August 2, 1:05 pm

The +Oakland Athletics  play tonight and tomorrow afternoon in the last 2 games of a 4-game series against the Cleveland Indians. Things aren't look all that great for the A's during this series but with tickets starting at just $16 bucks who can argue about having a chance to spend time with family or friends while watching a little #GreenCollar baseball. Besides Sunday's game is promotional day and the first 15, 000 in attendance gets a Mike Gallego Windmill Windup Toy.

Now if must go to SF why do it sitting in traffic? I say hightail it over to Jack London and hop on the San Francisco Bay Ferry. And while you are at it, ENJOY the view. They will be providing additional service during the BART Transbay closures and a one-way adult ticket is only $4.80 when you use your #clippercard to pay. You can find out more information about the SF Bay Ferry by clicking here.

I personally will be heading out to he the OAKLAND IS PROUD/POWER TO THE PEOPLE BLOCK PARTY & NEIGHBOR DAY initially and then on to where ever the wind takes me. I almost forgot to tell you about this. Maybe because it's so close to home for me. 

Rainbow Recreation Center

 5800 International Blvd

11:00 am - 5:00 pm

This event is presented by East Side Arts Alliance (ESAA)​, the REaL Team, Creating a Black Arts & Health Business District. I am always partial when the ESAA puts something on because it's sure to be an event that connects to the community that it serves. Because of their work, the ESAA was one of the few organizations to recently receive a portion of a $34 million investment made by an anonymous donor and givent to ‪#‎EastOakland‬ organizations. ESAA soul purpose is to connect with the youth and the surrounding community that it serves through art and civic pride. In other words #TownBizness which as an Oakland native is what I am all about. 

Besides the Rainbow Recreation Center is stunning. Fairly new to the neighborhood this center features a gymnasium, lighted basketball court, tennis court, a skateboard park, and a state of the art commercial kitchen. The highlights of this event includes a Dessert Cook-Off by the Digital Arts & Culinary Academy (DACA)​, Live Music, Dance & Kids Activities. 

No Service? No problem. I hope that you guys have a wonderful weekend. You can let me know how it went for you by leaving a comment below or emailing us at hollaatus @towntrippin.net . Don't forget to follow us on Twitter at @towntrippin or like us on Facebook by clicking here. By the way this shutdown happens all over again during this upcoming Labor Day Weekend--September 5-7. You have been warned.