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JUNE VOLUNTEER DAY CANCELLED
This month’s volunteer day, scheduled for June 9, has been cancelled since a Rec & Park staffing shortage is expected because of the Gay Pride activities. You can join the Friends of Duboce Park at our next volunteer day on Saturday, July 14 from 10 a.m.-noon. Last month volunteers refreshed the planting triangle between the playground and basketball court.
Past volunteer efforts in the park in the past year have resulted in numerous beautiful, colorful planted areas – the planting circle near the Pierce Street steps, the planting triangle between the basketball court and the playground, and the Scott Street planting beds in front of the Recreation Center.
Contact rose@friendsofdubocepark.org or 415-255-8370 for more information or with any questions or comments. Our volunteer day is always the second Saturday of every month. 30 minutes or an hour of your time makes a big difference in the appearance of our park. Volunteers gave more than 203,000 hours of their time and energy to improving our 225 parks and recreation facilities in 2017. Those hours are equal to $6 million in park services.
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$545 MILLION BOND FOR PARK PROJECTS
Mayor Mark Farrell issued a letter on June 1 directing City Administrator Naomi Kelly to create a $545 million parks bond that SF voters could see on the November 2019 ballot. The money would be used over a period of 10 years and fund sizeable renovations at parks throughout the city, including renovations at Portsmouth Square in Chinatown, the Gene Friend Recreation Center South of Market, Peace Plaza in Japantown, the India Basin Waterfront Park in the Bayview, and Kezar Pavilion in Golden Gate park.
Rec & Park had identified $1.5 billion worth of needed renovations and improvements throughout the city and some of those smaller-scale projects would also receive funding, according to Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg.
Voters approved a $185 million parks bond in 2008, which helped pay for major renovations at Dolores Park. Another $195 million parks bond was green-lighted by voters in 2012. Proposition 68 was approved in Tuesday’s election with 56 percent of the vote to authorize the state to borrow $4.1 billion for investments in outdoor recreation, land conservation and water projects.
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OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT IN DUBOCE PARK AUGUST 23
Outdoor movie night returns to Duboce Park on Thursday, August 23 with Best in Show, a 2000 mockumentary film that offers a look into the highly competitive and cut-throat world of dog shows through the eyes of a group of ruthless dog owners. The movie won 11 awards, including AFI Movie of the Year, and received 14 other nominations in a variety of categories.
It is being shown as part of Sundown Cinema, a free series of movies that will be shown outdoors in San Francisco parks on Thursdcay nights and is sponsored by the San Francisco Parks Alliance. All the movies have are very appopriate for the parks in which they are being shown. Other locations, dates, and titles include: Conservatory of Flowers, June 28, Little Shop of Horrors; Alamo Square, June 26, Mrs. Doubtfire; and, Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park, September 28, Grease.
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LGBTQ PHOTO EXHIBIT OPENING JUNE 16
The Opening Reception for the 2018 LGBTQ Exhibit Event, Art + Pride, is Saturday, June 16 from 6-9:30 p.m. This Art and Pride Exhibit is an eclectic gathering of work by notable contemporary artists from across the United States. This show is a celebration of their embrace of the creative process. Each contributed work they felt resonated with the complexity of their artistic spirit. (Photo by Danny Nicoletta)
This show includes photographers, painters, sculptors, filmmakers, illustrators, writers, graphic designers, textile artists and poets. The opening reception will offer live entertainment. This event is free and open to the public. If this year’s event is anything like ones held in the past, we can expect cutting edge entertainment, a drag show, a photo booth, and, of course, outrageous pictures.
The 3rd annual StreetFoto San Francisco returned to the Photo Center for one week, starting June 4 and closing this Sunday June 10. StreetFoto is the world’s largest street photography festival, drawing visitors from around the globe and contest entrants from 60 different countries.
Join the Photo Center for amazing exhibitions of award-winning international street photography, workshops taught by accomplished photographers, lectures and slideshows by well-known practitioners of the craft, and no fewer than eight photo walks around San Francisco’s most shootable neighborhoods. Details can be found here.
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PHOTO EXPLORATIONS
Photo Explorations offers you the opportunity to photograph culturally-rich areas in San Francisco. The series of one-day class on begins on June 16, 1-7 p.m., with Photo Explorations: Union Square.
Students start in the classroom discussing that area’s rich history and using the camera to develop your personal narrative. Then it’s out to the field (Union Square) to put what was discussed into practice. After two-three hours, the class will reconvene and talk about the day’s activities at a local watering hole. A Dropbox file will be set up the next day for sharing.
Other Photo Exploration classes will be held in Dogpatch on Saturday July 21, Yerba Buena on Saturday July 28; and, Chinatown on Saturday, August 11. All classes are from 1-7 p.m. and cost $60.
The 2018 Summer Activities catalogue has the complete class schedule and description of all courses offered at the Photo Center. Check out the Summer class offerings online at sfreconline.org or pick up the catalogue of courses at the Center. Don’t hesitate to call the Photo Center at (415) 554-9522 with any questions.
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TEXTILE CLASS STARTS IN JULY
Registration for Rec & Park’s summer classes started on May 19. Not as many classes are offered during the summer months but Rec & Park still has some great activities and classes. The complete listing of classes is available online or you can pick up the 80-page catalogue at the Harvey Milk Center for the Arts.
Besides the many photography courses offered at the Photo Center, one textile course, Textiles – Knitting All Levels, will be offered and begins on July 11. This knitting class is for all levels of skill, beginners and experienced knitters alike! The projects in this class will teach you now to knit step-by-step, build on what you already know, and introduce you to new techniques such as fair isle (stranded color work), intarsia (picture knitting), lace knitting, tailoring and more!
Patterns and instruction will be brought to you by a San Francisco based knitwear designer. The unique projects designed specifically for this class will help you gradually build and practice skills. Students will master new techniques and create their own wearable art. Materials will be available for demonstration, but students will need to supplement these with their own yarn and needles.
Recreation and Parks offers Recreation Scholarships to eligible individuals and families. More than $1 million in scholarships in Rec and Parks programs has been provided. Ongoing eligibility is dependent on attendance record. Please call Lillian Bautista, Scholarship Coordinator, at (415) 831-2717 for information on how to qualify.
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Signs reminding dog owners that “No Dogs on This Lawn Area” and “This Area is for People Only Play” have been posted again by Rec & Park around the grassy area at the top end of the park. The goal is to keep that area free of dog urine and feces so that people and especially children can play and picnic without worrying about stepping or falling into dog waste. Graffiti remains a problem in the park, but Rec & Park almost always removes it within a day or two of being notified. Most recently the bulletin board and drinking fountain near the Muni stop were tagged but the graffiti was removed almost immediately.
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The eastern end of the basketball court remains pitted and uneven. Harvey Milk Center staff have requested a repair of the court but Rec and Park apparently has a very long list of courts to resurface before they get to us.
SFMTA will be finalizing their Sunset Tunnel Trackway Improvement project between 1:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Sunday mornings starting on Sunday, May 27 and continuing through July 2018. There will be no anticipated impacts to parking and there will be minimal impact as the only activities occurring outside the tunnel will be mobilizing equipment from the MUNI yard at Church Street.
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The most heavily used sections of the Dog Play Area are once again turning brown and bare, specifically the edge of the lawn near the Potomac Street benches and a few worn sections in the middle of the DPA. Rec & Park has tried a number of times recently to fix the problem by fencing off those areas and putting in new sod and/or adding new dirt and seed. Heavy use adversely affects those areas, especially during the dry months of the year.
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PARKS IN THE NEWS
San Francisco parks are among the best places to have unobstructed views of “Day for Night,” the public art installation atop Salesforce Tower. The Chronicle listed five city parks as having great views: Jackson Playground at 17th and Arkansas streets, Dolores Park at Church and 20th streets, Bernal Heights Park on Bernal Heights Blvd., Alamo Square park near the corner of Hayes and Pierce streets, and Washington Square Park, although trees in that park block the lower part of the tower.
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The Panhandle Playground was closed for three days in early May to conduct soil testing and measurements for a complete renovation set to begin next spring. The $3.2 million renovation is part of an initiative to renovate parks that have unhealthy wood or are in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods with children. The play structure here contains arsenic-treated wood, which is no longer legal to manufacture.
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The lineup for the 2018 Outside Lands Music and Arts festival in Golden Gate Park has been released and headliners include the Weekend, Florence + the Machine, Janet Jackson, Beck and more! The festival takes place August 10 to 12 in Golden Gate Park and also features art installations and delicious food options. Tickets start at $149.50 for a single day, $325 for a 3-day pass. For the full lineup and tticket info, click here.
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The Golden Gate Park Band continues its 136th season every Sunday through October 1 at 1 p.m. at the Music Concourse. Singers, guest performers and speakers will offer perspective as the band plays music from different cultures. This Sunday, June 9, features regional community concert bands, including the GGP, at the 12th annual GGPB Festival. Music and Dance of Scotland with the Dunsmuir Scottish Dancers are on July 17. The concerts are free.
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JOIN FRIENDS OF DUBOCE PARK
Annual Membership dues for a Supporting Member are $25 per person and entitle you to voting privileges and participation in the governance of the organization. Your dues help cover the few costs we have, such as our website, newsletter, movie nights, and insurance.
Your tax-deductible membership is gratefully accepted and should be sent to Friends of Duboce Park, 79 Scott Street, San Francisco, CA 94117. Friends of Duboce Park are a 501(c)(3) organization. General Membership is still available at no cost but does not carry any voting privileges. Another way to show your support is by getting involved. If you are interested, please contact President Doug Woo at doug@friendsofdubocepark.org.
Our Mission Statement includes the following: "to organize and represent the collective interests regarding Duboce Park; to beautify and promote safety within Duboce Park; and, to initiate and/or support beneficial neighborhood projects on behalf of Duboce Park."
SUMMER CALENDAR
Monday, June 11, 7-9 p.m. Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association General Meeting. Gazebo, CPMC Davies Campus. Visit dtna.org.
Saturday, June 16, 6-9 p.m. LGBTQ Pride 2018 Art Exhibit and Party Event. Visit www.harveymilkphotocenter.org.
Saturday, July 14, 10 a.m.-noon. Friends of Duboce Park Volunteer Day. Contact Rose at rose@friendsofdubocepark.org or 415-255-8370.
Tuesday, August 7, 5-7:30 p.m. National Night Out. Photo Center and Upper Lawn.
Saturday, August 11, 10 a.m.-noon. Friends of Duboce Park Volunteer Day. Contact Rose at rose@friendsofdubocepark.org or 415-255-8370.
Thursday, August 23. Outdoor Movie Night – Best in Show. Upper Lawn.
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