Events

Bernal Floral Designer Created the Huge Piece Now Showing at the deYoung Museum

/ Todd_Lappin / 6 Comments

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Natasha Lisitsa is the celebrity founder of Waterlily Pond, a floral studio at 1501 Cortland here in Bernal. She’s got a HUGE piece on display this weekend at the extremely glamorous deYoung Museum (!!!!). Wow.

Waterlily Pond also has some cool events happening closer to home in the weeks ahead. Natasha tells Bernalwood:

Waterlily Pond has been commissioned to design a large scale floral art installation – a centerpiece for Bouquets to Art exhibition at the de Young Museum, open April 14 through April 19, 2015. Last year over 70,000 people visited this exhibit. Last year for this event, we created 15′ tall tornado-shaped floral work named Flornado (shown above).

This year’s installation is Concentrik, another aerial sculpture just as big, at 15′ diameter and 900 lb in weight. Here’s how it looked when we were working on it in our Cortland studio:

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The other news is that I am teaching a Modern Romantic floral design workshop at the studio 1501 Cortland on April 28, 2015. A couple of Bernal neighbors I met at the Valentines Day popup shop at Pinhole Coffee already signed up for this workshop. Morning, afternoon or full-day sessions are available.

Oh, and by the way, we are doing another pop-up shop again for Mothers Day at Pinhole.

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PHOTO: Top, Flornado by Waterlily Pong on display at the deYoung in 2014.

Wednesday: Bernal Heights History Show and Tell

/ Todd_Lappin / 1 Comment

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Your time-sleuthing neighbors from the Bernal Heights History Project are having an open-mic night for history geeks at the Bernal library tomorrow night, and you should geek-out with them:

Our regular monthly show-and-tell meeting is on Wednesday, April 15, at 7 p.m., downstairs in the Bernal library meeting room. Bring your photos and stories to share.

We’re hoping to have a mini-slideshow of our latest finds, including details on the artist who painted the mural at the Cherokee bar (now The Lucky Horseshoe) and some more Bernal Mystery Project pictures via the SFMTA Photography Department and Archive. If you have pics you’d like us to include and talk about, email them to us at info@bernalhistoryproject.org.

PHOTO: Folsom at Precita, 1943, via SFMTA

Tonight: A Reception for Local Artists at Secession

/ Todd_Lappin

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Eden Stein from the freshly reincarnated Secession Art & Design studio is having an artist reception tonight, and you are so invited:

Please join us on Friday, April 10, 6:30 – 9:30 pm to celebrate our brand new show featuring Jon Fischer and Rob Sakovich. Both artists draw from their own experience to identify moments that made them who they are and the parallel between personal path and urban change.

Secession, now with roots at 3235 Mission, is finding its balance and growing. Thank you for being our biggest supporters. Thank you spring for the longer days, beautiful light that fills the new gallery, and hopefulness. It’s all a perfect combination for an amazing night to experience local art, shop, and be part of our community.

IMAGES: Top, a view of 29th Street looking east toward Mission by Rob Sakovich. Below, From the Hill by Jon Fischer.

Sunday Morning: Rogue DIY Easter Egg Hunt for the Kiddies in Holly Park!!

/ Todd_Lappin / 1 Comment

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The Easter Bunny is coming to Bernal Heights.

On Sunday morning, April 5, a bunch of Bernal neighbors plan to go rogue to create a magical Easter Egg Hunt in Holly Park. But as Neighbor Evie explains,  if you want to participate with your kids, you have to help make it happen:

The Holly Park Hunt takes place on Easter Sunday, April 5. I don’t have any official role in the hunt. In fact, I think maybe nobody does, at least not any more. Here’s how it works:

Hiders (parents) come hide eggs at 9 am. The kids come later and the hunt begins in a big frenzy at exactly 10 am. Kids meet to begin the hunt at the top of the hill near the baseball field.

It’s super-fun and I don’t think anyone really organizes it. We just all show up and do it. I plan to show up this year and I’m guessing I won’t be alone.

A crucial component: Each parent should plan to hide exactly as many eggs as you allow your child(ren) to collect. That way, no children come and leave with nothing. We usually show up with one or two dozen and then, after my daughter has found that many, she can either stop or do a find-and-replace game, where she re-hides the same number that she finds.

PHOTO: Special cameo appearance by the Easter Bunny in Holly Park, 2012, by Bronwyn Ximm

Saturday! Viva la Noche at the Leonard Flynn Elementary School Fundraiser

/ Todd_Lappin / 1 Comment

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Hear ye! Hear ye! Neighbor Daniella invites you to the annual PTA fundraiser bash at Leonard Flynn Elementary School on Saturday night, March 21:

On Saturday night, March 21st, the Leonard R. Flynn PTA will be hosting its 4th annual “Viva la Noche” fundraiser with music, hors d’oeuvres, wine, and a silent auction.

Bid on all manner of Bernal local favorites and food, gift certificates, vacations, wine, massages, and more!

Saturday, March 21, 2015 -


 7:00pm until 11:00pm
@ Mission Rock Resort, 817 Terry A Francois Boulevard, SF, CA 94107

Tickets are $25 in advance/ $30 at the door.

About the PTA and the School:
Flynn is the elementary school that borders on Precita Park. We serve close to 500 students from Kindergarten to 5th grade in both Spanish immersion and English language programs.

The mission of our school is to promote excellence in education and create a nurturing learning environment for our students. Over 65% of our students come from low-income families who qualify for free or reduced cost breakfast and lunch.

Donations to the PTA fund the programs that the district is not able to provide — things that many of us would consider essentials for a decent education for our kids:

* Physical Education – a program that promotes physical health and social development
* Sciences – programs in partnership with Mission High School, plus gardening, and water conservation
* Arts Enrichment – Visual arts, dance and music education

Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Leonard R. Flynn PTA is a non-profit tax-exempt organization as defined by IRS code section 501 (c)(3) and our non-profit tax I.D # is 56-2587473.

PHOTO: Neighbor Daniella

Tonight: Donkey Rides and Special Cocktails at Rock Bar’s Third Anniversary Bash

/ Todd_Lappin / 6 Comments

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Did you know that people have been throwing back drinks at the corner of 29th and Tiffany in La Lengua for 100+ years? It’s true (and you can learn more about that below).

Today the lovely crew at the gritty-glamorous Rock Bar carries on that sordid tradition in fine form, and they invite you to their kid-friendly Third Anniversary Party TONIGHT:

Rock Bar THIRD ANNIVERSARY

What: Rock Bar’s Third Anniversary Donkey Party
Where: Rock Bar 80 29th Street
When: Thursday March 19th 5pm-2am

Join Rock Bar in celebrating three years at 80 29th Street. A neighborhood watering hole for over one hundred years, we are proud to take part in a rich History at the base of Bernal Hill. The Spring Equinox marks our anniversary and we invite you to dress as your favorite Astrological Sign. Or come dressed as YOU ARE (you do you) – ENJOY batched cocktails, punch, and edibles from The Front Porch.

As a bar we cater to adults, at nite while much of the neighborhood sleeps. We have two parents on our team and we know many who cannot take part in the nightlife we host. Each anniversary we offer an opportunity for friends, family, the young and old to take part in celebrating… We invite our young neighbors to enjoy a Donkey Ride down Tiffany as the sun sets behind Diamond Heights. It gives us great pleasure to see families engaged with our bar program!

FREE Donkey Rides down Tiffany from 5pm-9pm

We are sure to entertain as well…
INTERNET FAMOUS returns, with Jimmy Franks & Johnny Bagels

SPECIAL BONUS! Check out this fun little history of the bar space compiled by Team Rock Bar:

History of 80 29th Street:
2011 – Rock Bar – bar
2001-2011 – International Club – lounge
1996-2000 – Esperanza’s – lounge
1981-1991 – Nello’s Place – lounge
1975-1980 – Tiffany’s Lodge – tavern
1968-1974 – Joe & Gill – tavern
1955-1965 – Walt’s Place – lounge
1953-1954 – Geo & Walt’s Place – lounge
1951-1953 – Wesch’s Place – parlor
1942-1950 – Tiffany Club – parlor
1937 – Cornelius Sweeney – liquors
1934-1936 – Tiffany Inn – bar
1931 – Martin Burke (during Prohibition)
1922 – M. J. Reynolds (during Prohibition)
1915-1917 – Timothy J Costello – saloon
1911-1915 – Michael Coody – Saloon
1910 – Mary Caulfield – liquors
1902-1909 – Frank P. Caulfield – liquors

Tonight: Celebrate the Amazing New Bikes-to-Books Map Created by Rebel Separatist Burrito Justice

/ Todd_Lappin

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All these years of fomenting insurrection and geopolitical intrigue among the La Lenguan peoples have enabled rebel propagandist Burrito Justice to develop some very formidable cartographic skills. Yet sometimes, he uses those skills to support worthy causes.

In the latest case, Burrito Justice has created a rather gorgeous bike-touring map of San Francisco’s literary history, and there’s a party tonight, March 18, at the fashionable Bender’s Bar in The Mission to celebrate its publication:

Bikes to Books Beer Social and POSTER RELEASE party!

Wednesday, March 18, 7-9 pm
Benders Bar and Grill
806 S. Van Ness, SF

Join Nicole Gluckstern and Burrito Justice, the creators of literary bicycle tour “Bikes to Books,” for our annual beer social where we’ll be unveiling our latest iteration—an expanded poster version of the Bikes to Books map now with more authors, more historical context, and more nifty visuals. We’ll be talking up our collaborative mapping project and tour and fielding questions while enjoying some tasty adult beverages at our fave neighborhood watering hole, in the first of a series of “Bikes to Books” events planned for 2015. 
 
Combining San Francisco history, art, literature, cycling, and urban exploration,  “Bikes to Books” began as an bike ride homage to the 1988 street-naming project spearheaded by City Lights founder and former San Francisco Poet Laureate, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, in which twelve San Francisco streets were renamed for famous artists and authors who had once made San Francisco their home. First published in The San Francisco Bay Guardian and then in October 2013, with the generous assistance of City Lights Books, the physical map has been available ever since in many of San Francisco’s finest book emporiums, and is appropriate for use as a navigational tool, a history lesson, and a unique work of art in its own right.

ALSO: 7×7 just published a celebrity interview with Burrito Justice, which you can read right here. An excerpt:

Quick-fire round:

(7×7): Precita Park or Bernal Hill?

(Burrito Justice): Bernal

Bike or MUNI?

Muni. (OMG do I have Stockholm syndrome?)

Capp or Bartlett?

Capp. Tough love but Capp

Three words that describe SF to you:

Plus ça change.

IMAGE: Burrito Justice

Bernal Artist Creates Interactive Message Sign About Precita Park

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

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Bernal Heights Artist Jon Fischer has created a very cool, very fun art piece that’s all about one of our Bernal treasures (and your interpretation of it):

Neighbor Jon here; I’m a Precita Ave resident and designer of the Hillside Supperclub Sign.

I was hoping you might be interested in spreading the word about this profoundly Bernalistic interactive installation now showing at the Asterisk Gallery (3156 24th Street at Shotwell). The show is called For the Love of San Francisco, and I’d describe it as an old school Mission art show that explores issues related to gentrification from a number of perspectives.

I am debuting my Precita Park Sign. Completely screenprinted & fabricated by hand, the interactive installation was modeled after the SF Park & Rec signage we all know and love. The hands-on exhibit invites visitors to create their own slogans by interchanging magnetic phrase tiles in the sign’s shaped slots.

My Precita Park sign, as well as the rest of the show, is on view through April 3 Wed-Sat,  and the gallery is open on those days until 5pm

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Apart from being lovely and clever, Neighbor Jon’s piece would be absolutely brilliant as an installation at the Precita Park Cafe (HINT HINT HINT). Even better, Neighbor Jon tells Bernalwood, “It was originally intended as a kid’s toy.” CODE RED PRECITA PARK CAFE HINT HINT HINT! 

In the meantime, check it out at Asterisk Gallery. You can watch a short video about the show right here.

BONUS: Want to see some more of Neighbor Jon’s Bernal work? South of Cesar Chavez is a postcard series he did a while ago

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Neighbor Jon

Saturday: Volunteers Wanted to Help Make Bradford/Jarboe Stairs More Beautiful

/ Todd_Lappin / 3 Comments

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Remember that City-owned lot near the top of Bernal Hill that suffered from neglect, overgrowth, and a general sense of sad? And remember how an extremely sexy group of neighborhood volunteers cleaned up the land so well and so thoroughly that it is now certified for use as a Bernal Heights Unicorn Habitat?

Well, Neighbor Samir is organizing a similar volunteer clean-up effort for some neglected terrain in Alemanistan, around the Bradford and Jarboe Stairs. The work happens tomorrow, Saturday, February 21 from 9am to 12 noon, and our local unicorns would love it if you could help.

Neighbor Samir tells the recent history of the site:

According to neighborhood lore, before the Bradford and Jarboe stairs were put in place, there was a dirt path here that was attended to by a neighbor.

Then when two new residences went up on the 300 block of Bradford, the developer worked with the city to install these stairs. They ended up tearing out all the landscaping, but they put in some new plants. The City maintained it for 5 years then stopped. (That was about when my partner and I moved to the block, a little over 3 years ago.)

I think neighbors were put off by the whole process of the stairs going in, and the neighbor who did the original landscaping sold his house and moved away.

In the time since the city stopped doing maintenance, myself and a few others have made individual efforts to go out there and clean things up. Others have repeatedly called 311, but no one ever comes out to do anything. I’d basically all but given up, until I saw the Bernalwood post about the Ellsworth garden. I saw [Jerad Weiner, DPW’s community liaison]’s contact info in the comments, and reached out to him directly. That’s how this got going. Jerad was very responsive and got to work right away organizing this gardening day.,

From what I gather, the first day we’ll be weeding and trimming. We’re then supposed to assess which areas should get mulch and DPW attention. Jerad also mentioned that if we neighbors get together and put together a list of things we want, we can request that the City purchase them (plants, etc).

This area too could soon become a vibrant Bernal Heights Unicorn Habitat. But first, it needs your help. Saturday morning. Nine to noon. As explained here:

Jarboe-Stairs-Garden-Day

Charming, Challenging “36 Questions” Treasure Box Now on Bernal Hill

/ Todd_Lappin / 6 Comments

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There’s a wonderful installation on Bernal Hill for the next few days, and it’s perfect for this Valentine’s season. Neighbor Jessica tells Bernalwood:

I just learned via facebook that a friend of mine, Chris, created a fun Valentine’s Day activity on our own Bernal hill… It’s called The 36 Q:

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Basically, it’s two chairs arranged around a desk/treasure box. There are 36 innnnnnnteresting questions engraved into the lid of the treasure box, and the idea is that you answer the questions with your sweetie to gain Profound New Insight into one another. It’s a little bit like The Dating Game, only more intimate, and the prizes are more clever, and it’s on Bernal Hill, atop that mini-peak along the Folsom axis just below the guard rail.

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The kuhlhunters at The Bold Italic explain the backstory:

By now we’ve all seen that “36 Questions to Make You Fall in Love” article in the New York Times. Local artists Mustafa Khan and Chris McCoy decided those questions need to get out in the open this Valentine’s Day. He engraved the questions on an antique treasure chest alongside a set of chairs and a “not reserved” sign on Bernal Hill. You and your date (or a total stranger) can sit at this table and fall in love with the killer view…and maybe each other. Khan says there’s also a “special surprise” inside the chest, which will be at the top of the staircase on Ellsworth and Bernal Heights Blvd until next Sunday.

Got that? Get there before Feb. 23, and enjoy.

PHOTOS: 36 Questions on Bernal Hill, February 14, 2015, 5 pm, by Telstar Logistics

Here Is Your Schedule for Beer Week 2015 at Rock Bar, Starting TONIGHT

/ Todd_Lappin

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Brion Rosch is the manager of the fashionable Rock Bar on 29th at Tiffany in La Lengua. He’s laid out an ambitious agenda for Beer Week 2015, San Francisco’s citywide celebration of suds, so Brion is here to tell the Citizens of Bernalwood what your week will taste like:

Rock Bar is gearing up for Beer Week. A Beer-Forward Cocktail menu is in the works, and several Tap Take-Overs are planned.

Opening with beers from North Coast Brewing, following with a common man’s flight of PBR, Olympia and Schlitz and a healthy fill of Death Metal, with a lil Speakeasy and Henhouse Brewing of Petaluma in between; you’re sure to enjoy a rotating cast of characters. On Friday the 13th Let’s Get Weird returns with a set of wah wah pedals and microphones for an evening of SHOUT OUT’s – “Hey Big Daddy, where my IPA’s at?!” Join in and give a shout out to your friend Todd in Jersey who likes his Lager crisp. Valentines Day offers chocolate covered strawberries and house cured meats from The Front Porch alongside Hopped Saison’s, Imperial Stout’s, and Cask offerings. Finish your long Beer Week with a relaxing afternoon with Speakeasy, we will have 15 minute chair massages available for brewer’s the city over… Details all on the website,

What: SF BEER WEEK at Rock Bar
Where: Rock Bar 80 29th Street
When: Feb 6th-15th 2015
Website: www.rockbarsf.com

ROCK BAR SF BEER WEEK
We plan to release a BEER centered Cocktail Menu during the duration of Beer Week – Enjoy the return of The Donkey Show; Reposado Tequila, Pear Liqueur, Allspice, CRISPIN cider, mole

Friday and Saturday Feb 6th / 7th
North Coast Tap TAKE OVER

Monday Feb 9th
The Common Man Flight;
PBR, OLYMPIA, SHLITZ
Served with a healthy dose of Death Metal

Wednesday / Thurs Feb 11th / 12th
Oskar Blues Tap TAKE OVER

FRIDAY THE 13TH
LET’S GET WEIRD / BOBBY LINDER & FRIENDS
PRESENTS SHOUT OUTS!
WE WILL CALLING SHOUT OUTS ALL NIGHT LONG
YO MILLER HIGH LIFE, WHERE YOU AT?
IMPERIAL STOUT, YOU WITH US?
GRASS FED IPA YOU FEEL ME BICH?

VALENTINE’S Day
With Hen House & Speakeasy
Enjoy chocolate covered strawberries and house cured meats alongside a Flight from each brewery
Finish your date with the return of Noche Romantica as Jose Y Jose return with ballads, rancheras, cumbias, romanticas and rock n roll

Sunday Feb 15th
A Lazy Afternoon with Speakeasy 1pm-5pm
15 minute chair massages offered

PHOTO: Beer drinks at Rock Bar, via Rock Bar

Secession Art & Design’s Victorious Re-Opening Party Happens Thursday Eve

/ Todd_Lappin

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If you’re a fan of Secession Art & Design you probably know the basic story. If you’re not a fan of  Secession Art & Design, well, here’s why you should be…

Secession Art & Design is a creative atelier founded a few years ago by owner Eden Stein. For many moons, Secession was located on Bernal’s stretch of Mission Street, just across from our Taoist Safeway. During that time, founder and owner/impresario Eden carved out a terrific niche for Session, seamlessly combining art, fashion, home decor, and resident-artist workshops to create a storefront that won four San Francisco Bay Guardian “Best of the Bay” awards for Best Art Gallery (before the SFBG itself disappeared). Eden also became a core member of the Mission Bernal Merchant Association.

Then Secession’a landlord decided not to renew the lease. After much scrambling, negotiating, and anxiety, Eden managed to find an even better space just a few blocks north — and still in Bernal!!— inside the former SoCha Cafe/former Dell’uva Wine Bar location at 3235 Mission @ Valencia. Then came the stressful  renovation, and redecorating, and rethinking. And now, finally, Secession Art & Design is ready for its grand re-opening: Tomorrow, Thursday, Feb 5, at 6:30 pm.

Eden says:

3235 Mission is officially open on Thursday, February 5. Join us 6:30-9:30pm for a welcoming party and thank-you to everyone who helped us dream big. Celebrate with us with champagne – cheers to new beginnings!

Our new gallery and boutique has 30 feet of clothing, a showcase of locally-made jewelry, and over 250 pieces of art hung. Our current art collection features Silvi Alcivar, Shannon Weber, Hilary Williams, Melissa Wagner, Rachel Znerold, Heather Robinson, Rob Sakovich, Faern, Bughouse, Mark Brunner, Andrzej Michael Karwacki, Victoria Veedell and Nate 1.

Our doors closed at our old location last Christmas Eve. I thought we would quickly be able to re-open, but opening a new location in San Francisco requires time, patience and jumping through a lot of hoops. My team has met every challenge, and we kept our heads high when inspections went south. We passed plumbing and electrical on Friday, and passed our final inspection Monday with flying colors. We spent the month of January perfecting the look of the store while we waited for the city of San Francisco to let us open. So much fun, and I’m thankful to have a contractor who could make every whim a reality. This truly is my dream store, and I look forward to reconnection.

Our new gallery and boutique will be open our regular hours, Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 7pm, starting on Friday, February 6.

XO Eden and the Secession team

PHOTO:Eden Stein on Feb 4, 2015, by Telstar Logistics

Saturday: An Anniversary Celebration for Bernal’s Beautiful Public Library

/ Todd_Lappin / 1 Comment

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Bernal Story Cloud_corner

It’s been a long and at times arduous road. But today, the renovations are done, the new murals are complete, and Bernal Heights now has a stone-cold sexy public library to carry us into the twenty-first century.

That’s cause for celebration.

So let’s celebrate! The Bernal Heights Branch is having a 5th Anniversary bash on Saturday, January 24, 2015 from 2 – 4 pm, and you’re on the guest list:

Please join Bernal Heights Branch and Bernal Library Art Project for a celebration of our branch’s renovation and the mural project completion. We will congratulate the mural team and enjoy music, crafts, legos and refreshments.  Long-time Bernal resident Michael Govea and Los Compas will perform from their repertoire of Latin salsa music.

When: Saturday, 1/24/2015, 2:00 – 4:00
Where: Bernal Heights Meeting Room
Bernal Heights, 500 Cortland Avenue

5 year_tabloidPHOTOS: Top, Telstar Logistics. Below, courtesy of Bernal Library Mural Project