Events

Saturday: Alumni Invited to the St. Anthony/Immaculate Conception All-Class Reunion

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Calling all former students of St. Anthony, Immaculate Conception, and St. Anthony-Immaculate Conception Elementary. It’s school reunion time.

This Saturday, November 4, St. Anthony’s alumni are invited  to 299 Precita (at Folsom) to celebrate a 12:00 Mass with luncheon to follow. There will be parking in the schoolyard.

Tickets cost $25, and reservations are required. Contact Constance Dalton at (415) 642-6130 or cdalton@saicsf.org.

This is the third annual all-class reunion, and all classmates past and present are welcome, along with their families.

Last year’s guest of honor was Bernice Fugundes Greenblat, who grew up on Shotwell Street and graduated from St. Anthony’s in 1945.

St. Anthony School opened in 1894. It was founded by Mother Pia Backes and the Dominican Sisters along with the Franciscan Friars of St. Anthony of Padua Church to serve the German families of the Mission and Bernal Heights.


In 1957, the Sisters opened Immaculate Conception Elementary School two blocks up the hill on Treat Avenue, for the Italian families of the neighborhood. The schools were merged in the 1990s.

Cortland Merchants Will Have Halloween Treats For Your Little Monsters

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For many tens of thousands of years, the shopkeepers of Cortland Avenue have put out candy baskets for children during the evening hours on October 31st, so that families in Bernal Heights can partake of Halloween in locavore safety and style.

That tradition continues again this year, and Neighbor Darcy from Heartfelt brings the details — along with some ancient wisdom:

Our Halloween celebration for the wee ones on Cortland Avenue will start at 4-5 pm onHalloween night, Oct. 31 and wind down when the candy is gone.

Here are some Halloween suggestions:

  • Stay in a group and communicate your route to each other.
  • Have a spot in the neighborhood to meet if you get separated
  • Carry a cellphone if possible
  • Use the sidewalk and cross at cross walks…no diagonal street crossings please.<
  • Never assume you have the right of way. One car might stop, but the next might not.
  • Have a great time in a great neighborhood!

PHOTO: Bernalwood’s Cub Reporter with her best friend Eddie, learning about Halloween on Cortland in 2009. (Now much bigger, she’ll be on Cortland this year once again.) Photo by Telstar Logistics

This Weekend: Artist Open Studios in Bernal Heights

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Found Soldier Two, 2017 by Miles Epstein. (Photo courtesy of Miles Epstein)

Bernal Neighbor Miles Epstein is spreading the word about the Artspan Open Studios event for local artists that’s happening this weekend in Bernal Heights. Art-loving Bernalese are encouraged to drop-in to see the work our local artists are making.

Neighbor Miles says:

I’m making a pitch for open studios this weekend. Artspan Fall Open Studios are underway, there are a bunch of Bernal atists showing on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 28 & 29, from noon until 6pm.

My garage studio and backyard will be open, like many other Bernal Heights artists! I’m at 26 Bennington Street, just uphill from Cortland. Half hour stroll from 24th St BART.

Come see a fair bit of furniture, sculpture, collage, and mixtures of all three. Most for sale. Come make art as well – there will be chances to get your hands working.

Click here for a more exhaustive look at my recent work.

Artspan has pulled together a listing of all the 2017 Fall Open Studio Bernal Artists. You can also download an Open Studios guide app for your iPhone — no kidding:

I hope this finds you well, and perhaps we’ll see you in the neighborhood! 🙂

Dr. Rick’s Frightfully Fun Halloween Party Happens This Saturday

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It’s on!! Dr. Rick’s frighteningly fun Halloween party is happening this weekend, on Saturday, October 28 at the ghoulish Farmhouse Mansion atop Bernal Hill.

And as always, all the sinister mayhem is in the service of a good cause; This year’s party is a fundraiser for Zuckerberg General Hospital Psych Department’s Vocational Rehab Unit and SFSMILES.

Dr. Rick brings all the sickly sweet details:

It’s scary, that it’s this time of year again already.

This year’s Bloody Sweet Halloween is candy-coate, with 6 amazing live bands, DJ Dread Pirate Rich, Avis Marie Sandar on Tarot, Bushfire fire dancing performance, Champion Bagpiper Fred Payne, Tom’s full bar of sugary intoxicants, Charlie’s delicious catered food, lasers, Willy Wonka film fest, taffy gardens, sinister treats.

… and hopefully you! As well as many other sugary surprise guests.

Saturday October 28th, 6pm till ???
3340 Folsom Street
Haunted Farmhouse Gingerbread Mansion and Edible Gardens

NO CLOTHES DONATIONS ACCEPTED AT THIS EVENT.

Only the best treats, and maybe a few harmless tricks…
Get your costume ready… this will be a good one!

Boo!

Dr. Rick

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Fiesta on the Hill Returns to Cortland Avenue!

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fiestacrowd

fiestaride2

After a long hiatus, Fiesta on the Hill returns to Cortlandia thus Sunday, Oct. 22. Yaaaay!

An ancient Bernal Heights tradition that dates back to the era of the chert sprites, Fiesta is the once-a-year occasion when Cortland Avenue shuts down to traffic so modern-day Bernalese can promenade with impunity. It’s a locavore bounty of tasty food, artisanal offerings, bumpin’ beats, and games and attractions to absorb the surplus energies of feral children. And it’s all presented by the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center and the Bernal Business Alliance.

Here’s everything you need to know, courtesy of BHNC and BBA:

The Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center is happy to welcome everyone back to Fiesta on the Hill, 2017, Sunday, October 22, from 10:00 – 4:00!

Thanks to all our sponsors, including Sutter Health CPMC2020 and a host of others, our beloved annual event can continue as a fundraiser to support the essential programs the BHNC provides to our community, including senior lunches, affordable housing, and a great space for youth activities.

Join us for music from favorite local bands including the SF Jazz High School All-Stars Quintet, the San Francisco Community Music Center Senior Choir, the Bayonics Reggae Band, Fito Reinoso and his Cuban Songs, and the Adelante Salsa Band at the west end of Cortland.

Also returning is the neighborhood favorite children’s area, with rides and face painting and endless festival fun on the east Cortland side.

Along the middle Cortland corridor we are pleased to again feature a variety of artisan booths, Bay Area businesses and some of the best food vendors and trucks in the city. Get your pictures taken with family and friends at the photo booth in front of the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center. And stop by their Community Engagement table, where you can get information about safety, upcoming community events and activities that the BHNC puts together.

The theme for this year’s festival is the Summer of Love, and as October is our sunshine season, be sure to come dressed in your best vintage 1960’s attire. Prizes will be awarded on stage for some of the favorite costumes spotted in the crowd.

Our Cortland merchants will be featuring specials at their stores and restaurants, so be sure to stop by and check out their offerings. The Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center will be selling commemorative Fiesta T-shirts for $20 for adults and $15 for kids that you can tie-dye next door outside 12 Small Things. Be sure to get yours before they run out.

Many of our local merchants have donated great raffle prizes that can be yours with a $5.00 donation to the BHNC, so be sure to get your tickets the week before at the BHNC at 515 Cortland or on the morning of the Fiesta. Raffle tickets will be drawn and announced on stage throughout the day, so come early for the best chance to win and enjoy the celebration!

With thanks to all our generous sponsors, volunteers, neighbors, and attendees, we couldn’t do this without your support.

PHOTOS: Scenes from Fiestas past, by Telstar Logistics

Wednesday: See and Hear The Story of Angelo Morosi’s Life in Bernal Heights

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Angelo Morino (right) with his friend Bob Bonino on Bernal hill, circa 1927. Photo courtesy Lyn Morosi-Allison,

Following last month’s successful presentation of Bill Cassidy’s oral history interview with Melvin Anderson, on Wednesday, October 18, the Bernal History Project will screen excerpts from Bill’s interview with Angelo Morosi (1915-2006) alongside a slideshow of Morosi family photos.

We are delighted to welcome members of Angelo’s family, including his children and their cousins, to the show!

Angelo and Elva Morosi with their De Soto, 1938. Photo courtesy Lyn Morosi-Allison

Angelo’s family came from Italy, and moved to Bernal from North Beach as World War I was ending.

He and his siblings grew up on Holladay and Powhattan, sliding down the hill on pieces of cardboard and being teased about bringing salami sandwiches to school when lots of the other kids had peanut butter. Later, he ran a successful painting business, and raised a family of his own with his wife, Elva.

Angelo with his children, Dick, Joyce, and Lyn Morosi, circa 1957. Photo courtesy Lyn Morosi-Allison

Thirty years ago, Bill, a lifelong resident of northeastern Bernal Heights, filmed a series of interviews that evolved into an oral history project. He sought out people who had been born and/or raised on the hill and asked them to share their stories.

Bill’s interviews have rarely been seen publicly since they were recorded; he is kindly sharing these with us for the first time. His work has helped inspire the Bernal History Project’s own research and oral history recordings.

The meeting starts on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. sharp in the downstairs meeting room at the Bernal branch library (500 Cortland at Anderson); turn left at the bottom of the stairs.

As always, it is free, kid-friendly, and open to all. Muni: 24, 67. Street parking: can be tricky because this is St. Kevin’s bingo night.

Tonight! Raise a Glass for First Friday at Heartfelt &

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darcystorm

Neighbor Darcy Lee, proprietor of the fabulous Heartfelt stores on Cortland, is the kind of person who knows how to turn even a rainy day into a cause for celebration. This evening, Friday, Oct. 6 beginning at 6 pm, Neighbor Darcy will hail the arrival of the first Friday of the month by pouring elixir and taking 10% off the price of all the merchandise at Heartfelt &, her clothing store at 409 Cortland. All are invited.

Neighbor Darcy tells Bernalwood:

This Friday I am sharing my current favorite bubbly with you at our wee storefront Heartfelt &.

We are doing it each first Friday of the month so get used to smiling and toasting with us all the while trying on clothes and listening to ooooos or nahs. This is going to be fun.

PHOTO: Darcy Lee during a rainstorm, 2015, by Telstar Logistics.

Saturday: Learn to Paint Your Own Bernal Hill Landscape with BHNC

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Are you ready to discover your inner Bob Ross? This Saturday, Sept. 30, the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center (BHNC) will become a painting studio as part of a fundraiser that will help pay for next month’s Fiesta on the Hill.

Ailed Quijano Paningbatan-Swan, BHNC’s director of community engagement, says:

So excited to announce Paint on the Hill at BHNC! All proceeds for this family fun fundraising event goes to this years Fiesta on the Hill!

You are invited to our first ever Paint Day at the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center (515 Cortland). To focus on community-building as well as provide a space for neighbors to get to know each other, we’re holding this great event in partnership with local merchants.

This will be one of many series that we will be partnering with various groups and merchants in Bernal.

A few months ago we did a family spaghetti feed in partnership with Emmys Spaghetti Shack and the library – that event sold out in a few days.This time we’re partnering with Barebottle Brewery to present a day of painting, wine, good eats, and great-tasting beer.

There will also be a painting activity for kids (12 and under). All materials canvas, brushes, paint etc are included in purchased tickets for adults and kids.

Tickets are limited, so buy yours soon!

Also, save the date: Ailed tells Bernalwood that the 2017 edition of Fiesta on the Hill is set to happen on Sunday, October 22.

Eat! Drink! Celebrate! It’s Old Devil Moon’s First Anniversary

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This week, the fabulous Old Devil Moon at 3472 Mission (near Cortland) will celebrate its first anniversary. Hooray!  Congrats!

The big first-anniversary bash happens this Saturday, Sept. 23, but Old Devil Moon has a series of events lined up for this week. Co-owner Chris Cohen wants to tell you all about them:

Old Devil Moon is one year-old, and we want to invite our Bernal neighbors  to join the celebration.  We couldn’t do what we do without your support.

We’re having a anniversary event on Saturday, Sept. 23 from noon to 2AM featuring an insane list of rare and special beer. We’re also releasing permanent updated food and cocktail menus to ring in year two.

ODM is rolling out an updated food menu. We’re retaining established hits such as the Fried Gulf Shrimp, Oyster Rockefeller, Fried Chicken, and Roast Beef Po Boys. New dishes include: Fried Pickle Spears made with Paulie’s Pickling ODM pickles; a Louisiana Hot Link Po Boy; a BBQ Beef Sando; a super juicy ODM Cheeseburger made with two ¼ lb patties; & Devil’s Pups, hush puppies topped with powdered sugar, Ghirardelli chocolate, & whipped cream.

We’re also rolling out an updated cocktail menu that keeps old favorites but adds lots of new options including: the Devil’s Daiquiri, a rhum agricole daiquiri with Averna; the Bitter Mai Tai, made with Campari and Jamaican rum; a classic Boulevardier on draft; the Spirit Raiser, our tequila-based take on a Corpse Reviver; The Moon Also Rises, our mezcal-based take on a The Sun Also Rises; plus a few others. Our cocktails will remain in the $8-11 range they’ve always been in.

At the anniversary party we’ll also be grilling 1/4 lb Coney Dogs on the back patio until 4PM (with our newly updated food menu going into effect from 6PM to midnight). Live music will be provided by local bluesman Derek Fairchild starting at 7PM. We’ll have new ODM tees available featuring a ouija board inspired design.

After all that, we’re also doing an Oktoberfest + Sloppy Seconds event from Thursday Sept. 28 through Saturday Sept. 30. The “Sloppy Seconds” refers to the fact that we’ll be tapping all the remaining kegs of awesome beer on tap from our 1 Year Anniversary event, so folks who missed that event will get a second shot at trying a bunch of them (with 20 special kegs on for the anniversary, undoubtedly most will be pouring a few days later). We’ll also be pouring a bunch of German lagers and doing special Bratwurst Po Boys.

PHOTO: Old Devil Moon, courtesy of Brett Walker

Wednesday: An Oral History About Swedish-Americans in Bernal Heights

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From left: Bill Cassidy; The Swedish Lutheran Emanuel Church at Cortland and Folsom, as seen in the1920s; Melvin Anderson. (Photos: Bernal History Project)

On Wednesday evening, Sept. 20, the Bernal History Project hosts a special presentation, courtesy of Bill Cassidy, a lifelong resident of northeastern Bernal Heights and a remarkable source of information about our neighborhood.

Thirty years ago, Bill filmed a series of interviews that evolved into an oral history project. He sought out people who had been born and raised on the hill and asked them to share their stories. “When they died, this would all be gone,” he says. “And then the history’s gone, too.” Bill wanted to show younger and newer residents of Bernal what life had been like.

His interviews have rarely been seen publicly since they were recorded; he is kindly sharing these with us for the first time. His work has helped inspire the Bernal History Project’s own research and oral history recordings.

This month’s meeting will feature around 40 minutes of Bill’s 1987 interview with Melvin Anderson (1911-2003).

Melvin’s parents, Alfred and Tilda, came to the United States from Sweden in the 1880s and moved to Brewster and Costa Streets before the start of the 20th century. Melvin goes into depth about his remembrances of growing up on the hill. (A cousin was Jack Anderson, the Pulitzer-winning investigative reporter.)

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. sharp on Wednesday, Sept. 20 in the downstairs meeting room at the Bernal branch library (500 Cortland at Anderson); turn left at the bottom of the stairs. As always, it’s free, kid-friendly, and open to all.

Saturday: Taste Guacamole Glory at the 6th Annual Guac-Off Competition!

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2015 Guac-Off Champion Elle “Monster Guac” Garcia clutches the Guacamole Glory Trophy

Attention all ye Acolytes of the Avocado: The 6th Annual Guac-Off Guacamole Competition is coming this weekend, and once again it’s happening right here in Bernal Heights.

Yes, that’s right: Guac-Off 2017 happens this Saturday, September 9 beginning a 1 pm at Dr. Rick’s glamorous Farmhouse Mansion, at 3340 Folsom near the top of the hill at Ripley.  That means if you you want to compete, you’d best get on the phone to beg your abuela for her secret recipe. The event is free, but  check out the website for complete details.

Here’s the guac-and-roll pep rally, courtesy of Guacstar Luke:

As this weather has surely reminded you, Indian Summer is here. So that means that it’s time again for the Annual Indian Summer Guac-off!

We’d love for you to join us this Saturday, September 9th, as we’ll once again be at Dr. Rick’s house for our 6th annual celebration of the almighty avocado.

This year promises to be even more fun, as we’ll have 10 different prize categories, a restaurant showcase with guacamoles from some of our favorite restaurants, chips provided by Tacolicious, and of course, an even bigger Guacamole Glory Trophy.

The rules this year are simple: Your our guacamole must use at least 8 avocados, and it must arrive by 2pm. Other than that, let your creativity run wild!

We love having lots of Bernal neighbors show up. As always, the event is completely free, although guests are obviously encouraged to bring guacamole!

This Week: Enjoy the 2017 Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema Festival

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It’s that glamorous red carpet and green grass time of year for Bernalese cinephiles! Thats because the 2017 edition of the Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema film festival gets underway this week.

As you may know, BHOC is exactly like Sundance or Cannes — only with slightly less Gucci and Prada and lots more North Face and Patagonia. The films are free, most are short, and some are shown outside. The organizers emphasize local topics and local filmmakers, and this year the focus is on Bernal’s “strong tradition of outspoken civic leaders and engaged political organizations.”

The complete line-up of venues and films is available at the Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema website,  but here are the highlights:

  • Opening Night: Thursday, Sept. 7 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, 2868 Mission Street.
  • Film Crawl on Cortland: Friday, Sept. 8, from 7:00 to 11:00, at multiple sites on Cortland Avenue from Bennington to Ellsworth Street. This year the Film Crawl also includes a Late Night Screening and After-Party from 10:00 to 11:00, at Barebottle Brewing, 1525 Cortland Avenue. All ages are welcome.
  • Under the Stars at Precita Park: Saturday, Sept. 9 from 7:00 to 10:00, at the corner of Folsom Street and Precita Avenue. Pro Tip: Bring seating. Dress warmly. BYO snacks. Sip from a flask. Snuggle as necessary.
  • Best of Bernal: Wednesday, 9/27 from 7:00-9:00, at the Barebottle Brewing Company, 1525 Cortland Avenue, BHOC will present an encore screening of the 2017 season’s award-winning films.

The BHOC organizers say these are some of the standout films in the 2017 lineup:

The Ride, directed by Jeff Adachi and Jim Choi. (Thursday, 9/7) SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi travels into the underbelly of the criminal injustice system when he takes on the case of Michael Smith, a young African-American man charged with assaulting police officers.

These Walls Speak: PLACA, directed by Carla Wojczuk. (Friday, 9/8 at Bernal Star) In 1984, artists and activists in the heart of the Mission transformed Balmy Alley into a “mural environment” when they formed PLACA to protest the U.S. government’s wars in Central America.

American Paradise, directed by Joe Talbot. (Saturday, 9/9) A desperate white man, forgotten in Trump’s America, tries to shift his fate by committing the perfect crime. He robs multiple banks wearing a hyper-realistic black-man mask – until, of course, all goes horribly wrong.

When Rabbit Left the Moon, directed by Emiko Omori. (Thursday, 9/7) The Japanese-American filmmaker says, “Words to describe the camp experience seem inadequate to me – either too many or not enough. This video poem is an attempt to express long buried feelings without words.”

Happy Birthday, Mario Woods. (Thursday 9/7) San Francisco police shot Mario Woods more than 20 times in December 2015. Six months after his death, Gwen Woods visits her son grave and the site of his shooting.

Again, look for the complete line-up of venues and films at the Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema website, and see you there.

PHOTO: Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema in Precita Park, by Telstar Logistics

Tonight: See Neighbor Ned’s Big Show at Great American Music Hall

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Tonight, Bernal Neighbor Ned Buskirk is hosting an event as an offshoot of his open mike series for conversations about mortality, called You’re Going to Die.

The show happens this evening, Friday, August 11, at Great American Music Hall beginning at 9 pm, and tickets are still available.

Neighbor Ned says:

My name is Ned Buskirk & I run You’re Going to Die, a live event series in SF. I’ve been putting music on at The Old Bus Tavern, and waaay back in 2012 Bernalwood shared a post about my open mic series called Your’re Going to Die.

In the last five years YG2D has really taken off. I still do the open mic, but now it’s twice a month to meet the interest (all the open mics sell-out), but I also regularly present curated shows. All of my shows are entertainment experiences that involve conversations about mortality, grief, loss, death & dying… & LIFE, of course.

I’m doing a BIG show on Friday, August 11th at Great American Music Hall with two big local bands: Midtown Social and Major Powers & the Lo-Fi Symphony. I’ll also be announcing the start of a new curated series of shows starting in October at Swedish American Music Hall.

It’s also a chance for community to gather, party, & celebrate being alive. Here’s the lineup:

Deeply inspiring & guaranteed to make you sweat just as much as it makes you think, Midtown Social presents a message of solidarity & hope, voiced by a community of people who are as diverse, bold, authentic, & vulnerable as the community in which they were forged. Midtown Social asks us all to come together, to find common ground, love & camaraderie, to fight for our communities, way of life, & rights—and to stand together as one.

Major Powers & The Lo-Fi Symphony plays Adventure Rock™. Imagine Mary Poppins writing songs for Weezer during a cliff diving competition between Freddie Mercury & Tom Waits while Danny Elfman makes out with Indiana Jones during a game of Dungeons & Dragons.

Angela Hennessy is an Oakland-based interdisciplinary artist and Associate Professor at California College of the Arts where she teaches courses on visual and cultural narratives of death and textile theory. Her current project, The School of the Dead, is a program for the decolonization of death and grief through the radical inquiry of aesthetic and social practices that mediate the boundary between the living and the dead.