Sponsored by Council Member Jean Quan, the Oakland Department of Parks & Recreation and the Joaquin Miller Park Working Group, this free afternoon event features music, dance, hikes, tours, naturalist and historical talks, and an informational fair by park user and neighborhood groups.

"Joaquin Miller Park is one of Oakland's hidden gems that contributes to Oakland's ranking 3rd among the top 12 cities with 5.6 acres of parks per 1000 residents. Of Oakland's 130 parks, Joaquin Miller Park is among the largest: 500-acres of redwood groves, picnic grounds, historic monuments, and trails for hiking, biking, dog walking and horse riding," said Council Member Quan, who has been working with volunteers and city staff for the past two years on a number of park improvements.

"We hope to encourage local residents who have not been to the park before to see all that it has to offer. Once there, you won't believe that you are still in the city," she said.

The event will include presentations by the Alameda Historical Society at the Ranger Station and the Metropolitan Horseman's Association at the Sequoia Arena, games at the brand new Joaquin Miller Dog Park, bicycle helmet give aways from the Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay, and much more. Dancer Patricia Bulitt will perform her original "Ode to the Trees" in the meadow, and Harpist, Angel Simmons will draw visitors to the creek with a pastoral performance. Represented at the Informational Fair are a wide range of park user groups:

• Bay Area Orienteering Club
• Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay
• Bret Harte-Joaquin Miller Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council
• East Bay Regional Park District
• Joaquin Miller Community Center Advisory Council
• Joaquin Miller Working Group
• Metropolitan Horseman's Association
• Oakland Dog Owners Group
• Oakland Parks & Recreation
• Piedmont Pines Neighborhood Association
• Producer Associates (Woodminster Amphitheater)
• Council Member Jean Quan District 4

"Over the past two years, a number of improvements have emanated from the creative planning of the Joaquin Miller Working Group. We've produced a new brochure and maps, opened a brand new off-leash dog play area for large and small dogs, installed additional picnic tables, continue to work on trail maintenance and improvements and launched a free performance series in the fall called "Sundays in the Redwoods" which brings the Oakland East Bay Symphony, jazz, gospel and other music to the Woodminster Amphitheater. New signage, and additional restoration efforts at Joaquin Miller's home, the Abbey, are in the works," Quan said.

"The Day in the Park is our way of letting the world know about this wonderful haven in the woods, so it will no longer be such a secret," she said.For details, call (510) 238-7042.