Oakland City Putting Championship
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Over the course of 2 months more than 100 golfers participated in the first annual Oakland City Putting Championship. After several open qualifier events the top scoring players were placed into a match play bracket that took 2 weekends to execute. The final round of matches were played on Saturday, June 10 … 

Montclair Fine Arts fest is next week
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
The 31st Annual Montclair Fine Arts Sidewalk Festival will be held July 21-23 along Mountain Boulevard, La Salle and Antioch streets and will feature original art created by talented artists, many of whom are from the Bay Area. The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 21-22 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 23 … 

Middle Harbor Shoreline combines history, nature
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Although it has been open to the public for a couple of years, I hadn't yet got around to visiting Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland. So recently I decided to check it out. It was well worth the effort. Middle Harbor used to be the Oakland Naval Supply Depot. The facility supplied the U.S. Navy's entire Pacific Fleet from World War II until 1998, when the depot closed and ownership of the land was transferred to the Port of Oakland. The port turned 38 acres of it into a public park … 

Toy-making offers escape from cancer
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
When is a doll not just a doll? When Lori Fischer teaches you how to make one. Laboriously hand-stitching for several four-hour intervals might not seem like most children's favorite thing to do, but the kids who Fischer visits cannot wait. Fischer works with children hospitalized for long-term care. And her dolls are not just simple cut-and-paste creations, but hand-stitched, one-of-a-kind dolls … 

Kids dig gardening
Monday, July 10, 2006
Let's face it, if there's one thing kids have a knack for, it's getting messy. Sticky faces, grubby fingernails — you name it, it's dirty. You see, the reason they get a kick out of being covered in grime is because, well, filth means fun … 

A summer stroll down history lane
Monday, July 10, 2006
The Oakland Heritage Alliance's summer neighborhood walking tour series gets under way today, with a tour of Mountain View Cemetery, starting at 10 a.m. Tour leaders Michael Crowe and Barbara Smith will recount the tales of California's earliest movers and shakers, along with descriptions of the often elaborate monuments that preserve their memory. Samuel Merritt, Domingo Ghirardelli and Charles Crocker, are just a few of the noteworthy people on today's tour, said OHA administrative director Stacy Stern … 

Libraries are brimming with summer activities
Monday, July 10, 2006
As we head into July, the Oakland library has recently gotten a boost from the completion of a major computer network upgrade. For all of you who have sent us letters about this problem, please note that we are now full-speed ahead thanks to the hard work of our computer services staff and funding from Measure Q … 

Piedmont resident presents Chinatown on Web
Monday, July 10, 2006
There's a new way to tour Oakland's Chinatown, with a tour guide who's available any hour of the day or night. You can do it without breaking a sweat ... or even moving anything, really, except your mouse arm. How is this possible? The Web site www.TheOrganicCity.com lets you visit 14 different sites in Chinatown, presented by Piedmont resident and noted journalist William Wong … 

Free outdoor movies to run through October
Friday, July 7, 2006
Think that movie theaters cost too much? Don't worry. Oakland has you covered. Worried that DVDs are keeping you captive in your home? Ease up, Oakland has you covered on that too. In its third season, the Old Oakland Outdoor Cinema Series will open at sunset July 15 … 

Seniors: On your mark, get set, go!
Friday, July 7, 2006
Few places are prettier this time of year than Lake Merritt, where people gather to eat, share information and walk around the lake's 3-mile circumference. On July 14, all these activities are possible for senior citizens — plus family and friends — at Healthy Living Festival … 

Art in full bloom on Telegraph
Friday, July 7, 2006
In just six months, the First Friday Crawl along Oakland's Telegraph Avenue Gallery Corridor has gotten so popular it attracts between 600 and 700 people. "It feels like a festival, it's really cool. It's been by word of mouth, people telling other people," said Kevin Slagle, founder of Ego Park … 

Woodminster Theater's owners celebrate 40-year family drama
Friday, July 7, 2006
Talk about a life in the theater. Jim and Harriet Schlader, Mr. and Mrs. Woodminster Summer Musical Theater, met when they were doing a Broadway production of "Most Happy Fellow." He was a singer, she was a dancer. They raised their children in the Woodminster Theater … 

'Creative Vortex'
Friday, July 7, 2006
For 32 years, the Creative Growth Center in Oakland has been giving developmentally disabled artists the means to explore their creative potentials. The center has provided studio space and instruction as well as a place to show works. Now, in a show called "Happiness for All the Artists," work by the teachers will be shown alongside work by the students … 

Kiddie Heaven
Friday, July 7, 2006
Through the arched, kiddie-size doorway of the giant shoe and past the lavender-hued gates ornamented with golden fairy silhouettes lies Children's Fairyland. When the 10-acre, storybook-themed park on Lake Merritt opened in 1950, Walt Disney visited, and it helped inspire him to create Disneyland …