FALL CLASS REGISTRATION

Registration for Rec & Park’s fall activities, programs, and classes that start in September begins on Saturday, August 19 at 10 a.m.

There are courses for all ages: tots; youth; tweens & teens; adults; and, adults 55 and older. A complete listing with descriptions, times, and costs is available online at sfreconline.org or in the 80-page catalog available at the Rec Center or Photo Center.

There are a number of creative classes for teenagers at the Harvey Milk Center for the Arts. Portfolio Development Workshop is a drawing class for anyone who wants to improve their drawing skills. Zines for Teens teaches students about the history of zines, how to layout zine material, shoot photos on a photo walk, and get a crash course in creating writing for zines. Textiles Teen Fashion Star teaches how to design, cut, sew by hand and with a sewing machine, and embellish your own original garments and accessories

Register online  or call the registration hotline at (628) 652-2900.

VOLUNTEER IN THE PARK SATURDAY

Our next volunteer day in the park is this Saturday, August 12, from 10 a.m.-noon. We will be replanting the Potomac Circle understory with habitat-friendly plants and reorganizing the existing plant material.

We refreshed the planted areas around the Scott Street Labyrinth in June and in May we planted 30 Ceanophus in the raised planter bed along the sloped area between the stairs and the MUNI retaining wall.

All gloves and tools are provided and young children are always welcome! Rain will cancel the event. Even 30 minutes of your time makes a big difference in the appearance of Duboce Park. Our volunteer day is always the second Saturday of every month. Contact Rose at 415-255-8370 or rose@friendsofdubocepark.org for more information or with any questions or comments. Our past few volunteer days were canceled due to rain.

Volunteers spent a whopping 400,000 hours in San Francisco parks and programs in the past year, an in-kind donation of more than $144.3 million to Rec and Park. The department hosted 7,214 one-time and repeat volunteers in San Francisco parks.

LEARN BASIC B&W FILM DEVELOPMENT

Harvey Milk Photo Center is offering a two-and-a-half-hour course to teach you the basics of black and white film development. Students will learn to properly process their black and white 35mm and 120 film. Students must bring a black and white roll of film to develop. Offered September 9, September 15, October 14, and October 27.

There are other opportunities to learn about photography: Adobe Lightroom, Camera Basics, Cyanotype, Inkjet Printing, Luminograms, Wet Plate Collodion Photography, and Scanning and Digitizing Your Negatives and Slides.

Full descriptions, class dates, and costs can be found in the Fall 2023 Catalogue available at the Photo Center, online or the Harvey Milk Photo Center website.

MEMBER, STAFF, & VOLUNTEER PHOTO SHOW

The annual Member, Staff & Volunteer Show offers a current look at what is being created in the darkrooms and digital lab at the Harvey Milk Photo Center by 66 of their members, staff and volunteers.  This exciting exhibit showcases each photographer’s chosen and personal best. It has been curated by the staff, members, and volunteers and encompasses a wide and exciting range of subject matter. The opening reception took place on July 29 and the show continues through September 2. This event is free and open to the public.

MUSIC IN THE PARKS

Due South, the 2023 free concert series at the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park, features Cherry Glaserr with Momma (Duo) and King Isis on August 26 and Y La Bamba with Merinero and Loco Bloco on September 16. All performances are on Saturdays  2 p.m. Due South also features food trucks from local restaurants. All concerts are brought to you by the Parks Alliance, Noise Pop, and Rec and Park.

Outside Lands starts tonight in place in Golden Gate Park and features headliners such as Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, Odesza, Lana Del Rey and more! For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Jazz Thursdays are back at Muriel Leff Mini Park (420 7th Avenue). The park was renovated earlier this year and the San Francisco Parks Alliance, working with Bay Area Jazz Mobile, is bringing free live jazz back to the improved park every Thursday through August 31 from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Gardens of Golden Gate Park and Sunset Piano announced the return of Flower Piano from September 8 to 12. It will transform the San Francisco Botanical Garden into the city’s own alfresco concert hall where everyone is invited to play and listen.

There will be a special opening event on Thursday, September 7 in the new Flower Piano Lounge with Latin Grammy award-winning tango pianist, arranger, and composer Pablo Estigarribia accompanied by tango dancers. For more information, including the full program, click here.

With Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park this weekend, Illuminate Live free concertswill be picking up next week at the Golden Gate Bandshell. The next show will be on August 16 from 4 to 7 p.m., with Singer/Songwriter Wednesday featuring otherradio, The Road Runners, and Secret Lives.

Illuminate Live brings more than 100 free concerts to the GGP Music Concourse in 2023. Shows feature R&B, soul, jazz, funk, reggae, salsa, electronic music/EDM, big band musicians, string ensembles, indie and psychedelic rock bands and many diverse singer-songwriters.  Check here for the full schedule of performances.

The 122-year-old Golden Gate Bandshell is the oldest structure in Golden Gate Park’s Music Concourse, an open-air plaza built for the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894. Also called the Spreckels Temple of Music, the Bandshell was a gift to San Franciscans from sugar magnate Claus Spreckels.

PARKS IN THE NEWS

Mayor London Breed announced the City‘s plans to begin operating the more than 24 acres of public parks in the Mission Bay neighborhood. Rec and Park, along with The Port of San Francisco, began jointly managing the space on July 1. It was overseen by the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII), formerly known as the Redevelopment Agency.

Rec and Park  operates the Mission Creek Complex and its sport courts, dog play area, plazas, lawn, esplanades, pavilion, boathouse and launch. Additionally, the Department is overseeing Mariposa Park, Mission Bay Commons, the Channel Street Dog Park and the Mission Bay Kids Park. The Port of San Francisco is managing the Bayfront parks along the Bay and Terry Francois Boulevard.

Sundown Cinema film nights in San Francisco parks continues with Mamma Mia at Dolores Park on August 18, Black Panther: Wakanada Forever at India Basin Shoreline Park on September 8, and Legally Blonde at The Ferry Building on September 29.

A proposal to host a series of ticketed concerts in the Golden Gate Park Polo Fields will go before the Board of Supervisors in September following an initial agreement reached between the Recreation and Park Department, Another Planet Entertainment (APE) and District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan.

At the heart of the proposal are two to three ticketed concerts in Golden Gate Park’s Polo Fields held in August, the weekend after the Outside Lands Music Festival for three years starting in 2024. Concert producers will fund free Muni rides to and from the Polo Field for those attending the concerts. Also included are three free downtown concerts in which APE would bring a musical act to Civic Center Plaza, Union Square and Embarcadero annually for the same three years.

The city’s permit fees, $1.4 million for a two-day event and $2.1 million for a three-day event, would allow Rec and Park to continue to offer programming to children, adults, and seniors across the city and care for its facilities. The city currently faces a two-year budget deficit of $780 million.

COYOTE PUPPING SEASON IN OUR PARKS

As we hit the dog days of summer, it means that we’re in the midst of coyote pupping season. While coyotes are generally wary of humans, parent coyotes may become territorial if you or your pet stumbles upon their den. To foster a safe coexistence between yourself and our natural neighbors, please take the following precautions:

• Never feed coyotes or any wildlife
• Keep dogs on leashes in our parks, unless in a designated off-leash dog play area
• Only admire coyotes from a distance

If you encounter a coyote, slowly back away carrying any small children or pets. Do not run. You may also scare the coyote away by appearing large and making loud noises. If you encounter a coyote or see someone putting out food for a coyote, report it to Animal Care and Control (ACC) at (415) 554-9400, or by email at ACC@sfgov.org.

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, 71 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.

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.”

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2023 CALENDAR

Tuesday, August 8, 6:30-8 p.m. Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association General Meeting. Harvey Milk Center. Visit dtna.org.

Saturday, August 12, 10 a.m.-noon. Friends of Duboce Park Volunteer Day. Contact rose@friendsofdubocepark.org.

Saturday, August 19, 10 a.m. Fall Class Registration begins. Visit www.sfreconline.org.

Wednesday, August 23, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Park Station Community Meeting via Zoom. RSVP to community@sfsafesafe.org.

Saturday, September 9, 10 a.m.-noon. Friends of Duboce Park Volunteer Day. Contact rose@friendsofdubocepark.org.

Wednesday, September 28, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Park Station Community Meeting via Zoom. RSVP to community@sfsafesafe.org.