FRIDAY, AUGUST 25 

Impeachment Banner Fridays at 6:45 to 8 a.m. on the Berkeley Pedestrian bridge between Seabreeze Market and the Berkeley Aquatic Park, ongoing on Fridays until impeachment is realized. www. Impeachbush-cheney.com 

“Voices of Activism: Crawford” documentary theater, storytelling and dialogue at 7:30 p.m. at Temescal Co-Housing, 322 45th St., Oakland. Cost is $2-$20, sliding scale. www.untheatre.org 

Activist Series featuring Nadia Mcaffrey, Gold Star Families Speak Out, and Dewaybe Hunn, Director of the People’s Lobby & World Service Corp. whose son was killed in Iraq, at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists’ Hall, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Donations welcome. 528-5403.  

Red Cross Blood Drive from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Oakland Children’s Hospital, Outpatient Building Basement, 747 52nd St., Oakland. For an appointment call 1-800 GIVE-LIFE. 

Ballroom Dancing every Friday at 8 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building, 200 Grand Ave., Oakland. Live band and refreshments. Cost is $10. 925-934-9129. 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 8 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

Kol Hadash Humanistic Shabbat at 7:30 p.m. at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. Please bring finger dessert to share, and non-perishable food for the needy. Free and open to all.  

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26 

Trails Challenge: Traversing Tilden’s Trails Meet at 8 a.m. at the Lone Oak Staging Area to cover to park’s varied ecosystems. Bring water, sunscreen, layered clothing and lunch. 525-2233. 

Berkeley Rocks A walk to explore seven rock parks in Berkeley, along with paths, historic homes and great views. Meet at 10 a.m. at the northeast corner of Solano Ave. and the Alameda, by Indian Rock Path. Bring lunch and liquids for this 4-5 mile walk with significant uphills. 528-3355. www.berkeleypaths.org  

Walking Tour of Old Oakland “New Era/New Politics” highlights African-American leaders who have made their mark on Oakland. Meet at 10 a.m. at the African American Museum and Library at 659 14th St. 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

Oakland Heritage Walking Tour of Philbrick Boat Works at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Cost is $5-$15. Reservations required. 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Save the Berkeley Housing Authority A community meeting at 2 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, Ellis St. at Ashby Ave.  

A Conversation with Bob Watada, father of L. Ehren Watada, first U.S. Military officer to publicly resist illegal war and occupation of Iraq, at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Friends Church, 1800 Sacramento St. 684-0239. 

Muir Heritage Ranch Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the John Muir National Historical Site in Martinez. Entertainment, demonstrations, games and food. 925-639-7562. www.JohnMuirAssociation.org 

Oakland Chinatown StreetFest Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Franklin St. from 7th to 11th, and 8th and 9th Sts., from Broadway to Harrison. 893-8979. 

ActivSpace Arts and Crafts Fair Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2703 Seventh St. 845-5000. 

“I Love Bugs!” Day at Habitot Children's Museum from 10 am to 5 pm 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111. 

Urban Releaf Tree Tour of Oakland and workshops in urban forestry that teach tree planting, maintenance, GIS/GPS systems, and community advocacy. For information call 601-9062. www.urbanreleaf.org 

ACCI Seconds Sale from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Sun. at 1652 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527. 

PR/Marketing Workshop for Musicians at 11 a.m. at Freight & Salvage Coffee House, 1111 Addison St. Cost is $45-$49. 548-1761.  

Red Cross Blood Drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at East Bay Bible Church, 11200 Golf Links Rd., Oakland. For an appointment call 1-800 GIVE-LIFE. 

SHAC 7 Benefit Vegan food and films, sponsored by East Bay Animal Advocates at 6 p.m. at AK Press, 674-A 23rd St, Oakland. Cost is $5-$15, sliding scale. shac7benefit@yahoo.com 

Heart Health Fair Sponsored by the Association of Black Cardiologists from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Eastmont Town Center, 7200 Bancroft Ave., Oakland. Free blood pressure screenings, and presentations on strokes and heart disease. 632-1131. www.abcario.org 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Spiritwalking: Aqua Chi(TM) at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley High Warm Pool. Cost is $5.50, $3.50 seniors & disabled. Bring your own towels. 526-0312. 

Yoga for Peace at 9:30 a.m. at Ohlone Park, MLK at Hearst. Bring a yoga mat, warm blanket, and peace sign.  

Adult Fast Pitch Softball at noon. For location call 204-9500.  

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27 

Oakland Heritage Walking Tour of West Oakland’s “Big One” from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meet at 14th St. and Nelson Mandela Parkway. Cost is $5-$15. 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Free Sailboat Rides from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club in the Berkeley Marina. Bring change of clothes, windbreaker, sneakers. For ages 5 and up. cal-sailing.org  

Name That Snake An introduction to the snakes that live in our backyards and local parks, at 11 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Cattail Capers We’ll explore the local ponds with dip-nets and magnifiers. Meet at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Dress to get wet. 525-2233. 

Oakland Chinatown StreetFest from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Franklin St. from 7th to 11th, and 8th and 9th Sts., from Boadway to Harrison. 893-8979. 

Garden Party at Salem Lutheran Home with entertainment by the Puppets of Praise, from 2 to 4 p.m. at 2361 East 29th St., Oakland. 434-2828. 

Summer Sunday Forum with Katherine Burroughs on elder abuse at 9:30 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Berkeley City Club free tour from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tours are sponsored by the Berkeley City Club and the Landmark Heritage Foundation. Donations welcome. The Berkeley City Club is located at 2315 Durant Ave. For group reservations or more information, call 848-7800 or 883-9710. 

Kickabout at Codornices Park Soccer for all, skill and talent not required. For more information contact cambour@hotmail.com  

Balinese Dance Class with Tjokorda Istri Putra Padmini at 11 a.m. at Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave. 237-6849. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Tibetan Buddhism with Robin Caton on “Meditation: Patience and Ease” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812.  

MONDAY, AUGUST 28 

“The Man Behind the Marquee” An evening with Grand Lake Theater owner Allen Michaan. Hear what events compelled this voting-rights activist to seek unique expression of his right to free speech and to provide venue for others to speak out as well. Sponsored by The Paul Robeson Chapter of the ACLU at 7:30 p.m. at “Theatre By The Bay,” 2700 Saratoga, Alameda Point, Alameda, former Naval Air Station. 596-2580. 

“A Strong, Clear Vision” A documentary about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, at 7 p.m. at Community Center Hall, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany.  

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. 548-0425. 

Stress Less Seminar at 6:30 p.m. at Piedmont Branch Library, 160 41st St., Oakland. Free, but registration required. 465-2524. 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 29 

Tuesday is for the Birds A tranquil early morning walk in Miller Knox Park. Bring water, sunscreen, binoculars and a snack. Call for meeting place. 525-2233. 

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds, who may be accompanied by an adult. Meet at 3:15 p.m. at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park, to look for reptiles. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 636-1684. 

Asian Brush and Ink Painting for ages 8 and up from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Asian Branch of the Oakland Public Library, 388 Ninth St. Registration required. 238-3400.  

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, AUSUST 30  

Walking Tour of Jack London Waterfront Meet at 10 a.m. at the corner of Broadway and Embarcadero. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

“Soylent Green” A film of a grim, bleak vision of New York City in the future, at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. 

Holistic Pet Care at 7:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

“Voices of Activism: Crawford” documentary theater, storytelling and dialoge at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $2-$20, sliding scale. www.untheatre.org 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes. 548-9840. 

New to DVD “Inside Man” at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

Bayswater Book Club meets to discuss “Debunking 9/11 Myths” at 6:30 p.m at Barnes and Noble, El Cerrito. 433-2911. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Stress Less Seminar at 6:30 p.m. at New Moon Opportunities, 378 Jayne Ave., Oakland. Free, but registration required. 465-2524. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www. 

geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31 

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

ONGOING 

Each One Teach One Mentoring Program of the Oakland Unified School District is curbing student absenteeism, decreasing suspensions and increasing student participation with the help of volunteer mentors like you. For more information call 495-4010, 495-4011.  

Energy Saving Program for Residents CYES is running its 7th annual summer program, providing direct-installation of CFLs, retractable clotheslines, showerheads, and more. Services available in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond. Free. 665-1501. 

Child Care Food Program is available without charge to all children enrolled in the BUSD Early Childhood Education progam, based on income eligibility guidelines. Please call for details, 644-6358. 

Berkeley Adult School Register for programs in High School Diploma, GED Preparation, Citizenship and ESL classes, Mon.-Thurs. 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., Fri. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1701 San Pablo Ave. 644-6130. http://bas.berkeley.net 

Medical Care for Your Pet at the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society low-cost veterinary clinic, 2700 Ninth St. For appointments call 845-3633. www.berkeleyhumane.org  

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25 

THEATER 

California Shakespeare Theater “The Merchant of Venice” at the Bruns Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., Orinda. Tues.-Thurs., 7:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 4 p.m. through Sept. 3. Tickets are $15 and up. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org 

Encore Theatre Company and Shotgun Players “The Typographer’s Dream” at 8 p.m. at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Sept. 17. Tickets are $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Impact Theatre “House of Lucky” Written and performed by Frank Wortham, Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., through Aug. 26. Tickets are $10-$15. 464-4468. 

Masquers Playhouse “Diary of a Scoundrel” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond across from the Hotel Mac. Through Sept. 30. Tickets are $15. 232-4031. 

Unconditional Theatre “Voices of Activism: Crawford” documentary theater, storytelling and dialoge at 7:30 p.m. at Temescal Co-Housing, 322 45th St., Oakland. Cost is $2-$20, sliding scale. www.untheatre.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Then, Now and New Beginnings” Works by Lynne Zickerman. Reception at 5 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. 848-1228.  

FILM 

Kenji Mizoguchi “Street of Shame” at 7 p.m. and “Sansho the Bailiff” at 8:50 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Robert E. Bowman in a classical piano recital, at 8 p.m. at The Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. 845-1350. 

Trumpet Supergroup at noon at the Downtown Berkeley BART. 845-5373.  

“Jazz & Poetry” with David Meltzer, Genny Lim, Kit Robinson and others at 7 p.m. at Half Price Books, 2036 Shattuck Ave. 526-6080. 

Quartet San Francisco at 8 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. Free. 981-6241. 

Otro Mundo at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12, children 12 and under, free. 849-2568.  

Julian Pollack & Taylor Eigsti at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373.  

Zoe Ellis Band with guest Dave Ellis at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. 

Sister Carol with The Yellow Wall Dub Squad, reggae, at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $17-$20. 525-5054.  

Meli, Latin vocalist, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

John Stowell at 5 p.m. at Ristorante Raphael, 2132 Center St. 644-9500.  

Tera Johnson Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Ira Marlowe and Mario DeSio at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Trailer Park rangers, Eddie Rivers and the Flood at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. 

Thought Riot, Scare, Goddamn Wolves at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Realistic Orchestra at 10 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low. Cost is $10. 548-1159.  

Eddie Marshall and Holy Mischief at 8 p.m. and John Schott’s Dream Kitchen at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

David Weckl Band at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $15-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Video Work by Bill Viola” An installation with continuous loops of the videographer’s works from 1977-1994, opens at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200.  

“Horses in the Trees” works by Mark P. Fisher. Reception at 2 p.m. at Alta Galleria, 2980 College Ave. #4. Exhibition runs to Oct. 7. 421-1255. 

THEATER 

San Francisco Mime Troupe “Godfellas” Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. at Willard Park, Hillegass & Derby. 415-285-1717. 

San Francisco Shakespeare “The Tempest” Free Sharespeare in the park at 4 p.m. at Lakeside Park at Lake Merritt, corner of Perkins and Bellevue, Oakland. Sat. and Sun. through Aug. 27. 415-865-4434. 

Shotgun Players “Ragnarok: Doom of the Gods” Sat. and Sun. at 4 p.m. at John Hinkle Park, through Sept. 10. Free, with pass the hat donation after the show. 841-6500.  

Jump! written and performed by Shanique S. Scott at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $10-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

The Great Night of Soul Poetry at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Co-sponsored by Dan and Dale Zola and Black Oak Books. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

“Bird, Bop, Black Art and Beyond” A symposium on saxophonist Charlie Parker Sat. and Sun. at House of Unity, Suite 230, Eastmont Mall, 7200 Bancroft Ave, E. Oakland. COst is $5-$15 sliding scale. 836-6234.  

John Canemaker “Marching to a Different Tune” at 5 p.m. and “Winsor McCay: His Life and Art” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. 

Rhythm & Muse features poet Jeanne Lupton at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 527-9753. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Old Puppy at 10 a.m. at Nabalom Bakery, 2708 Russell St. 845-BAKE. 

Jazzschool Ensembles at 10:30 a.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Center St. at MLK. 845-5373. 

Ambrose Akinmusire at noon at the Downtown Berkeley BART. 845-5373. 

George Brooks Summit at 2 p.m. at the Downtown Berkeley BART. 845-5373. 

Royal Society Jazz Orchestra at 4:30 p.m. at the Downtown Berkeley BART. 845-5373. 

Jaya Lakshmi, Indian devotional music at 8 p.m. at Studio Rasa, 933 Parker St. Cost is $16-$18. 843-2787.  

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Kotoja, Afrobeat dance party, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054.  

John Bruce and Derek See at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

The People, Bayonics at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886.  

Terry Riley at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. 845-5373.  

“Jazz & Poetry” with Adam David Miller & Pam Johnson, Al Young, and others at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6241. 

Rhonda Benin Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Kai Eckhardt’s Area 61, at 9 p.m. at Capoeira Arts Cafe, 2062 Addison St. Cost is $10. 666-1255. 

Celu Hammer with Gail Makris and David Schiretzky at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

The Whoreshoes, Meat Purveyors, Pickin’Trix at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. All ages show. Cost is $8. 841-2082.  

Will Blades Duo at noon, Sarah Manning Trio at 5 p.m. and Disappear Incompletely at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Charm, UG Man, Lewd Acts at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27 

FILM 

Kenji Mizoguchi “The Life of Oharu” at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Elizabeth Wagele talks about “The Happy Introvert: A Wild and Crazy Guide for Celebrating Your True Self” at 6:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Linda Moyers, poetry reading, at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloway’s Literary and Garden Arts, 2904 College Ave.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Benefit Concert for the Animals, featuring flautist Carol Alban, cellist Suellen Primost, and others at 3 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Suggested donation $10. 595-9009. 

Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of San Francisco at noon at the Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza, 845-5373.  

Art Song of Debussy, Duparc, Vaughan Williams, Beethoven and more with Dorothy Isaacson Read, mezzo soprano and Kristin Pankonin, piano at 4 p.m. at Chamber Arts House, 2924 Ashby Ave. Suggested donation $5-$10.  

John Santos & Machete Ensemble at 2 p.m. at the Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza, 845-5373. 

Bob Marley Ensemble at 5 p.m. at the Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza, 845-5373.  

Vicki Randle with Nina Gerber & Bonnie Hayes at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Ray Obiedo’s Mambo Caribe with Pete Escovedo at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Will Bernard Trio at noon, Americana Unplugged with Feed and Seed at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 655-5715. 

Girl Talk at 5 p.m. at Ristoprante Raphael, 2137 Center St. 644-9500. 

The Hot Club of San Francisco at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810 

Natasha Miller and Bobby Sharp at 4:30 p.m. and Kasey Knudsen Sextet at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$15. 845-5373.  

Bigger Olsen at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344..  

MONDAY, AUGUST 28 

EXHIBITIONS 

New Works by Kazuyo Sato-Leue, abstract expressionist, opens at Westside Barkery Cafe, 250 Ninth St., and runs through Dec. 31. www.studiokazuyo.com 

FILM 

“A Strong, Clear Vision” A documentary about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, at 7 p.m. at Community Center Hall, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lucy Jane Bledsoe presents “Ice Cave: A Woman’s Adventures from the Mojave to the Antarctic” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

David Abel and Stephen Vincent at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Poetry Express theme night on “pet peeves” at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Steve Lucky & The Rhumba Bums, with Ms. Carmen Getit at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance lesson at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054.  

Gina Leishman at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Nika Rejto at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12. 238-9200.  

TUESDAY, AUGUST 29 

FILM 

Screenagers “a.k.a. Don Bonus” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

A Night of Poetry with Chris Hoffman and Robert Lipton at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Tell It On Tuesday, storytelling at 7 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Cost is $8-$12 at the door. www.juliamorgan.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Swamp Coolers, cajun/western swing at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

Randy Craig Trio at 7:30 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Plena Libre at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s. Cost is $10-$18. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30 

THEATER 

Unconditional Theatre “Voices of Activism: Crawford” documentary theater, storytelling and dialoge at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $2-$20, sliding scale. www.untheatre.org 

FILM 

Kenji Mizoguchi “The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

David Simpson, author of “9/11: The Culture of Commemoration” in conversation with T. J. Clark at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Reggae Showcase with Abba Yahudah, Honourebel Nasambu, Buddha, Bobby Tenor and others, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

The Estate at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8. 848-0886. 

Karabali at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Salsa lessons at 8 p.m. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Wish Inflicted at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Michael Coleman Trio Jazz Jam at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Bring your instrument. 451-8100.  

Plena Libre at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$18. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31 

THEATER 

East Bay Improv “Not the Same Old Song & Dance” at 8 p.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Donation $7. 597-0795. 

FILM 

Beyond Bollywood “Company” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region” Geologist Doris Sloan and photographer John Karachewski talk about their new book at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. 

Tom Spanbauer reads form “Now is the Hour” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Not the Same Old Song and Dance” Improv at 8 p.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 597-0795. 

KTO Music Project with Musekiwa Chingodza from Zimbabwe, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

David Ross MacDonald at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Vermillion Lies, The Peculiar Pretzelman at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

Lucas Carpenter’s Friggin’ Fiasco of Fabulousness at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 644-2204.  

Elvin Jones Birthday Salute with Delfeayo Marsalis, Dave Liebman, Nicholas Payton and others at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $16-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Slydini, Innerear Brigade, Stanley at 9 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre “Salome” at 8 p.m. at 2081 Addison St. and runs Wed. - Sun. through Oct. 1. Tickets are $38. 843-4822.  

California Shakespeare Theater “The Merchant of Venice” at the Bruns Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., Orinda. Tues.-Thurs., 7:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 4 p.m. through Sept. 3. Tickets are $15 and up. 548-9666. 

Encore Theatre Company and Shotgun Players “The Typographer’s Dream” at 8 p.m. at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Sept. 17. Tickets are $15-$30. 841-6500.  

Masquers Playhouse “Diary of a Scoundrel” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond across from the Hotel Mac. Through Sept. 30. Tickets are $15. 232-4031. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Jugglers of Color” Works by Albert Hwang, Douglas Light, and Sue Averell opens at Estaban Sabar Gallery, 480 23rd St. at Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 444-7411. 

“Horses in the Trees” works by Mark P. Fisher at Alta Galleria, 2980 College Ave. #4. Exhibition runs to Oct. 7. 421-1255. 

“A Balanced Life” sculptures by Will Furth and “Ma Vie en Rose” paintings by Jennifer L. Jones at the Community Art Gallery, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 2450 Ashby Ave. through Nov. 10. 204-1667.  

Anna W. Edwards Abstract Paintings Opening reception at 5:30 p.m. at Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th St., Oakland. Exhibition runs to Sept. 30. 465-8928. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Los Rakas, reggae, dancehall and hip hop at 10 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $7-$12. 849-2568.  

Junior Reid, Everton Blender and The Reggae Angels at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $17-$20. 525-5054.  

The Dave Matthews Blues Band at 8 p.m. at The Warehouse Bar, at 4th & Webster, Oakland. 451-3161.  

Steve Taylor-Ramirez, acoustic folk-country-blues, at 7 p.m. at A Cuppa Tea, 3200 College Ave. 420-0196.  

R at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave.. 548-5198.  

Jon Steiner Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

The Ravines and Gery Tinelenberg at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

The Hooks, Joel Streeter, Nine Pound Shadow at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

Eskapo, Acts of Sedition, Deconditioned at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Bayonics, 40 Watt Hype, latin, fusion, soul, funk at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low. Cost is $5. 548-1159.  

The Moanin Dove, jungle jazz rock, at 9 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100.  

Elvin Jones Birthday Salute with Delfeayo Marsalis, Dave Liebman, Nicholas Payton, Anthony Wonsey and Jason Marsalis at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $20-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

“We want to bring Jazz back to the fore, make it relevant again—and bring it back to black audiences,” said Duane Deterville, founder of the Sankofa Cultural Institute, of the two-day symposium “Bird, Bop, Black Art & Beyond” at the House of Unity, Suite 230 in Oakland’s Eastmont Mall, 7200 Bancroft Ave., this Saturday and Sunday. 

“Jazz has been presented too much as music of the past, not for young audiences,” he said. “We’ll be looking at how great players like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie were catalysts for art and style of worldwide appeal, and how they were part of a cultural movement that germinated in black neighborhoods, communities like Brooklyn and the Bronx that gave birth to Hip Hop in more recent years.” 

The symposium, running from 2-8 p. m. Saturday and 12:30-4:20 p.m. Sunday, will feature a Norwegian documentary film, never released in the United States, with interviews of musicians who played with Parker, shown over the two days of the event. A one act play, “Wounded Feathers, A Jazz Tragedy,” will be performed Saturday by its author, actor and jazz promoter Robert Carmack. 

Both days will also feature panel discussions, with Arthur Monroe, an artist and historian who was acquainted with Parker; Karlton Hester, musician and director of Jazz Studies at UC Santa Cruz; musician and scholar Rudy Mwongozi; archivist Julian Carroll; and jazz promoter Melva Young, as well as Robert Carmack. Duane Deterville will moderate the panels.  

Monroe met Parker in New York, through black abstract expressionist painter Norman Lewis, who had a studio near Willem De Kooning’s. 

“Bird not only had an impact on the painters and writers who gathered at places like The Five Spot,” Deterville said, “but also studied painting with Harvey Cropper. Most of his canvases are gone, but one or two apparently survive. Part of what we want to do is to resurrect him from the stereotypical image of being just a slave to his own addiction, the myth of him and other Jazz artists as being just about emotions and ‘natural talent,’ not the rigor of study. Charlie Parker was well-read, basically an intellectual, and listened to everything in music. Downbeat put him through a blindfold test of a wide range of music, which he got all right, including Stravinsky and other composers, some of whom he had met. We want to make him more three-dimensional.”  

Deterville also told the story about how Monroe met Jan Horn, the Norwegian documentarist who made the Parker film on a grant from his government. 

“It includes interviews with Red Rodney, the Heath Brothers—from some great players no longer with us,” he said. He also mentioned other artists who traveled back and forth between the black community, jazz, “beat” and other scenes in American and international society, like the late poets Ted Joans and Bob Kaufman (long a San Francisco resident). 

“We want to show that these things that originated in the African diaspora in Black communities in the U. S. occurred more than once,” Deterville said. “Hip Hop is in that way almost an echo of Be Bop, and not only in the sound. Like jazz, it’s got a world-wide appeal, moving youth culture, inspiring painters like Keith Haring and Basquiat, as well as sparking poetry slams, fashions in dress, literature ... We’d like to make Jazz relevant to younger listeners, show how these are materials that can be used in their current aesthetic--and that there are words to draw upon as well.”  

Deterville founded the Sankofa Cultural Institute in 1999 to bring about encounters, workshops and cultural exchanges concerning African Diasporic cultural expression. The Institute has both a local and an international focus. 

Past conferences have brought artists and cultural leaders from as far away as Brazil and Nigeria. Yet Deterville’s focused on the future, culturally speaking. 

“You have to wonder what’s next on the horizon after this,” he said. “Looking back, who knows what brings these things in and out of vogue?” 

He’s making sure the discussions will be documented, so in the future younger people will be able to hear the participants talk, “and hear other people chiming in, to know there was still an interest in jazz in the black community in Oakland, that it wasn’t completely forgotten in the 21st century.” 

BIRD, BOP, BLACK ART  

AND BEYOND 

A symposium on legendary saxophonist Charlie Parker and the significance of black artists in the 1950s. Saturday, Aug. 26 and Sunday, Aug. 27. House of Unity, Suite 230, Eastmont Mall, 7200 Bancroft Ave., Oakland. $5-15 per day, sliding scale. For more information, call 836-6234.

Despite his claims to the contrary, Winsor McCay did not invent the animated cartoon. But the legendary cartoonist did play a pioneering role, helping to advance, shape and define the nascent art form. 

This Saturday Pacific Film Archive will present several films by McCay as part of a presentation by another accomplished cartoonist, John Canemaker.  

Canemaker has many achievements to his credit, the latest among them being the Academy Award he won last year for his short film The Moon and the Son. The film depicted an imaginary conversation between Canemaker and his deceased father and featured the voices of John Turturro and Eli Wallach. 

Canemaker will be present for a screening of his own films as part of a program entitled “John Canemaker: Marching to a Different Toon” at 5 p.m. Saturday and will follow at 7:30 p.m. with a presentation and discussion of the McCay films.  

The presentation on McCay is based on Canemaker’s own biography of the great cartoonist, Winsor McCay: His Life and Art. The book was first published in 1987 but has been newly revised and expanded in a beautiful new edition that presents excellent reproductions of McCay’s artwork along with insightful and scholarly analysis. It is the only comprehensive biography of McCay and will surely play a crucial role in helping to better establish his legacy in print and animated cartooning. 

McCay’s range and talent is difficult to comprehend today. He was an extremely prolific artist, creating a number of popular comic strips as well as illustrations, editorial cartoons and animated cartoons, working on many of them simultaneously. The work for which he is most renowned focused on dreams and fantasy and included his most famous and beloved creation, Little Nemo in Slumberland, widely considered one of the greatest comic strips of all time.  

Another of his unique, though lesser known, strips is Dream of the Rarebit Fiend. Like Nemo, it relies on a predictable pattern in the creation of a most unpredictable strip. Each week the strip depicted a harrowing nightmare consisting of often surreal and hallucinatory imagery, and each week the strip concluded in precisely the same way: The protagonist would wake up in bed, realize it was just a dream, and exclaim that never again would he eat so much rarebit for dinner. 

McCay used the same basic structure for Little Nemo, with the young boy always waking up or falling out of bed in the strip’s final panel, a device later used to great effect by another comic strip artist, Bill Watterson, whose Calvin and Hobbes which often featured the wild adventures that take place inside the mind of a highly imaginative 6-year-old boy. 

Little Nemo in Slumberland ran as a full page every Sunday at a time when a newspaper page was nearly twice the size of today’s broadsheet pages. The comic strip was a relatively new medium when Nemo debuted in 1905, just 10 years old and still struggling to find its niche. McCay’s superior draftsmanship, wide-ranging imagination and bold use of color took the form to new heights. 

Brilliant as his imagination and artwork were, McCay was not without his shortcomings. He never seemed to master dialogue or narrative thrust. His dialogue is trite and redundant, and often crammed into awkward and at times barely legible word balloons. Of course, the word balloon itself was a recent invention, and it took time for artists to learn to incorporate them gracefully into their compositions. But McCay never seemed to fully grasp the concept; in fact, Nemo, even in its second incarnation in the 1920s, still evinced this anomalous flaw. 

McCay later turned his attention to animation, and once again, he played a major role in the development of a new art form, using his bold imagination, unparalleled drawing skills and showman’s flair in advancing the new medium. McCay employed wonderfully sophisticated effects and charming characters in his animated work, even taking his films on the road in vaudeville.  

“Where McCay differed from his predecessors,” Canemaker writes, “was in his ability to animate this drawings with no sacrifice of linear detail; the fluid motion, naturalistic timing, feeling of weight, and, eventually, the attempts to inject individualistic personality traits into his characters were new qualities that McCay first brought to the animated film medium.” 

McCay developed techniques that would later become commonplace and, in stark contrast to other, more secretive artists of the day, refused to patent those techniques, believing that the art form stood a better chance of progressing if artists shared their knowledge. 

Saturday’s screening will include four of McCay’s 10 animated films. His first film was Little Nemo, in which Nemo, Flip and the Imp go through a series of fun-house mirror style transformations. At the time, audiences were skeptical and often didn’t believe that the film was hand-drawn. 

“It was pronounced very lifelike,” McCay wrote in a 1927 essay, “but my audience declared that it was not a drawing, but that the pictures were photographs of real children.” 

So, in his next film, McCay drew something a little more difficult. How a Mosquito Operates, a somewhat twisted presentation that would fit right in today in Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animation Festival, features a disturbingly oversized mosquito plunging his proboscis again and again into the face of a sleeping man, eventually becoming so bloated with blood that he explodes. Again, the cartoonist encountered skepticism.  

“My audiences were pleased,” McCay wrote, “but declared the mosquito was operated by wires to get the effect before the camera.” 

So McCay decided to create a character that could not be photographed: Gertie the Dinosaur. Gertie was a popular creation and McCay proceeded to take her on the road in vaudeville with a clever act that consisted of McCay standing beside the screen and commanding Gertie as though she were a trained elephant. He would toss her a pumpkin, crack a trainer’s whip, and even step into the frame himself, disappearing behind the screen and reappearing onscreen as an animated figure riding on the dinosaur’s back, a moment later satirized by Buster Keaton in his first feature film, The Three Ages. 

McCay’s next project was his most ambitious. The Sinking of the Lusitania took two years to produced and consisted of nearly 25,000 drawings. It marked the first time McCay used the technique of drawing on transparent cels on separate backgrounds, a technique that not only saved time and work, but also contributed greatly to the film’s dynamics. For the first time, McCay’s animated work took on a more cinematic quality, using dramatic angles to further enhance the action.  

Great as his films are and important as his contribution may be, McCay’s defects again hindered his progress. Animated cartoons would soon develop plot and narrative, and, eventually, sound, but without McCay’s help. He played a significant role in nurturing animated film into its adolescence, but it would take other talents to bring it to maturity. 

Even in his print work, McCay toyed with the idea of animation eventually leading to Gertie the Dinosaur the first widely popular animated cartoon character.