TUESDAY, OCT. 10 

Tuesday is for the Birds An early morning walk for birders at Bear Creek Staging Area in Briones. Bring water, sunscreen, binoculars and a snack. This week we will visit. For meeting location or to borrow binoculars, call 525-2233.  

“Reclaiming Democracy Through Election Reform” at 7:30 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St., at Castro. 415-561-3013. www.uuba.org 

“The World According to Sesame Street” A documentary on the social impact of the Muppets, followed by a panel discussion at 6:30 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak. 

“Adventuring in Australia” with Eric Armstrong and Sarah Baughn at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Berkeley High School Governnace Council meets at 6 p.m. in the Community Theater Lobby. 644-4803. 

University of California Press Sidewalk Sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 2120 Berkeley Way. www.ucpress.edu 

“The Role of Climate on Water Institutions in the Western Americas” with Justice Greg Hobbs of the Colorado Supreme Court at 5:30 p.m. at Goldman School of Public Policy, Room 250, 2607 Hearst Ave. at LeRoy. 642-2666. 

Batopia Learn the truth about bats with Maggie Hooper and her flying friends at 10 a.m. at the Golden Gate Branch of the Oakland Public Library, 5606 San Pablo Ave. 597-5023. 

Family Storytime at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

Torture Teach-in and Vigil every Tues. at 12:30 p.m. at the fountain on UC Campus, Bancroft at College. 

“Senior Options to Remain in Your Home” A panel discussion at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. 981-5190. 

Handbuilding Ceramics Class from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. John’s Senior Center, 2727 College Ave. Free, except for materials and firing charges. 525-5497. 

”Living with Threes and Fours” Informational night for parents at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Registration required. 658-7353.  

Albany Library Homework Center is open from 3 to 5 p.m., Tues. and Thurs. for students in third through fifth grades.1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720 ext 17. 

How to Eat Well and Not Wear It at 7 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Sleep Soundly Seminar A free class on how hypnosis can help you sleep at 6:30 p.m. at 378 Jayne Ave., Oakland. To register call 465-2524. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991.  

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 11  

Walking Tour of Historic Oakland Churches and Temples Meet at 10 a.m. at the front of the First Presbyterian Church at 2619 Broadway. Tour lasts 90 minutes. For reservations call 238-3234. 

“Healthy Homes” Learn about less toxic alternatives to commonly used housecleaning and home pest control products, at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Community Center, 7007 Moeser, El Cerrito. 665-3546.  

Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping the public schools, from 3 to 4 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

Poetry Writing Workshop with Alison Seevak at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

“Protect Yourself from Identity Theft” with Timothy Yee, financial advisor at 6 p.m. at the Oakland Public Library, First Floor, 125 14th St. 238-3134. 

Spirited Child Series Learn how temperament affects children’s behavior and how to best live and work with inborn traits at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. To register call 752-6150. If you need child care, at $5 per child, call 658-7353.  

”Choosing Infant Care” A workshop for new parents at noon at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Registration required. 658-7353.  

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. 548-9840. 

Current Events Discussion Group meets at 7 p.m. at the Niebyl Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave. Oakland. 597-4972. 

New to DVD “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu” Film and discussion at 7 p.m. at the JCC, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

“In God’s House: Asian American Lesbian & Gay Families in the Church,” A documentary at 7 p.m. at Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave. 849-8260. 

THURSDAY, OCT. 12 

A Creek in Downtown Berkeley? Helen Burke, Kirstin Miller, and Gus Yates discuss costs/benefits to “daylight” Strawberry Creek and close Center St. to traffic between Oxford and Shattuck, at 7:30 p.m. at The Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. at Arch. 549-8790. 

“Temescal Legacies: Narratives of Change from a North Oakland Neighborhood” with author Jeff Norman at 7:30 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Peidmont Ave., Oakland. Donation $8-$10. Sponsored by the Oakland Heritage Alliance. 763-9218.  

Environmental Film Series “The Future of Food” on genetically engineered foods, at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220. 

Richmond Southeast Shoreline Community Group meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Richmond Convention Center, Bermuda Room, 403 Civic Center Plaza at Nevin and 25th Sts. 367-5379. 

“The Anza Trail and the Settling of California” with Vladimir Guerrero at 1 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak, Oakland. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200.  

“Oil and Global Warming Today: Voices from the Front Lines” with Ben Namakin, an environmental educator with the Conservation Society of Pohnpei, at 6 p.m. at the Free Speech Movement Cafe, UC Campus. 643-6445. 

An Evening with Margo Okazawa-Rey, feminist anti-militarist and scholar at 7 p.m. at Tehilla Synagogue, 1300 Grand Avenue, Piedmont. Donation $5. Sponsored by Bay Area Women in Black and the Women of Color Resource Center. info@bayareawomeninblack.org 

WriterCoach Connection seeks volunteers to help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. Training session from noon to 3 p.m. 524-2319. 

Safety and Self Defense Seminar for Women at 1 p.m. at the JCC, 1414 Walnut St. Donation $5. 848-0237. 

Veterans Reflecting on War and Peace with Maxine Hong Kingston and war veterans at 7:30 p.m. at the JCC, 1414 Walnut St. Donation $5. 848-0237. 

Poetry Workshop with Donna Davis from 9 to noon at Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. An ongoing class offered by Berkeley Adult School.  

FRIDAY, OCT. 13 

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 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with The League of Women Voters on the Nov. 7 Election. Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925.  

“What Does it Mean We Don’t Have a Vote Anymore?” An open conference and discussion at 3 p.m. at Redwood Gardens., 2951 Derby St. 

“Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War” A documentary by Robert Greenwald at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., between Broadway and Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 

“Political Prisoners: 40th Anniversary Reunion of Black Panther Party” A forum to learn about political prisoners in the United States and elsewhere at 4 p.m. at Malonga Casque- 

lourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., at 14th St., Oakland. 393-5685. 

Womansong Circle with Betsy Rose A participatory circle of song for women at 7:15 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, Small Assembly Room, 2345 Channing Way, at Dana. Cost is $15-$20 at the door, sliding scale, no one turned away. 525-7082.  

Kol Hadash Non-Theistic Family Shabbat at 6 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Please bring simple child-friendly food to share. 428-1492. 

SATURDAY, OCT. 14 

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, from 10 to 11 a.m. for ages 4-6 years, accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

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 

Walk in Honor of Our Ancestors Meet at 8 a.m. at the El Cerrito BART Station on San Pablo Ave. Walk goes down San Pablo and up University and ends at 1 p.m. at Krober Hall at the University for a memorial for the human remains stored at the Phoebe Hearst Museum. 575-8408. www.vallejointertribalcouncil.org 

Toddler Nature Walk We’ll look for spiders, insects and other fascinating creatures from 2 to 3 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

“Alameda's Pivotal Election 2006” A program of the Alameda Public Affairs Forum at 7 p.m. at the Home of Truth, 1300 Grand Street, Alameda.  

Tour of the EBMUD Water Treatment Plant To learn about sewage treatment and its role in Bay water quality, from 10 a.m. to noon. For details and to RSVP please call 452-9261 ext.109. www.savesfbay.org/bayevents 

“Temescal Creek and the Interstate Bakery Property” A presentation on the development of the Interstate Bakery Property at 53rd At. and Adeline, at 10:30 a.m. at Temescal Creek Park Amphitheater, 47th Street, corner of Adeline & 47th Street, Emeryville. 434.3840. temcrk@mountaincurrent.net 

Africa Matters in Zimbabwe A fundraiser and presentation on Africa Matters Scholarship Fund at 12:30 p.m. at the Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Rd., Oakland. 655-4528. 

The East Bay Bonsai Society presents its 45th Annual Show and Sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sat. and 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sun. at the Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue, Oakland. 521-9588.  

Vegetarian Cooking Class “Comfort Foods for Chilly Nights” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St., at Castro, Oakland. Cost is $50. To register, please call 531-2665. www.compassionatecooks.com 

Maven Urban Design and Craft Fair for women artists from noon to 5 p.m. at 1700 Dwight Way at McGee. www.mavenfair.com 

Great War Society monthly meeting at 10:30 a.m. at 640 Arlington Ave. The discussion topic will be “Military Strategy of the Germans & British, 1914-1918” by Robert Deward. 527-7118. 

Berkeley Branch NAACP meets at 1 p.m. at the Church by the Side of the Road, 2108 Russell St. 845-7416. 

Reiki for Post Partum Women at 10 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

“Dramatically Speaking” with Paul Rowan and Tevis Thompson, Jr., on Commercial Acting and Winston Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech at 9 a.m. at 1950 Franklin St., Oakland. Free, but RSVP required. 581-8675. 

The Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society will hold its 19th Annual USA Symposium on Sat. and Sun. from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Seaborg Room, Faculty Club, UC campus. The theme of the weekend is “Know Yourself.” Fee, donations accepted. 415-250-1817. www.ibnarabisociety.org 

San Francisco Chapter of the Romance Writers of America with agent Jessica Faust at 8:30 a.m. at Pyramid Restaurant, 901 Gilman St. Cost is $30. Reservations requested, email dginny1942@cs.com 

Lead-Safety for remodeling, repair and painting of older homes. HUD & EPA approved class from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention, 200 Embarcadero, #300, Oakland. For information call 567-8280.  

A Better Chance Independent School Fair from 3 to 6 p.m. at Cesar Chavez Education Center, 2825 International Blvd., Oakland. www.abetterchance.org 

Non-Anesthetic Teeth Cleaning for Dogs and Cats from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at RabbitEars, 303 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Cost is $35. To make an appointment call 525-6155. 

Produce Stand at Spiral Gardens Food Security Project from 1 to 6 p.m. at the corner of Sacramento and Oregon St. 

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

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 

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 

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.  

Spiritwalking: Aqua Chi(TM) at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley High Warm Pool. Also Wed. at 3:30 p.m. Cost is $5.50, $3.50 seniors & disabled. Bring your own towels. 526-0312. 

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, OCT. 15 

Oakland Heritage Alliance House Tour of the Temescal neighborhood. The self-guided tour begins at Acrodn Kitchens and BAths, 4640 Telegraph Ave. Tickets are $25-$35. 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Partners in Preservation Open House from 1 to 4 p.m. at multiple locations in the East Bay. For details see www.partnersinpreservation.com. 415-365-8532. 

Bike Ride to the Open House at the Watershed Project Meet at 11 a.m. at the El Cerrito Plaza, west parking lot to bike to the open house at the Watershed Project. En route visit the tidal sloughs of 4 local creeks, where the watersheds empty into the Bay. Bicycle and rider should be in good shape, and riders must wear helmet.  

Richmond: Celebration by the Bay with the Watershed Project with tours, bird watching, food and drink, from noon to 3 p.m. at the garden at the Richmond Field Station. For more information and directions call 665-3430. www.thewaatershedproject.org 

Peralta Hacienda Historical Park Indigenous People’s Day Celebration from noon to 5 p.m. at Peralta House and Park, 2465 34th Ave., corner of Coolidge and Hyde, Oakland. Live entertainment features the Amah-Ka-Tura Ohlone dancers of Santa Cruz, youth performers from Calvin Simmons Middle School and music by Phoenix and Afterbuffalo. Other activities will include children’s crafts, free guided tours. www.peraltahacienda.org 

Community Labyrinth Peace Walk at 3 p.m. at Willard Middle School, Telegraph Ave. between Derby and Stuart. Wheelchair accessible. Rain cancels. 526-7377.  

Meditation Walk Walking meditation, quiet sitting and poetry writing. Meet at 9 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Fundraiser for City Slicker Farms A local grassroots nonprofit that converts empty lots in West Oakland into high yield urban farms, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Mama Buzz Café, 2318 Telegraph Ave., at 23rd, Oakland. Cost is $15, no one turned away. 763-4241. 

Felt Mask Making Learn the soapy, slippery and fun art of making felt, for ages 6-12, accompanied by an adult, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Cost is $7-$9, registration required. 636-1684. 

Mayan and Aztec Medicinal Plants Tour at 11 a.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $8-$12. Registration required. 643-2755.  

Black Panther Party Reunion with videos and photographs at 1:30 p.m. at the West Oakland Branch of the Oakland Public Library, 1801 Adeline St. 238-6718. 

The Friends of the Kensington Library Booksale from noon at 4 p.m. at Kensington Library. 524-3043. 

Kensington Pumpkin Parade and pumpkin pie-eating contest from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 303 Arlington Ave. at Amherst. kensingtonfm@yahoo.com 

Halloween Pumpkin Painting for children at 1 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Friends of Albany Seniors Pasta Dinner Fundraiser to support the senior center, from 4 to 7 p.m. at 846 Masonic Ave., Albany. Cost is $8, children under six $3. 534-9122. 

“25 Years of Culinary Creations” A commemorative lunch to benefit Berkeley Food and Housing Project at noon at Oliveto’s. Tickets are $100. 649-4965. 

6th Annual Crabby Chef Competition at 2 p.m. in Spenger’s parking lot. 845-7771.  

“Dreamgirls: Girls and Women in Sports” with talks by women athletes and a screening of the film “Dare to Dream” at 1 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak, Oakland. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Bike Tour of Oakland Explore Oakland and learn about the incredible history of Oakland and its visionaries and scoundrels. Meet at 10 a.m. at the 10th St. entrance of the Oakland Museum of CA, 1000 Oak St., Oakland. Participants must be over twelve years old and provide their own bikes, helmets and repair kits. Free. 238-3514. www.museumca.org 

Saint Ambrose Parish “International Night” Fundraiser for its sister parish in India, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at 1145 Gilman St. Food, music, dancing, and humor from all parts of the world. Cost is $5. For reservations call 525-2620. 

Don’t be Six Feet Under Without a Plan A free workshop to learn more about the complexities and costs of Creating a Living Will, Powers of Attorney, End of Life Planinng and Services at 2 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave. at Pleasant Valley Rd. 562-9431. 

Adult Sunday Sing-Along at 3 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

Chinese Medicine for Meopause Relief at 11:30 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

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 

“10,000 Christs...” with David Fitzgerald on the search for the historical Jesus at 9:30 a.m at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

“Judaism Without God? Understanding Humanistic Judaism” at 10 a.m. at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. Cost is $5.  

MONDAY, OCT. 16  

“What We Want, What We Believe” DVD showing and conversation with Newsreel archivist, Roz Payne and former Black Panthers at 7:30pm at the AK Press Warehouse, 674-A 23rd St., Oakland. 208-1700. 

“Never Again” Photographs and discussion of the physical and human consequences of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at 4 p.m. at the Bade Museum of the Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave.  

“Last Atomic Bomb” Benefit screening with producer Kathleen Sullivan at 6 p.m., film at 7 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave, Oakland. Benefit for Western States Legal Foundation, working for peace and justice in a nuclear free world. Cost is $25 for reception and film, $10 for film only. 839-5877. www.wslfweb.org 

“The Big Buy” film and discussion at 7 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Ave. 525-9450. 

“The Shocking Truth About Gluten: Why Bread Eaters Get Sick” A new film by Ann Marks at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043.Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping the public schools, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

WriterCoach Connection seeks volunteers to help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. Training session from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. For information call 524-2319. www.writercoachconnection.org  

CodePINK Monthly “Eat and Greet” at 6 p.m. at Nabalom Bakery, 2708 Russell St. at College Ave. Donation $20. no one turned away. 524-2776. www.bayareacodepink.org 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group for people aged 60 and over meets at 9:45 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Donation $3. 524-9122. 

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

Lead Abatement Repairs Find out about funding for lead hazard repairs for rental properties with low-income tenants or vacant units in Oakland, Berkeley or Emeryville, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 2000 Embarcadero, #300, Oakland. Sponsored by Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. 567-8280. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Commission on Disability meets Wed., Oct. 11, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Don Brown, 981-6346. TDD: 981-6345.  

Homeless Commission meets Wed., Oct. 11, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jane Micallef, 981-5426.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., Oct. 11, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. J981-7484.  

Waterfront Commission meets Wed., Oct. 11, at 7 p.m., at 201 University Ave. 981-6740.  

Community Health Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 12, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5356.  

Transportation Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 12, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7010.  

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Oct. 12, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. Mark Rhoades, 981-7410.  

TUESDAY, OCT. 10 

FILM 

Alternative Visions “Warhol Screen Tests” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Framing the Struggle: The Black Panther Party in Black and White” with photographers Stepehn Shames, Jeffrey Blankfort and Ilka Hartman at 6 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, West Auditorium, 125 14th St. 238-3134. 

Bart Ehrman describes “In the Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at Betrayer and Betrayed” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way at Dana. Suggested donation $10. 559-9500. 

Michael Parenti and Salim Lamrani talks about “Superpower Principles: U.S. Terrorism Against Cuba” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Barry Lopez describes, “Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Huun Huur Tu, Tuvan Throat Singers, at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054.  

Crooked Still at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Ellen Hoffman Trio and Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

John Patitucci Trio at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

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

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 11 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Laughing Bones/Weeping Hearts” An exhibition for Dias de los Muertos opens at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak, Oakland. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

THEATER 

“The Secret Circus” Wed. and Thurs. at 8 p.m. at The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, through Oct. 19. Cost is $10-$20 sliding scale. 800-838-3006. www.themarsh.org  

FILM 

Pirates and Piracy “Madame X, An Absolute Ruler” at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Sylvan Brackett and Sue Moore discuss “The Slow Food Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez talks about “Haters” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Cafe Poetry with host Kira Allen at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña, 3105 Shattck Ave..Donation suggested. 849-2568. 

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 

Vagabond Opera, Bohemian cabaret, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568.  

Wednesday Noon Concert, with Gabriel Trop, cello, Jim Prell, piano, Jessica Ling, violin, Inning Chen, piano at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Jazzalicious at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Eddie Fitzroy, Dennis De Menace at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. 525-5054.  

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

Taarka, gypsy jazz, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Hippe Granade at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8. 848-0886.  

Hijack the Disco, Head Like a Kite, Elephone, indie rock, at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $8. 451-8100. 

The Connie Doolan Quartet at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

John Patitucci Trio at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, OCT. 12 

FILM 

Discovering Syrian Cinema: Three by Omar Amiralay at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Dramatic Results: The Role of Regional Theater” with Tony Taccone, Jonathon Moscone, and Brad Erickson at 7:30 p.m. at The College Preparatory School, 6100 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $12.50 in advance, $15 at the door. 652-011. www.college-prep.org/livetalk  

Maxine Hong Kingston and veterans of the Vietnam and Iraq wars present “Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace” at 7:30 p.m. at the JCC, 1414 Walnut St.. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Jeff Norman describes “Temescal Legacies: Narratives of Change from a North Oakland Neighborhood” at 7:30 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $8-$10. Sponsored by Oakland Heritage. 763-9218. 

George Katsiaficas on “Victories and Defeats: Autonomous Movements in South Korea” at 7:30 p.m. at AK Press Warehouse, 674-A 23rd St., Oakland. 208-1700. 

Cathy Davidson on “36 Views of Mount Fuji: On Finding Myself in Japan” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mac Martin & the California Travelers at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Erik Jakobsen Quintet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $8. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Ray Brown 80th Birthday Salute with Marlena Shaw, Benny Green, John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Harvey Cartel, Shaken, Dig Jelly at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Selector: Black Edgars Musicbox at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Showtime @ 11 Hip Hop at 10 p.m. at the Golden Bull, 412 14th St. at Broadway, Oakland. 893-0803. 

FRIDAY, OCT. 13 

THEATER 

Antenna Theater, “High School” An interactive theatrical walking tour of Berkeley High, 1980 Allston Way. One audience member enters the show every minute. Walk lasts about 45 minutes. Fri. and Sat. from 6 to 9 p.m. and Sun. from 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 adults, $8 students. Reservations required. Runs through Oct. 29. 415-332-9454. www.antenna-theater.org/highschool.htm 

Berkeley Rep “Mother Courage” at 8 p.m. at the Roda Theater, 2025 Addison St., through Oct. 22. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

California Shakespeare Theater “As You Like It” 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 Oct. 15. Tickets are $15 and up. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theater, “The Orchid Sandwich” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through Oct. 21. at 951 Pomona Ave. El Cerrito. Tickets are $11-$18. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Impact Theatre “Colorado” A dark comedy about celebrity worship, Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. Tickets are $10-$15. Runs through Oct. 28. 464-4468. www.impacttheatre.com 

Shakespeare in the Yard “Mack, A Gangsta’s Tale” WordSlanger’s version of Macbeth, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 4 p.m. at Sister Thea, an outdoor theater at 920 Peralta St. Oakland Tickets are $5-$20. 208-6551. 

Shotgun Players “Love is a Dream House in Lorin” by Marcus Gardley, inspired by true stories of Berkeley’s historic Lorin District, Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Nov. 5. Sliding scale $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

UC Dept. of Theater “Suburban Motel” six plays by George Walker at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus, through Nov. 19. Tickets are $8-$14. For schedule see http://theater.berkeley.edu 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Fiber 2006” Featuring eight Bay Area artists. Opening Reception at 6 p.m. at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuck Ave. Exhibit runs to Nov. 4. 843-2527. 

“Recycled Runway” An installation by Artist in Residence artists Sandy Drobney and Daphne Ruff opens at Pro Arts Gallery, 550 Second St., Oakland. Runs through Nov. 5.  

FILM 

A Theater Near You “Overlord” at 6:30 p.m. and Ousmane Sembene “Ceddo” at 8:15 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lee Grue, New Orleans poet with musician Eluard Burt and local poet Adam David Miller, a community-building poetry-and-music program in support of the rebuilding of New Orleans at 7 p.m. in the 3rd floor Community Meeting Room, Berkeley Public Library, Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

Elisha Cooper reads from “Crawling: A Father’s First Year” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

K.E. Silva reads from her novle “A Simple Distance” at A Great Good Place for Books, 6120 LaSalle Ave., Oakland. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland Opera “Les Enfants Terribles” Fri. - Sun. at 8 p.m. at Oakland Metro Opera House, 201 Broadway, through Oct. 22. Tickets are $32-$36. www.oaklandopera.org 

Eisa Davis “Cockleburrs in my Sock” at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $$10-12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Hypnogaja at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $10. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Hurricane Sam & the Hotshots at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

New Life Band, traditional and contemporary music of Tanzania at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054.  

Jack Williams, Tim Mason opens, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Jim Grantham Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

The Nomadics at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Fish Ranch Road, The Bittersweets, Victoria George at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082.  

Acts of Sedition at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Albino, afro beat, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159.  

Zoe Ellis, soul, funk, jazz at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Laudanum, Silentist, Silentist, Times of Desperation, Cropduster at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $8. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Ray Brown 80th Birthday Salute with Marlena Shaw, Benny Green, John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, OCT. 14 

CHILDREN  

“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day” at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Sun. at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$18. 925-798-1300. 

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Gary Laplow at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Lissa Rovetch introduces her two new books on Hot Dog Bob at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Educate to Liberate: A Retrospective of the Black Panther Community News Service” Exhibition in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party, on display in the Oakland History Room at the Oakland Main Library, 125 14th St. 238-3222. www.oaklandlibrary.org 

“The Face of Poetry” Photographs by Margaretta Mitchell on display at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St., through Oct. 30. 981-6100. 

“Looking for Hope” Photographs by Matt O’Brien with text by students in the Oakland Public Schools opens at the Peralta Hacienda Historical Park Museum Gallery, 2465 34th Ave. Gallery open Thurs.-Fri. 4 to 6 p.m. and Sun. noon to 4 p.m. to March 31. 532-9142. www.peraltahacienda.org 

Paintings by Mary Ann Hayden opens at Alta Galleria, 2980 College Ave. Reception at 3 p.m. Runs through Dec. 9. 421-1255. 

“Masks, Myths, Magic and Witches” Group show reception at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. Exhibition runs through Oct. 31. 644-4930. 

Trent Burkett “New Work in Salt and Wood” at Trax Ceramics Gallery, 1812 Fifth St. Exhibition runs to Oct. 15. 540-8729. www.traxgallery.com  

“Geographic Premonitions” Group show of fifteen emerging artists. Reception for the artists at 4 p.m. at the Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Ave., Richmond. Exhibition runs through Nov. 11. 620-6772. www.therichmondartcenter.org 

20th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 5630 Bay St., through Oct. 29. Free. 652-6122. www.EmeryArts.org 

Blown Glass Pumpkins on display at the Cohn-Stone Studios, 560 South 31st. St. near the Regatta Blvd., exit from the 580 Freeway, Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 29. 234-9690. 

THEATER 

Central Works “Andromache” opens at the Berkeley City Club at 8 p.m. and runs through Nov. 19. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1382. 

FILM 

A Theater Near You “Overlord” at 6:30 p.m. and Ousmane Sembene “Xala” at 8:15 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Judy Yung on “San Francisco’s Chinatown” slide talk at 3 p.m. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. 

Jane Poynter talks about her experience in “The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Readings from “Modern Words: a thoroughly queer literary journal” with Gary Kong, Jim Nawrocki, David Scronce, and others at 7:30 p.m. at Laurel Book Store, 4100 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. 531-2073. 

Open Mic at the Marina with poetry, music and spoken word at 7:30 p.m. at Cal Adventures. Sponsored by the 886 Collective. 439-9777. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Pacific Collegium “Music of the English Renaissance” at 8 p.m. at St. Marks Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $8-$18. 848-5107. 

Roberta Piket Trio plays original jazz compositions, at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Cost is $15. 845-1350. www.hillsideclub.org  

“Best of Brazzissimo” concert at 8 p.m. at Piedmont High School Auditorium, 800 Magnolia Ave., Piedmont. Cost is $5-$10. 408-529-2120. www.brazzissimo.com 

Gamelan Sekar Jaya at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $20-$32. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $5-$15. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

“Moment’s Notice” improvised music, dance and theater at 8 p.m. at Western Sky Studio, 2525 8th St. Cost is $8-$10. 649-1791. 

Fuga! at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $&7-$10!. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

The Big Thing Live with Funkyman at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $10. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Larry Vuckovich Latin Jazz Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Fela Kuti Birthday Tribute with Sila & The Afrofunk Experience, Baba Ken and Afro Groove Connexion at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15$18. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Taiko Drumming with Kelvin Underwood at 7 p.m. at the Capoeira Arts Cafe, 2026 Addison St. Cost is $10.  

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

Doppler Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Reilly & Maloney at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Flyhead, The Wearies, Animal Underground at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $10. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Kat Parra at 8 p.m. at the Jazz 

school. Cost is $12-$15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

“Babshad” Barbara and Charles Hadenfeldt at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Hali Hammer, folk rock, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7-$10. 558-0881. 

Antiquia, The Wayward Monks at 10 p.m. at The Starry Plough. All ages show. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Onion Flavored Rings, Peelander-Z, Ghost Mice at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, OCT. 15 

THEATER 

“An Evening with Leonardo da Vinci” with Rob Weiner at 7 p.m. at the JCC, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $10-$12. 848-0237. 

FILM 

The Mechanical Age “Human, All Too Human” at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Strictly Speaking with Paula Poundstone at 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$46. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Poetry Flash with Elline Lipkin and Lisa Sewell at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Poets for Peace with Susan Rich, Robert Lipton and Ilya Kaminsky at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

University Symphony Orchestra at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $5-$15. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

California Bach Society “Die Familie Bach” at 4 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. 415-262-0272. www.calbach.org 

Bluegrass for the Greenbelt Benefit Concert with Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum and Todd Phillips, Eric and Suzy Thompson, The Backyard Party Boys at 3 p.m. at Coventry Grove, in the Kensington Hills. Tickets are $50-$65. 415-543-6771. www.BluegrassForTheGreenbelt.org 

Vagabond Opera, theatrical mix of eclectic music, at 8 p.m. at La Pena Cultural Center. Tickets are $10-$12. 849-2568.  

Rahim Al Haj, Iraqi oud master, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Na Leo Nahenahe Hawaiian Chorus at 4 p.m. at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $12-$15. Children under 12 free. www.naleosf.com  

Gift Horse at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Tango Number 9 at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Americana Unplugged: The Mercury Dimes at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 655-5715. 

Stephanie Bruce at 4:30 at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Ziyia, traditional Greek music, at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Dance lesson at 7:30 p.m. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

MONDAY, OCT. 16 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Soyhel Dahi and Sharon Doubiago read at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Meg Tilly and K. E. Silva read from their new novels at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Francine Prose introduces “Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and For Those Who Want to Write Them” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Poetry Express with Marsha Campbell at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, with Valery Gergiev, conductor and Alexander Toradze, piano, at 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $38-$86. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Bil Staines at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Khalil Shaheed, all ages jam, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Blue Monday Jam at 7:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Marta Topfera at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com  

Temescal might just be the Pluto of North Oakland neighborhoods. 

Not only does it lie outside the orbit of tonier, cozier, better-known residential districts—Rockridge, Piedmont Avenue, Montclair—but some might even argue that it’s not a neighborhood at all, just another stretch of the flatlands between the hills and Emeryville. 

Even its name has been banished in recent decades by some realtors who persist in assigning imaginary appellations such as “Lower Rockridge” to this distinct district 

But, rather like Pluto, Temescal has its ardent defenders, including residents of the neighborhood and the Oakland Heritage Alliance (OHA).  

Temescal is indeed a real neighborhood, a vibrant and historic part of the East Bay, and it’s worth a lingering visit, not simply a passing glance from the freeway.  

Such an opportunity is provided this Sunday during this year’s OHA historic house tour, “A Take on the Temescal.” 

The afternoon tour will visit historic houses, from an 1880 Victorian Italianate to early 1900s Classical Revival, bungalows, and even a “mid-century modern.” 

Some of the 10 properties on the tour display unusual features and contents including a water tower, Chinese antiques, and several eras-worth of historic renovations. 

Organizers also note that the neighborhood has become somewhat of an informal center of “alternative communal or cooperative living situations,” two of which will be on the tour. 

Most expansively interpreted, the Temescal district runs roughly from Oakland’s stretch of Shattuck Avenue east to Broadway and from MacArthur north to Claremont and College.  

That’s a broad area, but the tour itself will concentrate in a smaller zone, including homes on Glendale, Avon, and scattered between 51st and 41st streets.  

Drive along 51st Street between Broadway and Telegraph and you’re bisecting the tour district. 

The Thursday evening before the tour, Temescal resident Jeff Norman will give a talk on his new book, Temescal Legacies; Narratives of Change from a North Oakland Neighborhood. 

The roots of Temescal lie in a Huchiun-Ohlone native settlement going back for thousands of years on the gentle littoral of the North Oakland plain. 

The name itself derives from a Spanish word for a native lodge house found along the banks of the creek that once defined the area, before streets and freeways. 

Spanish soldier and California immigrant Luis Marie Peralta gained the district—and most of the rest of the East Bay, west of the Berkeley Hills—in a land grant from the Spanish Crown.  

In the 1830s, the enormous ranch was divided between Peralta’s four sons and the youngest, Vicente, took up his share in what is now North Oakland. He built an adobe house along Temescal Creek 170 years ago. 

The Peralta dwelling is long since vanished, but the site lies on Telegraph Avenue, just south of the Grove-Shafter freeway overpass, where a historical plaque stands at the sidewalk edge of a gas station parking lot. 

Peralta cattle roamed the fields, and orchards and gardens were planted along the nearby—now largely culverted—creek.  

After the United States acquisition of California and the Gold Rush, the Peralta holdings dwindled as American settlers, speculators, and swindlers began to lay claim to the fertile plain. 

American era settlement in Temescal began in 1855, the same year that Oakland incorporated as a city. 

Soloman Ellsworth Alden, “a successful San Francisco restaurateur,” began to purchase property in the area and, by 1868—the same year that the University of California was established—had laid out the town of Temescal and put lots on the market.  

In 1870 the Oakland Railroad Company ran a streetcar line up to Telegraph and 51st Street and Temescal Creek. 

Not long thereafter, the University of California moved from downtown Oakland to the future Berkeley. The streetcar line was extended north to Strawberry Creek, and Temescal became a residential outpost of the new and then rural campus.  

The University Echo newspaper noted in the fall of 1873 that the few rooms to be had for rent in Berkeley were “scarce and costly,” and that “a party of hilarious seniors and juniors have taken a home at Temescal.”  

That home was presumably one of the Victorian houses, large and small, that dotted the North Oakland landscape by the 1880s.  

A surprising number of those Victorian era dwellings—some included on the tour—survive amidst more numerous houses of later periods. 

“The Temescal region began to thrive as a commercial and residential area with close ties to both Oakland and Berkeley,” writes historian Michael Crowe in an introduction to the neighborhood. 

Temescal was an independent community at the time, but many extra-urban settlements in the United States were “eager for the police and fire services, schools, and other institutions found in the nearby larger city,” Crowe adds.  

Overtures to join with Oakland failed in 1885 and 1894. A sweeping annexation succeeded in 1897, and Temescal officially became part of Oakland.  

By the end of the 19th century the district was also becoming identified as an Italian immigrant neighborhood, a character that still persists in some blocks and a few street names and businesses. 

In the early 20th century, Temescal built up along the streetcar lines.  

Houses in a wide variety of styles—including Arts and Crafts, Shingle, Spanish and Mission Revival, and “Tudoresque”—filled in the residential blocks. 

In the 1960s modernity cut a literal swath through Temescal when the construction of the Grove-Shafter Freeway—Highway 24—and BART carved away and built barriers across parts of the neighborhood. 

In recent years, however, Temescal has resurged as a residential district and undergone some of the gentrification—positive, benign, or unwelcome, depending on your viewpoint—that has spread through much of North Oakland and South Berkeley. 

The commercial district around Telegraph and 51st Street has been spruced up with new construction, renovations, and an array of old and new businesses. 

The Temescal House Tour runs from 1-5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15. Start in front of Acorn Kitchens and Baths, 4640 Telegraph Ave.  

Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 on the day of the tour, and $25 for OHA members.  

Refreshments are provided at one of the houses along the “self-guided and easy-to-walk” tour route. Most houses have stairs. Volunteers for the tour are sought and will receive complimentary admission. 

Contact 763-9218 for information or to make a reservation, email info@oaklandheritage.org, or visit www.oaklandheritage.org. 

In a related event, Jeff Norman presents highlights from his newly published book, Temescal Legacies: Narratives of Change from a North Oakland Neighborhood, at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 12, at the Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave. in Oakland. Tickets are $8 OHA members, $10 general public. 

Proceeds benefit the Oakland Heritage Alliance. 

Photograph by Steven Finacom  

This handsome early Oakland home, complete with backyard water tower and marble-lined entry staircase, is one of the buildings on Sunday’s Temescal tour. 

Here, time stands still. There is only music, and the movement of children through space. 

—Philip Glass 

Three Steinways line up parallel to the apron of the stage at the Metro on Broadway, facing the podium to the right. Onstage is a pair of iron-frame beds, draped in magenta sheets, while a vertiginous flight of gold-orange steps leads up towards the flies, past a mezzanine to an aqua door. 

These are the playing fields for The Game which brother and sister play in The Room, an autosuggestive and incestuous symbolic game that remakes the world they escape, yet spreads like poison into their tiny coterie in that world as they grow up. 

Oakland Opera Theater’s production of Philip Glass’s Les Enfants Terribles, after Jean Cocteau’s 1929 novel and later play, with musical direction by Deirdre McClure and stage direction by Tom Dean, is reset in Saigon from Paris, which eliminates the ever-falling snow of the original and suggests a colonial ambiance to the milieu and action. 

Glass conceived the opera with ballets, and Oakland Opera is collaborating with the dynamic dancer-choreographer Danny Nguyen and his company, who provide the fantastic activity that surrounds and amplifies the dreams and perceptions of the little circle that feed off their own caprices. 

Glass’ music, originally scored for three pianos, has an alternately horizontal or vertical quality of attack, with the recurrent figures, the “suspended animation” (in McClure’s words) of building, resolution, and building again. But there’s something different, peculiarly enjoyable about this piece in comparison to the composer’s excursions into setting libretti in Sanskrit and Ancient Egyptian. 

Densely melodic, following the quick exchanges of the singers/characters (“cat and mouse,” in baritone Axel Van Chee’s words; there are no duets, trios or ensemble singing), the score deserves Glass’s preferred designation of “theater music,” and seems to be something particularly close to the composer’s heart, may be hearkening back to his days in Paris as student of Nadine Boulanger. 

There are moments when the playing (excellently performed by Skye Atman, Paul Caccamo and Kymry Esainko, with Daniel Lockert alternating) reminded the audience of études, perfect for a tale of overextended pubescence that starts with slingshots and a dirtclod (originally snowball) fight after school. It may also remind one of Glass’ story of submitting period stylistic exercises to Boulanger, who reprimanded Glass for “not composing in the way Mozart made music,” Glass then realizing his aesthetic or academic correctness was merely the imitation of art. 

That’s not the case here in this fluid but difficult work, melodic brightness counterpointed by a libretto of constant verbal battles. The company has found fine collaborators to essay the support and principal roles: Paul’s schoolboy friend Gerard (Ben Johns, alternating with Jonathan Smucker), secretly in love with Elizabeth; Cary Ann Rosko as Agathe (and posed on the steps with a sling as Paul’s schoolboy crush, Dargelos); and as brother and sister, superb Axel Van Chee and fascinating, feline Joohee Choi extracting the maximum out of a doomed incestuous love that’s expressed by lolling on beds in dusky light through blinds or squabbling in front of their friends, even in the bathtub, as Gerard spies on them. 

Cocteau, object of surrealist scorn, had a precise sense of the strange mix of tragedy and soap operatic melodrama that descended from Racine into modernism, through Victor Hugo and Baudelaire. This production of “Monsieur Jean’s” Les Enfants Terribles pushes that extreme disparity of display and concealment to the limit, maybe revealing some conceptual problems in Glass’s otherwise excellent vision of the work. 

Nguyen and his dancers, especially Sarah Pun-Richardson (who doubles Elizabeth, alternating with Tara Macken and Emily Mizuno) and Peggy De Coursey (in her mannequin death throes as The Mother)—and Nguyen himself, strange Angel of Death and shade of colonial war—are admirable in their sometimes-manic activity, but sometimes it’s too much and obscures the principals, whose real action is admittedly internalized, but isn’t that what modern opera’s good at representing, especially for Cocteau’s cultish brother and sister? 

This goes for the narration too, which (taken from the novel) worked well on the film soundtrack in Cocteau’s ongoing elegant tones. But Larry Rekow’s voice can’t always cut the wall of music and is frequently flat in his handling of the translated poetic passages from the original book. These seem to be, again, cases of the composer not cutting back on the adapted material to allow the unspoken (unsung, unstaged) elements space to grow, like the shadow from The Game (and, presumably in this interpretation, the rising tide of war) that engulfs the lives of its players and their spectators. The choreographer, dancers and narrator deserve praise for their participation in an exciting production—so typical of this remarkable company-on-a shoestring—as do the designers: Rob Anderson, lights; Garrett Lowe, set: Margaret Lawrence, costumes; and Asa Hoyt, credited for “The Theatre of the Two Beds,” as Cocteau described them. 

LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES 

Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 22 at the Oakland Metro Opera House, 201 Broadway. $32-$36 

www.oaklandopera.org.

Back at the dawn of Berkeley’s food revolution, before the first bit of artisan bread was dipped in extra-virgin olive oil, L. John Harris, a former Cheese Board collective member and waiter at Chez Panisse, published The Book of Garlic. 

He went on to found Aris Books in 1980, and to bring out a long list of single-subject cookbooks celebrating ginger, goat cheese, olives, peppers, mushrooms, calamari—40 titles in all. If you’re a serious cook, you probably have a couple on your own shelves. 

This Sunday, Harris and Maggie Blyth Klein, co-owner of Oliveto in Oakland’s Rockridge district, will host an Aris Books Author Reunion, Feast, and Cookbook Auction at Klein’s celebrated restaurant. It’s a benefit for the Berkeley Food and Housing Project, kicking off their annual “We Give Thanks Month” in which local restaurants dedicate some of their proceeds to the 35-year-old nonprofit’s seven homeless assistance programs.  

Harris and Klein promise delicious food from Oliveto’s chef Paul Canales, inspired by some of the Aris cookbooks, plus a silent auction and a drawing for “a wonderful and unusual culinary adventure.” A dozen or so Aris authors will be on hand: Klein herself (Feast of the Olive), Georgeanne Brennan (New American Vegetable Cookbook), Isaac Cronin (California Seafood Cookbook, International Squid Cookbook), Michele Jordan (Good Cook’s Book of Mustard, Cook’s Tour of Sonoma), Jim Burns (Women Chefs), Linda Burum (Asian Pasta) and Jay Harlow (The Grilling Book).  

“When, in 1981, Harris asked me, then an editor at Cal Berkeley, to write a cookbook about olives and olive oil, neither of us knew that the project would change the course of my and my TV-producer husband Bob’s lives,” says Klein. Their research for Feast of the Olive involved immersion in Tuscan cuisine and culture and inspired them to open their own restaurant. Oliveto will turn 20 this December. 

Many of the other participating authors are still very much engaged with food. Brennan is practically a one-woman cookbook industry, whose other projects include a cooking school in Provence, gardening books, and the Bon Marché line of seeds. Cronin runs a public relations company representing specialty food accounts. Jordan has a food-related radio program in Sebastopol. Other Aris alumni are now food critics, artisanal food makers, specialty farmers, or restaurateurs. 

The Aris output also included books by MFK Fisher and Bruce Cost. What was special about them? “We featured unusual single subjects,” Harris recalls. “And they were more sophisticated subjects: olive oil, ginger, squid, garlic. They were more of a reading experience than standard cookbooks. We were like armchair travel books: you could get pleasure reading about food.” 

Some, like Klein’s Feast of the Olive and Cost’s Ginger East to West, were enormously influential. “Feast of the Olive launched the whole thing of tasting extra-virgin olive oil”, says Harris. “The Grilling Book was the first book to feature mesquite grilling.”  

Harris, now a filmmaker (his documentary, Divine Food: 100 Years in the Kosher Delicatessen Trade, has appeared on PBS), sold Aris in 1991. But he held on to his inventory, and it occurred to him that the books could be used to help the Berkeley Food and Housing Project. He had worked with the group before, making connections with restaurants that now participate in the “We Give Thanks” program. Berkeley Food and Housing Executive Director Terrie Light was delighted with the reunion idea, and Maggie Klein agreed to provide a venue for the event. 

How often do you have a chance to meet culinary celebrities, taste extraordinary Mediterranean food, and assist a worthy local cause?  

Tickets ($100) are available through Oliveto; call 547-5356.