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ONGOING
19th Annual Labor Fest. Various locations, SF. www.laborfest.net. Through July 31. Various venues, free. Established to honor the history and culture of working people, this annual fest kicked off in 1994. The organizing committee of Labor Fest is composed of unionists and unorganized workers both (hard to fault someone for not having a living wage job these days, y’know?) Learn about the Paris Commune of 1871 – an earlier form of 99 percent government! – on Thu/12, learn about the Coit Tower murals Sat/14, and more.
WEDNESDAY 11
“Tastes and Tales of North Beach” Broadway and Columbus, SF. www.sfcityguides.org. 11am, free. Wander through SF’s Little Italy with locals who love North Beach so much they’ve volunteered their time to share it with you. Learn the lore and legends of this place where the salty mist carries smells of wine, coffee, chocolate and cheese.
Recess Monarch, 101 Sixth St., SF. www.sunsetpromotions.com. Noon-2pm, free. Celebrate hump day right at this monthly lunchtime dance party, care of SunsetSF. The first installment of Recess takes place today with beats from resident DJ Matt Haze and guest DJ, Professor Bang. To ensure no mid-day dancers go hungry, vegetarian sandwiches will be provided for all.
Food Shift film screening: Food Stamped Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakl. Facebook: Food Shift film screening for food stamped. 6:30pm-9:30pm, free. A documentary that follows Bay Area filmmakers Shira and Yoav Potash as they attempt to eat a healthy diet on $1 per meal. Yikes. In a time when everyone seems to be counting pennies along with calories, it’s no wonder this film won the SF Independent Film Festival’s jury prize. Meet the filmmakers in person at this screening and potluck.
THURSDAY 12
“Sex and the Law”: a discussion with Eric Berkowitz University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft, Berk. www.sexandpunishmentbook.com. 6pm, free. Author and lawyer Eric Berkowitz’s new book, Sex and Punishment: Judging Four Thousand Years of Desire looks at mankind’s attempts throughout history to regulate the sexual appetite. His book illustrates well-documented cases that reveal how certain forms of sexual behavior have been condoned, others punished.
Homefrys game night with giant Jenga Kennedy’s Irish Pub and Curry House, 1040 Columbus, SF. www.kennedyscurry.com. 7pm-10pm, free. More than 75 oversized board games, as well as Super Nintendo games projected on a screen, will take over this local Irish pub tonight. Bring friends, meet new people, win prizes.
Cup o’ Comedy Emma’s Coffee House, 5549 Geary, SF. www.dannydechi.com. 7pm, free. Danny Dechi is a comedian and maybe the world’s only pencil musician. He hosts tonight’s show, which features comedic talent from around the Bay.
Sunset Yoga on the Beach Presidio Sports Basement, 610 Old Mason, SF. www.goldengatesunsetyoga.eventbrite.com. 7:30pm, free with RSVP. Take one deep breath or 20 while you unwind overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset. Beginners and advanced students are invited to connect body and mind at one of the most scenic locations in the world. Bring your own mat, and wear layers — it can get chilly up there.
FRIDAY 13
SF Silent Film Festival Free Movie Day Castro Theatre, 429 Castro, SF. www.silentfilm.org. 10:30am, free. Kick back and watch rare, restored masterpieces in this historic theater (complete with red plush chairs), to the sounds of pianists and orchestral groups from around the world.
Friday Nights at the de Young Bastille Day Ball Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., SF. www.calacademy.org. 6pm-9pm, free. This after-hours art hub changes every week, but usually involves live music, dance performance, film screenings, and lectures. Tonight, let the melodies of La Guinguette take you overseas to Paris. Later in the evening, imagine you have stepped into the legendary Moulin Rouge as the high-kicking girls clad in corsets from Kitty Kitty Bang Bang heat things up.
East Bay Bike Party Pleasant Hill BART. www.eastbaybikeparty.wordpress.com. 7:30pm, free. Break out the spandex and glowing lights, for this mobile party on two wheels. More than 400 riders of all ages, level, and bicycle type meet up on the second Friday of each month for Bike Party’s East Bay version. This month they will whiz through Pleasant Hill, then whiz through Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, and Concord. In honor of the Tour de France being in full swing, this month’s extravaganza has been dubbed the Tour de France-City of Lights ride.
SATURDAY 14
18th Annual Butterfly Count Randall Museum, 199 Museum, SF. www.sfbutterfly.com. 9am-5pm, $3. Learn about the most beautiful insects in the sky, while collecting valuable environmental data at this intense group inventory count of butterfly species and individuals. The Butterfly Count broke its record last year with 26 species and more than 900 individuals charted in one day. Pack a lunch and meet at the museum, where you’ll break into a counting group, equipped with a copy of Nature in the City’s Butterflies of San Francisco Field Guide for reference. Flutter away.
Coit Tower Mural Walk Coit Tower, 1 Telegraph Hill, SF. www.laborfest.net. 9:45am, free. Crane your neck to see these historic murals that reflect the labor movement in SF 78 years ago today. At the time, media hysteria flared up against the art and the artists, in an effort to repress the movement. Luckily, censorship efforts against the murals failed, and they remain a testament to the labor movement in SF.
Lecture: Afro Latino Presence in Early California Center for History and Community, 2488 Coolidge, Oakl. www.peraltahacienda.org. 6pm-7:30pm, free. History, community, and politics collide this evening, with a Cultural Crossroads lecture series event. The series aims to explore the modern day relevance of California’s past. History professor Damany Fisher of Mt. San Antonio College will dip into his research on mixed ethnicity and cultures of California’s early Spanish settlers in an open-ended discussion.
SUNDAY 15
“Lighthouses of the SF Bay” San Francisco Maritime, 781 Beach, SF. www.nps.gov. 3:15pm-4pm, free. During the latter half of the 19th century, mass numbers of goods and people moved to California, primarily by sea. Lighthouses were the life-saving services that helped ensure the growth of the new Golden State. Join docent Warren Riley for an illustrated talk on the lighthouses of the Bay. You’ll learn about the men and women who lived out on the edge of the bluffs to direct ships to safe passage.
MONDAY 16
1906 Earthquake and Fire walk Market St. Plaza, 525 Market, SF. www.laborfest.net. 10am, free. Imagine awakening before dawn to a massive earthquake that has crumpled chimneys and buildings to the ground, wrecked city water pipes, and ignited an enormous fire. Such was reality for almost all San Franciscans residents on April 18, 1906. Learn about that fateful morning, the people involved, and the controversial military actions that dealt with the fire and evacuations on this morning’s walking tour.