Community Calendar: September 2017

9/1 through 9/29 – Family: New Parents Group

Meet parents of up to one-year-olds, and learn about San Francisco’s baby-friendly assets.  Enjoy a monthly expert talk or guest speaker. Snacks provided. Free; suggested donation $15.  Every Friday, noon to 1 p.m. Recess, 470 Carolina Street. Please reserve your spot in advance: http://bit.ly/2vXroUT

9/2, 9/9, 9/16 – Film:  Free Mission Bay Movie Nights

Come early to grab a spot on the Astroturf, toss a few bean bags at the community cornhole, and purchase nourishment from popular food trucks. This event benefits the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Benioff Children’s Hospital.  Food trucks available at 5 p.m.; ticketholders can access the movie site at 6:15 p.m.; general admission, with or without tickets, at 6:30 p.m. Films begin after sundown, between 8 and 8:45 p.m. Spark Social, 601 Mission Bay Boulevard. For more information, and advance tickets: http://bit.ly/2fVV54Y

9/5 through 9/26 – Dance:  Lindy Hop Swing Dance Classes and Live Music Dance Party

The Woodchopper’s Ball is San Francisco’s newest weekly swing dance event! Learn the Lindy Hop, the original swing dance craze from 1930’s Harlem! Live music swing dance party, with a different band each Tuesday, 9 to 11:30 p.m., $10, students free, all ages. Admission includes a basic lesson:  beginning, 8 to 9 p.m., intermediate, 7 to 8 p.m. Taught by Lindy in the Park instructors, Hep Jen and Ken Watanabe. No partner or experience required. Full four-week class series: $75/month; $60 in advance, $20/week drop-in. Verdi Club, 2424 Mariposa Street. Huge dance floor and full bar; 21+ only.  For more information and to register: www.woodchoppersball.com

September 7 – Music: Bum Wagler & The Tune Wranglers

Live music by Bum Wagler & The Tune Wranglers, who play original tunes in the Honky Tonk country vein. 7:30 to 9 p.m. Farleys, 1315 18th Street.

9/7 through 9/29 – Art: Best of Bay Area Master of Fine Arts Programs

SOMArts Cultural Center presents The Annual Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards Exhibition, a focused look at the future of Bay Area visual arts. The exhibit showcases 18 promising visual artists working across disciplines, and identifies young artists from Bay Area Master of Fine Arts programs whose work intersects with emerging trends. Opening reception: Saturday, September 7, 6:30 to 9 p.m. SOMArts, 934 Brannan Street. For more information: http://bit.ly/2vVvLjj or 415.863.1414.

9/7 through 10/14 – Art: Far Away Up Close

Artist Jim Campbell experiments with digital representation as a metaphor for the transmutation of data into knowledge. Fifteen new works in this exhibition explore primitive neural and sensory processes for interpreting visual clues, like shape, movement, rhythm, and color.   Campbell’s choice of media is conceptually linked to his message; he uses technologies developed for information transfer and storage to explore human communication and memory.  To be completed by the end of the year and visible for decades to come, Campbell’s artwork on the top nine stories of the exterior of the Salesforce Tower — the West Coast’s tallest building — will alter the Bay Area’s skyline. Unlike any permanent public artwork to date, Campbell’s piece will change daily, as a reflection of the life of the City. Opening reception for Far Away Up Close will be at Hosfelt Gallery, 260 Utah Street, 4 p.m. For more information: http://bit.ly/2vBKXn3

9/12, 9/19, 9/26 – Art:  Tuesday Night Drawing Series

Learn to sketch from instructor David Tenorio, with a live, clothed, model. Adults only. 6 to 8 p.m. $25 to $99. Arch, 10 Carolina Street.  Class size is limited; details and sign-up: dcenter.org/arch

September 13 – Music: Daniel Berkman

Potrero Hill resident Daniel Berkman is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and innovator of the kora, a 21-stringed harp/lute from West Africa. 7:30 to 9 p.m. Farley’s, 1315 18th Street.

September 14 – Community: Esprit Park Renovation Community Meeting

Esprit is Dogpatch’s only San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department facility.  A $5 million contribution from UCSF will help pay for park renovations.  Conceptual plans for the park’s facelift will be presented, followed by a discussion of next steps and an opportunity for input into the design and project planning. 6 p.m. Abaca Clubhouse Room, 2660 Third Street.

September 14 – Art:  Architecture Boxes

Peruse architecture and design magazines to identify elements to collage into a striking pattern or image of your dream pavilion. We’ll then use a photocopy and modge-podge technique to transfer the creations onto wooden keepsake boxes. Final embellishments can be made using a variety of addon elements and wood-burning pens. All materials provided; feel free to customize with your own images. 21+ only. 7 to 9:30 p.m. $15 non-members; $8 members. Gallery access, workshop, supplies, wine, and snacks included. Museum of Craft and Design, 2569 Third Street. Space is limited. Please purchase tickets in advance: http://bit.ly/2utVCSc. For more information: http://bit.ly/2v5ljon

9/14 through 10/7 – Theater:  A Tale of Autumn

In his inaugural commission as Crowded Fire Theater’s playwright-in-residence, Christopher Chen tackles the power structures inherent in large corporations. A Tale of Autumn is a psychological rise-to-power fable. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Richard III and Macbeth, along with popular “quest-for-power” television shows Game of Thrones and House of Cards, this is Chen’s world premiere with Crowded Fire. $15 to $35. Previews: pay what you can at the door; cash only. For more information and to purchase tickets: http://bit.ly/2vFWNtK

September 16 – Healthcare:  Gynecologic Cancer Symposium

The Fifth Annual Gynecologic Cancer Symposium, hosted by UCSF’s Department of Gynecologic Oncology. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free.  UCSF, Bakar Cancer Hospital, Oberndorf Auditorium, 1855 Fourth Street. To register: http://bit.ly/2uMppFh. For more information: http://bit.ly/2vnSPGH

September 18 – Food: Fermented Pickle Workshop

Learn to make fermented dill pickles with the UC Master Food Preservers. 7 to 8 p.m. $20. Spark Social, 601 Mission Bay Boulevard. For more information and to sign-up: dcenter.org/food 

September 20 – Music: Soul Delights

Come for a lively performance. 7:30 to 9 p.m. Farley’s, 1315 18th Street.

9/20 – 9/24 – Books: Friends of the San Francisco Library Book Sale

The Big Book Sale will feature more than 500,000 books, DVDs, compact discs, books on tape, vinyl, and other forms of media in 70 different categories, all for $1 to $3.  Proceeds benefit the San Francisco Public Library’s literacy programs for children, teenagers, and adults.  Free and open to the public. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fort Mason Center, Festival Pavilion. For more information: http://bit.ly/2cwHKeE

9/22 – 9/23 – Art: Recology® San Francisco Artist in Residence Exhibitions

The Artist in Residence Program at Recology San Francisco will host an exhibition and reception for artists-in-residence, Cathy Lu, Erik Scollon, and San Francisco Art Institute student artist, Curtis Reid Henderson. The exhibit is the culmination of four months of work by the artists, who scavenged materials from the dump to make art and promote recycling and reuse. Friday, September 22, 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday September 23, 1 to 3 p.m. Additional viewing hours on Tuesday, September 26, 5 to 7 p.m., with a gallery walk-through with the artists at 6 p.m. Free. Art Studio, Environmental Learning Center 503 Tunnel Avenue and 401 Tunnel Avenue. For more information: http://bit.ly/2v8WWpx

September 23 – Music: Dogpatch Arts Plaza Concert

Enjoy the new plaza with music by La Mixta Criolla and an all-ages art activity. Free. Noon to 1 p.m. 901 19th Street.  For more information: dcenter.org/plaza

September 23 – Seniors: Reframing Aging: Confronting and Transforming Society’s Current Images, Biases and Prejudices

Older Women’s League San Francisco presents Reframing Aging: Confronting and Transforming Society’s Current Images, Biases and Prejudices, a workshop by Diane Krantz, who’s been fighting ageism and helping older adults thrive for the past 10+ years through her work as an independent consultant for social sector organizations committed to serving all populations, including older adults, and especially women. A trained facilitator, Krantz engages groups in lively discussions embracing the head and the heart. Learn more about society’s, and your own, attitudes toward aging; create strategies to confront implicit and explicit personal and societal biases; tap into life experiences to grow in wisdom and continued fullness of life. This Library-sponsored program is wheelchair accessible. Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, Latino/Hispanic Room, Lower Level. For more information: 415.712.1695 or info@owlsf.org

September 24 – Festival: Folsom Street Fair

The 34th Annual Folsom Street Fair, an only-in-San Francisco original, covers more than 13 city blocks, filled with 400,000 people in their most outrageous leather, rubber, and fetish attire enjoying the world’s largest leather fair.  More than 200 exhibitor booths showcasing fetish gear and toys; live stage with top-name indie, electronic and alternative acts; dance areas spinning underground electronic dance music, public play stations, and an erotic artists’ area with a sick and twisted performance stage.  Free. Donate $10 at the gates and get a sticker that entitles you to $2 off each drink, all day. On Folsom Street, from Eighth to 13th streets. For more information: http://bit.ly/2xh4E1t

September 28 – Music: The Goat Hill Geezers

Covers of Beatles, Eagles, Everly Brothers, Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. 7:30 to 9 p.m. Farley’s, 1315 18th Street.

9/30 – 10/1 – Festival: Autumn Moon Festival

The 27th Annual AT&T Autumn Moon Festival will open with a grand parade on Saturday at 11 a.m. on California and Grant streets led by civic officials, beauty queens, cultural performers, and lion dancers. Vendors will sell Asian arts and crafts, housewares, plants, and jewelry in booths covering several city blocks. The famous Dragon appears on Sunday at 5 p.m. as the event’s grand finale. For detailed entertainment schedule and other information: http://bit.ly/2wfuW7y

10/12 through 11/5 – Theater: The Obligation

A Jewish-American comedian, an Auschwitz survivor, a half-Jewish German soldier, and an SS General explore the dark history of their/our world in the world theatrical premiere of The Obligation, a one-person show written by and starring Roger Grunwald, under the direction of Nancy Carlin. Through drama and humor, The Obligation explores little-known aspects of The Holocaust and the post-war survivor experience and asks: who decides what culture, race and ethnicity mean? What’s identity? Why do we demonize “the other”? $26 to $51. Potrero Stage, 1695 18th Street. For more information and to purchase tickets online: http://bit.ly/2v04UFG

10/14 – Community: Dogpatch/Potrero Hill Street Tree Planting Saturday

The Green Benefit District partners with Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) to plant 160 new trees. FUF will handle permits and site preparation, and bring the trees at no cost to property owners. As a result of passage of Proposition E last year, the City maintains all street trees. To request a tree or learn how to opt out of planting in front of your building: GreenBenefit.org.

10/22 – Health: Junior Diabetes Research Foundation San Francisco Walk

One of hundreds of Junior Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) walks across the country, the money raised will support JDRF, the leading global organization funding Type 1 diabetes research. Join a committed community that’s passionate about doing whatever it takes to help JDRF turn “Type One into Type None.” Length of walk is three miles. Check in: 9:30 a.m.; walk starts at 11 a.m. Great Meadow at Fort Mason, Bay and Laguna streets. For more information: http://bit.ly/2vQrDmm or contact Kevin O’Scanlon, koscanlon@jdrf.org or 415.597.6311.