Jazz on the Patio, Sat. August 1, 2009

Farmer Joe’s Marketplace on Fruitvale Avenue is hosting another free live jazz event on their covered patio this Saturday, August 1, 2009 from 2:30 until 4:30pm. The guest artist will be award-winning jazz vocalist and Glenview resident, Adam Blankman. Adam will be accompanied by pianist extraordinaire Dan Zemelman. The performance is free and all ages are welcome. Bring the whole family and enjoy the afternoon.

Free Live Music on the Patio

3rd Anniversary Celebration

Saturday, June 20, 2009, 1 – 4pm
3424 Fruitvale Avenue Oakland California 94602
FREE FOOD ~ LIVE MUSIC ~ FREE RAFFLE
Raffle starts at 4pm. You must be present to win, and no purchase is necessary.

Diana and Joe would like to thank the wonderful community and their employees for another great year at Farmer Joe’s

Lion Dances

January 26, 2009 marks the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Ox. Dancers, drummers, and lion will herald in the New Year with a lion dances at both Farmer Joe’s stores. Don’t miss these dynamic celebrations. Join the lion at Farmer Joe’s!

Sunday, February 1, 2009
Ben Shaolin Kung Fu Lion Dancing Group
        Little Joe’s: 10:40 to 10:50am
        Fruitvale store: 11:00 to 11:20am
Please Note: Lion keeps appointments as best he can, but he is dancing many places on Sunday so times are approximate. Please arrive a few minutes early.

Saturday, February 7, 2009
Buk Sing Choy Lay Fut Lion Dancers
        Little Joe’s: between 10am and 12:00noon

Dimond Winter Festival

The 2008 GREAT Pumpkin Contest Winners

First Prize of $50 goes to Daniel who guessed 361 pounds. That was the exact weight of Farmer Joe’s great pumpkin this year. Second prize goes to Sarah who guessed 365 pounds, third prize goes to Heid who guessed 355 pounds. Please drop by the store to collect your prize winnings and congratulations!

Dimond Howl-o-ween

Pet Parade & Costume Party

Dogs, kids, and adults are invited to the 5th Annual Dimond Howl-o-ween Pet Parade and Costume Party. Meet in front of Paws & Claws at 6pm and parade through the Dimond District collecting treats from participating store vendors. Then return to Paws & Claws for an outdoor party behind the store with a campfire and spooky games for kids. Dress warmly!

$5 Donation benefits BadRap
(Bay Area Responsible About Pit Bulls)
Sign up for family portraits by Joyful Dog Designs.

Where: Paws & Claws, 2023 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland
When: Friday, October 31, 2008, 6pm – 9pm
More Info: (510) 336-0105

Oktoberfest in Oakland’s Dimond District

October 4, 2008, 11am until 6pm

Come and join us on MacArthur Boulevard at Fruitvale Avenue for our first annual Oktoberfest. We’re going to celebrate with beer gardens, German food and dance, history tours, food booths, local artisans, a kid’s carnival area, a Green Living and Wellness Expo area and so much more! Don’t miss this extraordinary event. For those interested in making it all happen, we are still looking for volunteers. Please contact Helen Wyman via email or Oakland Event’s web site. For more info on the Dimond District’s Oktoberfest, follow the link.

Laurel Street Festival

Saturday, August 9, 2008 1 – 6 pm
MacArthur Boulevard between 35th and 38th Avenue

Dimond Picnic

Summer, summer, summertime in the Dimond with the Dimond Picnic, where else but in Dimond Park THIS SUNDAY, July 27, 10am – 3pm. The festivities start at 10am sharp with Dennis Evanosky leading his historic tour of the district. This tour is truly amazing. Last year, Dennis presented old black and white photos, discussed such topics as our former beer gardens and turn-around cable cars. Don’t be late and don’t miss it this year. When the tour ends, the food begins. Our food sponsors are our wonderful Farmer Joe’s, Two Star Market, and Peet’s Coffee. It is a picnic with delicious delights for everyone. Dimond Merchants’ Association is sponsoring a raffle, and entertainment abounds. Crafts and games. BELLY DANCING. Need I say more? Woman’s Will is staging a new twist on a classic. Lion’s Pool is sponsoring a free swim. Come one. Come all. For Food. For Fun.

Anniversary Celebration

Let the good times roll. Farmer Joe’s Marketplace is having a repeat performance of their anniversary celebration. It’s their second year, and Farmer Joe’s is inviting the whole neighborhood, their friends, loyal customers, and employees to a free barbeque with live music and a free raffle. Please come join Farmer Joe’s in their celebration as they thank the community and their employees. I got a sneak peak at some of the raffle prizes today. In all honesty I can’t say what is the grand prize. On Saturday, Joe’s will be raffling off a bicycle, an MP3 player, a set of golf clubs, Joe’s gift certificates, and an All-in-One – a printer, copier, scanner. WOW! I also heard some whispering about a 5 star wine tour. Remember, all raffle tickets are FREE. The raffles start at 5pm, and you must be present to win. Don’t miss out on the food and fun this Saturday at Joe’s Marketplace.

Where: Farmer Joe’s Marketplace at 3426 Fruitvale Avenue
When: Saturday, June 21, 2008, 2 – 5pm

Buzz in the Burg, Dimond District Style

There’s so much buzz going on in the Dimond District of Oakland these days, I hardly know where to start. New stores are opening.

Arabella and Company, at 2006 MacArthur Boulevard, had their grand opening on Friday. It’s a great place to buy unique furnishings and pieces for your home and garden for yourself or as gifts.

A couple of doors down, New to You, children’s boutique opened at 2010 MacArthur Boulevard. They offer new and gently used children’s clothes, toys, accessories, and furniture.

Further up the street near Coolidge Avenue at 2710 MacArthur Boulevard, Lipstick had a hopping red carpet opening from 7 – 11pm Friday night. It was an extravaganza. Lipstick carries hip fashions for the ladies.

The next new store is technically in the Laurel District, but I’m claiming them because they’re so cool. It’s the Oakland Acupuncture Project at 3576 Laurel Avenue. They offer acupuncture at a very reasonable rated sliding scale.

I’m putting Dimond Café in the new store section because they have literally reinvented themselves. Located at 3430 Fruitvale Avenue, they used to sell primarily donuts and coffee. They now offer coffee, pasties, a café atmosphere, and WiFi.

I’ve also heard another location to get WiFi in the burg is at the Dimond Library located at 3565 Fruitvale Avenue. My sources tell me you can hook onto their WiFi for free.

Besides all these actual openings, a rumor is floating that our beloved Los Comales might be opening up a second Mexican restaurant in the Laurel District. YEAH! There ain’t no better carne asada quesadilla anywhere, than there. Keep your fingers crossed on that one.

New stores aren’t the only happenings in the Dimond. New classes!

Our pals at Paws & Claws are offering a class Sunday, March 30, 2008 5 – 6:15pm on Dealing with End of Life Issues. This free class is offered at Paws & Claws, 2023 MacArthur Boulevard. The speaker is Dr. Gary Richter, D.V.M., M.S. For those of us with pets, this is an important class to attend. We all want to recognize and do what’s best for our four legged friends at the appropriate time. Dr. Richter is going to talk about these delicate issues during this important class.

And let’s give a big “Hooray” for Loka Yoga located at 2701 MacArthur Boulevard. Wonderful Alice has added a children’s yoga class, ages 6 – 9, Wednesdays 4 – 5pm. She has also changed the time of one class and added another to accommodate our 9 to 5ers. She now offers a Tuesday night class levels 1 – 3, from 7:30 – 9:00pm. She added another level 1 – 3 class, Thursday nights from 7:30 – 9:00pm. Her Yoga Sutras class has been moved to the last Friday of the month with an hour of open practice starting at 6pm.

The next class I’m mentioning is not new, nor is it in the Dimond, but I’m claiming this one too because it’s so much fun. It’s the Aqua Maids, water aerobics class in the outdoor pool at Mills College. The class is most Sundays at 9am.

If you’re not into an organized water class, don’t forget you can swim laps throughout the year at the Dimond Park’s heated pool. The pool is located at 3860 Hanly Road.

New stores, new classes – what more could you ask for? More events!

During the month of April, Rita Sklar’s original paintings, entitled “Diversity in Play,” can be seen at the Dimond Library, La Farine (3411 Fruitvale Avenue), Café Diem, and Dimond Café (3430 Fruitvale Avenue). Two receptions will be held to meet the artist. The first will be at Café Diem, Friday, April 18th from 3 – 6:00pm. The second will be at Dimond Café, Wednesday, April 23 from 4 – 6:00pm.

And last but not least, we might be getting an Oktoberfest in the Dimond. YAH!! I can only wish. The rumor mill says some streets will be closed for beer, schnitzel, sauerkraut, and lederhosen. Wooo Hoooo. Polka, baby. It’ll be a huge undertaking, but the rumor mill also says Helen Wyman is thinking about tackling the project. I have my fingers doublely crossed. Helen heads up the Laurel World Music Festival and the Montclair Jazz and Wine Festival every year. She’s the right man, er woman, for the job.

Lion Dance

The lion danced at both stores today. Gongs and a brilliant golden drum resonated throughout Farmer Joe’s, accompanying his performance. The beautiful creature paraded through the stores, heralding in the Chinese New Year.

He promised to bring luck to the community while warding off evil spirits. He took a brief turn toward the beautiful cakes. I was worried for a split second he was going to munch on them, but he headed out the door and snacked on some lettuce swinging from the entrance. Organic, no doubt.

Dimond Winter Festival

Saturday, December 8, 2007, 10:00am – 3:00pm
Fruitvale Presbyterian Church

7th Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner

Join us this Sunday, November 18, 2007, for the 7th annual community Thanksgiving dinner. A scrumptious turkey dinner, with all the trimmings, will be served from 4:00 – 5:30pm at Fruitvale Presbyterian Church, located at 2735 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland 94602. For more information, please call (510) 530-0915 or visit Fruitvale Presbyterian Church online. We’ll see ya there!

Howl-o-weening

Howl-o-ween came to Farmer Joe’s on Saturday. Our group of costumed adults, dogs and children started at Paws and Claws and worked our way down to the store, where Diana Tam greeted us with sacks of goodies. Okay, yeah, I yelled “trick or treat” with the kids so I could get some candy. My favorite item in my bag was an iced pumpkin cookie. Delicious. A little Dachshund thought the cookie looked yummy too. The small dog jumped up and snagged one from a child. I laughed at the hungry dog until I saw how disappointed the kid was. Diana quickly replaced her cookie, and this time the kid held it out of the dog’s reach.

This year’s Howl-o-ween was better than ever. People and dogs wore some fabulous costumes. I was really torn which were my favorites. I liked the pugs that were ticks, and the Chihuahua/Chinese Crested mix that was a fairy. The little girl who was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz was adorable. Her mother was the wicked witch. One of my favorite dogs showed up wearing a Cinderella costume. The dog’s human said, “My dog is so embarrassed wearing that costume.” Later in the evening at the Howl-o-ween bonfire at Paws and Claws, the dog strolled by us with a big grin on her face and no costume. The dog had removed the costume herself. Embarrassed, indeed. We took a flashlight and looked around but we could never find the pup’s outfit.

Dimond Howl-o-ween

Pet Parade & Costume Party

Dogs, kids, and adults are invited to the 4th Annual Dimond Howl-o-ween Pet Parade and Costume Party. Meet in front of Paws & Claws at 6pm and parade through the Dimond District collecting treats from participating store vendors. Then return to Paws & Claws for an outdoor party behind the store with a campfire and spooky games for kids. Dress warmly!

Donations will be accepted for the Oakland Animal Shelter

Where: Paws & Claws, 2023 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland
When: Oct. 27, 2007, 6pm – 9pm

Laurel World Music Festival

Just a reminder…
The 2nd Annual Laurel World Music Festival 2007 is tomorrow. Head on over to listen to live world music, stroll and shop the street fair, and entertain the kids at Kid’s World.

Date: Saturday, August 11, 2007
Time: Noon to 6:00pm
Place: The Laurel District, MacArthur Blvd between 35th & 38th Avenue

Hope to see you there!!!

Farmer Joe’s First Anniversary

Two words come to mind at Farmer Joe’s First Anniversary Celebration – “YUM” and “fun.” Farmer Joe’s served up a feast today for their customers celebrating their first anniversary of the opening of the new store on Fruitvale Avenue. All of us lucky customers snacked on delicious grill cooked steak, sausages, and hot dogs provided by Farmer Joe and his wife, Diana. When I was done with that I moved onto the pie, tofu goodies, tamales, chips and salsa, and Boar’s Head deli meats. Did I make a pig of myself? You betcha. In the background, we were treated to the fabulous Latin music of Brisa Dolce. I have to admit my favorite eats were the iced coffee from Kavanaugh. It was a wild affair called Black Opal served with a bit of milk and enough ice to remind me of how they make it the right way in the deep South. I loved it. My next favorite dish was the fresh steamed tamales from Primavera Tamales. Every couple of hours Diana also raffled off more goodies. I managed to win a gift basket myself. Thanks guys. Around 5pm, Diana raffled off two bicycles to two very lucky young men. Both were excited to win! Congratulations to you both and particularly to the Grand Prize Winner. To check out the festivities, click on the link above entitled, “View All Images.”

Farmer Joe’s 1 year Celebration

There is a party going on at Farmer Joe’s Fruitvale location to celebrate being open for 1 year.  It goes from 1-6 so stop by.