The Fillmore Summer Concert and Film Series continues with the cheesy but lovable 1987 summer flick “Dirty Dancing.” Preceding the film will be a truly odd event pairing with Larkin’s BuKiDo Kai Karate Demonstrations. This begs the question why aren’t they showing Karate Kid tonight? We give this event a thumbs up just for the balls to combine watching people getting kicked in the nuts with having the time of your life.

This installment of NightLife features the full-dome premiere of Bella Gaia, an audio-visual “Living Atlas” journey of our world, Created by award winning director and classically trained violinist Kenji Williams, Bella Gaia features a 45-minute live performance by Kenji, set against an immersive backdrop of orbiting visualizations of Earth from space on our full-dome planetarium screen. The Academy’s own DJ Aaron Pope will be providing the music in the rest of the museum. We will also have some great 3D imagery by Michael Broxton of NASA Ames Research Center.

The Legacy of the New Deal Speakers: Lincoln Cushing, Tim Drescher and Mark Johnson Moderator: Gray Brechin

Funding public artwork benefits more than the artists – viewers witness their space transformed as the art enhances the urban landscape.

The arts were greatly supported during the New Deal era and many WPA projects are located in the San Francisco Bay Area. With the recent election of a new president, will money be used to fund art and culture? Panelists speak to the similarities between the present era and the New Deal as they relate to public arts and government funding during the New Deal era.

http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/cal/index.html

On this free SF City Guides walking tour, discover hidden parks, rooftop gardens, and other delights while experiencing some of the colorful history and distinctive old architecture of San Francisco’s financial district. Two tours are offered today at 10am and 1:30pm Meet at the Native Sons Monument, Montgomery at Market. 

Celebrate the building San Francisco’s only mini golf and amusement venue! The vision of Funland on Bayshore is taking shape. A host of local artists have been busy developing this unique Bay View attraction. In order to get the golf balls rolling we are throwing a benefit party on Friday July 3rd. Cyclecide pedal powered attractions, Mini golf, refreshments and more. (more…)

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk presents free beach concerts each Friday night during the summer.The Smithereens are known for writing and playing catchy 1960s-influenced power pop. They are known for their 80s/90s hits “A Girl Like You”, “Blood and Roses”, and “Behind the Wall of Sleep”. Two performances 6:30p and 8:30p

I’ve always found it maddening trying to find out what’s happening in the bay area for 4th of july… where the fireworks are…what free and cheap ways there are to have fun… so i compiled a list and thought i’d post it. We’ve got 60 92 4th of July 2009 events listed including the major fireworks shows in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and San Jose, plus tons of smaller hometown festivals, fairs and fireworks shows throughout the bay area, (17 in SF, 29 in East Bay, 27 in North Bay, 15 in South Bay, and 4 in the Peninsula)… and more events coming! - list updated 7/1/09
- new events added 6/30/09 - Lafayette, Saratoga, Vacaville, Richmond, Livermore, Oakland (2), San Francisco (8), El Cerrito, Redwood City, Campbell, Vallejo, Piedmont, Martinez
- new events added 7/1/09 - San Francisco (2), St. Helena (2), Fremont (2), Santa Rosa, Cupertino, Cloverdale, Russian River (2) (more…)

The city of Aptos (Just east of Santa Cruz along the Pacific) will once again celebrate the 4th of July in grand ole style. The World’s Shortest Parade will begin at 10 am at the corner of Soquel and State Park Drives and continue to the Bay View Hotel. After the parade, bring the family to “The Party in the Park” in the Aptos Village Park where there will be festivities for all to enjoy. The Party in the Park will have plenty of food, games and fun for the whole family and live music from Extra Large. The park festivities will be from 11-4 p.m. Donations of $5 for adults are appreciated, children, as always, are free. (more…)

The 2009 Fillmore Jazz Festival expects over 90,000 visitors to the two-day annual festival held over fourth of july weekend. The festival runs along Fillmore from Jackson to Eddy. The best jazz talent the Bay has to offer is showcased on the stages, from up-and-coming jazz fusion and latin-flavored acts to seasoned crooners belting out jazz standards. Highlights include Lavay Smith (Sat 2p), Marcus Shelby Orchestra (Sat 4p), hip-hop latin jazz of Bayonics (Sun 2p) and Sila & The Afrofunk Experience (Sun 4p) (more…)

San Francisco City Guides offer free guided walking tours of many different neighborhoods in the city and will be offering a full slate of tours on July 4, 2009. Tour starting times range from 10a to 2p and there are 18 different tours for you to choose from including Russian Hill Stairways (10a), Mission Murals (11a), Ferry Building (Noon), 1906: Phoenix Rising (1p), Japantown, Urban Renewal and Fillmore Jazz (2p) and a whole bunch more. (more…)

“Bicycle Santa Rosa” Festival Celebrates All Things Bike on July 4th 2009 at Julliard Park with City Council Ride, Live Music and Theater, games, contests (like the flat tire fix contest and slow bike race), food and more. Santa Rosa-based theater company The Imaginists will offer a 30-minute taste of their upcoming “The Art is Medicine Show,” a bicycle-powered bilingual (Spanish-English) traveling show featuring toy theaters and puppets.

This IS your grandmother’s picnic. This historic Pardee Home Museum in downtown Oakland hosts a costumed patriotic picnic and stereopticon Ice Cream social. Admission includes live entertainment, including ragtime music and popular songs of the time will be rendered with brilliant panache by stellar society pianist Frederick Hodges, & Mrs. Pardee’s Mellifluous Musicale in this “Bouquet of Vocal Delights”: the lady of the house promises to favor picnic-goers with her moving rendition of “A Bird in a Gilded Cage”, and will introduce some of the finest voices in all the East Bay to regale us with many another turn-of-the-century favorite. Also included with your admission price is free bountiful picnic food (featuring Taylor’s Sausages), cold drinks and ice cream. Free game activities on the lawn: croquet, lawn tennis, ‘eggball,’ and the Nutshell Navy. At the shady Stereograph Nook guests can view the latest 3D pictures. Period dress very strongly encouraged. Ladies, wear your biggest picture hat. (more…)

Celebrate the 4th of July 2009 with family quality time on the Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate’s 50 acres of lush, landscaped grounds. A family outing with picnicking on our expansive lawns, live music, and games for the kids. The children’s games for the day include potato sack racing, three-legged racing, miniature golf, and a series of old fashioned games like hop scotch, Jacob’s Ladder, ring toss, wood propeller, pick up sticks, tic-tac-toe, jacks, tops, and croquet. Bring a blanket for your afternoon enjoyment of our sprawling lawns and duck ponds, and a teddy bear or two for your child’s jaunt along the teddy bear parade (there will be prizes). (more…)

Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 celebrates 2009 Independence Day with an afternoon filled with fun and excitement. Come and enjoy Take 2 from 1-4pm and Tainted Love from 6-9:30pm. Following the onstage entertainment, visitors can stay to watch the spectacular fireworks simulcast on KISS FM 98.1. Other good viewing locations are all along the waterfront, Coit Tower, Aquatic Park, the Cannery, Ghirardelli Square. Fireworks launch from the foot of Municipal Pier and barges to the north of Pier 39.

(more…)

Any Bank of America card (one card = one admission) grants you free general admission to any of the listed museums nationwide during the first weekend of each month. Participating museums include Legion of Honor, de Young Musuem, Contemporary Jewish Museum, Museum of the African Diaspora, San Jose Museum of Art and more. (more…)

Frankenart Mart, a quirky Inner Richmond art gallery known for fun interactive exhibits hosts “Elementary School Track and Field Day” for fun-loving adults. At 1pm on Saturday, July 4th 2009 gather at the mart to head over to Golden Gate Park where we will hold our Track and Field events including frisbee toss, water balloon toss, three-legged races and the Hot Dog Relay. Everyone’s invited to participate in any or all events. Ribbons will be awarded. That’s right – ribbons. Afterward, we will go back to the mart for free hot dogs – beef and veggie. Be sure and wear your finest shorts, headbands, and tube socks. (more…)

The Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe celebrates its 50th Anniversary season with a song and dance satire of monumental proportions, Too Big to Fail in this odyssey through the twists and turns of banking bureaucracy and international finance. Told in the tradition of the West African Griots, this modern day epic follows Filije, a man in love with his family, his village, and most of all, his goat, Bamusa. Founded in 1959, the San Francisco Mime Troupe creates and produces socially relevant theater; their work is political satire and anything but silent. (more…)