Sunset Spotlight

Jimmy's Old Car Picnic Gets Reprieve

A San Francisco tradition, Jimmy's Old Car Picnic, will once again be held at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park in October.

The SF Recreation and Park Department had requested that a permit for the event be rejected over concerns for the roots of nearby trees and to give the meadow sufficient time to repair itself after the Not Hardly Strickly Bluegrass Festival, which is being held the week before. The SF Planning Commission followed staff's recommendation and rejected the permit, but several members of the commission vowed to work with Jimmy O'Keefe to find a new site or modify picnic plans to minimize potential damage to the park.

This year, the 22nd annual Jimmy's Old Car Picnic will be moved from its traditional Sunday date to Saturday, Oct. 16.

The event was founded more than 20 years ago by O'Keefe, a Richmond District resident and long-time gardener in Golden Gate Park, who organized the event to raise money for developmentally disabled children. The owners of about 400 antique, vintage and custom vehicles pay for a space in the meadow and hold a picnic with family and friends. The public is welcome to view the old vehicles for free.

According to the website for the event, O'Keefe is stepping back from performing day-to-day operations for the old car picnic and will turn over leadership to a group of friends who have been involved in past picnics. O'Keefe will stay on as an advisor.

According to the new regime, the vehicle owner philanthropists will have to pay a little more because Rec. and Park has upped the cost of the permit considerably, reportedly raising it from about $800 a couple of years ago to some $16,000 today. As well, volunteers and some business sponsors are being sought.

For more information, go to the website at www.jimmyspicnic.com.

Anniversary for 16th Ave. Steps

The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps Project, located on Moraga Street at 16th Avenue, is celebrating its five-year anniversary as San Francisco's first mosaic stairway.

The celebration, to be held on Saturday, Aug. 21, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., features music, prizes and refreshments. Pasta will be donated by the Gold Mirror restaurant.

Students Go To Work

San Francisco Supervisor Carmen Chu teamed up with Abraham Lincoln High School students, neighbors and the SF Department of Public Works on Saturday, July 24, in a neighborhood beautification project at the median garden located at the Great Highway and Taraval Street.

After the median garden was taken over by weeds, Chu's office saw an opportunity to encourage youth to participate in community service.

"When we involve people at a younger age to participate in the community, they develop a deeper sense of care and desire to maintain our neighborhood," Chu said.

Elvina Fan, a student at Lincoln, started a community service group called "Change SF" after trying to figure out a venue for students to be involved in the community. To date, volunteers from "Change SF" have participated in numerous public service activities in the Sunset, ranging from plantings to cleaning up business corridors.

Chu emphasized that median gardens not only serve to beautify a neighborhood, but they also serve as an important traffic calming measure to break up wide stretches of roadway that otherwise encourage speeding.

Annual "Fun Day" Coming for Youth

The 17th annual "fun day" for children and adults with developmental disabilities will be held at Serra Bowl in Daly City on Aug. 11.

Participants will get free bowling, arcade games, lunch and entertainment.

The event is sponsored by the Bay Area Knights of Columbus Foundation, Lions Club International and Serra Bowl, which is located at 3301 Junipero Serra Blvd. Uniformed police officers and fire fighters from Broadmoor, Colma, San Bruno and Daly City are volunteering to help make the day a success.

For more information or to register for the event, call Cindy at (415) 213-8507.

St. Anne's Fundraiser

St. Anne's of the Sunset Church will hold a rummage sale at the end of August to raise money for church programs.

There will be numerous new and used items for sale, including jewelry, household items, small appliances, linens, knick-knacks, Christmas items, toys, books, CDs/DVDs, new and gently-used clothing and more.

The "super bargain sale event" will be held at Moriarty Hall at St. Anne's, located on Funston Avenue, between Judah and Irving streets.

For more information or to make a donation for the event, call Lucy at (415) 681-8719.

Inner Sunset Clean-up Planned

The Inner Sunset Park Neighbors (ISPN) will hold its quarterly "sidewalk sweep" on Saturday, Aug. 7. This represents the fourth clean-up supported by the ISPN, the SF Department of Public Works and SF Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi.

To date, volunteers have tackled nearly 60 blocks, where they picked up trash and removed graffiti and other blight from public spaces.

The organization is looking for volunteers to help make the event a success. To help, meet at 9:15 a.m. on Ninth Avenue, between Irving and Judah streets, at the entrance to the parking lot/farmer's market. Breakfast, lunch and cleaning supplies will be provided for all volunteers. The clean-up ends at noon.

For more information or to confirm volunteerism, send an e-mail to tenpiecesoftrash@gmail.com.