Five Things You Need to Know for Your Week in Alameda

Five Things appears Mondays on Alameda Patch and offers a window into what's happening on the Island in the week ahead. Send ideas for future Five Things to janonpatch@gmail.com.

1. Maybe you caught Oakland author Novella Carpenter at the last weekend talking about her book Farm City, a first-person account of her adventure setting up an urban farm on an empty lot in a downtrodden part of Oakland. Now Oakland North is reporting that Carpenter has run into regulatory troubles with the city of Oakland and may owe thousands in permit fees. Her dilemma raises questions about the growing urban farming movement, which is active in Alameda with backyard chickens and beehives and friendly swaps of home-grown veggies. Read the comments on the Oakland North site for some interesting takes on the politics of a seemingly innocuous activity.
2. Public Meetings Roundup: The Alameda Hospital board meets tonight (Monday); its sessions are recorded and you can see them online if you miss the meeting. The is on tap Tuesday evening and will consider adjusting parking requirements for commercial businesses and the city’s secondhand smoke ordinance. The talks Wednesday night about the summary report that was generated from community input about the future of Alameda Point development, and about a review of prospects for leasing out more of the buildings there.
3. OK, , I’ll bite. This description of is too eclectic to pass up: This band borrows liberally from Klezmer, Western Swing, Tango, and Ska, while throwing tradition out the window. Balkan surf ska, with a Western Swing Ethiopian twist. It should be a nice, if cool, night to sit outside (though they also have indoor seating) with a beer or cocktail and come up with your own description of Go Van Gogh’s music, which sounds profoundly danceable.
4. It’s easy to forget how fortunate we are to have some great arts organizations in Alameda, such as and the , among many others. These organizations draw people from both on and off the island for their classes and events, and just give Alameda some much-needed oddball fun to balance out its old-fashioned small-town image. So it’s distressing to hear that Rhythmix needs more financial support to stay open. They depend largely on donations and have a special match going for contributions in April; think about being a supporter. Portland has its Keep Portland Weird bumpersticker to show support for creativity and counterculture; maybe we can have Keep Alameda Just Out of the Mainstream. Or do you have a better suggestion?
5. It's girls' softball season, and Patch has in all its glory.

Plan ahead: As part of the rehabbing of Alameda’s two branch libraries ( and ), some for their walls. Two receptions on Saturday, April 16 are planned to view the dedication of the art and to meet the artists. The Bay Farm reception is at 2 p.m. with Kana Tanaka’s “Bubbles to the Sky” and at the with artists Debey Zito, Terry Schmitt and Owen Smith.