eNews from SF Recreation and Parks- December 6, 2023

[SF Recreation and Parks]

Updates, news and events in San Francisco parks   Highlights, News & Announcements   Annual Holiday Tree Lighting in Golden Gate Park on December 7 Rec and Park is hosting the 94th annual holiday tree lighting event along the JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park on Thursday, December 7, from 4 to 8 p.m., featuring carnival rides, arts and crafts, live entertainment, cookie decorating and, of course, the ceremonial lighting of Uncle John's tree, the historic 100-foot tall Monterey cypress outside McLaren Lodge (501 Stanyan Street). Additionally, there will be a lighting of the Menorah and Kinara for Hanukkah and Kwanzaa respectively. Entwined: Elder Mother will also debut in front of Peacock Meadow. Free bike parking will be provided by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. For more information, including accessibility information, click the link below. Holiday Tree Lighting   Fillmore Turk Mini Park Reopening Celebration on December 15 Join Mayor London Breed, CHARM SF and key community leaders for a holiday event celebrating the reopening of Fillmore Turk Mini Park (Fillmore and Turk streets) on Friday, December 15 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. The event will feature a toy giveaway, holiday cookies, hot cocoa, live performances, a tree giveaway and more. Afterwards, swing by the Second Annual Holiday Night Market and Block Party from 5 to 9 p.m. at Fillmore and O'Farrell streets that will feature live music, a kids wonderland, food trucks, vendors and more! For more information, click this link. The park reopens after a renovation that upgraded drainage, improved accessibility, installed a new lawn, and more. Learn about the project at the link below. Fillmore Turk Mini Park Project   People of the Parks: Getting Fit at UN Plaza The recent redesign of United Nations Plaza has been attracting an array of new people to the historic public space. Markell is one of them. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw the new additions: skating elements, a fitness court, and ping pong, teqball, and chess tables. “This is my fourth or fifth time back,” he said of the fitness court that was created through a partnership between SF Rec and Park and the National Fitness Campaign. “I’m getting back into working out. Calisthenics is a good way to do it,” Markell said. “It’s one thing to do a bench press, but this workout is something else!” His next challenge: trying out one of the many free fitness classes happening at U.N. Plaza. Checkout the weekly class schedule for workout classes by Rae Studios, as well as for Zumba, Yoga, and much more at the link below. People of the Parks is a series of short stories, based on conversations with people we meet in San Francisco parks. Civic Center Plazas   2024 Camp Mather Lottery Now Open We're excited to share that the Camp Mather lottery is open and will run through Friday, January 5 of 2024. Family Camp will run in weeklong sessions from June 2 through August 17, with Inclusion Week from July 28 to August 3. To register for the lottery, you will need a Rec and Park account. If you don’t have an account, you can create one at sfrecpark.org/register or call us at (628) 652-2900 for assistance. Registrants will need to upload a verification of San Francisco residency after a lottery application has been submitted, with the deadline for this on January 5, 2024. For more information, including rules and regulations, as well as fees, click the link below. Camp Mather   Register for the San Francisco Youth Baseball League's 2024 Season It's not too early to think about the 2024 San Francisco Youth Baseball League (SFYBL) season! The league includes baseball divisions for boys and girls, ages 4-14, with the season beginning March 2024. Register today at the link below. Questions? Contact the league coordinator at emmanuel.blackwell at sfgov.org. SFYBL Registration   Citywide Recreation Facility Closure on December 14 Heads up! All of our recreation facilities, including pools, recreation centers and clubhouses, will be closed from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, December 14 for a staff training. They will reopen afterward, resuming their regular schedules.     Gene Friend Rec Center Project: Last Day of Operations December 21 We're getting close to the start of the Gene Friend Recreation Center project, with the groundbreaking anticipated for early 2024. Please note that the last day of operations for the old recreation center will be on Thursday, December 21. The project will create a completely new modern building that will be significantly larger than the previous facility. It will feature a two-court gymnasium, exercise facilities, and two multipurpose rooms. Outdoor improvements will include a new playground, multi-court, plantings, and lighting. Learn more about the project and stay up to date at the link below. Gene Friend Rec Center Project   Park Padel at Embarcadero Plaza Check out Park Padel's new one-year pop-up courts located in Embarcadero Plaza! Padel, frequently described as a cross between tennis and squash, is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Like pickleball, padel is easy to learn, social, and usually played as a doubles game on a court about a third of the size of a tennis court. However, padel courts are bounded by glass walls, allowing players to hit the ball off multiple surfaces, much like squash. Free play with advanced reservation takes place Monday through Thursdays from 2 to 4 p.m. For more information and to make a reservation, click the link below. Park Padel   Holiday Ice Rink at Union Square The Safeway Holiday Ice Rink, presented by Kaiser Permanente, is back at Union Square (333 Post Street). Hours are 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily through January 15, with the exception of closing at 9:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children 8 and under, with skate rental included in the cost of admission. All tickets must be purchased in advance and a portion of ticket proceeds benefits San Francisco Recreation and Parks. For more information and to purchase tickets, click the link below.  Union Square Ice Rink   Upcoming Events   Ikebana Holiday Bazaar in Golden Gate Park on December 8 Join Ikebana International's San Francisco Bay Area Chapter for its annual holiday bazaar on Friday, December 8 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the County Fair Building (1199 9th Avenue) in Golden Gate Park. Ikebana, or Japanese flower arrangement, is an ancient Asian art vibrantly practiced in contemporary interpretations by this organization's members. Shop Ikebana containers, crafts, plant material, and holiday arrangements. At noon, see the Ohara Ikebana School's holiday arrangement demonstration. For more information, click the link below. Ikebana Holiday Bazaar   Jingle on the Way at the Great Highway on December 9 Join the Friends of Great Highway Park for its Jingle on the Way at the Great Highway and Judah Street on Saturday, December 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature holiday karaoke and sing-alongs, cargo bike Santa, miniature train rides and more! For more information, click the link below. Jingle on the Way   Tool Care Workshop at La Grande Community Garden on December 9 Join the our Urban Agriculture team for a tool care workshop at La Grande Community Garden (264 Dublin Street) on Saturday, December 9 from 2 to 4 p.m. Learn how to clean, sterilize and sharpen your garden tools! The workshop will include Cantonese translation. For more information and to RSVP, email communitygardens at sfgov.org.   Harvey Milk Center for the Arts Holiday Craft Fair on December 10 The Harvey Milk Center for the Arts (50 Scott Street) is hosting its annual holiday craft fair on Sunday, December 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will include numerous local artists offering their unique handmade holiday gifts for sale to the public. There will also be family friendly craft activities, a free photo booth, and hot apple cider. For more information, email HMCAevents at sfgov.org or call (415) 554-8742. Harvey Milk Center for the Arts   Sharon Art Studio's Winter Sale on December 10 The Friends of Sharon Art Studio invite you to do your holiday shopping with a number of local artists, whose handmade items include ceramics, jewelry, fine arts, textiles and more! The event will take place at the County Fair Building (1199 9th Avenue) on Sunday, December 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, click the link below. Winter Sale   Holidays on Taraval at McCoppin Square on December 10 Join community partners for the Holidays on Taraval block party at McCoppin Square (Taraval Street between 21st and 24th Avenue) on Sunday, December 10 from 2 to 7:30 p.m. The event will feature live music and performances, handmade goods, community activities and the annual tree lighting, as well as merchants ready for you to stroll, shop and dine on Taraval. See you at the square!   Explore and Learn at Joe Lee Recreation Center on December 12 Join EcoCenter staff and community partners for the free Explore and Learn program. Usually hosted in Heron's Head Park, the program will hit the road this winter and spring. Explore and Learn is a family-friendly program for parents and children to connect with nature through stories and outdoor activities. Attendees will participate in live storytelling and nature walks. For more information and to register for the next occurrence at Joe Lee Recreation Center (1598 Oakdale Avenue) on Tuesday, December 12 from 10 to 11:30 a.m., click the link below. Additional questions? Call (415) 676-1394 or email ecocenterhhp at sfgov.org.  Explore and Learn   SF Marina Small Craft Harbor Holiday Event on December 15 The San Francisco Marina Small Craft Harbor's (3950 Scott Street) lighted boat parade and holiday event returns on Friday, December 15 from 4 to 8 p.m. Come out for family fun at this event that will feature refreshments, live music, train rides and Santa. There will also be donation bins for the San Francisco Fire Department's annual toy drive so bring a new unwrapped toy. See you dockside!    6th Annual People's Holiday Tree Lighting on December 15 Join the Tenderloin People's Congress on Friday, December 15 for the Sixth Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony at Boeddeker Park (246 Eddy Street) beginning at 5 p.m. There will be music, live entertainment, special guests and more. See you at the park!   Programming   Bean Sprout Family Days at the San Francisco Botanical Garden Come out to the San Francisco Botanical Garden's (1199 9th Avenue) Bean Sprout Family Days on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon, and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. Grab some tools at the garden's welcome station or bring your own to dig, water, pick, build and explore in the Children's Garden. All programs free of charge with no preregistration required. For more information, click the link below. Bean Sprout Family Days   Drop-In Wheelchair Basketball at Glen Park Rec Center Glen Park Recreation Center (70 Elk Street) is hosting a free drop-in wheelchair basketball session every Saturday from 9 to 10:45 a.m. through January 6. All ages are welcome. You don't have to have a mobility disability to participate, but you must be able to maneuver a wheelchair. Wheelchairs are available (will fit people at least 5-feet tall). Let's get hooping!   Sundays at the Beach on the Great Highway: Live Music on December 10 Join the Friends of Great Highway Park for its Sundays at the Beach programming. These free activities from tai chi to chair yoga, will be hosted four times a month. The next event will be live music on Sunday, December 10, featuring Fake Melody at the Great Highway and Judah Street from noon to 3 p.m. For more information, click the link below. Great Highway Park   Movie Night at Glen Park Recreation Center on December 12 Join our staff at Glen Canyon Park Recreation Center (70 Elk Street) for classic movie nights! The next one will take place on Tuesday, December 12, beginning at 6 p.m. featuring the 1941 film "Pot O' Gold." Come out to meet your neighbors and to enjoy these vintage films. For more information, contact the center at (415) 239-4007.   Soccer Fridays at Tenderloin Recreation Center through December 15 Join Street Soccer USA, the Tenderloin Community Benefit District and Rec and Park for Soccer Fridays at Tenderloin Recreation Center (570 Ellis Street) from 5 to 8 p.m. through December 15. This drop-in program is for middle and high school players to work on their game ahead of the 23/24 soccer season and to meet other players in their community. Note that the outdoor court will have coed soccer, while the indoor gym will be reserved for Girls Night Fridays, featuring a number of recreational activities, including soccer. For more information, call the center at (415) 292-2162.   Mobile Rec at Palega Recreation Center on December 16 Mobile Rec comes to Palega Recreation Center (500 Felton Street) on Saturday, December 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to free BMX biking and skateboarding, our rock wall will be available for aspiring climbers to reach new heights! Equipment will be provided. For more information, click the link below. Mobile Rec   Coyotes Exploring San Francisco Our Video of the Week is a recent clip of coyotes exploring Golden Gate Park. Have you noticed more coyotes in your neighborhood? This time of year, yearlings tend to seek out new territories and can often be seen wandering our streets. As they explore, let's make sure we're coexisting harmoniously:   Leash Those Pups: If you're out with your four-legged friends, keep them on a leash when not in designated off-leash dog parks. It's not just a city law; it's a wildlife-friendly move. Lock It Up: Secure your trash cans and bring pet food inside to avoid tempting our coyote neighbors. A little extra precaution goes a long way. Respect Their Space: If you spot a coyote, maintain a safe distance. These creatures contribute to our city's ecosystem, so let's give them the space they need.    Have you had any coyote encounters lately? Please report sightings to San Francisco Animal Care and Control at acc at sfgov.org. For more information, click the link below. Coyotes in the City   San Francisco Recreation and Parks | sfrecpark.org         SF Recreation and Parks | McLaren Lodge-Golden Gate Park, 501 Stanyan Street, San Francisco , CA 94117 Unsubscribe house at digitalkingdom.org Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by rpdinfo at sfgov.org powered by Try email marketing for free today!
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