IT’S TIME FOR AN EASTER PARADE ON UNION
It’s been 23 years since the businesses on Union Street began holding an Easter parade, and in that nearly quarter century of time, the celebration has grown to about 30,000 participants coming into the neighborhood and partaking in lots of family- friendly activities.
The 23rd Annual Easter Parade and Spring Celebration takes place Sunday, April 20, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. In addition to the parade, which begins at 2 p.m., there will be (take a breath — it’s a long list) inflatable bounce houses, kid’s rides and games, a climbing wall, hands-on activities for children, costumed characters, a petting zoo, a pony ride, and live musical performances.
And if you’re feeling creative or just lucky, enter the Easter Bonnet Contest; the judging booth will be on Union Street at Buchanan and from 11:15 a.m.–1:30 p.m. bonnets will be rated in a number of categories, including Best in Show, Best Couple, Best Pet, Most Elegant, Most Comical, and several others.
BOOK LOVERS HEAD TO THE FORT
The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library don’t just want to pull you into Fort Mason to buy some books; they want to pull your leg first. The venerable organization announced that its upcoming book sale was inundated with so many used copies of 50 Shades of Grey that volunteers have pulled out all 10,000 copies of the book and shipped them off to the Midwest.
That’s not true, of course. What is true is that if the thought of a quarter-million books, DVDs, CDs, audio books, vinyl records, and other types of media is enough to get you out of your seat, you can head over to Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion April 15–20 for the Spring Book Sale from the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.
In addition to all of those goodies to sift through, there will be up to three prizes given away each day, with Friends giving out daily clues on Twitter (twitter.com/friendssfpl) and Facebook (facebook.com/friendssfpl). Prizes include $100 gift certificates to Delfina and State Bird Provisions, tickets to the San Francisco Ballet, the Exploratorium, deYoung Museum and more. And that’s a fact.
POP-UP BAR AT GREENS
Greens Restaurant bartender Christian Zamora has developed a “pop-up bar” program, called Arts & Crafts, that will pop up Fridays through Sundays, 5–9 p.m. The program features a farm-to-table menu that includes artisanal cocktails, craft beers and wines.
Greens is located at 2 Marina Boulevard in Fort Mason, Building A.
IT TAKES A SALON VILLAGE
On March 22, 17 separate beauty businesses threw a party for their grand opening. Calling themselves the Salon Village, the businesses had hors d’oeuvres, drinks, live music from Anastasia Van Wingerden, and raffle prizes. But even if you missed the fun, you can still visit the village’s cosmetologists, hair stylists, makeup artists, and other beauty professionals at 1538 Pacific Avenue (near Polk and Pacific).
GENTEEL PUB CRAWLS?
If you walk the streets around Union, you’ll see signs urging good behavior for pub crawlers. People supporting the continued presence of these lucrative walks despite local concerns about noise, public urination, and other disturbances, are trying to civilize the traveling bacchanalia (see “Pub Crawls Roil Union Street,” Marina Times, October 2013). With city officials looking into ways to reduce problems from their presence, it looks like a little self-regulation is taking place.
