MONTCLARION: October 15, 2010

I’m penning this column in honor of California Writers Week.

At a time when the written word seems muted by talk radio and cable TV, I can’t help but feel a little vulnerable. The ones with the loudest voices seem to survive, leaving me to wonder if I should be writing IN CAPITAL LETTERS.

Yet writers have been around as long as there have been cave walls and rocks. In the Bay Area, members of the California Writers Club kick off their second 100 years in existence this weekend. Writers of every genre and level of experience are welcome to attend the organization’s monthly meetings at the Oakland Main Library. For more information, go to www.calwriters.org.

     Garbage fee: The City of Oakland has found yet another way to tax a person when they’re down. After reporting last week about the City’s $315 fee to board up your door after a break-in, a reader has forwarded news of a garbage lien. If you’re behind in your waste management payments, the City can slap a lien on your home that can only be removed by paying your garbage bill plus $50 or 10% (whichever is greater) in administrative fees. Tack on $50 more for a Release of Lien document.

      Street smarts: Thousands of students are taking to the streets this weekend for local school Walkathons. At Corpus Christi School on Park Blvd, they’ve picked a circus and sports theme for tomorrow’s event, called the Big Top.

     Meanwhile, Montclair Elementary School sports a green theme for tomorrow’s Metrathon. Even the prizes are green, which – I guess – means entirely edible. 

      Honor the orange: Make no bones about it – Halloween is in full swing at the Fat Lady. The Jack London Restaurant really puts on the pumpkin this time of year, with wall to wall things that go bump in the night. It’s no easy trick putting up all those decorations, which take weeks to unpack and hang in just the right places for maximum freak factor. It’s like dinner and a show at the Fat Lady this time of year.

     Moon dance: The big orange orb is the centerpiece of this Sunday’s (October 17) Moon Viewing Festival at Lakeside Park Garden Center. Put on by the Oakland Fukuoka Sister City Association, the celebration includes Japanese drums and dancers along with telescopic viewing of the harvest moon, a symbol of blessing and abundance in Japan and many other countries. The fun runs from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

     Hog heaven: Roasting a pig is usually reserved for luaus and backyard barbecues, but Loma Hausia likes his on a spit at the Oakland Coliseum. The East Bay contractor has roasted a pig in the parking lot at every Raiders home game since 1996. “It’s a Tongan tradition,” he says as he carves the roast beast, assuring that the football is not the only pigskin on the property.

      Got news? You can reach Ginny Prior by phone at 510-273-9418, by email at ginnyprior@hotmail.com or on the web at www.ginnyprior.com.