Park and Rec news for December 3, 2014

Rec and Park's 85th Annual Holiday Tree Lighting on December 4   Kick off the holiday season with SF Rec and Park! Join us for our 85th Annual Holiday Tree Lighting at McLaren Lodge in Golden Gate Park tomorrow, Thursday, December 4, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Enjoy live entertainment, caroling, a cookie factory, sledding, snow play, carnival rides and a visit from Santa.  Free! Donate a toy for the Operation Dream and SF Police Department's annual toy drive!  Help everyone enjoy a happy holiday season by bringing a new, unwrapped toy to the event and dropping it off to any of our several donation barrels located at points throughout the event. Watch our Tree Lighting promo video here!

Meet Photographer Fred Lyon This Saturday, December 6    Harvey Milk Photo Center Presents: Meet Fred Lyon- Sat.,Dec 6th, 2014, from 1-3pm- Book Signing and New Film! Come and meet this photographer! Fred Lyon Photographer- Images from 1940-1960's, will be at the HMPC, Sat., Dec 6th from 1pm-3pm, for his book signing, and we will be showing his new documentary from 1:30pm-2:30-pm. This would make a wonderful Holiday Gift! Come meet this incredible photographer, who has captured so many beautiful and iconic images of San Francisco!  This event is open to the public and is free! Come see Fred's images which are in our gallery currently. Address:  Harvey Milk Photo Center- 50 Scott Street, San Francisco, CA 94117, (415) 554-9522.

Save the Date: Boeddeker Park Grand Opening Celebration on December 10    The Trust for Public Land and San Francisco Recreation and Parks invite you to the reopening of Boeddeker Park in the city's Tenderloin neighborhood, Wednesday, December 10, from 1 p.m. to to 4 p.m.  This event will include a special ribbon cutting ceremony, live entertainment and activities for kids and residents of all ages.  Join city officials, community organizations and neighbors for an afternoon of fun!  More info here.

Upcoming Community Opportunity Fund Workshops Upcoming workshops for individuals or groups interested in making improvements at their local park: Saturday, December 6, 2014  10 a.m. -12 p.m. PM County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park (9th Ave. & Lincoln Way) Thursday, December 11 6-8 p.m. Joe Lee Recreation Center - Multipurpose Room (1395 Mendell Street) You can find more information on the COF program and workshop materials here, or email our project manager atKaren.Mauney-Brodek@sfgov.org.  Please note: Round Four applicants may not need to attend one of these upcoming workshops.  Please follow up with Karen Mauney-Brodek to confirm.

KTVU: World AIDS Day Observed in Golden Gate Park  (Dec. 1, 2014)--- The San Francisco Bay Area marked the 26th annual World AIDS Day with memorials, free HIV testing sites, and candlelight vigils on Monday. Decades after the Centers for Disease Control first named HIV/AIDS in 1982, the human toll is clearly marked in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park at the National Aids Memorial Grove. The annual service drew a crowd of people to the grove Monday afternoon. Organizers rang a bell for each person remembered, names etched in stone at the memorial, as well as in the hearts of survivors who gathered there. See the entire news clip here, or learn more about the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park.

Mobile Rec Comes to Moscone Playground on December 6    Come out to Moscone Playground (1800 Chestnut) this Saturday, December 6, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., for Mobile Rec,including climbing, slack lining, disc golf, skateboarding and BMX biking.  Free! We provide the safety equipment, you come out and play! (Event subject to cancellation due to rain. Check our website for updates.)

Join Us for a Healthy Parks Healthy People Walk in Golden Gate Park on December 6 Walk in Golden Gate Park Saturday December 6, at 10 a.m. Come join Healthy Parks Healthy People and engage in some light stretching, socializing and a guided hike around Stow Lake, one of the parks most popular areas. 10:00AM Meet by the picnic tables next to the dock. The closest Muni stop is Lincoln & 19th streets, or Fulton & 25th, you will then walk into Golden Gate Park following the signs to Stow Lake. Please check local weather forecasts - Trail Walks will be canceled due to rain or unsafe conditions. For more information email lisa.mchenry@sfgov.org.

Sharon Art Studio Winter Sale on December 7

Come See Rec and Park's Talented Actors in Hush, December 12 and 13 Rec and Park's Junior Acting Troupe from the Harvey Milk Center for the Arts presents "Hush, An Interview with America" at 7 p.m. on Friday, December 12 and Saturday, December 13, at the Mission Art Rec Center (745 Treat Street).  Refreshments and raffle prizes! Admission is free but donations happily accepted through the SF Parks Alliance Gear Up Fund.  For more information,

Winter Registration Begins December 13      Get ready for winter! Registration for our popular winter programs begins Saturday, December 13, at 10 a.m., online or in person at 13 sites around the city.  With hundreds of classes at sites around the city, we have something for everyone in your family!  Click here to browse our catalog of offerings and get ready to get out and play with Rec and Park!

Hoop Shoot Free Throw Contest at Sunset Rec on December 13     Rec and Park, in partnership with the SF Elks Lodge, No.3, invites all girls and boys, ages 8-13, for our annual Hoop Shoot Contest at Sunset Rec Center (2201 Lawton Street), Saturday, December 13, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  No pre-registration necessary.  Free lunch and t-shirts for the first 80 participants.  For more information, call (415) 298-9183.

Randall Museum Holiday Crafts Day on December 13     The Randall Museum hosts its annual Holiday Crafts Day on Saturday, December 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Make your own winter holiday gifts and decorations, including rolled beeswax candles, wooden trains, scented gift soaps, candy houses and  more.  The Randall Museum is located at 199 Museum Way.  More info here.

KTVU: Old San Francisco Through the Eyes of Legendary Photographer Fred Lyon

Rec and Park news November 12, 2014

e-News from the SF Recreation and Park Department Play Ball: Registration for SFYBL's 2015 Season Begins This Saturday, November 15  The San Francisco Youth Baseball League (SFYBL), a collaboration between SF Rec and Park and the SF Fire Department's Flame Program, begins its registration period for the upcoming 2015 season this Saturday, November 15. Online at sfreconline.org or in person at your local registration site. Divisions available for girls and boys ages 4-14.  For more information, contact league coordinator Joachim Perlas atjoachim.perlas@sfgov.org or (415) 815-9340, or click here to view our event flyer. Community Planting Day & McLaren Park Trail Connector Celebration on November 15   You are cordially invited to join the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, McLaren Park Collaborative and park advocates for a special Community Planting Day to celebrate the opening of the new McLaren Park Trail Connector.  Saturday, November 15, 2014, at 10 a.m.  McLaren Park Persia Ave Entrance (Picnic Area) BACKGROUND Funded by the Parks Bond, the SF Rec and Park's Urban Trails Improvement Program realigns the steep trail segment leading to the magnificent vista point at McLaren Park overlooking Bernal Heights and downtown San Francisco.  The realignment improves public access and pedestrian safety. Palace of Fine Arts Request for Concept Proposals (RFCP) Released      The Recreation and Park Department is pleased to announce the Request for Concept Proposals for the lease of the Palace of Fine Arts building in San Francisco. For information about this unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, please visit the links below or contact Cassandra Costello at Cassandra.Costello@sfgov.org, (415) 831-2791. The Department will be hosting pre-bid conference meetings at the Palace of Fine Arts on the following dates: December 1, 2014, at 2pm December 15, 2014, at 2pm February 2, 2015, at 2pm February 5, 2015, at 10am Newly Resurfaced Sports Courts, Thanks to The Friends of Rossi Playground    A special thank you goes to The Friends of Rossi Playground, which led the recent effort to resurface all of the sports courts at the park, including three tennis courts, one basketball court and one volleyball court (all with new nets!). The Friends of Rossi Playground also spearheaded the effort to renovate the playground in 2007. Mobile Rec Comes to Crocker Amazon on November 15    Come out to Poetrero Hill Playground (801 Arkansas) this Saturday, November 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., for Mobile Rec,including climbing, slack lining, disc golf, skateboarding and BMX biking.  Free! We provide the safety equipment, you come out and play! Healthy Parks Healthy People Hike at McLaren Park on November 15    Free Hike At McLaren Park This Saturday November 15, at 10 a.m.  Meet at Mansell St & University St. (next to the McLaren sign and the 29 Sunset bus line) It's Spare the Chair Day! Join us for light stretching and a guided walk through groves of redwoods and cypress trees.Explore this natural area while socializing with new friends, feeling fit, and finding new inspiration in our city's native plants and wildlife. Our professional RPD Guides are certified in CPR and first aid. Please remember to bring your water and wear sunscreen. Check local weather forecasts - Trail Walks will be canceled due to unsafe conditions and/or rain. Sponsored by SRPPD & Healthy Parks Healthy People! For more information email lisa.mchenry@sfgov.org. Hoops Summit at Hamilton Rec Center on November 15    Come out to Hamilton Rec Center for our annual Girls in Sports Hoops Summit, Saturday, November 15, from noon to 5 p.m.  Coach All Mattocks and Rec and Park's Girls Athletics staff will lead drills and games and offer instruction for girls, ages 5-14.  Cost is $7 per participant; register online using course #37426.  For more information, emailal.mattocks@sfgov.org, or call (415) 203-9509. Science Saturdays with the EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park    Looking for a fun way to spend time with your family on Saturday afternoons? Head to the EcoCenter! Each Saturday from 12:30-3:30 p.m., our trained naturalists and partners offer an engaging, hands-on and fun event that is perfect for young kids to adults. Each week has a different topic or theme. UPCOMING EVENTS: November 15:   EcoCenter Tour and Native Plant Walk November 22:   Sensational Sharks of the San Francisco Bay To learn more about upcoming programs, please visit: ecocenterhhp.org "Giving Thanks" at Cartoon Art Museum Sunday Storytime Hour on November 16   Golden Gate Park Lawn Bowling Green Reopens on November 18    You are cordially invited to join the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, San Francisco Lawn Bowling Club, San Francisco Parks Alliance and park advocates for the reopening celebration of the Lawn Bowling Green in Golden Gate Park. The celebration will include a ribbon cutting ceremony, refreshment, and lawn bowling games. Tuesday, November 18, 2014, at 10 a.m. Golden Gate Park Lawn Bowling Green BACKGROUND The Lawn Bowling Green renovation includes an accessible concrete pathway and gutter surrounding the existing green and a new metal fences and gates on north and south perimeter.  The project is funded through Community Opportunity Fund (COF), a neighborhood park capital improvement program from the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond.   Annual Turkey Cook-Off on November 21    Celebrate Thanksgiving with us at our 15th Annual Turkey Cook-Off, a no-recipes-barred cooking competition between the staff and kids at our various recreation facilities, Friday, November 21, from 7 to 10 p.m., at the Laker Merced Boathouse (Skyline Blvd. and Harding Road).  All ages are welcome at this free event.  Live entertainment and food tasting.  For more information, call (415) 554-8919. See the Fred Lyon Photography Exhibit at the Harvey Milk Photo Center Now  Save the Date: Rec and Park's 85th Annual Holiday Tree Lighting on December 4   Like Us on Facebook!   Our following on Facebook is growing!  If you aren't part of our Facebook family yet, click here and "Like" us to start receiving highlights and updates on park events!