Neighborhood Notes: Avocado Con, Live Mural Painting, Cooking Classes, And New Businesses

San Francisco CA

31 July, 2021

5:17 PM

Description

By Eleni Balakrishnan, Mission Local July 29, 2021 Luna Park. Photo by Lydia Chávez, July 2021This virus isn't going away Earlier this week, the CDC recommended that even those vaccinated should wear masks indoors, as the delta variant is spreading among vaccinated people. On Thursday, Sacramento County reinstated a mask mandate. No mask mandate here, but we're not in the clear yet. Starting today, hundreds of bars within the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance have agreed to require vaccination proof or a negative test to drink indoors. Mission bars like Latin American Club, Make Out Room, and Teeth are participating, but we recommend checking with each bar before visiting to verify their specific rules and enforcement. If you get vaccinated this Friday, you can get an eighth of weed for smooth sailing into the weekend. Code Tenderloin is hosting a Vaccine Rap Day on the 900 block of Market Street, and if you're 21+ (with ID) and get vaccinated there, you'll get the hookup. Rappers and singers from the community will perform songs about getting vaccinated. The event starts at 4 p.m. Avocado Con California's favorite fruit will be the center of attention at the fourth annual Avocado Con. This year's festivities will be held at District Six, formerly known as SoMa StrEat Food Park, under the bridge at 428 11th Street. Apparently it will be National Avocado Day, not that we need any extra excuses or reasons to get the stuff on everything. Organizers promise "over-the-top avo toasts, flaky avo-stuffed empanadas, wood-fired avo-topped pizzas, juicy guac burgers, avo ice cream sandos, crispy panko-breaded avo fries," and more. Not only will there be 12+ vendors including Mission favorites Señor Sisig and Al Carajo, DJs will be there so you can "back that Hass up" 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets for entry are $5, but kids under 10 get in free! In-person youth dance classes Dance Mission Theater recently announced in-person, in-studio programming for the upcoming fall semester. Registration begins on Monday, Aug. 2 for both the Youth Program and Grrrl Brigade, and the semester begins August 23rd. If you need financial assistance, you are encouraged to reach out! Grrrl Brigade requires an in-class audition and two years of dance experience is suggested. Focused on girls ages 9 to 18, Grrl Brigade is an "intensive dance/leadership development program designed to provide high quality dance training, performance opportunities, and a sense of self-empowerment." If you're more of a beginner, the Youth Program is open to everyone, with all sorts of classes from Hip Hop to Modern, Taiko to Salsa. Questions about the Youth Program can be addressed to [email protected], and those about Grrrl Brigade can go to [email protected]. For the full schedule and information on how to register, visit DanceMissionTheater.org. National Night Out Come out and meet your neighbors and the Mission Police Department on Tuesday, Aug. 3 at Mission Playground. Each of San Francisco's police stations will host its own night out within the community, as part of an annual event hosted by police departments around the country. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., there will be representatives of the SFPD, K-9 unit, and motorcycle police around the park, with activities for children. The ATVs might even make an appearance. Rooftop Cooking Ever wanted to learn how to make Thai food or Mumbai street food? Now's your chance. BiteUnite recently opened a kitchen co-working space at S Van Ness and 17th Street, and it has a wide range of classes available. Or if you just want to eat, the professional chefs will cook for you and your friends, too. On Saturdays, Thai cooking classes will be held on the rooftop. This weekend's classes are full, but seats are still available for Aug. 7. If you keep scrolling, you'll see all the private class and delicious food options available. Mini Mural Festival For the first weekend of the Mini Mural Festival, artists Josue Rojas and DJ Agana will be live-painting murals at the SFMOMA. Acción Latina is hosting the event, which will include DJ sets and dance performances on both days. For more information on the lineup, visit the website. The festival will span three weekends, and is taking inspiration from Diego Rivera, who painted his Pan American Unity mural during the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in 1940. Rivera's mural is currently on display for free at the SFMOMA until 2023. New openings In spite of the confusion of coronavirus case spikes and ever-changing recommendations around masks, businesses are still opening in the Mission. It looks like Beretta's got some new competition: Bottega90, a new Italian restaurant at 1132 Valencia Street has started taking orders for takeout and delivery, and plans to open for dine-in service in late August, though employee Jose Mutul said it might take longer to get everything in order. Bernie's Bees, a new Italian ice shop at 2669 Mission Street, expects to open in the next week or so – the owner is just making some last minute tweaks to the recipes. And the restaurant Luna, formerly Luna Park, has also reopened at 694 Valencia Street. Mission Local covers San Francisco from the vantage point of the Mission, a neighborhood with all of the promise and problems of a major city. You can support Mission Local here.