This Week in Noe Valley: Car Break-ins, Berkeley Comparisons, And Mini Local Celebrity Sightings

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• The local Noe Valley branch library cards are cute [camillertime]
• Brewer’s blackbird spotted in Noe Valley [@AudubonCA]
• Spotted in the window at Drewes Meats [94th Day]
• Nice neighbor PSA: Don’t leave anything visible in your car – the streets have been lined with glass [@sfstern]
• Whole Foods supports Students Rising Above through your bag donations [SRA]
• Food drive coming to Noe Valley on Nov 23 [@SevenSquaredSF]
• A woodcut artist in LA carved an original piece of Phil Jaber of Philz Coffee – and tells his story [Woodcuting Fool]
• In elections, Berkeley is like “one big Noe Valley” [SF Gate]
• …in real estate however, not so much [Berkleyside]
• 13-year old music phenom Henry Plotnik plays the NV Farmer’s Market [KQED]
• Actor Liam Vincent lives in the neighborhood [7x7]
• So does Fat Mike of punk rock band NoFX [SF Weekly]
• There are 70 craft chocolate makers in the US today – and Chocolate Covered carries 25 of them [SF Chronicle]
• What $6,000 a month rents you in Noe Valley [Curbed]

[Photo: Colorful house via maria.bruno.sf]

This Week In Noe Valley: No More Historic F Trains On Church St, Real Estate Agents Gone Wild, #uluvmusicday

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Noe Valley's next teardown flip thwarted [Socketsite]
• SFMTA is moving the historic F line Muni cars off J Church tracks [SFMTA]
• Noe Valley realtor Lamisse Droubi sells her local home for $7.5 million (a record $3386 per square foot) [Curbed]
• Avg. $ per sq. foot of houses in Noe Valley, SF = $1188 Avg. $ per sq. foot of brand new 16GB iPad Air = $1160 [@bcrypt]
• Thanks to Yo, Noe Valley house prices will go up another notch [@nszombie]
• Cyclist who hit jaywalker on 24th St aquitted [KTVU]
• Richard May won the Noe Valley Garden Tour raffle [Stephanie Johnson SF]
• … and the Garden Tour raised money for the 22nd St Jungle Stairs [Jungle Stairs]
• Real estate agents in SF have lost their minds – and other wisdom from a seller [Left Coast Cowboys]
• The NV Library was part of a Carnegie gift to the city (and it was built for just $37,499) [Loud Latin Laughing]
• Kif Bender, the local 13-year old singer-songwriter and guitarist will be at the SF Free Folk Festival [SF Gate]
• Lola is the textile queen of Noe Valley [Racked]
• Scott Wiener's latest newsletter [Scott Wiener]
• Few challenging Scott Wiener for the District 8 Supes seat [Bay Area Reporter]
• Noeteca is Bernal Heights' best brunch spot? [Thrillist]
• Philz: Put away your phone before ordering your coffee [willolovesyou]
• Spotted: Noe Valley’s Banksy [cms100]
• We need one of these at the top of Sanchez [Bold Italic]
• Nailed it! [@TheRealWWBTC]

[Photo: #uluvmusicday dedward007]

This Week in Noe Valley: Late-Night Mischief, Food Fight, and Holiday Cheer

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• A suspicious late-night fire in a house under construction on Sanchez [SF Appeal, NVSF photo]
• Merchants propose a moratorium on new restaurants on Valencia – detractors cite Noe Valley's failed experiment [SFGate]
• Two Day St houses damage by late-night car ramming [@Tinyrach, NVSF photo]
• Noe Valley maintains the stereotype. Represent! [The Bold Italic]
• Average Noe Valley single family home price topped $1.5 million in November [Downing & Co.]
• A break from the storms [michelejanezic]
• Carolers on 24th St [@PeepCaro] 

[Photo: Noe Valley stoops on a brisk Friday afternooon, ricardo415]

Opening: Little Folkies

The space vacated by Heliotrope on Church St has transformed into the new location for Little Folkies, an oh-so-Noe music class for kids and parents. From the flyer:

Little Folkies is a song circle for children and their parents/caregivers. It's a fun-filled and relaxed incarnation of this classic children's music format, making music with family and friends in a circle (minus the campfire).

The songs of Little Folkies presents the stuff of day to day life in language understood and loved by class members both young and old, especially relatable to children.

The songs presented at Little Folkies cover a lot of ground and will provide endless hours of fun and moments of pure joy for you and your family. The 35-40 minute class will highlight the experience of singing this wonderful material in a cozy, comfortable environment surrounded by friendly faces.

That's a lot of words to sell the classic campfire song, but it's nice to see something going in that bare stretch of Church.

No strollers (or shoes) allowed inside. The class schedule and prices are posted on the website.

Little Folkies
1515 Church St. @ 27th St
Littlefolkies.com

Noe Valley Music In The Park 2012

September heralds the arrival of summer in San Francisco, and summer means music festivals. Noe Valley's 9th Annual Music in the Park is this Saturday. From the presser: 

Bands and barbecue will be on hand at the 9th Annual Music in the Park community picnic on Sat., Sep. 8, just in time for San Francisco's actual summer. You can groove and chow down at Noe Courts Park at 24th St. and Douglass from 11 am to 3 pm. Admission is free.

The focus is on kids at this event. There'll be a jumpy tent sponsored by the Friends of Noe Valley, dodgeball organized by the Upper Noe Rec Center,stickers from Noe Valley Town Square, balloons and more. The Noe Valley Democratic Club will be registering big kids to vote.

Bands for everyone will play throughout the picnic. Headliners will include the District 8 Rock Band made up of local rock and roll parents, including Dan Luscher from Noe Valley. D8 plays progressive rock (SF? Natch!), roots and indie elements.

Not to be outdone by the parents, students are also playing. The Cadigan Dynamic jazz band is made up of recent SF high school graduates. Catch them before they're off to college! Come find out what Cadigan means! The CD play all kinds of jazz: Latin, Blues, Funk and Swing. Dancing on the lawn is definitely permitted.

Noe Valley's own Michael Capozzola will keep the show on the road as the master of ceremonies.

As last year Chef Pierre and Chef Doug will be flipping burgers and making sure your hot dogs are hot. Need your salt and sugar? Plan to pig out on chips and cookies and other goodies. Hey, it's only one day. You can run it off on Sunday. If you're thirsty, water, juices and soft drinks will be available. Proceeds from food and drink sales go to pay for Music in the Park.

This year, two local businesses have ponied up money as event sponsors: David's Teas and The Valley Tavern. The Canadians and the Irish love us! Any net proceeds go to fund the work of Friends of Noe Valley, your neighborhood association.

More bands and more kids activities are planned. Other neighborhood groups will be on hand. Check out friendsofnoevalley.com for the latest update.

What: Bands & BBQ at Noe Courts
Where: Douglass at 24th St
When: Saturday September 8th, 11am-3pm
Cost: Free entry

Noe Valley Music in the Park - Saturday, Sept 10

The real summer in San Francisco is upon us, and the Friends of Noe Valley has unveiled the details [sic] for the Sept. 10 Music in the Park event at Noe Courts:

A neighborhood event with music, BBQ and fun-filled family activities including:

• Emcee for the day Noe Valley’s own Michael Capozzola, comedian and cartoonist. Michael has performed at many local comedy clubs as well as hosted the Noe Valley Harvest Festival.
• District 8 Rock Band, a rip-roaring amalgamation of roots, prog and indie elements, made up of local parents including drummer Dan Luscher from Noe Valley, who will treat us to a roster of their greatest hits.
• Hilary Craddock, Noe Valley singer songwriter and piano teacher, along with former Playdate members Sharon Gillenwater, also from Noe Valley, and Rich Burns who preform in a style that is strong on harmonies with a bit of alternative twist.
• Willow the Wisp a banjo, accordian group based in Noe Valley.
• Hula hoop demo and workshop presented by Nicloe Wong, founder of Cherry Hoops. Nicole brings high-quality instruction complete with professional hoops to make it easy to learn this mesmerizing art form.  Get ready for single hoop, poi-style twin hooping, and multi-hooping in this laughter-filled and fun workshop!
• San Francisco Scottish Dancers who provide fun, fitness, friendship and great music in a performance including lively jigs, hornpipes and reels, and elegant strathspeys.
• A Jumpy Castle that is sure to delight the kids.

What: Music in the Park
When: Saturday, September 10 11:00am-4:00pm
Where: Noe Courts (24th and Douglass)

Sunday Afternoon Chamber Music: NVCM Presents IOCSF

In case you missed it, Noe Valley Chamber Music has changed venues while Noe Valley Ministry undergoes renovations. The third concert of the 2010-2011 season is Sunday, January 30th (tomorrow), and tickets are still available. All concerts this season are at Holy Innocents Church on Fair Oaks near 26th St.

Sunday's concert features International Orange Chorale of San Francisco, performing "...new music for unaccompanied chamber choir including one of the first performances of new works by Milton Babbitt, Joshua Saulle, and David Harris." (Update: The New York Times just published Milton Babbitt's obituary.)

NVCM's Executive Director Tiffany Loewenberg tells us that "refreshments will be served, and free childcare will be provided. Tickets are $15-$18, children 12 & under free, and can be purchased online at www.nvcm.org, by phone at 415.648.5236 or at the door."

(Tiffany would also like to acknowledge Circle Bank for sponsoring the move of NVCM's Steinway grand piano. The "last hurrah" for the piano before heading to storage will be the February concert featuring pianist Robin Sutherland.)

What: International Orange Chorale of San Francisco in concert at Noe Valley Chamber Music.

When: Sunday, January 30, 2011; 4:00 pm

Where: Holy Innocents Episcopal Church
455 Fair Oaks Street (between 25th and 26th Streets)

3rd Annual Family Concert At Noe Valley Ministry

Yvonne wants you to know:

If you're looking to do something fun that your kids will love, consider coming to the 3rd Annual Family Concert with Orange Sherbet. The group features Jill Pierce who runs several popular music programs in Noe Valley. Last year's concert was a blast and this year's will be too.

Enjoy not only the music, but a raffle for kid’s costumes (Halloween is right around the corner!), gourmet baskets, Wine and other surprises! Snacks and drinks will be provided.

When: Saturday, October 2nd, 4:00-5:00PM
Where: Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez Street (between 23rd and Elizabeth Sts)
Cost: $20 per family or $10 per individual

Coming Soon: Russo Music in the Old Twin Peaks Property Space

That was quick: Harry Aleo's former Twin Peaks Property office at 4072 24th Street is papered over and a sign in the window announces Russo Music is coming soon. The space will offer "vocal instrumental lessons, sales & rentals, sheet music, reeds and accessories. All ages and experience levels welcome."

So it won't be Lululemon after all, at least not in this space. And Noe will soon have 2 music stores on 24th Street (the other is Noe Valley Music at 3914 24th St).

(Cool aside for Noe history fans: Behind old the Twin Peaks Property sign which has been removed, you can see the word Groceries painted on the store's transom windows.)

Photos: The Holiday Season In Two Acts

These two young men were playing Christmas songs before the rains came.

We regret that we don't have a picture of (or more information about) Albert. We remember a man who had books for sale or trade and a smile for everyone. Please add any remembrances of Albert in the comments.

2009 Noe Valley Harvest Festival

This Saturday is the 5th Annual Noe Valley Harvest Festival and we find ourselves repeating what we wrote last year:

Posters have popped up around the neighborhood, and organizers apparently spoke to the Noe Valley Voice [Ed.--link is to current article], but the Festival website is sorely lacking (odd in such a tech savvy neighborhood). And... the poster instructs: "Please visit our website for more information." Nice idea, but with one week to go there is still almost nothing there.

So here is the information from the poster (kindly sent to us by the entertainment/parking coordinator:

When: October 24, 10am - 5pm
Where: 24th between Church and Sanchez
Cost: Free
What: "Celebrate exhibiting artists, craftspeople & non-profits which support our Noe Valley economy & community. With more than 60 different types of crafts, jewelry and artwork to choose from, support our exhibitors and get a jump on your holiday shopping!"

Schedule of Events (Main Stage):

10:00 Welcome Announcements, Emcee Michael Capozzola
10:15-11:00 The Alphabet Rockers
11:30 Kids Costume Contest
12:15-1:15 Wee the Band
1:15-1:30 Hoop the Flow (hula hoop demo)
1:30 Dog Costume Contest
2:00-3:00 Lovitt-Page Rock Band
3:15 Pie-Eating Contest sponsored by Noe Valley Bakery
3:30 Gypsy Tease Flamenco Dance [Ed.--guessing that this is the right link/artist.]
4:00-5:00 Go Van Gogh

11:00-3:00 Hayride, free for kids, departs from Walgreens

8:00pm Lost in the Fog screening in the parking lot between Le Zinc and le Shack. "Refreshments" provided by Whole Foods. Bring a blanket and chair.

Additional family-friendly entertainment includes: photo booth, juggler, dunk tank, balloon artist, face painting, caricaturist, jumpy tents, and of course ... a pumpkin patch.

[Noe Valley Harvest Festival]
[NVV: How to Raise Hay At the Oct. 24 Harvest Festival]
[NVSF: Photos: Noe Valley Harvest Festival (2008)]

Noe Valley Chamber Music

Noe Valley Chamber Music kicks off the 2008-2009 season this weekend:

The Artists’ Vocal Ensemble will fête our city’s namesake and advocate for peace with Renaissance and contemporary works from Europe and America. This choral group, directed by acclaimed early music specialist Jonathan Dimmock, will be sure to delight.

What: Francis of Assisi: Musical Musings on a World Order
When: Sunday, October 12, 4:00pm
Where: Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez St
Tickets: $18.00, available through website

[Noe Valley Chamber Music]