Hello Richmondside readers. Some highlights for this week’s What’s Up column include: Learn how you can help save a community print shop and how you can support a free health care clinic.
Also: Catch an exhibition highlighting the work of prolific Richmond muralist John Wehrle, attend an upcoming march for justice and enjoy two events to welcome the arrival of spring, which begins today.
And finally, if you’re looking for information about ongoing Richmond events, we’ve got you covered. Find out about exercise classes, government meetings and family friendly activities via our daily things to do list.
Things to know and do in Richmond
- Things to know and do in Richmond
- Things to know
- Things to do
- Sierra Club webinar on San Francisco Bay shorelines is tonight
- Roll up your sleeve: Sickle cell disease blood drive ends at 3 p.m. today
- March to support families amidst “hostile federal legislation”
- Rosie the Riveter Day — silver anniversary celebration on Friday
- Richmond celebrates its first Norooz at Marina Bay Park
- Spring Fling at North Richmond Farm
- John Wehrle exhibit opens in April at Richmond Art Center
- Rotary clubs hosting fundraiser for RotaCare medical clinic
- Live music, comedy at local establishments
- Related stories
Things to know
Community print service is raising money to remain open
A local printing service that for eight years has helped artists and local organizations needs help from the community to keep the free program going.
Kenoli Oleari and Sharon Goods have started a Go Fund Me campaign to raise money to repair their printer and restock ink and other supplies.
Oleari and Goods have operated the print service from their home to reproduce artists’ work and print publicity materials for nonprofits and other community groups.
One of their bigger projects was Taking it Outdoors-Kids where they worked with Washington Elementary School and Arts of Point Richmond to provide art supplies and banner printing for student projects.
They have also helped a fire prevention group as well as park-focused groups, local clean-up projects, emergency support efforts of the local amateur radio community and booth art for public events.
Oleari and Goods say they need at least $6,000 to repair their community printer and restock supplies. So far, they received $6,285 of their $10,000 goal.
Interim Contra Costa County health director appointed
Dr. Ori Tzvieli has been appointed by county supervisors as Contra Costa’s interim health director.
Last month, Anna Roth retired as the department’s chief executive officer and health director. Tzvieli will serve in that role while the board of supervisors searches for a permanent successor.
Tzvieli began his career at Contra Costa Health in 2000 when he was hired as a family medicine specialist at the Contra Costa Regional Center in 2000. The graduate of the University of California San Francisco has served in a variety of roles in the county health department.
He was an integral part of the county’s efforts to address opioid addiction and helped lead the county’s response to the COVID pandemic.
Things to do
Sierra Club webinar on San Francisco Bay shorelines is tonight
The Sierra Club is offering a webinar to discuss a regional plan to protect San Francisco Bay shorelines.
The webinar will highlight the Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan (RSAP) adopted by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC).
The RSAP guidelines establish standards that shoreline communities must follow to gain approval from BCDC as well as to access to state funding to develop their local sea level rise plans.
“Now that the RSAP is approved, there’s a finite window of time for every shoreline community to develop their sea level rise plan,” said Arthur Feinstein, the Bay Alive campaign’s Sea Level Rise Committee Chair. “We have this once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of those conversations.”
The Sierra Club webinar on San Francisco Bay shoreline plans is scheduled for Thur., March 20, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. You can register here for the free online session.
Roll up your sleeve: Sickle cell disease blood drive ends at 3 p.m. today
A blood drive sponsored by the American Red Cross and the Community Housing Development Corporation is taking place today.
The blood drive is specifically targeted to help people with sickle cell disease, which may require getting regular blood transfusions.
Blood drive participants will receive a $20 Amazon gift card as well as a Red Cross sickle cell T-shirt.
The blood drive is being held today, March 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Corrine Sain Senior & Family Community Center, 515 Silver Ave.
March to support families amidst “hostile federal legislation”
Contra Costa County organizations will be meeting every third Friday of the month at Richmond City Hall to march for “unity, safety, connection, and healing against a barage of hostile federal legislation threatening families and communities.”
The Richmond Peace Walks have now become March4Family with a goal of uniting all families regardless of race or LGBTQ+ status or documented status.
“We believe in the unity of our coalition strength to fight for our families to stay together and are asking for elected officials to join,” said FIAEB organizer Kira Lee in a press release.
The events are sponsored by Faith in Action East Bay, Silence the Violence, Richmond Safety Stakeholders Association, and Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church.
The March4Family rally is scheduled for Fri., March 21, at 6 p.m. at Richmond City Hall, 400 Civic Center Plaza.
Rosie the Riveter Day — silver anniversary celebration on Friday
Rosie the Riveter Day 2025 will be recognized at the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historic Park Friday to honor the women who worked at the Richmond shipyards during World War II.
The free event marking the park’s 25th anniversary will feature stories of the resilience of the wartime workers as well as an unveiling of what’s new at the park.
“This unique park chronicles the explosive growth of wartime industry, the innovations fostered by visionaries like Henry J. Kaiser, and the extraordinary history of ordinary people who were challenged like never before and came together to overcome wartime odds,” said members of the Rosie the Riveter Trust in a statement.
The Rosie the Riveter National Park’s 25th anniversary event is Fri., March 21, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 1414 Harbour Way South.
Richmond celebrates its first Norooz at Marina Bay Park
You can welcome the arrival of spring at an all-day festival at Marina Bay Park in Richmond.
The city’s first Norooz Spring Celebration will feature music, dance and community building rooted in a tradition dating back thousands of years in multiple countries, organizers said.
The free event for families and friends is sponsored by the city of Richmond and Diaspora Arts Connection. Norooz, which has several different spellings, means “new day” in Persian.
Richmond city council member Soheila Bana told Richmondside in an email that as an immigrant herself, and as someone who serves a diverse community of many immigrants, she is honored to continue the legacy of those who proceeded her.
“In this beautifully diverse community, I strive to create space for all cultures to be recognized, celebrated, and embraced,” she said.
The Norooz Spring Celebration is Sat., March 22, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Marina Bay Park at Regatta Boulevard and Marina Bay Parkway in Richmond.
Spring Fling at North Richmond Farm
The nonprofit organization Urban Tilth is sponsoring a free event to celebrate spring.
The Spring Fling at the group’s North Richmond Farm will feature a live DJ, dancing and food.
“This is a perfect opportunity to shake off the ‘winter blues,’ dance, eat, enjoy volunteer projects, and have fun with friends and loved ones,” the organization states on the event website.
The Spring Fling will be held on Sat., March 22, from noon to 3 p.m. at the North Richmond Farm, 355 Brookside Drive.
John Wehrle exhibit opens in April at Richmond Art Center
The first major local exhibition of well-established Richmond artist John Wehrle will be on display soon at the Richmond Art Center.
“Time & Tide” will showcase the murals, sculptures, stitched photographs, studio paintings and other works of John Wehrle.
The exhibit will open on April 9 and run through June 14. The art center gallery is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Wehrle, a Texas native, was a combat artist during the Vietnam War. Some of his works are displayed at the Pentagon. However, he is best known in California for his murals. Those works include the full-size, colorful mural at The Plunge swimming pool in Point Richmond and many others.
An opening reception for the “Time & Tide” exhibit of works by artist John Wehrle is Sat., April 5, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Ave. Admission is free.
Rotary clubs hosting fundraiser for RotaCare medical clinic
Rotary clubs in western Contra Costa County are hosting a fundraiser for a medical clinic that provides free healthcare to adults.
The Sip & Savor Food and Wine Festival will raise money for the RotaCare West Contra Costa clinic in San Pablo.
The festival will feature music as well as beer, wine and food from local businesses. Tickets are $70 in advance and $80 on the day of the event.
RotaCare serves adults who have no health insurance. It provides urgent care services, diagnostic testing, general physical exams and referrals to social service agencies.
The Sip & Savor fundraiser is scheduled for Sat., April 12, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Salesian College Preparatory School, 2851 Salesian Ave. in Richmond.
Live music, comedy at local establishments
A number of establishments in Richmond feature live music, entertainment and other events each week.
The Backyard, 205 Cutting Blvd., is a family and dog friendly outdoor beer and wine garden with food and live music. This weekend’s lineup includes soulful music from the Bay Area All Stars, a five-piece R&B band, on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. They will be followed by karaoke from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Sunday, DJ Sticky will provide a variety of tunes from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Baltic Kiss restaurant, 135 Park Place in Point Richmond, will feature a variety of bands the next four days. On Thursday, the Mighty Mules will feature New Orleans blues music from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. On Friday, Lady May & The Working Days will share the stage with the Extra Primo Good Band from 8 p.m. until midnight. On Saturday, Halou will perform along with Quinn The Brain from 8 p.m. to midnight. On Sunday, guitarist Cole Panther will entertain the crowd from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. He will be followed by the trio David El 3-Oh from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Factory Bar, 12517 San Pablo Ave., which features indoor and dog friendly patio seating, will host food trucks Thursday, Friday and Sunday with karaoke set for Tuesday night as well as Whiskey Wednesday the following evening. On Thursday music guests Duane Patton and Mikelle Morgan will perform from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The waterfront Riggers Loft Wine Company, 1325 Canal Blvd., will have live music this weekend. On Friday, the group Hawaiian Royalty will play a blend of Island Reggae music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. There is a $5 cover charge. On Saturday, Ali & The Crisis will perform songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. There’s a $5 cover charge.
The outdoor waterfront Sailing Goat restaurant, 1900 Stenmark Drive, with views of San Francisco Bay at San Pablo Harbor, will feature live music this weekend. On Saturday, the East Bay duo Mellow Horse will perform a variety of alt-country/Americana tunes from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. On Sunday, Ruby Lee Hill will entertain with her style of classic country western from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The Windchaser Wine Company, 1352 S. 49th St., is hosting Chicago Blues with Chris James and Patrick Rynn from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The winery also hosts live music and food trucks on its outdoor patio the first Friday of every month.
Be sure to check out our list of recurring activities and our calendar for more things to do in Richmond and add your local events for free.
