Hello Richmondside readers. Some highlights of this week’s What’s Up column include: A San Francisco Giants baseball game that benefits local libraries and the opening of prolific Richmond muralist John Wehrle’s art show.
Also: The 2025 roller derby season is back at Richmond Memorial Auditorium, and there’s a fundraiser for a new mural honoring a west county watershed.
And finally, if you’re looking for information about ongoing things to do in Richmond (many of which are free), we’ve got you covered. Learn where to hike or go swimming, take an exercise class, visit art museums, and find family friendly activities using 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
- Roller derby returns to Richmond for season opener
- Define your personal growth goals at vision board party
- Community events, arts and crafts at library Spring Fling
- John Wehrle exhibit opening reception Saturday at Richmond Art Center
- A discussion on the importance of the Tuskegee Airmen
- Go to a Giants game to support Richmond libraries
- Career fair for young Richmond residents
- Enjoy some bird watching during stroll around Hilltop Lake
- Live music, comedy at local establishments
Things to know
Fundraiser supports watershed mural in El Sobrante
A fundraising campaign has begun for a watershed mural that is scheduled to be painted over the next two months.
The mural will beautify a building next to the parking lot for Krispy Krunchy Chicken on Appian Way in El Sobrante.
The artist is Yulia Pinkusevich, a member of the local group Sobrante Triangle Works. Pinkusevich is an associate professor at Northeastern University’s College of Arts, Media and Design campus in Oakland.
She says on her website that the work will honor Appian Creek, which is part of the San Pablo Watershed, a vast and complex watershed network that travels from Orinda to Richmond’s harbor.
Titled “We Are All In This Together,” the work imagines a birds’ or god’s eye view of the watershed, “aglow, enlivened by an array of animals native to our community.”
“These ghost-like animals not only pay homage to California’s wild past and harmony with indigenous human communities, their glowing spirits represent a hope for the future,” the artist states.
So far, the GoFundMe mural campaign has raised more than $2,200 of its $5,000 goal..
Richmonders plan to join Saturday Hands Off 2025 political protest
West Contra Costa County residents plan to join activists nationally who will gather Saturday to send a message to Washington, D.C., that they “do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies,” according to a statement from Indivisible.
“Alongside Americans across the country, we are marching, rallying, and protesting to demand a stop the chaos and build an opposition movement against the looting of our country.”
West Contra Costa County events are scheduled to take place in Hercules and El Sobrante. Other protests are planned for Berkeley, Oakland and Alameda.
The El Sobrante protest is scheduled for 1 p.m., organizers said, at the intersection of San Pablo Dam Road and Appian Way.
More information, including the locations and times of local gatherings, is available at handsoff2025.com
Launch a healthy food career: Nonprofit hiring nutrition ambassadors
Fresh Approach, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting farmers and communities, has a part-time paid internship for a young Richmond resident.
The group is hiring a Richmond nutrition education community ambassador, age 18 to 24, to get experience and training in a professional certificate program in nutrition and food safety.
The job requires eight hours of work per week and pays $22 per hour over nine months, from May through January.
The nonprofit is also hiring a food access community ambassador. This temporary part-time job requires three hours of work per week and pays $22 per hour. The position runs from May to October.
In addition, Fresh Approach is hiring a farmers market promotion program community navigator for Contra Costa County. The position requires three to six hours of work per week and pays $22 per hour. The job runs from May through September.
Sign up for city’s Spring Break Camp for children
Need something for your children to do during the upcoming spring break from school?
Richmond Community Services is sponsoring daily Spring Break Camp activities during the first full week of April.
The activities will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for children between the ages of 5 and 14 at the Booker T. Anderson, May Valley, Nevin, Parchester and Shields Reid community centers as well as the Richmond Recreation Complex.
The cost is $70 for the Monday through Friday day activities. There is also extended care from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. for $20 per session.
Spring Break Camp 2025 is being held April 7 to April 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at various community centers.
Things to do
Roller derby returns to Richmond for season opener
The Oakland Outlaws and the San Francisco Rolling Dead will clash Saturday as women’s roller derby returns for a second year to Richmond’s Memorial Auditorium.
The Outlaws and Rolling Dead are two of six teams in the Bay Area Derby, a league of all-female flat track roller derby teams.
The Bay Area Derby season opening contest is on Sat., April 5, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza. Adult tickets range from $35 to $50, not including fees.
Define your personal growth goals at vision board party
You can visualize your future at a personal growth seminar this weekend.
The Blueprint to Your Success Vision Board Party will be held at the CoBiz offices downtown.
The event will feature guided exercises to clarify your vision and to inspire conversations and provide materials to help bring your vision to life.
The Vision Board Party is scheduled for Sat., April 5, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at CoBiz Richmond, 1503 Macdonald Ave., Suite A. Tickets are $27 per person.
Community events, arts and crafts at library Spring Fling
Children will be able to participate in a morning of arts and crafts activities at an upcoming Spring Fling at the West Side Branch Library.
It includes a two-hour arts and crafts session for children in the morning followed by community events in the afternoon sponsored by the Point Richmond Neighborhood Council.
The Spring Fling will be held on Sat., April 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the West Side Branch Library, 135 Washington Ave.
John Wehrle exhibit opening reception Saturday 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.
A discussion on the importance of the Tuskegee Airmen
The Richmond Museum of History & Culture will host a presentation on the Tuskegee Airmen this weekend.
The seminar will be led by Leigh Roberts, the western region representative of the Tuskegee Airmen Heritage Chapter of Greater Sacramento. She will talk about her father, George Roberts, who was the first African-American aviation commander of the Tuskegee Airmen’s 99th Fighter Squadron.
The Tuskegee Airmen was formed in 1941 despite opposition from proponents of segregation and “Jim Crow” laws. The squadron flew 15,000 missions and earned a number of awards and decorations for its contributions during World War II.
The free seminar is co-sponsored by the Richmond museum and The Walking Ghosts of Black History, an organization formed in Hercules in 1989 to work with historians and community leaders help showcase African American involvement in the U.S. military.
The seminar on Tuskegee Airmen Commander George Roberts is set for Sat., April 5, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Richmond Museum of History & Culture, 400 Nevin Ave.
Go to a Giants game to support Richmond libraries
You can enjoy an evening of baseball and support Richmond’s libraries at an event organized by the Friends of the Richmond Public Library and the Richmond Public Library Foundation.
Tickets are on sale for Library Night with the Giants for the Monday evening game between the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds.
Ticket prices are $15 for bleacher seats and $18.85 for upper reserve seats. Library officials said $5 of every ticket sold goes toward library programs. Tickets can be purchased up until game time.
The Library Night with the Giants is Mon., April 7, beginning at 6:45 p.m. at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
Career fair for young Richmond residents
A career and resources fair for young adults in Richmond will be held next week.
YouthWorks, a city program that helps Richmond residents ages 16 to 24 prepare for real world work environments, is sponsoring the Youth and Young Adult Resource & Career Fair.
The free event is designed to provide opportunities and connections with employers and professionals in a variety of industries.
“Whether you’re a student looking for part-time work or a recent graduate seeking your dream job, this event is perfect for you,” event organizers said. “Don’t miss out on this chance to kickstart your career.”
The Youth and Young Adult Resource & Career Fair is being held on Tue., April 8, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza.
Enjoy some bird watching during stroll around Hilltop Lake
The Golden Gate Bird Alliance is hosting a hike around a lake near Hilltop Mall in Richmond.
The stroll along Hilltop Lake Park will feature opportunities to view woodpeckers, wrens, hummingbirds, raptors and other birds.
The free outing is limited to 20 people. Participants are asked to sign up in advance by Mon., April 7, and to bring their own binoculars.
Parking is available near the lake’s entrance at the Richmond Parkway YMCA, 4300 Lakeside Drive.
The Hilltop Lake Park bird-watching hike is scheduled for Wed., April 9, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Hilltop Lake Park 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 jazz and alternative pop musician Kaitlyn Williams, who will perform on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. She’ll be followed by DJ Sticky, who will play a variety of live music from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Sunday, rhythm guitarist Nilo Ayele will take the stage from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The Baltic Kiss restaurant, 135 Park Place in Point Richmond, will feature a variety of bands and a barbecue the next four days. On Thursday, Julie and the Warm Bodies, a six-piece pop and soul band, will headline the evening along with The Exhales and District 8 from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. On Friday, The Humdinger, a rock and soul group, will share the stage with The Breakers SF, a classic rock ensemble, from 8 p.m. to midnight. On Saturday, another classic rock band, Mojo Messengers, will perform from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. On Sunday, things will get kicked off with the monthly Car-B-Que, which combines music, food and vintage cars, from noon to 3:30 p.m. That’s followed by live music from Jazz Caliente from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and then swing and blues band Fake Melody 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 and pop-up eateries most evenings with karaoke set for Tuesday night as well as Whiskey Wednesday the following evening. On Thursday, special music guests Duane Patton and Mikelle Morgan will perform 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The waterfront Riggers Loft Wine Company, 1325 Canal Blvd., will have live music on Friday and Sunday. On Friday, the Primavera Latin Jazz Band will entertain from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. On Sunday, Juke Joint will play classic soul and R&B tunes from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. There is a $5 cover charge on both days.
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, Los Nadies will perform danceable fusion songs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Sunday, versatile musician Giulia and Nightjars will take the stage from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The Windchaser Wine Company, 1352 S. 49th St., is hosting its monthly First Fridays Out event from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday with music from Chris James and The Showdowns. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.
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.
