There is plenty to keep you entertained, educated and civically engaged this week in Richmond and nearby communities.
Highlights include: A day to remember Japanese American families interned during World War II; a Richmond Art Center show is on view at Macy’s in San Francisco; and the city is offering a day camp for WCCUSD students who will be on break the week of Presidents Day, which is Monday.
For more, see our list of ongoing things to do (many of which are free). Also, don’t forget to add your events to our free community calendar.
- Register for spring arts classes at Richmond Art Center
- Free pet vaccination clinic at Civic Center
- Meet artists from Richmond’s Art of the African Diaspora exhibit at Macy’s Union Square
- Day of Remembrance spotlights Japanese American incarceration
- Learn how to safely grow mushrooms in your garden
- Children’s day camps available during WCCUSD school break
- Hit the slopes at Snow Day community event at Nicholl Park
- $36 million now available for community health projects
- Nominate a bicycle champion from your community
- Deadline is March 9 for Richmond Promise Scholarship competition
- County seeking volunteers for solid waste management panel
- Related stories
Register for spring arts classes at Richmond Art Center
You can make glass beads, craft a bracelet or learn how to work a pottery wheel at the Richmond Art Center in the coming months.
Registration for spring classes is now open. The courses are offered in March, April and May.
The classes range from crushed stone inlay techniques to Japanese brush painting to nature journaling. Classes cost from $80 to $360, and there is tuition assistance available.
Free pet vaccination clinic at Civic Center
You can get your dog or cat vaccinated for free at a weekend clinic in Richmond.
Joybound People & Pets is sponsoring a vaccination clinic along with the city of Richmond and Contra Costa County Animal Services.
Vaccinations will be given to pets on a first-come, first-served basis. All pets must be at least 6 weeks old. Their guardian must be at least 18.
Dogs must be on leash or in a secure carrier. Cats must be in a secured carrier.
The vaccinations available are DAPP and rabies inoculations for dogs and FVRCP and rabies shots for cats.
Microchipping services will also be available.
Joybound pet vaccination clinic, Sat., Feb. 14, 9 a.m., Richmond Civic Center parking lot, 325 Civic Center Plaza. Free.
Meet artists from Richmond’s Art of the African Diaspora exhibit at Macy’s Union Square
An exhibit featuring eight artists from across the Bay
Area that’s on view in San Francisco as part of the Richmond Art Center’s Art of the African Diaspora is hosting an artists’ talk this weekend.
The Macy’s show, curated by Richmond artist Chamia LaRae, is one of more than 40 satellite exhibitions across the nine Bay Area counties, including at the Richmond Art Center, between January and June showcasing more than 160 artists of African descent.
The Macy’s exhibition, which runs through March 7, will host an artist meet and greet Saturday and a closing reception March 7.
“Visitors to this show are in for a real treat, LaRae said in a press release. “The
eight featured artists each possess a unique, signature creative style. Their perspectives, imagination and deliberate execution shine in this space. It’s wonderful sharing our work in this iconic location.”
Macy’s Art of the African Diaspora artist meet and greet, 170 O’Farrell St, San Francisco., Sat. Feb. 14, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; closing reception Sat., March 7, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Free.
Day of Remembrance spotlights Japanese American incarceration
An observance will be held at the Rosie the Riveter museum to remember the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
The Celebration of The Day of Remembrance is designed as a day for Americans of Japanese descent to reflect on the consequences of President Franklin Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 that required the internment of all Americans of Japanese descent after the military airstrike by the Japanese military on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
Under the order, more than 120,000 Japanese-Americans, including many Richmond and west Contra Costa County families, were forced to move to “assembly centers” in various locations in the United States. Nearly 70,000 were American citizens.
Celebration of The Day of Remembrance, Sat., Feb. 14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Rosie the Riveter historical center, 1414 Harbour Way South. Free.
Learn how to safely grow mushrooms in your garden
A pair of experts will provide tips on growing mushrooms in your garden at a free clinic at the Curious Flora nursery.
Aileen Carroll and David Shubin of the nonprofit Bay Area Applied Mycology (BAAM) will provide information on safely cultivating edible mushrooms in your home garden.
Cultivation kits will also be available courtesy of BAAM.
Welcoming Mushrooms into Your Garden clinic, Sun., Feb. 15, 2 p.m., Curious Flora nursery, 740 Market Ave. Free.
Children’s day camps available during WCCUSD school break
Looking for something for your kids to do during the upcoming week off following Presidents’ Day?
The city is hosting camps for youths kindergarten through eighth-grade at the Richmond Recreation Complex.
The Presidents’ Week Camp will be held Tue., Feb. 17 through Fri., Feb. 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $60 for the week for Richmond residents and $75 for non-residents.
There are also before- and after-care options available for an additional cost.
Presidents’ Week Camp, Tue., Feb. 17, to Fri., Feb. 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Richmond Recreation Complex, 3230 Macdonald Ave. $60 for Richmond residents; extra care hours are $20 for residents and $25 for non-residents.
Hit the slopes at Snow Day community event at Nicholl Park
Bundle up and bring your sled or snow saucer to Nicholl Park.
The city is sponsoring a free family Snow Day with artificial snow covering the ground.
Activities include music, games, rock climbing and snow-related events. Food will also be available for purchase.
Snow Day, Wed., Feb. 18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Nicholl Park, 3230 Macdonald Ave. Free.
$36 million now available for community health projects
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is now accepting applications for community health and environmental programs in the Richmond and San Pablo areas.
The Local Community Benefits Fund is for community-driven projects that reduce air pollution, improve health outcomes and build economic resilience for a transition away from the effects of a fossil fuel economy.
The fund has $36 million available from fines, penalties and settlements collected from Chevron’s Richmond refinery. (Fines are collected from other companies as well.)
The deadline to apply is May 29. The air district’s board of directors will select grant recipients by fall 2026. The grants will be awarded in late 2026 and early 2027.
The district has set up a Zoom meeting on Feb. 19 for Richmond and San Pablo area organizations that are interested in obtaining more information.
Local Community Benefits Fund Zoom meeting, Thur., Feb. 19, 6 p.m. Free.
Nominate a bicycle champion from your community
Know someone who is a notable cyclist in your neighborhood?
You can nominate them for special recognition now.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is accepting nominations this month for its annual Bicycle Champion of the Year awards.
Nominations are being accepted until March 1. The MTC describes bicycle champions as people who are “dedicated to promoting bicycling as a primary mode of transportation and who inspire others in their communities.”
One honoree will be selected from each of the nine Bay Area counties. Teresa Datar of Brentwood was selected as the 2025 recipient from Contra Costa County for her 70-mile daily commute via bicycle and BART as well as her support for local bicycle clubs and programs.
The MTC also bestowed a memoriam honor to Bill Pinkham, a Richmond resident who died in May 2025 and was known as a strong advocate for cycling.
This year’s Bicycle Champions will be announced in April. They’ll be celebrated as part of the MTC’s Bike to Wherever Days on May 14.
Deadline is March 9 for Richmond Promise Scholarship competition
Credit: Jana Kadah/Richmondside
Richmond students have until March 9 to apply for college and training scholarships.
The Richmond Promise Scholarship Program provides $1,500 scholarships that are renewable for a four- to six-year period.
The funds can be applied to any two or four-year post-secondary school or career technical education institution.
Applicants must be under the age of 24 and be residents of Richmond or unincorporated North Richmond. They must also have graduated from a West Contra Costa Unified School District high school or have a GED high school equivalency certificate from 2024 to 2026.
There are now more than 1,300 promise scholars attending colleges and universities across the country.
County seeking volunteers for solid waste management panel
Contra Costa County officials are looking for area residents to serve on an advisory panel for its solid waste management operations.
The independent hearing panel serves under the Contra Costa Solid Waste Local Enforcement Agency.
The agency ensures that all solid waste disposal facilities and medical waste generators comply with local, state and federal codes and regulations.
The three-member panel holds hearings on matters related to solid waste enforcement, permits and appeals.
The appointment would be a four-year term that lasts until March 2030. Panel members are paid a $50 stipend on hearing days.
People who are interested can apply via the county’s online boards and commission application form.
Applications are due by March 6. Candidate interviews will be conducted on March 23.
For more, see our list of ongoing things to do (many of which are free). Also, don’t forget to add your events to our free community calendar.
