SAN FRANCISCO- Musicians, fans, family, friends and community members will unite on Sunday, August 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. to celebrate the life and music of the legendary Jerry Garcia at the venue named in his honor—the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater—in San Francisco’s McLaren Park, located in Garcia’s childhood community, the Excelsior District.

This popular event—attended by approximately 4,000 people—poses a unique opportunity for local businesses, particularly those that offer food and refreshments, to embrace the celebration of Jerry Garcia and the Excelsior District by offering special menu items, coupons and deals to draw in customers before and after the festivities.

The 10th Annual Jerry Garcia Day, which will also commemorate his 70th birthday (August 1), features an eclectic lineup including Melvin Seals & JGB, who played with the Jerry Garcia Band for 15 years, Stu Allen & Mars Hotel, Peter Rowan, Sandy Rothman, Pat Nevins, Blue Bear School of Music and special guests.

Jerry Day 2012 – August 5, 2012
 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
 Jerry Garcia Amphitheater
 45 Shelley Drive (John McLaren Park), San Francisco 94134
www.jerryday.org

You probably already know that T12 lamps are not only inefficient but also do not meet the new federal standard for fluorescent lighting. After July 14, 2012, T12 lamps will no longer be available as replacement lamps. Also, the San Francisco Commercial Lighting Ordinance requires that 4-foot or 8-foot linear fluorescent lamps and ballasts in commercial buildings meet a specific efficiency standard. This standard is typically met with T8 lamps and electronic ballasts. 

Incentives are available for a limited time to encourage businesses to make the switch to T8 lamps and electronic ballasts. SF Energy Watch offers FREE on-site assessments to identify energy savings and to estimate the qualifying incentive. Take advantage of the incentives to replace your outdated lamps and ballasts with more efficient T8 lamps and electronic ballasts.

SF Energy Watch incentives for T8 lamps expire on December 31, 2012

All projects must be completed and final paperwork submitted and approved before this date. Remember that upgrading your lighting and processing the incentives may take several months, so act now before the incentives are all gone.  

Contact SF Energy Watch at 415.355.3769 or via email at [email protected] to request a free energy assessment. For more information, visit http://sfenergywatch.org/commercial.html. SF Energy Watch is a partnership between the City of San Francisco and Pacific Gas and Electric Company funded by California ratepayers.

SF Energy Watch information available in Chinese and Español.

The Excelsior Action Group would like to invite anyone who wants to participate in our Sunday Streets Festival Art Contest! We are opening up the contest to participants of all ages and skill levels. If chosen, the winner's artwork will be featured in this year's Sunday Street poster- which is hung all over the City! Submissions are due August 24th, and will be reviewed by the Festival Committee September 6th. 

More details are attached in the following links in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

If you want some ideas for your design and what Sunday Streets is about, it is a series of events put on by the City of San Francisco to encourage health, community, and fun, inspired by similar events in cities throughout the world. A Sunday Streets event creates a large, temporary, public space by closing off stretches of a neighborhood’s streets to automobile traffic, and opening them to pedestrians, bicyclists, and activities for several hours on a predetermined Sunday.

Sunday Streets events are free to all participants. Some will enjoy the route by strolling, skating, cycling, or just
people-watching. Others will participate in free group events such as tai chi, yoga, aerobics, swing
dance, cultural performances and other activities. The most important part is that everything is free.

For more information of Sunday Streets, click here. 

The Excelsior Action Group would like to welcome a great new restaurant to the Excelsior- Live Sushi! Live Sushi is a small franchise that began in 2005 in Potrero Hill and has recently expanded to the Excelsior.

Live Sushi offers a unique, fine dining experience in the Excelsior at very reasonable prices.  The staff is extremely friendly and the restaurant has a fun, modern ambience that is perfect for any occasion- family gatherings, date nights, work lunches and everything in between. 

Live Sushi's original dishes, as well as their classic Japanese favorites, use a wide variety of fresh fish. One dish that is exclusive to Live Sushi is the Aji Tataki, which features horse mackerel that is imported from Japan. You cannot get this dish anywhere else in the City!  Come on by, their specials menu changes regularly and they have an exceptional sake menu with very fair prices.

Live Sushi is excited to be in the Excelsior to offer residents the fine dining option they have been asking for!

Are you a person who loves nature and lives in the Excelsior? Well this is the perfect activity for you! Join Christina and her pit bull Snap from Excelsior Urban Hikes as she takes you and a group of other fellow hikers to see some of San Francisco's most breathtaking views.  The hikes usually last up to two hours and you can choose to hike towards McLaren Park, Mt. Davidson, or Bernal Hill.     
 
Christina was inspired to do this when she first started walking her roommate's dog for her two years ago. She recently had just closed down her business so she had some extra time and needed some exercise as well. She was looking on Craigslist one night in search for a part time job and found an ad looking for tour guides to show people their neighborhood from a "local's" perspective. " She has lived in the Excelsior District for five years and knows the area well. "I thought maybe people would want to join me and a friendly, lovable pit bull in seeing some of the best views in the city while hiking through a colorful and interesting neighborhood." The tour company loved the idea and put her on their website.  Christina has been doing these hikes for almost one and a half years now and still enjoys them every time.

If you're interested in joining her on a hike you can book a tour by going to her website www.excelsiorurbanhikes.com and clicking on the calendar to see the tour times. It will be an experience you'll never forget!

Community Challenge Grant Funds help Excelsior Community realize project proposed in 2010

The Excelsior Action Group is happy to announce that it has received Community Challenge Grant funding for its Excelsior Art and Greening Gallery project!

“This Community Challenge Grant will enable the Excelsior Action Group and SF Clean City Coalition to 
realize a greening and art project that community members have been calling for since the 2010 Excelsior Art 
Summit,” said Excelsior Action Executive Director Group Nicole Agbayani. “The Excelsior Art and Greening 
Gallery will have a tremendous positive impact on the neighborhood, especially the shopping district. Most 
importantly, it helps to demonstrate that ideas formed through grassroots community processes are valuable and 
actionable in San Francisco.” 

The 28 Community Challenge Grant recipients were announced on July 5th by Mayor Edwin M. Lee and City Administrator Naomi Kelly. "'Community Challenge Grants allow the City to partner with our diverse communities to make immediate  improvements to our public spaces,' said Mayor Lee. 'We are inspired by these twenty-eight innovative  projects that will bring neighbors together to keep the City beautiful and make real, long-term investments in our neighborhoods.'" 

You can read the full length announcement from the city by following this link: http://www.sfgsa.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentID=8993 

Please join the San Francisco Police Department,
Ingleside Police Station, the Ingleside Community Police
Advisory Board (CPAB) – and the community for the 29th Annual “National Night Out” 

National Night Out is a nationwide, annual event designed to raise crime prevention awareness, strengthen neighborhood spirit and unity, and foster community-police partnerships.