Of Parades and Mockingbirds

Our humble town abounds in cultural activities of all stripes. Rarely was that more apparent than it was this last weekend.

On Saturday, Your Boulevardier partook of the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade. (Alas, we did not try the chili cook-off or pancake breakfast that preceded the event, and likely we will not watch the rodeo itself next weekend.) Apart from the large-scale showmanship of the parade, the small details made the event quirky and memorable: the giant bag of french fries working the crowd; the Raider Nation assembling at Vella's before the parade (and inadvertently frightening small children); the horses with spots of glitter on their rumps; marching bands from both Castro Valley and Hayward High Schools; the truckloads of bored Little Leaguers who would perk up and wave their flags when parade watchers shouted "Go [insert team name here]!" The parade seemed to have particular appeal to the very old and the very young, all of whom were together outdoors on a chilly morning.

On a much more intimate scale, Your Boulevardier and some family members attended the matinee of the Douglas Morrisson Theatre's production of To Kill a Mockingbird on Mother's Day. The production is simple, clean, and impressive. The film of the same name is filled with such memorable performances that one can only imagine the challenge that faces actors at a community theatre who are called upon to walk around in such large, well-known shoes. The performers at our Little Theatre filled those shoes most commendably -- particularly, in Your Boulevardier's opinion, Chris Chapman as Atticus, whose genuine rage in the courtroom scenes brought the audience to attention; Dawn Edwards as Calpurnia, whose loving threats against the disobedient Scout, Jem, and Dill brought out anxious laughter; and Larry Appleton as Bob Ewell, who delivered his hateful lines with startling conviction and without a trace of caricature. Your Boulevardier cannot recommend the production highly enough. (He also notes with respectful amusement that Hugh Helm, playing Judge Taylor, and Sylvester Williams, playing Reverend Sykes, could probably make a living as stand-ins for United States Supreme Court Justices Scalia and Thomas.)

Of ATMs and the RRRP

Your Boulevardier notes the article in the Castro Valley Forum this week, explaining and clarifying the ATM crimes that left several Castro Valley residents with their bank accounts drained. The ATM-card crimes, it seems, were perpetrated at the Rite-Aid store on The Boulevard, and not at Safeway as Your Boulevardier had earlier suspected. Apologies all around. One can certainly see how the machines at Rite-Aid could be compromised, as the store seems eternally understaffed at the cash registers.

Entirely unrelated to ATM crimes, the annual Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade (the RRRP of today's title) takes place tomorrow. The event has gotten much good press -- the chili cook-off the night before, the firefighters' pancake breakfast that morning, the parade itself, and the after-parade open house at Supervisor Nate Miley's office on Redwood Road. But, as always, one important part of the event has not been reported in the media: the annual pre-parade performance by the Castro Valley Community Band. The group will play a lively selection of marches and concert pieces en plein air from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the Castro Village parking lot between Starbucks and Rigatoni's. Your Boulevardier hopes to see you there.

Ups and Downs at Santa Maria Avenue and The Boulevard

Your Boulevardier passed (alas, via automobile) through the intersection of Santa Maria Avenue and Castro Valley Boulevard this afternoon. One thing raised Your Boulevardier's spirits, and one disappointed him.

Let's get the downside over first, shall we? The Alameda County Sheriff's Department is having their annual Torch Run fundraiser for Special Olympics. It's certainly a cause Your Boulevardier can support. However, cash fundraising is done by positioning people -- teenagers and uniformed officers -- on the traffic medians at this busy intersection and asking motorists to put money into buckets as these people dart and dodge among stopped cars. Your Boulevardier finds this to be a distraction and a safety hazard. The firefighters do a similar fundraiser ("Fill the Boot") at the even busier intersection of Castro Valley Boulevard and Redwood Road. The consolation for these traffic disruptions, one supposes, is that emergency people will be on hand if an accident ensues.

Enough with the curmudgeonliness, and on to the positive. After three days of work, the window painting at Knudsen's Creamery is complete, and Your Boulevardier is most impressed. The scene, which covers the entire window, includes a rider on a bull, a crowd of watchers, a cactus, a skull entwined by a snake, a campfire, and a brilliant purple and orange southwestern sunset. (And probably more, but Your Boulevardier was busy watching for solicitors in the traffic lanes.) One assumes that the window is Knudsen's entry in the Rodeo-related window painting contest. Best of luck!

A Breezy Day on the Ridge

Your Boulevardier left the well-traveled streets of our fair town yesterday and walked, with his friend K.C., on Fairmont Ridge. The day was breezy and temperate, perfect for this outing.

Not all Castro Valleyans know of this walk, but those who do love it. It begins at the Fairmont Ridge Staging Area, a quarter mile or so past the entrance to Lake Chabot on Fairmont Drive. The walk, on a paved road, begins very steeply until the ridge is reached, and then rolls along northward with views of Lake Chabot and the East Bay hills on the right and a line of imposing eucalyptus on the left. Eventually the road intersects with the line of trees, and the bayside flatlands of Southern Alameda County open up to the west. On a clear day such as yesterday, it is a breathtaking sight. One can spend hours picking out landmarks, from Mount Tamalpais to the north to Mission Peak to the south.

At the far end of the road -- perhaps a mile out from the parking area -- can be found two places of interest. One is the former Nike Missile Site, familiar to those who grew up in the East Bay in the 1960s (as did Your Boulevardier) as the Giant Golf Ball. The imposing white sphere is long gone, and the former base is now home to an array of antennae. Its derelict guard booth, some ramshackle buildings, and a crumbled wooden water tank are all that remain, behind a chain-link fence, to remind us of Cold War days when nuclear missiles guarded San Francisco Bay. The link above provides photos.

The second site is equally somber, but for more topical reasons. The Children's Memorial Grove, nestled on the west side of the ridge, is a cluster of dozens of Coast Live Oak trees, each of which was planted in memory of an Alameda County child whose life was lost to violence. The grove is a moving reminder of the fragility of life.

Walking back, Your Boulevardier and his friend detoured to watch some gentlemen flying their radio-controlled gliders. The breeze was up, and the pilots were busy, but not too busy to to discuss their passion -- how their aircraft were constructed, how they are controlled, and stories of gliders that got away. It was interesting to see a hawk take a few dives at one glider as it lolled about in the hawk's airspace. The place where the gliders played also provided an impressive view of the roof of Alameda County's new juvenile justice center and its array of photovoltaic panels.

The return walk provided an opportunity to meet some of the dogs who were up enjoying the ridge with their humans, including a pair of truly magnificent
German Shepherds. And as the road dropped down to the parking area, an unusual and beautiful view of Castro Valley opened at our feet -- one that showed that our town actually is nestled safely in a valley.