Oct. 16 Harvest Festival celebrates Berkeley’s sustainable food culture

City of Berkeley sent this bulletin at 10/07/2021 02:56 PM PDT

October 7, 2021

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SERVICES. RESOURCES. COMMUNITY.

News from the City of Berkeley

Oct. 16 Harvest Festival celebrates Berkeley’s sustainable food culture

Events for kids, adults at Cedar Rose Park

Join us for the City of Berkeley's annual Harvest Festival, a chance to honor the Fall with live music and kids' activities, and to celebrate our City's thriving culture of growing and making our own food.

This free festival will celebrate foods grown, harvested, and prepared by members of the Berkeley community.

Harvest Festival
October 16, 2021
11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Cedar Rose Park
1300 Rose St, Berkeley, CA 94702

Swap crops, seeds and enter food contests

To inspire more urban farming, more homemade food, and healthier eating, the Food and Garden Exhibitions will host:

Crop Swap - Bring your garden's surplus and exchange it with other gardeners. All types of fruits and vegetables are welcome.

Seed Swap - Swap garden seeds and share gardening tips. Don't have any seeds to swap? No problem!

Food Contests - Enter your best baked goods, preserves, pickled vegetables, pie, and "Sugar-Free" foods. Although all food entries must feature a main ingredient that could feasibly be grown in Berkeley, the actual ingredient does not need to have been grown in Berkeley. All participants will receive recognition, and ribbons will be awarded in each category. Entries are free, but see the Food Contest Entry Form to learn more.

Children will have tons of fun at the Kids Zone, whether conquering the climbing wall, running the obstacle course, bowling with pumpkins, or making a scarecrow. Other kids' activities include pumpkin decorating, a petting zoo, and carnival games with prizes.

Live music will be provided by Tortilla Soup, Big Bang Beat, and The Curtis Family C-Notes as the conclusion of the City's "Music in the Park" series.

Keeping with the spirit of this event, sustainable practices are strongly encouraged. Public transit is available via AC Transit (#52); also, Cedar Rose Park is within walking distance from North Berkeley BART. In addition, bike parking will be located at the park.

This event is organized by the City of Berkeley's Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront Department. The Recreation Division offers dozens of camps, classes, and other activities for participants of all ages. Visit the Parks and Recreation booths at the festival to learn more about their great program and class offerings. For more information, sign up for Recreation Division's offerings via our online registration portal.

If you are interested in volunteering at this event, click here for additional information: Harvest Festival Event Volunteer Information.

Come out October 16 and enjoy live music, participate in kids’ activities, and celebrate our City’s thriving culture of making their own food at the Harvest Festival.

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Oct. 8-9 Citywide Virtual Drill: leaving for Extreme Fire Weather, Evacuating for Firestorm

Learn how to build your household's plan for extreme fire weather as well as firestorms and then use the plan in a virtual fire weather and evacuation drill with residents, students, and others across the City on October 8 and 9.

The virtual drill will start on October 8 with an AC Alert, drill-specific email warning for "Extreme Fire Weather," a Berkeley Fire Department label for very high winds and low humidity - conditions that have fueled California's most destructive wildfires and indicate to hillside residents that they should stay elsewhere.

During the next day's drill, we'll send three more rounds of AC Alert emails targeted to addresses affected by the scenario fire. You'll get different messages based on your address and the scenario's impact there. The emails will simulate phases of a fast-moving, destructive fire - a more frequent reality across California.

Read more at cityofberkeley.info.

Submit maps for new council boundaries

Submit your own map using online tools to help shape new City Council district boundaries and even submit your own maps on paper.

The City's eight Council boundaries are re-drawn every ten years using updated Census figures, but, for the first time in Berkeley, they'll be drawn by an independent commission rather than elected officials.

Complete this form to tell the Commission about your community of interest.

Using public input, the Independent Redistricting Commission will draw eight districts with roughly the same number of people. They'll look to keep communities with similar social and economic interests together.

Read more at cityofberkeley.info.

City Health Officer Order to require vaccination in certain businesses

A City of Berkeley Health Officer Order will require employees of certain businesses to be vaccinated while also requiring a portion of those businesses to also verify proof of full vaccination for patrons who are at least 12 years old.

The requirement to verify vaccination of both employees and patrons focuses on indoor environments where airborne droplets or particles containing the virus spread easily because people:

remove a face covering, such as to eat or drink in a restaurant, bar, or club
breathe at more intense levels in a group, such as a gym, yoga studio or dance class
crowd together in groups of 1,000 or more