Heartstrings: Remembering Larry Schmidt, Master Puppeteer

By C.J. Hirschfield

Commercialization and gore are key components of American Halloween these days. But one Oakland artist was committed to providing an alternative experience: a free, site-specific, Halloween-themed, family-friendly marionette show in the driveway of his family’s triplex in the Glenview District.

Larry Schmidt’s whimsical “Driveway Follies” has delighted many thousands of people over the last 11 years, and, I’m proud to say, has employed the talents of at least eight Children’s Fairyland puppeteers. We are all mourning Larry, a kind and generous soul who died at 66, of cancer, on January 18.

Larry Schmidt, founder of Driveway Follies. Photo by Rick Paulas.

Food for Thought

By C.J. Hirschfield

Over the course of a week, two Fairyland staffers attended two very different food events.

One was work related: Café manager Amber Swanson perused the annual Winter Fancy Food Show held in San Francisco, where we scout for new and healthy options for our café.

The other event—thankfully—was not work related: Our communications manager, Nancy Friedman, journeyed to Los Angeles for the Disgusting Food Museum exhibition.

Where do these worlds meet? Possibly in a product we’re considering for sale in our gift shop.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Owed to Volunteers!

By C.J. Hirschfield

Finding caterpillar eggs. Helping kids make fairy houses. Handing out treats on Halloween. Making popcorn for a family sleepover. Pulling weeds. Leading a Toddler Storytime.

These are just a handful of the many volunteer opportunities that Fairyland offers.

As we enter the new year, I want to take a moment to thank the 540 awesome Fairyland volunteers who contributed a total of 3,700 service hours in 2018. I’d like to reflect on the amazing work they helped us accomplish — without them, we simply would not have been able to serve as many happy kids as we did.

26 volunteers recently helped us take down our Fairy Winterland lights. This helper came to us from One Brick.

Who are these fairy godparents? A snapshot:

4 volunteers contributed more than 85 hours each
7 new inspiring Toddler Storytime readers were trained
10 Monarch Magicians saved more than 500 monarch butterflies
 

An Ice Rink Glides into Old Oakland

By C.J. Hirschfield

Last Friday I witnessed something in Old Oakland that I'd never seen in our city: dozens of kids, teens, and adults gliding, laughing, and occasionally stumbling around an outdoor ice rink.

Magic? No – just the latest creative idea born of creativity and civic determination. It was the grand opening of the Old Oakland Holiday Ice Rink – Oakland’s first outdoor ice rink in 63 years – in a space formerly occupied by a parking lot.

Skating in the Old Oakland Holiday Ice Rink. Photo: Visit Oakland

Giving That Feels Good

By C.J. Hirschfield

This is a special time of year at Children’s Fairyland. While Fairyland rings with the laughter of children and families on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, we have the rest of the week to tend to our facility’s needs, to reflect on what we were able to accomplish this past year, and to plan for the next.

Last year we learned that families living in temporary housing often find themselves without shelter for part of the day. Knowing how difficult that must be, we launched a new program, in partnership with First 5 Alameda County and Lyft, to become a haven for families waiting for shelter space during their transition. Using Lyft’s concierge service, we arrange for round-trip transportation from the shelter to Fairyland and welcome the families with admission passes and vouchers for lunch from our Johnny Appleseed Café.

Child's Play

By C.J. Hirschfield

With recent reports of unhealthy air keeping our youngest kids indoors – and parents looking for ways to keep them entertained – it was interesting to learn about the three toys just inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, two of which are played at home: the mystical and mesmerizing Magic 8 Ball and the popular Uno card game. (The third “toy” is pinball.) Honorees were chosen from a field of finalists that included a wide range of candidates, from American Girl Dolls to chalk.

The most recent inductees in the National Toy Hal of Fame

Smoked Out

By C.J. Hirschfield

In my wildest dreams, I never thought we’d have to close Children’s Fairyland due to unhealthy air. You probably have discovered the website that rates the air with a number and a color. Did we even know that such a site existed? Now, in addition to constantly checking the weather reports, we at Fairyland check the air quality reports.

Aerial view of smoke-shrouded Lake Merritt, November 11, 2018. Photo by Chris Linden

We thought last year’s fires and the accompanying smoke were anomalies. Not so much, it turns out. Our outdoor park has had to close the last two weekends in the interest of public safety. While we’ve been closed, we hope families have taken advantage of the Habitot indoor play zone in Berkeley, of board games, of Oobleck (look it up; it’s a lifesaver), and, of course, of storytelling. Don’t be shy about injecting songs, dance and wacky voices in your readings to children.

We hope our guests will return on the three days following Thanksgiving.