DRAWING TOGETHER

At Children’s Fairyland, we fire up the imaginations of little ones every day. Occasionally, though, we’re reminded that we can serve as a muse for adults as well.

Last week, after hours, we opened our fairy gates to half a dozen delightful members of the Urban Sketchers San Francisco Bay Area. They’re part of the global Urban Sketchers organization, whose mission is: “We aim to show the world, one drawing at a time.”  

Here’s what one of our visitors, Susan Ford, wrote on the group’s blog:

“When I saw The Lucky Dragon framed by that wacky wall and doorway, I had to sit right down and make a sketch. I always struggle with perspective accuracy and this colorful, off-kilter entrance was so much more fun to draw! Lucky Dragon's eyes rotated left and right, left and right. Only in a quiet Fairyland devoid of children are you aware of how loudly Dragon eyes squeak as they move.”

And from Carrie McClish:

“Everything was, of course, smaller but I can remember how happy a place it is. Especially for someone about three feet tall. There was Lucky the dragon with his fearless smile, Willie the whale, the little boot that kids still walk through to enter this whimsical place. When I came upon a castle, I had to sketch it!”

Other local institutions that have opened their doors to these local artists include the Oakland Zoo, the Ruth Bancroft Garden, Berkeley’s Edible Schoolyard and Oakland’s Champions of Humanity sculpture.

Urban Sketchers Bay Area is part of a global nonprofit organization that aims to “raise the artistic, storytelling and educational value of location drawing, promoting its practice and connecting people around the world who draw on location where they live and travel.”  

The rules of their game:

1. Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel.
2. Our drawings are a record of time and place.
3. We are truthful to the scenes we witness.
4. We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.
5. We support each other and draw together.
6. We share our drawings online.
7. We show the world, one drawing at a time.

Fairyland supports these wonderful goals, and believes that art can help create community. That’s why we’ll be holding our third annual “Drawn Together” event on Sept. 25—an adults-only event where attendees can watch more than 50 of our local artists creating site-specific artworks. Later in the evening, all of the art will be sold at a single flat rate, with proceeds going to help keep Fairyland affordable for all, and free for those most in need.

What we love about the event is the interaction between the artists and our guests, who roam the park at night, with food, drinks and music. A spirited contest occurs when more than one guest fancies a particular piece of art, but the mood is friendly and fun.

Here’s what a Swedish sketcher, Nina Johansson, said about creating this kind of art: 

“Drawing a city isn't just capturing it on paper, it's really about getting to know it, to feel it, to make it your own."

For information on how you can join our local urban sketchers—who welcome beginners with no artistic background—go to urbansketchers-bayarea.blogspot.com. The group usually gathers on the first Thursday of each month for a sketch night that’s open to the public.

To learn more about Fairyland’s Drawn Together event, and to buy tickets, visit fairyland.org.

-C.J. Hirschfield

C.J. Hirschfield has served for 13 years as Executive Director of Children’s Fairyland, where she is charged with the overall operation the nation’s first storybook theme park. Prior to that, she served as an executive in the cable television industry.  C.J. is former president and current board member of the California Attractions and Parks Association, and also serves on the boards of Visit Oakland and the Lake Merritt/Uptown Business Improvement District. C.J. writes a weekly column for the Piedmont Post and OaklandLocal, where she loves to showcase the beauty of her city and its people. She holds a degree in Film and Broadcasting from Stanford University.

WELCOME TO THE CHILDREN'S FAIRYLAND BLOG!

Moms and Dads, Boys and Girls, Families and Friends: Welcome to the Children's Fairyland Blog!

This blog is our newest venture into expanding our online presence and we wanted to welcome you with open arms. The pieces on this blog are written by the Executive Director of Children's Fairyland, C.J. Hirschfield and appeared in Oakland Local and Piedmont Press. C.J. writes about our local community and hometown of Oakland, CA and all things Fairyland.

We hope to see you around the park soon!

TUESDAYS AT FAIRYLAND WITH THE ALAMEDA ADULT TRANSITION PROGRAM

Originally posted February 6, 2015 in Oakland Local

Tuesdays are relatively quiet at Children’s Fairyland during the winter, with just a skeleton crew on the job. But since last October, Tuesdays have become decidedly more delightful thanks to Reggie, Brian, Kala, Thomas, Bryce, Maddy, Tanas, Savio, Omar, Billy and Ben. They parade by my office, single file, at 10 a.m., with broad smiles and “good mornings” as they prepare to offer their considerable volunteer talents to our park.

They are members of the Alameda Adult Transition program: students between the ages of 18 and 21 with mild to severe developmental disabilities who are developing their working and living skills. Accompanying them is teacher Kaitlin Rupido, who told me the Fairyland work day is so special that the group members have to “earn” the outing. None of them has ever blown the opportunity.

Kaitlin’s mostly autistic clients benefit from planning the bus route here, purchasing transit passes, checking in, working as a team and accomplishing all types of tasks.

Our animals are the biggest draw. All of the students are animal lovers, and they often tell Kaitlin that working in our animal department is the best part of their week. “Animals have no expectations, and they do something that people just can’t,” said Kaitlin. “It’s really therapeutic for our students.”

For Omar, the group’s resident cowboy, it’s even more than that. He dreams of someday working on a ranch, and he never arrives without his cowboy hat.  When he found out that Fairyland animal caretaker Jamie Hammer is a real cowgirl, he was elated. He urged her to bring her cowgirl hat the following Tuesday. When she did, he proceeded to serenade her with country music songs. “He just stole my heart,” Jamie said.

Maddy, another member of the group, has had a hard time coming out of her shell. Around the animals, though, she feels comfortable and open. “It lifts her up for the whole week,” says Kaitlin.

Bryce is obsessed with Disney and fairytales, so he’s in his element at Fairyland. After volunteering, he rewards himself by standing on top of our Jack and Jill Hill. He likes being up high.

At Fairyland, the group’s tasks include tying ribbons to our magic keys, helping our horticulturalist Jackie Salas rake leaves and feeding our sheep. They’re looking forward to being part of a major project we’ve planned: dismantling our old goat-house roof and hauling the parts to the trash bin.

“This group is the most sincere group of people I have had the pleasure of volunteering with,” said Jackie. “They’re genuine and inquisitive about everything they do. And the mentors that come with them are very dedicated to their work with the kids.”

In addition to Fairyland, some other volunteer sites the crew has been serving include the Alameda Food Bank, Alameda Meals on Wheels and the Alameda Animal Shelter. Kaitlin is partial to Oakland, though — she thinks it’s good for the young adults to get off the island. They recently volunteered at the New Parkway Theater in Uptown, and they’re eagerly looking forward to a return visit.

Some local Alameda businesses that support the students with job training include Safeway, the Blue Danube Café, CVS Pharmacy, Pagano’s Hardware and the Alameda Movie Theater.

Kaitlin told me that the focus of the adult transition program is to maximize independent living skills and to provide a fun, structured and community-driven experience for the young adults. At Fairyland, they’re also learning what it feels like to be appreciated for who they are and what they do.

We couldn’t agree more with Kaitlin when she talks about their great work ethic and “service with a smile.” They brighten our day and inspire us. Frankly, it just wouldn’t be Tuesday without them.

If you know of an organization or business that could use a few good men and women, contact Kaitlin at 510-337-7022, extension 5134.

-C.J. Hirschfield

C.J. Hirschfield has served for 13 years as Executive Director of Children’s Fairyland, where she is charged with the overall operation the nation’s first storybook theme park. Prior to that, she served as an executive in the cable television industry.  C.J. is former president and current board member of the California Attractions and Parks Association, and also serves on the boards of Visit Oakland and the Lake Merritt/Uptown Business Improvement District. C.J. writes a weekly column for the Piedmont Post and OaklandLocal, where she loves to showcase the beauty of her city and its people. She holds a degree in Film and Broadcasting from Stanford University.

FAIRYLAND AND FRANK ZAPPA

Originally posted on March 28, 2015 in Oakland Local

The pioneering rock musician Frank Zappa, who died in 1993, and Children’s Fairyland may not seem to have anything in common. But they do, and his name was John Gilkerson. Not surprisingly, puppets were involved.

Musician Frank Zappa with puppets designed by former Fairyland Artistic Director John Gilkerson for a 1984 production of “A Zappa Affair” in Berkeley.

Our worlds collided in a 1984 production of “A Zappa Affair,” performed with the Berkeley Symphony at Zellerbach Hall. Zappa — the singer and guitarist for the Mothers of Invention as well as a prolific songwriter, composer, recording engineer and record producer — had created puppets when he was growing up in Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula. When he couldn’t get the kind of dramatic imagery he wanted in this production from people, he turned instead to puppets.

Enter John Gilkerson. Years before, when he was 10, John had been a Fairyland “Personality” (member of our Children’s Theatre program). He played the role of Prince Charming, and he was particularly drawn to our puppet theater and to Lewis Mahlmann, our master puppeteer for many decades.

It was at Fairyland that Gilkerson learned puppetry design as well as costuming, acting and narration. He later attended Skyline High School in Oakland, where he starred in a production of “My Fair Lady” with his best friend, Tom Hanks. As an adult, John served as the park’s artistic director during the 1978-79 season.

John wore many other hats. He was a singer with the Lamplighters for 10 years, as well as an actor, puppeteer, dancer and costume designer. He designed 10 ballets for the Oakland Ballet and many others for Dance Theater of Harlem and the Joffrey Ballet. He was also well known as a puppeteer on the Emmy Award-winning television show “Buster and Me.”

“He was just an amazing, amazing man,” says Fairyland’s current master puppeteer, Randal Metz.

Zappa tapped Gilkerson to design and execute the production of “A Zappa Affair,” which involved creating a number of different types of life-size puppets. One style was strapped onto the front of the puppeteer’s body; another was manipulated from behind by five people operating rods to the neck, arms and legs; a third was an assembly line joined together at the arms and hips.

A review in the Puppetry Journal noted that “the whole evening was a trifle bizarre. Not only is Zappa a rugged individual and quite proud of it, but a woman sculptress was measuring his head with giant calipers throughout much of the evening!”

The show, which combined theater, dance and puppetry with Zappa’s music, was a big critical success. It was, as the Oakland Tribune said, “one of those rare times when a wild new concept is fully realized.” The San Francisco Examiner called it “an example of exciting and worthwhile theater.”

You can still hear John’s voice at Fairyland on a number of puppet-show audiotapes. One of particular interest is a tape of “Treasure Island,” in which his 10-year-old voice is heard in the role of Jim Hawkins. Ten years later, Lewis Mahlmann re-edited the tape to feature John as the piece’s narrator — an older Hawkins who’s reminiscing about his life. We hear John at ages 10 and 20 on the same tape.

This recording was discussed recently at a meeting — held at Fenton’s on Piedmont Ave. — of the Skyline 1974 class reunion committee: the class that included Tom Hanks and John Gilkerson.

John C. Gilkerson died in 1990 at the age of 34.

When Tom Hanks won the Academy Award in 1994 for his performance in “Philadelphia” — one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality and homophobia — he acknowledged his good friend.

“I would not be standing here if it weren’t for two very important men in my life,” Hanks said. “Mr. Rawley Farnsworth, who was my high school drama teacher, who taught me to act well the part, there all the glory lies. And one of my classmates under Mr. Farnsworth, Mr. John Gilkerson.

“I mention their names because they are two of the finest gay Americans, two wonderful men that I had the good fortune to be associated with, to fall under their inspiration at such a young age. I wish my babies could have the same sort of teacher, the same sort of friends.”

-C.J. Hirschfield

C.J. Hirschfield has served for 13 years as Executive Director of Children’s Fairyland, where she is charged with the overall operation the nation’s first storybook theme park. Prior to that, she served as an executive in the cable television industry.  C.J. is former president and current board member of the California Attractions and Parks Association, and also serves on the boards of Visit Oakland and the Lake Merritt/Uptown Business Improvement District. C.J. writes a weekly column for the Piedmont Post and OaklandLocal, where she loves to showcase the beauty of her city and its people. She holds a degree in Film and Broadcasting from Stanford University.

FAIRYLAND VISITS KINDERGARTENERS AT LINCOLN ELEMENTARY

Originally posted on April 3, 2015 in Oakland Local

I love chatting with Fairyland’s education specialist, Shana Barchas, and animal caregiver, Jamie Hammer, when they return from the Oakland classrooms they’ve visited. They’re always pumped — and so am I.

Jamie and the four-component program

Last week’s visit to the kindergarten class at Lincoln Elementary represented the two women’s final visit of the season, which has covered 16 classrooms in seven schools. Generously funded by The Clorox Company, our four-component program focuses on underserved schools. The first component, a classroom visit, is followed by a trip to Fairyland to reinforce the concepts kids have been taught. A return visit to the classroom focuses on a book we’ve written. The fourth and final component is subsidized tickets given to the kids and their families so they can return to the park on their own.

Education specialist Shana Barchas makes sure our program is in alignment with the state’s science standard, but she brings Jamie along because kids love to learn about animals. And Jamie brings our guinea pig Patches, because Patches is a crowd-pleaser.

In the first lesson, the 26 kids discuss what “alive” means. Is a tree alive? A stone? They’re taught what to look for: Does it need food? Water? Air? Does it grow? Will it someday die? Our team leads the kids in a sorting game; they also learn how to gently pat Patches.

When the kids come for their park visit — on a bus we’ve chartered for them — their excitement is palpable. Jamie introduces them to our mini-donkeys, where they learn how to be safe around animals. They then form a “bunny circle,” where they team up to create a fence with their knees touching while the bunny hops in the middle. Typically, many of these kids have never visited Fairyland; we invite them to stay all day.

Team Fairyland then returns to the classroom, where they share a book Shana wrote about animal careers, using real Bay Area people as examples. These animal workers represent our community’s diverse population, and their jobs range from professional dog walker to veterinarian.

Shana usually asks the kids to name some animal careers. Their responses have included cheetah racer, cowboy, pet store owner and zookeeper. My favorite? Bunny dance teacher.

When they return to the park with their families, the kids often seek out Shana and Jamie, and they remember the names of the animals they’ve met. They are thrilled to be able to teach their family members what they’ve learned.   

By the end of our four-component program, the kids have learned words like photosynthesis, herbivore, biologist and raptor. “The gears are turning, and you can tell they’re realizing that life can still be exciting when they grow up,” says Shana.

And they are frankly smitten with Jamie. At Lincoln last week, where she stayed for the kids’ recess, one little boy grabbed her face, kissed her cheek and then ran away. A little girl asked if Jamie would be her sister. “I want to be just like Jamie” is something we hear a lot from the kids.

The book we wrote about animal careers is dedicated to the children of Oakland. Here’s how our book ends: “Whatever career you want to have, remember that working hard in school, trying new things and asking questions will help you get there.

“The end.”

For our kids, it’s really just the beginning.

Our four-component school outreach program needs additional funding to connect with more schools. You may donate through our website at www.Fairyland.org.

-C.J. Hirschfield

C.J. Hirschfield has served for 13 years as Executive Director of Children’s Fairyland, where she is charged with the overall operation the nation’s first storybook theme park. Prior to that, she served as an executive in the cable television industry.  C.J. is former president and current board member of the California Attractions and Parks Association, and also serves on the boards of Visit Oakland and the Lake Merritt/Uptown Business Improvement District. C.J. writes a weekly column for the Piedmont Post and OaklandLocal, where she loves to showcase the beauty of her city and its people. She holds a degree in Film and Broadcasting from Stanford University.

MICHAEL CHABON’S MYSTERIOUS 8-YEAR WAIT (HINT: NOVEL INVOLVED)

Originally posted on April 24, 2015 in Oakland Local

I really didn’t want to hear this from someone I’d just met: “I spent $500 on an impulse buy at Children’s Fairyland’s live auction years ago, and I don’t know if I ever received what I won.”

Yikes! Guilt!

Still, I needed all the details so I could make things right. What followed was a highly unlikely story that we’ll both be telling for years.

The item that attorney Dawn Newton had successfully bid on was described in our 2006 Gala program this way:

“YOUR LIFE AS A DOG: Bid on a shot at immortality — the right to name a pet dog belonging to a character in the next novel of Pulitzer Prize winner and Berkeley resident Michael Chabon. Chabon’s previous novels include ‘Kavalier & Clay,’ ‘The Final Solution: A Mystery of Detection,’ and ‘Wonder Boys.’ Donated by Michael Chabon.”

“It was the coolest live auction item I’ve ever seen,” Dawn recalled when we spoke. She’d read “Kavalier & Clay” and thought it was “phenomenal”; she’d had had a couple of drinks; and her husband hadn’t accompanied her to the event to offer any cautionary words of advice. Which is how she found herself the highest bidder, and the winner.

It was only afterward that it hit her: “What have I done here?” Calling her husband as she exited the event, she realized how silly it must have sounded. “Guess what I just won! The right to name an imaginary dog!” she remembers. Her husband’s mellow reply: “Huh. Have fun with that one.”

But then came the tough part — choosing a name that was as cool as the prize. Dawn briefly considered honoring a deceased family member, but decided against it. “Such an amazing author deserved to have a great name,” she says.

In the end, she chose the name Fifty-Eight. It refers to a now-discontinued bus line in Oakland that for six years carried Dawn to and from her downtown job each day. She loved that it had been an important transit line for people living at the base of the Oakland hills (“not the ritzy part”); that it was utilitarian, with no need for transfers; and its clientele was devoted and diverse. “I thought—Fifty-Eight, that’s a quirky, intense name that hopefully the author won’t hate.”

She conveyed the name to Chabon’s assistant, whose response was a brief “OK, thank you very much.” And then Dawn waited.

Two years later, she got an email from Chabon himself. “You thought that I forgot about the dog, didn’t you?” he wrote. He went on to ask if it would be OK if the name was given to a parrot instead. “Sure, I’ll take the parrot,” Dawn said. And that was the last she heard of her prize.  She assumed that if Fifty-Eight had ever made it into print, it would be a minor character, and that she might never hear about it.

When Dawn mentioned a parrot, I had a flash of recognition, but I did a Google search to confirm my hunch. I had read “Telegraph Avenue,” Chabon’s big, jazzy celebration of Oakland published in 2012, and in it, an African grey parrot plays an epic role, even starring in a 12-page tour-de-force chapter consisting of one insanely fabulous sentence that book reviewers loved to discuss. I Googled “parrot Telegraph Avenue,” and up came the bird’s name: Fifty-Eight.

I immediately called Dawn, whose busy law career “doesn’t allow me to read as heavily as I would like,” and informed her that Michael Chabon — and Children’s Fairyland — had, in fact, come through for her. In the glorious book about the city we both love, Fifty-Eight is described as “some kind of prodigy, a Mozart of the birds.”

But it is in the 12-page third chapter of the book that Fifty-Eight literally and artistically takes flight. An open window provides the bird with the chance for independence, and he takes it. The parrot flies from character to character, catching glimpses of their lives, and ultimately flies off to freedom over the flatlands of Oakland and Berkeley.

As you can imagine, Dawn could not be happier. For years she had carried around the story about her craziest impulse buy, saying that it usually tops everyone else’s. But now she’s part of literary history, and the story is one she looks forward to sharing. “This one’s in my pocket, and I’ll bring it out at any occasion,” she told me, laughing.

Dawn is planning on attending Fairyland’s gala fundraiser on June 4 — her employer, Donahue Fitzgerald Attorneys, is a sponsor. Nine years ago, when she made her fateful bid, the gala was held at a restaurant. Now, although she sees Fairyland every day from her office building across Lake Merritt, she’ll be visiting our park for the very first time. No word on whether she’s planning to bid at our live auction.

While I was Google-searching “Telegraph Avenue,” I came across a May 3, 2013, post in an Amazon discussion forum. “Can someone better versed in music than me please explain why the bird was named Fifty-Eight?” someone had written. The writer had assumed a musical connection because so much of the book is about jazz and records.

Her query went unanswered. Until now.

-C.J. Hirschfield

C.J. Hirschfield has served for 13 years as Executive Director of Children’s Fairyland, where she is charged with the overall operation the nation’s first storybook theme park. Prior to that, she served as an executive in the cable television industry.  C.J. is former president and current board member of the California Attractions and Parks Association, and also serves on the boards of Visit Oakland and the Lake Merritt/Uptown Business Improvement District. C.J. writes a weekly column for the Piedmont Post and OaklandLocal, where she loves to showcase the beauty of her city and its people. She holds a degree in Film and Broadcasting from Stanford University.

NURSERY RHYMES FROM OUTER SPACE

Originally posted on June 15, 2015 in Oakland Local

Last week, Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti broke the world record for the most time a woman spent in space on a single mission: 200 days. From her post on the International Space Station she conducted space walks, supported her team on their sorties, was responsible for cargo and helped grab and dock ferries with the station’s robotic arm.

While outside of Earth’s atmosphere, Cristoforetti also Tweeted, gave Facebook updates and created YouTube videos on both whimsical and informational subjects, becoming somewhat of an online celebrity.

I first heard of this multilingual astronaut when NPR broadcast a recording of her reciting “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” from outer space—a selection suggested by her social media followers.

I was so mesmerized by her reading (lovely accent, dreamlike presentation) that I stopped everything I was doing to listen. After reciting the nursery rhyme we all know, she then transitioned into the words of Iza Trapani, from her children’s book “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”:

Little Child, your wish came true,
Here I am right next to you
I’ll take you on a magic ride,
So come with me—I’ll be your guide.
There’s so much you’ll see and do,
On this adventure made for you.

Out your window, through the sky,
Up above the world we’ll fly.
Higher than a bird will go,
To places only rockets know.
Beyond the planes that soar up high,
Is where we’ll travel, you and I.

Look around you, little one,
There’s the moon and there’s the sun.
See the planets-count them all,
Some are big and some are small.
Can you name them one by one,
As they orbit ’round the sun?

The beautifully illustrated book tells the story of a curious young heroine who wishes upon a mischievous, twinkling star. Granting her wish, the little star takes her on a dazzling journey through the swirling, iridescent lights of the night sky.

Author-illustrator Iza Trapani was born in Poland, and spoke only Polish when she came to the United States at the age of seven. Her relatives gave her a big book of Mother Goose nursery rhymes and she began to learn English as she read the poems. 

So here we have an Italian astronaut—in space—reading a Polish woman’s version of an English lullaby, first published over two centuries ago, that is also featured on a Children’s Fairyland storybook box in Oakland, California. Such is the power of the humble nursery rhyme.

Working at Fairyland, I’ve come to appreciate the value of nursery rhymes. Rhyme and repetition is good for the brain, introducing literacy to kids. Nursery rhymes link cultures and generations: they are shared rituals. But perhaps most important of all, they are fun to say and hear. It was only a matter of time before they went galactic.

Do yourself a favor and watch the astronaut’s recital on YouTube.

I like to think that her goodnight from space might inspire little girls to dream of bigger things—maybe even science-y things.

Samantha landed safely back on earth, in Kazakhstan, on June 11. But before she left outer space, this is what she wrote on her Facebook page: “Addio, e grazie per tutto il pesce!”

Which means “So long, and thanks for all the fish!”

I think I’ve found a new hero—another fascinating hitchhiker in the galaxy.

-C.J. Hirschfield

C.J. Hirschfield has served for 13 years as Executive Director of Children’s Fairyland, where she is charged with the overall operation the nation’s first storybook theme park. Prior to that, she served as an executive in the cable television industry.  C.J. is former president and current board member of the California Attractions and Parks Association, and also serves on the boards of Visit Oakland and the Lake Merritt/Uptown Business Improvement District. C.J. writes a weekly column for the Piedmont Post and OaklandLocal, where she loves to showcase the beauty of her city and its people. She holds a degree in Film and Broadcasting from Stanford University.

BUTT IN

I walk to work in downtown Oakland, and occasionally I count the cigarette butts I see along the way. I usually stop when I hit 100. Sadly, that doesn’t take long at all.

Last week I heard the staff of the Lake Merritt/Uptown and Downtown Business Improvement Districts announce an innovative plan that could make a big dent in the number of cigarette butts that end up in Lake Merritt and the Bay. It would also transform these butts into useful objects such as park benches and plastic pallets.

Terracycle, the Canadian company that pioneered the process, doesn’t just collect and recycle cigarette butts: It but also provides free shipping and contributes to good causes. For every pound of butts collected, $1 is donated to the charity of the collector’s choice.

“Cigarette butts are one of the planet’s most ubiquitous waste streams,” according to the Terracycle.com website. The company, which gets some funding from Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, boasts that “globally, we have collected 25 million butts since November 2012,” most of them from cities in Canada.

The process is pretty straightforward. First, a city signs up. Next, butts are collected, put into plastic bags and placed in a box. A free shipping label can then be downloaded to send off the butts. Finally, the account is credited. The rectangular receptacles, each of which can hold 700 butts, are pole mounted and lockable.

One year ago, New Orleans became the first U.S. city to sign up with Terracycle for a large-scale recycling effort of cigarette butts: 50 receptacles installed at downtown intersections.  Because of New Orleans’ extremely positive experience, the word got out to Oakland’s business improvement districts (BIDs).

Andrew Jones, who is spearheading the effort on behalf of Oakland’s BIDs for whom he works, hears from his cleaning crews who patrol these areas on a daily basis. They tell him that tens of thousands of butts are currently collected in plants, medians and every sidewalk nook and cranny, as well as in the popular Snow Park and Frank Ogawa Plaza. But it is at nighttime establishments that “a staggering amount” of butts are tossed on the pavement, he says.

Oakland plans on rolling out the new program by the end of September, installing 20 units at a cost of $50 each. The receptacles will be placed at restaurants, bars and clubs in the city’s burgeoning Oakland Central neighborhood.

Andrew acknowledges that some people will continue to toss their butts on the ground, whether from force of habit or indifference.

So does Andrew expect the program to succeed in Oakland? “I’m an optimistic pessimist,” he says. “It could end up being more trouble than it’s worth, but it will help me sleep at night, knowing we’re trying to reduce the amount of litter going down the drains and into the Bay.”  

-C.J. HIRSCHFIELD

C.J. Hirschfield has served for 13 years as Executive Director of Children’s Fairyland, where she is charged with the overall operation the nation’s first storybook theme park. Prior to that, she served as an executive in the cable television industry.  C.J. is former president and current board member of the California Attractions and Parks Association, and also serves on the boards of Visit Oakland and the Lake Merritt/Uptown Business Improvement District. C.J. writes a weekly column for the Piedmont Post and OaklandLocal, where she loves to showcase the beauty of her city and its people. She holds a degree in Film and Broadcasting from Stanford University.