Park Happenings for May

(Please feel free to use excerpts. Photos available at Park Happenings May 2024)

Cheers to 90 years!  ParkFest is on Saturday, May 11, at Lake Chabot Regional Park in Castro Valley to celebrate 90 years of East Bay Regional Parks. ParkFest is a free community festival featuring music from the Grammy Award-winning Alphabet Rockers to Black Cat Zydeco to the Berkeley High School Jazz Band. Join us for live performances, a kids' zone, food trucks, eco-friendly activities, and much more. 

For many people, the East Bay Regional Parks have provided a lifetime of memories. Enjoy this wonderful community festival and make new memories at this special event. 

Special thanks to event sponsors:
Regional Parks Foundation – Landmark Sponsor
EBMUD – Park Champion Sponsor
Kaiser Permanente – Trailblazer Sponsor
PG&E – Trailblazer Sponsor
AC Transit – Park Partner Sponsor
Drake's Brewing – In-Kind Sponsor.

For more information, visit our ParkFest webpage.

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Renovated Roberts Pool is now open, just in time for swim season! A recent ribbon-cutting event opened the gates for the season at the beautiful new swim facility. The newly renovated pool provides enhanced swimming opportunities for the community. Visitors can now enjoy the increased size of the pool, including additional shallow areas for recreational activity, swim lessons, and training. The upgraded facility also includes a new changing room building with restrooms, which include gender-neutral facilities and ADA access. For more information about the Park District’s swim facilities, including Roberts Pool, visit our swimming webpage.

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The Briones Pilot Project has passed the one-year mark and is going strong into its second year. The two-year pilot project was created to test new ways to safely share trails amongst bikers, hikers and equestrians, and improve the trail experience for all users while protecting habitat, wildlife, and watersheds. Join the upcoming Briones Pilot Project Informational Meeting to share feedback on the progress made in the past year, and to learn what’s coming up for the project in the next year. The in-person meeting and open house will be held on Saturday, June 15, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Alhambra Creek Staging Area of Briones Regional Park in Martinez. For more information, visit the Briones Pilot Project webpage.

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May is National Wildfire Awareness Month, a time when the Park District and other public agencies come together to stress the importance of preparing for the upcoming wildfire season. Brush up on important wildfire season safety tips and share the news with others. 

Wildfire Safety Tips
•    Do not smoke or vape in East Bay Regional Parks.
•    Maintain “defensible space” around homes. 
–    30 feet of “clean and green” devoid of dead plants, grass, weeds, and overgrown brush.
–    100 feet of “reduced fuel” with short-mowed grass and spacing between grass, shrubs, and trees.
•    Be aware of Red Flag Warnings, fire danger levels, and fire safety rules.
•    Be alert for any potential fire hazards and report them. If a fire occurs, call 911 immediately.

Wildfire safety remains one of the Park District’s top priorities. For more information and fire safety tips, visit our Fire Safety Tips webpage.

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May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Join the Park District in paying tribute, elevating stories and participating in themed education programs as the nation celebrates diverse communities in the East Bay. Check out the AANHPI Heritage Month table at Black Diamond Mines, make Gyotaku fish prints at Del Valle or tea eggs at Ardenwood, and learn about one of China’s oldest and most celebrated poems “Guan ju” at Del Valle. For more information, visit our AANHPI webpage. 

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Head to the Rail Fair at Ardenwood Historic Farm on Memorial Day weekend, May 25-27. Join the Park District at the Ardenwood Rail Fair, where train enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy train rides, a variety of model and live steam trains, historic railroad equipment displays, live music, a full-size locomotive, and more. The event is held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day beginning Saturday, May 25, to Monday, May 27. Tickets can be purchased online until May 23. Visit our calendar for more info and to purchase Rail Fair advance tickets.

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Join the Park District to celebrate Black Birders Week from May 26 - June 1. This week-long national effort is celebrated in the East Bay Regional Park District with a program series that creates safe spaces for guided discussions about Black experiences and the outdoors. Programs are a collaboration between Park District naturalist staff, Black Employee Collective members, and local, Black-led organizations. All programs are free, and coffee, snacks, binoculars, and birding books are provided. All are welcome! Visit our Black Birders Week webpage for more information. 

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The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest regional park system in the nation, comprising 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and over 1,330 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and environmental education. The Park District receives an estimated 30 million visits annually throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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