Vol. XLVIII, No. 9
September 2024
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THE NOE VALLEY VOICE Noe Grassroots Fired Up About Kamala and Tim
Third Annual Art Festival Has a Broader Canvas
Chance to Beat Trump Inspires Wave of Activism
Artists Show Work in the Square, Shops Add Mini Venues
By Matthew S. Bajko
By Kit Cameron
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o Paula Gerhardt, the change in attitude toward this year’s presidential race has been palpable ever since President Joe Biden dropped his bid for reelection in late July and Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. Over the Fourth of July weekend, while tabling about the upcoming election on the block of 24th Street where she lives, Gerhardt found a sense of political dread among the people she talked with that holiday. The same had been true about her interactions with people while tabling once a month at the Saturday farmers market at the Noe Valley Town Square. People expressed an interest in getting involved electorally but voiced doubt about whether Biden could prevent the Republican Party’s nominee, former President Donald Trump, from returning to the White House for a second term. “I really felt this pressure of trying to give people hope,” said Gerhardt, who
On a High: San Francisco Democratic faithful Nancy Tung, Lily Ho, Carrie Barnes, and Gia Daniller, shown here at the Thursday night peak of the August Democratic Convention in Chicago, are among the many local activists now feeling energized. Photo courtesy Carrie Barnes
has lived in Noe Valley since 1985 and is now retired from her travel industry and seasonal summer theater careers. “I shared in their just feeling this is going to be impossible, but I honestly couldn’t allow myself to feel any of that then. It is all coming up now afterwards.” Returning to the farmers market Aug.
By Emily Hayes
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he young new owners of Bernal Heights Pizzeria on Church Street are hoping their summer remodel and expanded menu with a Brazilian flair will help rejuvenate a restaurant that has been around since pre-pandemic days yet still is not very well known. Thais Tiozzo, 34, and her friend
Sept. 21 Event Features Music, Dance, and ‘Family Archery’ By Kit Cameron
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Noe’s ‘Bernal’ Pizzeria Gets a Gen Y Reboot New Partners Find Ways to Sauce Up the Menu
Upper Noe Is Celebrating With A Block Party
Wanessa Cardoso, 40, assumed ownership of Bernal Heights Pizzeria, on 1361 Church near Clipper Street, in May. Since then, they’ve been busy painting the main dining room white with gray trim to lighten the ambiance, adding plants, and refurbishing their back patio to make the sunny spot even more inviting. “It’s more welcoming—the wall colors were so dark, heavy brown,” Tiozzo CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
Warmup in the Works: New owners Wanessa Cardoso and Thais Tiozzo (r.) welcome suggestions for making Bernal Heights Pizzeria your home away from home. Photo by Art Bodner
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eople who live where streets like Noe, Church, and Sanchez bump up against 30th Street will be streaming to the Upper Noe Recreation Center on Day Street on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., to celebrate neighborhood spirit at this year’s Upper Noe Block Party, sponsored by Upper Noe Neighbors (UNN). The free event, which is also sponsored by Upper Noe Merchants, the Rec and Park Department, and Friends of Upper Noe Recreation Center, will be like a county fair—with kids’ games, music and dance performances, food tastings, a raffle, and tables for schools, businesses, and local non-profits. “We just need to have a party!” says UNN President Chris Faust. “This is something good for the community. We hope people will come out and have a good time, find our common ground, and share what we love.” In 2013, says Faust, “UNN decided to do a five-year anniversary celebration for the renovation [of the rec center and the park]. We called it Cinco de Noe.” Then five years later, in 2018, the party returned as “Ten Together.” Covid interrupted festivities after the 2019 celebration, but the community rallied in 2022, with “Up Close and Personal.” It wasn’t just the recreation center that felt the impact of Covid. “Park and Rec staffing has been downsized,” notes Faust. “We didn’t know how businesses were going to make it. Looking around Church Street now, you notice the vibrancy.” He cites the arrival of newcomers CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
rganizers Peggy Cling, Linda Lockyer, and Rose Griffin are beyond excited about the third annual Noe Valley Art Festival, which will spring to life on Sunday, Sept. 22, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Noe Valley Town Square. “We were overwhelmed by the number of artists who want to be involved,” says Lockyer. “We gave first dibs to first-time participants, and we’ll have 75 percent new artists.” The media on display will incorporate everything from photography, such as nature closeups by Raquel Johnson, to painting—be sure to check out Diane Presler’s distinctive watercolors—along with sculpture, mixed-media and fabric art. There will be jewelry and pottery. Hettie Ketchen’s delightful clay mugs feature chickens, lobsters, and ladybugs. And you can make some art of your own. In addition to artmaking at her gallery Art Haus (3977 24th St.), Elizabeth Dekker is bringing a whole raft of child-size easels to the square, and Cling promises to teach you how to make a “Taylor Swift” beaded bracelet. Up at Diamond and 24th Street, the Rabbit Hole Theater (800 Diamond St.) and Edward Jones Financial Services (4190 24th St.) are hosting more children’s activities. And the fun doesn’t stop there. This year, for the first time, merchants and restaurants are extending the festival atmosphere with an Art Walk. Artists who are not in the Town Square will be setting up in front of and inside different stores along the street, while CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Come Early: The Noe Valley Art Festival attracted hundreds to the Town Square last year, and it’s expected to draw even larger crowds in its third incarnation, on Sunday, Sept. 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Want to help set up or take down? Email lindalockyer3@ gmail.com. Photo courtesy Peggy Cling