Happy Thursday, everyone!
School starts Tuesday, so this is the last quiet week for a lot of families. It's a good one to go out on. The rebuilt Wood Middle School opens Friday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting anyone can go to, and it looks nothing like the 1965 building it replaced.
Before the backpacks come out, there's plenty on. The Oakland Roots open their Harbor Bay facility to the neighbors Saturday morning, complete with a teachers supply drive, and our Summer Giveaway hits its Grand Finale Sunday night with an $1,800 grand prize. Over on Park Street, one spot just closed and another looks like it's coming back.
Let's dive in!
In this week's email:
Featured Events: The Oakland Roots open house & a mahjong night at Alameda Brewing
Alameda News: Wood Middle School opens, Park Street's food shuffle & a hometown golfer's big finish
Restaurant of the Week: Million Spoons, Thai street food on Park Street
Community Spotlight: Frame 1A and the wall you can put a photo on
This Week's Events: Live music, trivia, mahjong & more
Houses on the Market: New Alameda Listings
Read time: 8 mins
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FEATURED EVENTS
Oakland Roots & Soul Facility Open House
Saturday, August 8 | 10 AM - 12 PM | FREE | 📍 1220 Harbor Bay Parkway.
The soccer club that wants to play here is opening its doors to the neighbors. The Oakland Roots and Soul are hosting a community open house at their Harbor Bay training facility, the old Raiders headquarters. They'll walk through the improvements they're planning and their proposal to host home matches there for the next few years, the story we covered in July.
It's built for families, not just for feedback. The Alameda Soccer Club is running soccer activities for kids, and Cafe Jolie and Tucker's Ice Cream are handling food. There's also a Back-to-School teachers supply drive with a collection bin on site, so bring supplies if you have them. RSVP isn't required but they're asking for one so they can plan.
Hong Kong Style Mahjong Social
Saturday, August 8 | 5 - 8 PM | 📍 Alameda Brewing.
You do not need to know how to play. Alameda Brewing is teaming up with the Dragon Mahjong Club for a night of Hong Kong style mahjong in the taproom. The first hour is beginner lessons, so turning up knowing nothing is the point.
Lessons run 5 to 6, then it is open play until 8. Seasoned players are welcome for the whole thing. Come on your own or bring people, there is a seat at the table either way.
The Secret is Out: The Soiled Dove Opens Tomorrow!
The Tortona Big Top has arrived at Alameda Point! Now it's time to discover what's happening inside.
The Soiled Dove under the Tortona Big Top opens tomorrow, August 7. Experience an all-new season featuring the legendary Joan Baez alongside the cast of Vau de Vire Society. This unforgettable evening blends world-class circus artistry, live original music, comedy, storytelling, and an optional multi-course dinner beneath a magnificent Italian circus tent on the waterfront.
Opening weekend is here, and Dinner and VIP seats are selling quickly. Reserve your tickets today.
Special Offer: Alameda Pulse readers can use code ALAMEDAPULSE20 for 20% off their Dinner Show experience from now until Aug 15th.
ALAMEDA NEWS
This Week’s Top Stories
Wood Middle School's new campus opens Friday
The rebuilt Wood Middle School holds its ribbon-cutting Friday, August 7 at 4 PM, and families are invited. The celebration is in the campus quad at the new access road across from Rittler Park, at 420 Grand Street. AUSD says all are welcome. They're asking people to walk or bike if they can.
The new campus replaces a three-story classroom building from 1965 and three worn-out portables. In its place is a two-story building with 24 classrooms, four science rooms, a new gym, a solar canopy with 176 panels, and a new road connecting Otis Drive and Grand Street, plus 6,000 plants and 130 trees. Read more →
And then school starts. The first day for AUSD students is Tuesday, August 11.
New Mexican Restaurant & Park St Salad Closing
Greens & Grains, the salad and rotisserie chicken counter inside Alameda Marketplace, closed at the end of July. The spot at 1650 Park Street had been doing custom salads, soups, and rotisserie chicken. The owners said business had been slow.
Across the street, a new liquor license filing points to Black Bull Tacos coming back. State ABC records show a beer and wine license filed under the name Black Bull Tacos at 1635 Park Street, where a Black Bull taqueria ran from 2017 to 2018. The filing is under Scolari's Restaurant Inc., so this is Mike Boyd of Scolari's Good Eats at 1303 Park Street bringing back his own taqueria. A filing isn't an opening date, so treat it as a strong signal and not a grand opening announcement yet.
An Alameda teenager nearly won the Junior PGA Championship
Kailer Stone, who grew up here, led the Junior PGA Championship after two rounds and finished tied for second. He shot 6-under 210 at PGA Frisco in Texas, opening with a 4-under 68 that put him a shot clear of the field.
He's headed to Pepperdine this fall. Stone signed with the Waves for 2026 and has seven amateur wins, including back-to-back NorCal Junior Championships and the 115th California Amateur.
Source: PGA.com | Pepperdine Athletics
Quick hits
So can Pinot's Palette. The paint-and-sip studio at South Shore had its beer and wine license issued July 16, which means drinks during class.
After-school spots are still open. City RAP, AUSD Expanded Learning, the Boys and Girls Club, and the YMCA all still have openings, and financial aid is available. Worth sorting before Tuesday.
Restaurant of the Week: Million Spoons
Million Spoons has been quietly doing Thai street food at 1307 Park Street for a year now. The founders came from Bangkok and opened in the summer of 2025 to cook the food they actually grew up on, not the Americanized version.
Order the khao soi. It's the northern Thai curry noodle soup, flat egg noodles in a rich coconut curry with a chicken leg that falls off the bone. There are six noodle soups if that's not your thing, plus spring rolls and fried tofu cubes to start. For dessert, the kanom krok, little coconut cakes with a creamy center.
They open at 5 PM and run late. That makes it a good after-work or post-movie stop rather than a lunch run.
This Week's Events
Markets & Pop-Ups
Downtown Alameda Farmers' Market | Thursday, Aug 6 | 3 - 7 PM | FREE | 📍 Alameda Ave Parklet. More info
West End Farmers' Market | Saturday, Aug 8 & Tuesday, Aug 11 | 9 AM - 1 PM | FREE | 📍 Haight Ave at Webster St. More info
Two Marys' Friday Night Socials | Friday, Aug 7 | 5 - 8 PM | 📍 Two Marys' Mercantile. Pop-up vendors on the dock. More info
First Friday on Alameda Point | Friday, Aug 7 | 4 - 8 PM | 📍 Alameda Point. Crate digging with Vinyl, Humble Sea, Malaya, Blue Drip and Hearth. More info
Workshops & Crafts
Sips & Sprouts: Pints & Plants | Sunday, Aug 9 | 12 - 3 PM | Ticketed | 📍 Faction Brewing. Pot a plant and take it home. Get tickets
Modern Calligraphy for Beginners: Sip & Script | Sunday, Aug 9 | 3:30 - 6 PM | Ticketed | 📍 Alameda Brewing. More info
Live Music
The Mio Flores SalSazz Trio | Thursday, Aug 6 | 7:30 - 10:30 PM | 1 drink min or $5 | 📍 Cinema Grill. More info
JazSynergy | Friday, Aug 7 | 7:30 - 10:15 PM | 1 drink min or $5 | 📍 Cinema Grill. Jazz, funk, R&B and blues. More info
Faith Luster & Friends | Saturday, Aug 8 | 7:30 - 10:15 PM | 1 drink min or $5 | 📍 Cinema Grill. More info
Crossroads | Sunday, Aug 9 | 3:30 - 6:30 PM | 1 drink min or $5 | 📍 Cinema Grill. More info
Singer/Songwriter Open Mic | Wednesday, Aug 12 | 7:30 PM | FREE | 📍 The Fireside Lounge. More info
Shows & Entertainment
Nina LaCour at Books Inc. | Thursday, Aug 6 | 6:30 - 7:30 PM | FREE | 📍 Books Inc. Alameda. In conversation with Jandy Nelson about her new novel. More info
Alameda's Angels Drag Show | Friday, Aug 7 | Doors 7 PM, show 8 PM | Ticketed | 📍 Faction Brewing. All ages, with Jax from RuPaul's Drag Race. Get tickets
Saturday Night Comedy | Saturday, Aug 8 | 8 PM, open mic at 10 | Ticketed | 📍 The Fireside Lounge. Get tickets
Live Comedy | Wednesday, Aug 12 | 7 - 8:30 PM | $10 | 📍 Cinema Grill. Five comics, second Wednesday. Get tickets
Games, Drinks, & Vibes
Trivia Tuesday | Tuesday, Aug 11 | 7 - 9 PM | 📍 Alameda Brewing. More info
Trivia Night | Tuesday, Aug 11 | 7:30 PM | 📍 The Fireside Lounge. More info
Trivia Night | Wednesday, Aug 12 | 6:30 PM | 📍 McGee's Bar & Grill. More info
Family & Kids
Storytimes at the Library | All week | FREE | 📍 Alameda Free Library. Check the schedule
Alameda Elks Classic Car Show | Saturday, Aug 8 | 11 AM - 3 PM | 📍 Alameda Elks Lodge. Classic cars on the lawn, proceeds to the Elks charity fund. More info
Get Active & Give Back
Kindred Running Club | Thursday, Aug 6, 6:30 PM & Saturday, Aug 8, 8 AM | FREE | 📍 Park Station and 1436 Webster St. 3 miles Thursday, 5K or 10K Saturday. More info
Kindred Community Walk | Wednesday, Aug 12 | 9 AM | FREE | 📍 1436 Webster St. More info
Weekly Classes at Rhythmix | Most days | 📍 Rhythmix Cultural Works. Fourteen weekly classes, bhangra Mondays 6:30 PM plus salsa, zumba, bomba and yoga. See the schedule
Civic & Community
En Plein Air Exhibit opens | Friday, Aug 7 | FREE | 📍 Frank Bette Center for the Arts. Last week's Paintout paintings go up, through September 26. More info
Transportation 101 & Clipper Card for Seniors | Friday, Aug 7 | FREE | 📍 Mastick Senior Center. More info
Know Your Medicare Rights | Tuesday, Aug 11 | FREE | 📍 Mastick Senior Center. More info
The Great American Song Book | Wednesday, Aug 12 | FREE | 📍 Mastick Senior Center. More info
HOUSES ON THE MARKET
Want your business in front of thousands of Alamedans? Email us at [email protected]
Got an event we missed? Submit an Event and we'll take a look for next week.
For Frankie