WNP Events Calendar

We're happy to appear at street fairs, festivals, and other community events to show old photos of the neighborhood, give out free booklets, and chat with people about west SF history.

We also do slide shows and lectures for community groups, classrooms, preschools, clubs, historical societies, and other organizations who'd like to hear more about topics like the Sunset district, the old Rancho San Miguel, earthquake shacks, and "Carville".

Email us for more information!

• Jan 31st, 2012 7:00pm (Tuesday) at St Phillip's Church
  A Madcap Romp Through San Francisco Political History
  Supervisor Chris J Christensen was elected to the board of supervisors in the November, 1947, municipal election and was sworn in on Thursday, January 8, 1948. Seven days later, his coat and suicide note were found on the Golden Gate Bridge. More than a year later, the mystery was solved. Learn what happened at WNP board member Paul Rosenberg's presentation. Doors open at 7pm, presentation promptly at 7:45. $5 refreshments and raffle.
  map to: St Phillip's Church 725 Diamond Street
  more info: http://sanfranciscohistory.org/
  
• Jan 30th, 2012 7:00pm (Monday) at Sunset Branch Library
  Lorri Ungaretti on Sunset District History
  Lorri Ungaretti gives a slide presentation about her new book, Then & Now: San Francisco's Sunset District, featuring vintage and modern photographs from the Western Neighborhoods Project and private collections. Books will be available for purchase. She will also present a preview of her next book, Stories in the Sand. Free
  map to: Sunset Branch Library 1305 18th Ave at Irving
  more info: http://www.sfpl.org/sunset
  
• Jan 24th, 2012 7:30pm (Tuesday) at Internet Archive
  Lost Landscapes of San Francisco, 6
  

  LOST LANDSCAPES OF SAN FRANCISCO 6 (2011) is the latest in a series of historical urban explorations, made from home movies, industrial and promotional films and outtakes, and other cinematic ephemera. It sold out the Castro Theatre in December, and this will be its second screening. YOU are the soundtrack. Please come prepared to shout out your identifications, ask questions about what's on the screen, and share your thoughts with fellow audience members.

  Suggested admission for the screening: $5 bucks -- or 5 books, which will be donated to Internet Archive's book scanning project. Reservations are required, the event frequently sells out. send a message to rsvp@archive.org

  Most of the footage in this program has not been shown before. It includes footage of San Francisco's cemeteries just before their removal, unique drive-thru dootage of the Old Produce Market (now Golden Gateway) in the late 1940s, cruising the newly-built Embarcadero Freeway, grungy back streets in North Beach, the sandswept Sunset District in the 1930s, and newly-rediscovered Cinemascope footage of Playland, the Sky Tram and San Francisco scenes, all in Kodachrome.

  
  map to: Internet Archive 300 Funston
  Contact: rsvp@archive.org
  
• Jan 11th, 2012 7:00pm (Wednesday) at Merced Branch, SF Public Library
  SF's Wild West: Early History of Lake Merced's Neighborhoods
  From the 1850s to the early 1900s, the area around Lake Merced was a destination for gamblers, duelists, sporting men, and other San Franciscans looking for excitement. Woody LaBounty, founder of the Western Neighborhoods Project will present historical images and tell tales of roadhouses, squatters' wars, and famous horse races. LaBounty will also explain how the city's wild west was tamed into some of San Francisco's most desirable residential neighborhoods.
  map to: Merced Branch, SF Public Library 155 Winston Drive
  more info: http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=0100001101
  
• Dec 8th, 2011 7:30pm (Thursday) at Castro Theater
  Lost Landscapes of San Francisco, 6
  Rick Prelinger, a guerrilla archivist who collects the uncollected and makes it accessible, presents the 6th of his annual Lost Landscapes of San Francisco screenings. You'll see an eclectic montage of rediscovered and rarely-seen film clips showing life, landscapes, labor and leisure in a vanished San Francisco as captured by amateurs, newsreel cameramen and studio filmmakers.
  
  New material this year (presented for the first time in HD) will include San Francisco's lost cemeteries in color, unique drive-through footage of the Produce Market (now Embarcadero Center and Golden Gateway), rides along the newly constructed Embarcadero Freeway, back streets in working-class North Beach, new film showing the sandswept Sunset before its dunes were covered, wild automobile rides through downtown in the 1920s, newly-rediscovered Kodachrome Cinemascope footage of Playland and the Sky Tram, and much more.
  
  WNP's Woody Labounty will lend his west side expertise to the narration.
  
  Doors open at 6:30pm, event starts at 7:30pm - $10
  map to: Castro Theater 429 Castro St
  more info: http://lostlandscapes.eventbrite.com/
  
• Nov 19th, 2011 7:00pm (Saturday) at El Rey Theater
  El Rey Theater 80th Anniversary Celebration
  The art deco movie palace, the El Rey in San Francisco's Ingleside neighborhood, turns 80 this November. To celebrate, "The Smiling Lieutenant" the first film shown there will be screened and "Art Deco: San Francisco" author Therese Poletti will speak about the theatre's famous architect, Timothy Pflueger. A benefit for the Geneva Car Barn & Powerhouse project, architect Joshua Aidlin will show his plan for turning the "Barn" into an arts hub. Come for food, wine, and live music. Stay for the conversation and the classic film.
  
  Doors open at 7:00 p.m., film at 8:30 p.m.
  Price: $25
  
  Purchase tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/204713
  Visit www.elrey80th.com to join the mailing list.
  map to: El Rey Theater 1970 Ocean Avenue
  more info: http://www.elrey80th.com
  
• Nov 4th, 2011 7:00pm (Friday) at Balboa Theater
  Sutro's: The Palace at Lands' End
  A full length documentary film about San Francisco's privately owned swimming, ice skating and museum complex built in the late 19th century. Once the world's largest swimming pool establishment, the building burnt down in 1966. The ruins remain today. Journey back in time to revisit Sutro Baths when it was in full operation. See: The Seven Pools, Sutro Railway, Merry Way, Sutro's Cliff House, Ice Skating Rink, Egyptian Mummy Museum, Tom Thumb Exhibit, Musee Mecanique, Torture Museum, Lord's Last Supper, Ito, Giggling Ghost, 1963 & 1966 Fires, Sutro Ruins, and much, much more. A nostalgic trip back in time told by historians and the people that were there. Through interviews, film footage, and hundreds of photographs, this film not only allows us to relearn and finally understand Sutro Baths' history, but also to feel and experience it. 84 minutes in length.
  map to: Balboa Theater 3630 Balboa Street
  more info: http://www.garfieldlaneproductions.com/Sutro.html
  
• Oct 27th, 2011 7:00pm (Thursday) at Sutro Library
  Family Experiences Working at Sutro Baths
  National Park Service Docent (and WNP member) Tom Bratton shares his memories of his family working at Sutro Baths. Tom brings a terrific perspective on the baths and the behind-the-scenes effort it took to keep the business running.
  map to: Sutro Library 480 Winston Drive
  Contact: Sutro@library.ca.gov
  more info: http://www.library.ca.gov/SutroLectures%20011_Flyer_Final.pdf
  
• Oct 25th, 2011 7:00pm (Tuesday) at St Phillip's Church
  Then and Now: San Francisco's Sunset District
  WNP board member Lorri Ungaretti will give a sneak peek presentation of her new book, Then & Now: San Francisco's Sunset District, at the next meeting of the San Francisco History Association. Lorri has been researching and giving presentations on the Sunset District for almost ten years. In this new presentation, Lorri will show more than 40 images of old buildings and vistas coupled with what stands in the same places today. Her new book will be published in January 2012.
  map to: St Phillip's Church 725 Diamond Street
  Contact: Lorri Ungaretti lorri@outsidelands.org
  more info: http://sanfranciscohistory.org/
  
• Oct 15th, 2011 7:00am (Saturday) at Speedway Meadow
  Jimmy's 23rd Annual Old Car Picnic
  Jimmy's Annual Old Car Picnic started in 1988 when classic car-loving friends got together in Golden Gate Park to celebrate Jimmy O'Keefe's brithday. It has since grown into the largest and longest-running show of its kind in San Francisco and includes cars, trucks, and motorcycles of all types, as well as a good number of oddballs (and old-time San Franciscans).
  
  We welcome everyone - no car required! Bring your family! Bring your camera! Bring a picnic lunch or BBQ!
  map to: Speedway Meadow Golden Gate Park
  Contact: jimmyspicnic@gmail.com
  more info: http://www.jimmyspicnic.com/
  
• Sep 29th, 2011 7:00pm (Thursday) at Sutro Library
  Grounds for Pleasure: the Archaeology of Sutro's "Merry Way"
  National Park Service Archaeologist Leo Barker shares the findings of the recent dig along Adolph Sutro's former pleasure ground east of the Cliff House and the site of the Sutro Baths.
  map to: Sutro Library 480 Winston Drive
  Contact: Sutro@library.ca.gov
  more info: http://www.library.ca.gov/SutroLectures%20011_Flyer_Final.pdf
  
• Aug 30th, 2011 7:00pm (Tuesday) at St. Philips Catholic Church
  Playland, The Early Years
  Who can forget the Hippodrome, the Loof merry-go-round, the Merry Mix-Up or the Rocket Speedway? Take a time-machine fun ride through Playland history with historian James R. Smith, who will share rare photographs tracing the origin and development of the place that enthralled generations of San Franciscans.
  
  Doors open at 7 P.M. with refreshments and a S.F. historical book sale, whil eth meeting begins at 7:30 P.M. sharp. There is a $5 admission for nonmembers of San Francisco History Association. Limited parking in schoolyard (entrance on Elizabeth St.), but additional parking is available on surrounding streets.
  map to: St. Philips Catholic Church 725 Diamond Street
  Contact: Ron Ross ron@sanfranciscohistory.org
  more info: http://sanfranciscohistory.org/meetings/
  
• Aug 27th, 2011 1:30pm (Saturday)
  Playland WNP Member Walk #2
  Join Woody LaBounty on a tour of the site of San Francisco's well-remembered Playland-at-the-Beach. With roots from the ragtag "Mooneyville," where enterprising ruffians and aspiring politicians ran beer and waffle stands, Playland was transformed by the Whitney Brothers into a true beachside amusement zone from the 1920s until its end in 1972. In addition to remembering the rides and attractions of Playland, the walk will also cover other local points of interest such as the Dutch Windmill, the Beach Chalet, the former Life-Saving Station, and the sites of infamous roadhouses.
  
  The tour is free, but limited to WNP members and their guests, and has a maximum capacity of 30 people. Email woody@outsidelands.org to make your reservation.
  map to:
  Contact: Woody LaBounty woody@outsidelands.org
  
• Aug 27th, 2011 10:30am (Saturday)
  Playland WNP Member Walk
  Join Woody LaBounty on a tour of the site of San Francisco's well-remembered Playland-at-the-Beach. With roots from the ragtag "Mooneyville," where enterprising ruffians and aspiring politicians ran beer and waffle stands, Playland was transformed by the Whitney Brothers into a true beachside amusement zone from the 1920s until its end in 1972. In addition to remembering the rides and attractions of Playland, the walk will also cover other local points of interest such as the Dutch Windmill, the Beach Chalet, the former Life-Saving Station, and the sites of infamous roadhouses. The tour is free, but limited to WNP members and their guests, and has a maximum capacity of 30 people. Email woody@outsidelands.org to make your reservation.
  map to:
  Contact: Woody LaBounty woody@outsidelands.org
  
• Jul 16th, 2011 10:00am (Saturday) at Parkside Branch Library
  Parkside Neighborhood Walk
  Learn how the Parkside District rose from the dunes in 1905, got entangled in the city's post-1906 earthquake Graft Trials, and was developed by pioneering residents into one of San Francisco's most-admired neighborhoods. Discover the background on some of the more interesting neighborhood buildings. WNP board member Lorri Ungaretti will lead a free walking tour of the Parkside neighborhood for the Parkside Branch of the San Francisco Public Library. The tour begins at the Parkside Branch Library, at the corner of Taraval and 22nd Avenue.
  map to: Parkside Branch Library 22nd Avenue and Taraval Street
  Contact: Lorri Ungaretti lorri@outsidelands.org
  
• Jun 15th, 2011 7:00pm (Wednesday) at Bernal Heights Branch Library
  Beginning of Bernal Heights Transit
  Our friend Jack Tillmany will conduct a free presentation on the early history of public transportation in Bernal Heights at the Bernal Heights branch library. What does Bernal Heights have to do with the western neighborhoods? Well, some of the crosstown streetcar trolleys (like the 24 line) connected to the west side. Besides Jack is a good speaker and we like old photos from everywhere. Presented by Bernal History Project.
  map to: Bernal Heights Branch Library 500 Cortland Avenue
  more info: http://www.bernalhistoryproject.org/
  
• May 28th, 2011 10:00am (Saturday)
  West Portal History Walk (City Guides)
  From a sleepy ranch owned by Adolph Sutro in 1880, West Portal rapidly grew into a shopping and transit hub after the Twin Peaks tunnel in 1918. See buildings designed by architects who later gained fame for the Golden Gate Bridge and Art Deco apartments around the city. Meet guide Emmet McDonagh in front of the West Portal branch library.
  map to:
  
• May 14th, 2011 11:00am (Saturday)
  West Side Whimsey Member Walk
  Join Jacquie Proctor, WNP member, City Guide, and author of "Bay Area Beauty: The Artistry of Harold G Stoner, Architect," on a guided walk of this Englishman's unique creations in Balboa Terrace and Lakeside. Specializing in atmospheric make believe, it was Stoner who designed the Tropic Beach entrance to the Sutro Baths, the medieval hilltop mansion for Adolph G. Sutro, and Sally Rand's Nude Ranch at the Golden Gate International Exposition. From Art Deco landmarks to storybook cottages and Spanish castles, see how Stoner waved his whimsical magic wand throughout West of Twin Peaks and beyond. The walk is free, but limited to WNP members and their guests, and has a maximum capacity of 30 people. To make your reservation, contact Woody LaBounty at woody@outsidelands.org and he'll reply with the meeting place.
  map to:
  Contact: Woody LaBounty woody@outsidelands.org
  
• May 1st, 2011 10:00am (Sunday)
  West Portal History Walk (City Guides)
  From a sleepy ranch owned by Adolph Sutro in 1880, West Portal rapidly grew into a shopping and transit hub after the Twin Peaks tunnel in 1918. See buildings designed by architects who later gained fame for the Golden Gate Bridge and Art Deco apartments around the city. Meet guide Emmet McDonagh in front of the West Portal branch library.
  map to:
  
• Apr 27th, 2011 5:30pm (Wednesday) at California Historical Society
  Parkside Show & Tell
  Join California Historical Society's Mary Morganti (Director of Library & Archives) and Eileen Keremitsis (Reference Assistant) and WNP's Woody LaBounty in a show and tell about San Francisco's Parkside District. California Historical Society has recently acquired photo albums documenting the creation of this Sunset District neighborhood with startling early transit images.
  map to: California Historical Society 678 Mission Street
  more info: http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org