This weekend in pleasing diversions, we bring you a selection of recent illuminations of the history of the Haight (plus weekend activities in and around the neighborhood).
Earlier this month, the Chronicle resurrected a series of photographs of the neighborhood by Art Frisch. The photographs chronicle the Haight circa 1967 as seen by a bus full of tourists on a Gray Lines curiosity tour of hippies and the Summer of Love.
Then, lest you forget that the Haight's illustrious past precedes the flower children, KALW published a story about the history of Haight Street's name, with a new hypothesis about which Haight it's named for. The surprise twist is the revelation that it might have been named after a woman, not the three male Haights (including a banker, Henry Haight, and brothers Fletcher and Samuel) it was previously thought might have been the street's namesakes.
Want to double down on your history-of-the-Haight experience? On Sunday, local Chip Isaac will be hosting the two-hour City Guides walking tour of the Haight. The tour leaves from the Park Branch library at 11am, and is a great way to get to know a different side of the 'hood—even for residents.
In other news, this Saturday marks another Alvord Lake volunteer cleanup day. From 9am to noon, you can help the Friends of Alvord Lake spruce up the area around the Stanyan entrance to Golden Gate Park. Refreshments will be provided by McDonald's.
Later Saturday afternoon, at 2pm, Amoeba will be hosting a live show with Swiftumz, whose new LP "Everybody Loves Chris", according to Amoeba, "magnifies Chris McVicker's beautifully fucked pop vision into clear focus, letting the rest of us unworthy souls bask in the glow of truly weird indie-pop euphoria."
In case you missed last weekend's festivities, the NOW! festival in the Panhandle wraps up this weekend. There are still plenty of events on the docket, including a "Midnight Pajama Silent Disco" tonight (the location is a secret) as well as a host of activities tomorrow, including chalk painting, slack lining, a 3-on-3 costumed basketball tournament, and an Earth Day photo booth on Haight at Clayton. Here's the full schedule.
Planning ahead? Next Saturday, May 2nd (or Friday the 1st for members), the San Francisco Botanical Garden is hosting its annual plant sale extravaganza at the San Francisco County Fair Building (1199 9th Ave.). This is the Garden's biggest plant show of the year. There will be 2,500 kinds of plants available (including "a dazzling variety of drought tolerant choices"), so you'd better start weeding out your old beds now.
