Bands and barbecue will be on hand at the 9th Annual Music in the Park community picnic on Saturday, September 8th, just in time for San Francisco’s actual summer. You can groove and chow down at Noe Courts Park at 24th and Douglass from 11 am to 3 pm. Admission is free.

The focus is on kids at this event. There’ll be a jumpy tent sponsored by the Friends of Noe Valley, dodgeball organized by the Upper Noe Rec Center, stickers from Noe Valley Town Square, balloons and more. The Noe Valley Democratic Club will be registering big kids to vote.

Bands for everyone will play throughout the picnic. Headliners will include theDistrict 8 Rock Band made up of local rock and roll parents, including Dan Luscher from Noe Valley. District 8 is a group that plays progressive rock (SF? Natch!), roots and indie elements.

Not to be outdone by the parents, students are also playing. The Cadigan Dynamic jazz band is made up of recent SF high school graduates. Catch them before they’re off to college! Cadigan Dynamic play all kinds of jazz: Latin, Blues, Funk and Swing. Dancing on the lawn is definitely permitted. Come find out what Cadigan means!

Noe Valley’s own Michael Capozzola will keep the show on the road as the master of ceremonies.

Like last year, Chef Pierre and Chef Doug will be flipping burgers and making sure your hot dogs are hot. Need your salt and sugar? Plan to pig out on chips, cookies and other goodies. Hey, it’s only one day. You can run it off on Sunday. If you’re thirsty, water, juices and soft drinks will be available.  Proceeds from food and drink sales are used to cover expenses for Music in the Park.

This year, two local businesses have ponied up money as event sponsors: David’s Teas and The Valley Tavern. The Canadians and the Irish love us!  Any net proceeds go to fund the work of Friends of Noe Valley, your neighborhood association.

More bands and more kids activities are planned.  Other neighborhood groups will be on hand.  Continue to check out friendsofnoevalley.com for the latest updates.