WORD WEEK 2021 EVENTS

Noe Valley’s literary festival Word Week 2021 is set for March 8-14. All events will be virtual. Get ready to Zoom! The audience limit on each event is 100 people. All events are free.

Here’s the lineup. You can RSVP at the Facebook event page link or by emailing wordweeknoevalley@gmail.com and letting us know which event or events you definitely want to attend. If you RSVP by Facebook, you’ll be sent the Zoom information by Messenger. If by email, it will come by return email. How ever you RSVP, you will receive the Zoom information and be added to the guest list.

Monday, March 8, 7pm: International Women’s Day with Naomi Wolf, interviewed by Maxine Einhorn RESERVE YOUR SPOT at https://bit.ly/3jA6xjx

Tuesday, March 9, 7pm: Why We Are Not a “Nation of Immigrants” with Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz & Mary Jo McConahay RESERVE YOUR SPOT at https://bit.ly/3tLhnYl

Wednesday, March 10, 7pm: Black Literature, Black Lives with Julie Lythcott-Haims, Ayodele Nzinga, and Maurice Ruffin RESERVE YOUR SPOT at https://bit.ly/3jGdorI

Thursday, March 11, 7pm: Angel Island Detainee Poetry with Jeffrey Thomas Leong RESERVE YOUR SPOT at http://bit.ly/2ZaCyoC

Friday, March 12, 7pm: Leah Garchik & Ruthe Stein from SF Chronicle, in conversation with Maxine Einhorn RESERVE YOUR SPOT at http://bit.ly/3pe5OFB

Saturday, March 13, two events!

• 11am (7pm Dublin time): Contemporary Irish Literature with Colm Toibin, Paula Meehan, and Michelle Gallen RESERVE YOUR SPOT at http://bit.ly/3rIL8Ya
• 7pm: Noir Not at the Bar: crime novels and virtual cocktails with Cara Black, Jasmine Almaq, Rachel Howzell Hall, and Naomi Hirahara RESERVE YOUR SPOT at https://bit.ly/3qf3UGa

Sunday, March 14, 7pm: Noe Poets Pandemic Poems with Kristin Belshaw, Susan Dambroff, Jeff Dolman, Eveline Kanes, Marylee McNeal, Hal Savage and Kim Shuck RESERVE YOUR SPOT at http://bit.ly/3rSZZ27

It is with great regret that we are announcing that the Noe Valley Garden Tour 2020 is canceled due to the speed and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We hope you will understand that the safety of our amazing garden hosts, our loyal volunteers, our visitors, our sponsors and our hard-working team remain our priority which is why we have taken this unprecedented step. 

We have tentatively scheduled Saturday, May 8th as the date for the Garden Tour in 2021. We will get back to you with more information and let you know about our plans for next year as soon as we are able. We sincerely appreciate your understanding in these uncertain times.

On behalf of the Friends of Noe Valley and our Garden Tour committee we hope you stay healthy and safe.

Due to the Coronavirus outbreak and the precautions suggested for events, Friends of Noe Valley has made the decision to cancel Word Week for 2020. We are so sorry it has come to this. We will be back next year!

Come one, Come all

The Friends of Noe Valley invites you to an evening get together with three city representatives who will give us the low down on what is happening in the City, District 8, and Noe Valley in particular.

The meeting will be held at the Noe Valley Ministry on Monday, March 23rd from 7pm to 8:30pm. The Ministry is located at 1021 Sanchez Street between Elizabeth and 23rd streets. Mark your calendar.

Heading the agenda is Rafael Mandelman who represents District 8 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Mandelman chairs the Board’s Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee and is a member of the Budget and Finance, Budget and Appropriations, County Transportation and the Treasure Island Mobility Management Agency committees. Bring your questions. Bring your concerns.

Also attending is Jessica Closson the San Francisco Police Department Community Liaison for Crime Prevention and Safety for District 8. Jessica works closely with Supervisor Rafael Mandelman’s office, SFPD, and other city groups to address crime and safety issues. Jessica is also a neighbor as she lives right here in Noe Valley. You can read all about her in the January 2020 Noe Valley Voice. Come meet Jessica and find out how she is ready to take on the challenges of District 8 and Noe Valley.

Rounding out the group is Paul Lupino from MONS – the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services.  Paul is the liaison for community outreach and constituent services for Noe Valley (and  several other neighborhoods) focusing on helping residents address issues they face. Each month Paul will host office hours in a public space in Noe Valley. Come and learn where and when you can meet and chat with Paul each month.

Friends of Noe Valley is an organization of people who believe that knowing your neighbors creates community and that creating community is key to having a safe and vibrant neighborhood. Join us on Monday, March 23rd and connect to your neighborhood by connecting to its people.

Where to start!

The 2019 Noe Valley Garden Tour was THE BEST EVER! Yes, the sun was shining, the gardens were popping with color and life, there was art and there was music. It could not have been better! 300+ attendees strolled from garden to garden to admire what the neighborhood had on display.

First off, a great big special thanks goes to the ten generous garden hosts who willingly opened their gardens for us to enjoy on the tour. We know how hard they worked to make sure everything was in tip top shape. Ten colorful flower emojis to them!

• Alison Lustbader
• Barbara Brueckner & Michael Shpizner
• Dale & Patty Fehringer
• Dana & Michael Immerman
• Frank & Kathleen Schlier
• Grame and Irene Merry
• Lawrence Kulig
• Lisa Erdos & Barbara Howald – Noe Valley Library
• Richard Anderson
• Lisa Erdos & Green Mann – 30th Street Senior Center

For the artists who were on display in the gardens, eleven artist palette emojis all around. Their work enhanced the experience for visitors and made everything much more festive!

• Jessica Levant
• John Milestone
• Michelle Echenique
• Lawrence Kulig
• David Auld
• Debra Reabock
• Kristine Mays
• Talavera-Ballón
• Richard Anderson
• Julie Cohn
• Randy Lee Odell

Musical note emojis go to the musicians who were a successful new addition to the Garden Tour this year.

• Hans Kolbe and friends
• Dave Johnson, Liberty Street Band

Next, we can’t thank our sponsors enough for their big hearted support of the Noe Valley community. It is so kind and generous of them to donate and help us put the tour together. Many of them are Garden Tour sponsors year after year after year. They are WONDERFUL! We would not be able to do it without them! Sixteen clapping hands emojis for the sponsors!

• Rachel Swann – The Agency – LEAD SPONSOR
• David Pennebaker – Compass,
• Dennis Otto – Compass
• Dirty Hoe Landscaping
• Duncan Wheeler-Compass
• Droubi Team
• Flora Grubb
• Flowercraft
• Noe Valley Merchants and Professionals Association
• Reid Rankin Real Estate
• Sloat Garden Centers
• Stephanie Johnson – Pacific Union – Compass – RAFFLE DONOR
• Terese Taylor, CMT
• Umpqua
• Urban Farmer
• Zephyr Realty

Lastly, there would be NO Garden Tour without the dedicated, diligent, hardworking and FUN Garden Tour Committee! The Friends of Noe Valley would like to thank them, personally and publicly, for their attention to detail, hard work and for all the little and big ways they pitched in to get the job done. Everyone went above and beyond and was so thoughtful and generous in their gift of time to insure that the Garden Tour was so successful. A HUGE thanks to each of them for their supreme effort! Nine crown emojis for a job well done!

• Adrian Bonifacio
• Arete Nicholas
• Jana King
• Karin Levenberg
• Linda Lockyer
• Lisa Erdos
• Mary Donovan
• Michelle Echenique
• Peggy Cling

Looking forward, if you would like to nominate your garden or the garden of a friend or neighbor, OR if your would like to join the very FUN Garden Tour Committee, OR if you would like to be a volunteer garden greeter in 2020, OR if you want to sponsor, OR if you are an artist or musician – do not pass GO!

Email Linda Lockyer immediately at: lindalockyer3@gmail.com

Buy Tickets

Friends of Noe Valley is pleased to present the 14th annual Noe Valley Garden Tour on Saturday, May 4th. This year the 2019 tour has ten private gardens that will be open from 10am-4pm. With an earlier date and all the recent rain, the gardens should be amazing and the flowers plentiful!

Back by popular demand the Garden Tour theme is once again Art in the Garden. A variety of art including sculpture, painting and photography by local artists will be displayed in every garden.

• The 2019 tour includes a beautiful backyard referred to by the owner as ‘Tuscanesia’ which is a blend of old-world style terraced stonework, tropical plants and ten trees, creating a calm and peaceful atmosphere for urban living. The photo art of Jessica Levant will be on display with ‘unexpected views of the ordinary and ordinary views of the unexpected’.
• A terraced succulent garden challenges young and old with a “puzzle” to find various hidden animals and insects. Local artist John Milestone who created the wall murals in this garden will be present to discuss his style of creating murals, oil and acrylic paintings.
• A very pleasant intimate garden perfect for reading, dining or entertaining features a  spectacular weeping cherry tree, wonderful Japanese maple, several very old native California trees and colorful flowers. This is where you will meet artist Michelle Echenique displaying her new series of mixed media vertical gardens. These one-of-a-kind creations incorporate live plants within a structure of reclaimed material creating distinctive and compact hanging gardens.
• The late Manuel Fernandez created a garden over 40 years ago which showcases a collection of semi and tropical plants. Almost everything in the garden is a transplant and watering is done with recycled gray water from the laundry! It has proven to be quite successful in keeping the garden green and lush. Throughout the garden you will see the sculptures and paintings of homeowner/artist Lawrence Kulig.
• A beautiful old cedar tree is the centerpiece of this garden. Under and around the tree is an array of local plants and trees selected for both their visual appeal and resilience. These plants, some in the ground, some in pots, and some arranged on handcrafted structures, create a naturalistic collection of eclectic colors, shapes and textures.  Painter David Auld will have his work displayed in this lovely garden. David’s focus is on the urban landscape and his inspiration comes from San Francisco and European cities.
• Tucked behind the 1916 splendor of the restored Noe Valley Library is an inviting space that allows patrons to enjoy a western shade garden filled with azaleas & rhododendrons. A path of ferns and camellias leads the visitor to a large espaliered plum tree. The sunny garden is completed by a riot of color enhanced with California natives and a large lemon tree. The photo work of Debra Reabock who uses the camera as a “paintbrush” creating unique visual delights will be shown in the Library garden.
• A hidden gem in Noe Valley, showcases a spacious garden bursting with color and surprises. You will find redwood, olive and fruit trees along with vegetable beds and bee hives. Two local artists, along with several Senior Center members, will be on display throughout the space.  Human form sculptures by Kristine Mays created from hundreds of individual pieces of wire and large size paintings which skillfully capture the essence of ordinary people’s lives by Talavera-Ballón will be exhibited.
• Climb up and into an always evolving garden filled with Japanese maples, collections of Haworthias, Gasterias and other succulents, native live oaks, roses, flowering maples, ferns and bamboo. Places of rest and vistas dot the way! An intimate back yard features a Japanese maple canopy and a collection of Tillandias growing in a very old legacy climbing rose. The photographic work of Richard Anderson, resident gardener and artist, will be on display showcasing images from his garden and around the world.
• A quiet and peaceful gem is located in the heart of Noe Valley where you will see mature trees and shrubs. An inviting terrace patio and a grassy landing with a cobble stone wall complete this lovely garden oasis.  The artwork of Julie Cohn, who is primarily recognized as a colorist and is praised for her powerful and energetic expression of watercolors, will be presented is this garden.
• A poem describes the meandering pathway, living wall, Buddha and staircase sitting area of a sacred and serene garden space. A colorful mural by Randy Lee Odell is sure to delight you as you visit this garden. Randy is a San Francisco artist who evokes mood and magic through his custom fine art, murals, decorative painting and illustration.
  Secret place, sacred space
  Buddha greeting and blessing
  Great tree trunks lofting wind speaking leaves high
  This is our garden.

Tickets for the Garden Tour will be sold at the Farmers Market in the Town Square on Saturdays April 13th, April 20th and April 27th and on the day of the tour May 4th. You may also purchase tickets on 24th Street at Folio Books, Just for Fun, and Umpqua Bank. Olive This, Olive That on Vicksburg Street and Omnivore Books on Cesar Chavez at Church will be selling tickets as well.

Tickets can also be purchased right here online! Prices are $20 for adults and $16 for seniors 65+. Children under 12 are free.

If you are feeling lucky, raffle tickets will be sold for a garden makeover, donated by Stephanie Johnson – Compass Realty. The grand prize includes a $300 gift certificate to Sloat Garden Center along with 4 hours of garden labor! Additional prizes from Terese Taylor CMT, Flora Grubb Gardens and Flowercraft will be awarded to lucky winners. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the same locations as the Garden Tour tickets and at the Saturday Farmer’s Market. Tickets are 1 for $5, 3 for $10 and 10 for $20.

The proceeds from the Garden Tour will be returned to the community through a donation to a beautification project in the neighborhood. The Friends of Noe Valley would like to acknowledge and thank the following individuals and businesses for their sponsorship and continued support for this wonderful Noe Valley event. We could not do it without their generosity!

Rachel Swann-The Agency, LEAD SPONSOR
Umpqua Bank
Dennis Otto-Compass
Sloat Garden Center
Zephyr Realty
Noe Valley Merchants and Professionals
Duncan Wheeler-Compass
BJ Droubi Team
David Pennebaker-Compass
Urban Farmer Store
Reid Rankin Real Estate
Stephanie Johnson-Compass Pacific Union
Flora Grubb
Flowercraft
Terese Taylor, CMT