If you’re looking for ways to support small businesses still recovering from the pandemic, we are highlighting two such events this week. Looking for Mexican food for dinner while listening to live music? Then, check out what Obelisco in Fruitvale has in store. If you’re into classic cars and like pizza, Philomena Pizza is hosting a car show at the restaurant’s parking lot across the street. Also, there’s an opportunity to volunteer to help clean up a neighborhood around the Coliseum, an online presentation about harmful algae in Lake Merritt, and country superstar Zach Bryan playing not at the Oakland Arena but at the coliseum.

If you have something you’d like me to consider for this weekly list, email me at azucena@oaklandside.org. If you want to promote something on our calendar, you can use the self-submission form on our events page.

Live music at Obelisco restaurant in Fruitvale

Fruitvale Village 01
Fruitvale Village as seen leaving Fruitvale BART. Credit: Amir Aziz

For the past few months, merchants in Fruitvale have banded together to form Comunidad Comerciantes Fruitvale, a hyper-local initiative to help local businesses recover from the ongoing struggles that started with the pandemic. As part of this initiative, the restaurant Obelisco at the Fruitvale Village will open its doors for dinner service and live music  Wednesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This week, Grupo Día PaSon will play jarocho music, a traditional genre from Veracruz, México, that blends Mexican, African, and Spanish sounds.

Thursday, May 30, live music from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., 3411 E12th St.

Putting Oxygen into Lake Merritt

Lake Merritt Future
Eli Kersh, President of LakeTech, a water management company working with the City of Oakland, traverses Lake Merritt in search of buoys placed by the company to collect data and clean them in Oakland, Calif., on March 17, 2023. Credit: Amir Aziz

In the summer of 2022, a massive harmful algae bloom caused oxygen levels in the lake to drop to zero. It killed tens of thousands of fish in Lake Merritt and other parts of the San Francisco Bay. Eli Kersh, a limnologist, and president of the LakeTech corporation, was one of the first professionals to respond to the catastrophic fish kill-off. Kersh is currently working with the City of Oakland on the Lake Merritt Water Quality Management Plan. This Friday, he will lead an online presentation about the challenges of managing low-dissolved oxygen in the lake.

Friday, May 31, 7 p.m., free online, RSVP to get Zoom link

Coliseum Community Cleanup

Members of the group Forever Oakland, alongside councilmember Treva Reid, at a community cleanup in deep East Oakland. Credit: Treva Reid’s Facebook page

The grassroots community group Forever Oakland is teaming up with District 6 councilmember Kevin Jenkins and the Oakland Roots and Soul for a community cleanup around the Coliseum. The organizations are looking for volunteers to help pick up trash, prepare snacks, and feed the unhoused community around the neighborhood.

Saturday, June 1, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., free to attend, register to volunteer, 559 66th Ave.

Classic Volkswagen car show at Philomena Pizza

If you’re an enthusiast of classic air-cooled Volkswagen cars, then you need to be in the parking lot at Philomena Pizza on 14th Avenue in East Oakland this Saturday. The parking lot will be filled with classic bugs, buses, and Karmann Ghias. Grab a pie and some beer before crossing the street to check out these classic rides.

Saturday, June 1, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., free to attend, 1801 14th Ave.

Hot tickets in the Town this week: Zach Bryan at the Coliseum

Country superstar Zach Bryan will play at the Oakland Coliseum this week. Credit: courtesy of the artist Credit: courtesy of the artist

Grammy-award-winning country artist Zach Bryan has come a long way from Oologah, Oklahoma, to Oakland. He started his music career in 2017 by uploading songs to YouTube while serving as an aviation ordnanceman in the US Navy. He will be headlining the Coliseum this Friday, and you can still snag good seats for this show.

Friday, May 31, 6:30 p.m., $80-$250, 7000 Coliseum Way

Coming Soon to the Town: YG at the Fox Theater

YG will headline at the Fox Theater in July. Credit: courtesy of the artist

Compton rapper YG, best known for tracks like Big Bank, Who Do You Love?, and the protest song FDT featuring the late Nipsey Hussle, is bringing his JUST RE’D UP tour to the Fox Theater on Saturday, July 6. Tickets went on sale this past Friday. 

Saturday, July 6, 7 p.m., $60-$200, 1807 Telegraph Ave. 

Related stories

Azucena Rasilla is a bilingual journalist from East Oakland reporting in Spanish and in English, and a longtime reporter on Oakland arts, culture and community. As an independent local journalist, she has reported for KQED Arts, The Bold Italic, Zora and The San Francisco Chronicle. She was a writer and social media editor for the East Bay Express, helping readers navigate Oakland’s rich artistic and creative landscapes through a wide range of innovative digital approaches.