“Excelsior Buzz” is a recurring column on changes, tidbits and news from the Excelsior. Got news? Send us tips at xueer@missionlocal.com.
Even though the weather sure doesn’t feel like it, fall is here! I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get my fall on. And there’s plenty of Excelsior District Events happening this month to kick off the season.
The Excelsior Community Block Party, also known as the last Sunday Streets of the year, is back on Sunday Oct. 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the day is jam-packed with events for the whole family.
Start off the morning at 9:30 a.m. with a guided three-mile walk around the neighborhood, co-hosted by SF Crosstown Trails and Livable City. The hike starts at Cayuga Playground Park on Alemany Boulevard near Naglee Avenue before heading to the (former) home of the city’s first electric railway and other iconic neighborhood spots
The walk will end at Sunday Streets, which features, among other things, a Lucha Libre showcase and Salvi Soul Sunday — live music, dancing and art making hosted by Salvadoran Soul Encuentro. The free block party will take place on Mission Street between Geneva Avenue and Theresa Street.
You can learn more and reserve a free ticket for the walk here.
Salvadoran Soul Encuentro is also celebrating Salvadoran heritage along the Excelsior Mission Street corridor in the days leading up to Sunday Streets.
Here’s the event schedule:
- Wednesday, Oct.14: Niña Memita’s kitchen table: Night of Salvadoran storytelling at 6 p.m. at Casa De Apoyo 4834 Mission St.
- Friday, Oct. 16: “La poesía es como el pan, de todos — Poetry is like bread, for everyone”: Poetry & vinyl record showcase at 6 p.m. at Casa De Apoyo 4834 Mission St.
- Saturday, Oct. 17: Remembering Los Siete De La Raza: Bike tour tracing the legacy of Los Siete starting at noon at In Chan Kajaal Park at 17th and Folsom streets.
Don’t think the Excelsior Library Branch isn’t getting in on the fun, too. In partnership with Sunday Streets, the library will be hosting an open house on Sunday Oct. 18, featuring live musical performances as well as activities like a chess tournament and sidewalk chalk drawing.
The Excelsior branch is hosting a number of Latino crafts for Latinx Heritage month.
- On Wednesday, Oct. 14 there will be a Mexican tin folk art-making workshop from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
- On Thursday, Oct. 15 from 2 to 3 p.m there will be a Dia De Los Muertos stained-glass art workshop. Reservations are required.
- On Saturday, Oct. 17 there will be a huichol board-making workshop that will be taught in both English and Spanish from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
And you can get all your steps in this month, because the library branch is also hosting its monthly walking club from 4 to 5 p.m. next Friday, Oct. 16. Walkers will meet in front of the library at 4400 Mission St.
If you’ve visited Mission Silver Market at 4304 Mission, you may have noticed that its aisles have been completely wiped of produce.
That’s because the market is under new ownership. Prem Lama, who also owns a Nepalese restaurant at 25th and Church streets called Ingredients, says he purchased the market from its previous owner a month ago. Prem and his daughter plan to reopen the store as Mission Market & Liquor once they finish renovations.
The former Pacific Super grocery store at 2900 Alemany Blvd. will open by the end of the year as Aisle 19, a bouldering gym owned by Touchstone Climbing, which also owns Mission Cliffs and Dogpatch Boulders. The name is an homage to its former incarnation. In addition to bouldering, the gym will have a full weight room, saunas, and fitness classes.
After Pacific Supermarket closed, the Filipino-American grocery chain Island Pacific Supermarket signed a lease for 2900 Alemany Blvd. in February 2023, but pulled out in October, saying that the city’s formula retail rules were making the permitting process too long and expensive.
Recent legislation sponsored by supervisors Bilal Mahmood, Myrna Melgar, and Stephen Sherrill would exempt supermarkets and pharmacies from those rules in most situations.
Touchstone climbing has 18 gyms across California, but since they have different logos and branding, they don’t qualify as formula retail.
