Laurel Neighborhood Newsby John Frando | |||
Laurel Elementary storytelling participants Tiffany, Richard, Ruby and Stephanie. Photo by Wes Wagnon.
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Summer Solstice Music Festival
The Laurel Village Association presents the Fourth Annual Laurel Summer Solstice Music Festival on Saturday, June 20 from 1 to 7 p.m. Over 45 performers representing diverse musical genres will perform in the free festival. Pick up a free program schedule at the welcoming station beside the Laurel Lounge at 38th Ave. and MacArthur Blvd. See LaurelSummerSolsticeMusicFestival.org for a musicians list and Web sites sampling their songs.
Raymond Mieger, Helpful Hardware Man
Anyone who walked into the Laurel Hardware store over the past 33 years knew Ray Mieger for dispensing knowledgeable, helpful customer service. Ray succumbed to cancer on March 16, 2009.
Ray was the store key maker at his post beside the key-making machine near the cashiers. He made up to 50 duplicate keys a day, often handing out extra keys for no additional cost. "One to keep, and one to lose," he'd say.
Ray also answered customers' inquiries, helping them navigate the store's well-stocked shelves. A knowledgeable handyman, he fielded questions on how to fix things. Frank and honest, he had no problem directing you to another hardware store if Laurel Hardware did not have the necessary part or tool.
Linda, his wife of 40 years and fellow store employee, told me Ray's history. Oakland-born and raised, Ray learned handyman skills from his grandfather. Ray was a welder at the General Electric factory on East 14th St. until the factory closed in the late 1970s. Ray applied for a store position and was hired by then owner John Vahlstrom.
"Ray had been at the store for two years before I started in 1978," John's son and current owner David recalled. Fred Starks worked with Ray for the past five years and remembers him as "my dictionary. He taught me how to help customers and find what they needed in the store. He would help and do anything for anyone."
Ray is survived by his wife Linda, daughter Tricia, and nieces Debbie and Donna.
Laurel Elementary Storytellers
Every year Ms. Karen Graf's fourth-grade classes write and submit stories to the Grandparent Tales Writing Contest, sponsored by the local senior theater company Stagebridge.
Students interview an elder family member, focusing on a superlative incident, like the scariest or funniest event. This encourages closer connections with people of different generations, a primary contest goal. Students learn to write their interviews into stories with interesting and vivid details to capture their audience.
This year, eight of Ms. Graf's students garnered prizes, and on May 3 six presented their winning stories orally. They used their "Power Speaking" lessons, taught by Ms. Graf throughout the year, encouraging self-expression, finding inner bravery, and learning to exude confidence in public speaking even while feeling shy or nervous.
First-place winner Athena told about her grandmother, born and raised in Oakland, who followed her family picking crops throughout Northern California. Ruby told a poignant story of her great-grandmother, who was a child when the family house burned down. Sandy, Richard, Stephanie and Tiffany also told their winning stories.