Hello Neighbors
Welcome to beautiful Fall! With children back in school, typically hotter weather and the beginning of slightly shorter days, it’s a time of adjustment—extra driving attention to crosswalks, electric scooters and school busses… and here in California, the heat can spawn wildfire concerns.
This month also brings the Labor Day holiday and, locally, two amazing events — the Solano Avenue Stroll and a week later, the El Sobrante Stroll. You’ll discover more about these events, and also about CERT emergency training for free, inside!
We’re also delighted to bring you several new businesses this month -- Jenny Tuffnell, a seasoned lawyer specializing in bankruptcy; Jim Cowan, a long-time insurance broker who excels in listening
and putting his clients needs first, Liggia Rodriguez, a bilingual realtor with 10 years experience, and the fascinating Stretch Lab, specializing in one-on-one stretches with experts that can help you to decrease pain, increase mobility and feel better. It all sounds good to us!!
So, go ahead, embrace September full on, we’re here for you with great local resources all the way!
From your friends at CC Marketplace Magazine
Susie | Jacqueline
SEPTEMBER -DECEMBER
Q. SEND US A PHOTO OF YOUR/YOUR CHILDREN’S FAVORITE HALLOWEEN COSTUME (past or present)!
Please submit your response by September 8, 2025 — including your name (as you’d like to see it in print) and city — to: sales@ccmarketplacemag.com NEXT QUESTION (Deadline: September 8, 2025)
Congrats to Mei Huang. Winner of the $50 Amazon Gift Card.
“Giants! Because my dad took my sister and I to my first game when I was 7. I’ve been a loyal fan ever since…. Plus, David made me!” laughs S. Peat, Richmond.
“We STILL love cheering and rooting for our Oakland Raiders and Oakland A’s Sports Teams,” says Mei Huang, Hercules. “We don’t care if they have moved on or whatever. They were for many years our HOMETOWN teams and heroes and nothing will change that. Thankfully, we still have the SF 49ers to cheer on and support, so all is not lost!”
“It’s a toss up between the 49ers, the Giants and the Warriors,” muses David D. Peat. “I guess it depends which time of year. It’s tradition. I grew up in it.”
“The San Francisco Giants, because they came into the Bay Area when I was about 10 years old. I was just starting to become interested in sports and there was Major League frenzy around the area at that time. With the Giants, the Major League replaced the Pacific Coast League, which I was too
young to pay attention to back then,” reflects Jim Findley, Richmond.
“Sharks,” adds Z.S. “They’re a local team and better than the Kings!”
An anonymous participant says, “The A’s, because I grew up watching them.”
“The Brooklyn Dodgers,” writes Jef F., El Cerrito, “because they don’t exist any more.”
And… lastly, Clay from Richmond responds, “I’m a Steelers fan. I had a real good friend who was a fan and I started watching the games with him years ago.”
THE WINNER OF OUR $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD BLIND DRAWING IS
Mei Huang of Hercules. Congratulations Mei!! And thank you to all our participants (even the Steelers fan)!
SEPTEMBER... COME JOIN THE FUN!
30th Annual El Sobrante Stroll with
by K. Walker
On Sunday, September 21, San Pablo Dam Rd. closes between El Portal Drive and Appian Way from 7:00am5:30pm. But there’s a great reason: The 30th Annual El Sobrante Stroll and Custom & Classic Car Show! This year’s theme is “El Sobrante - the Pearl of the East Bay.”
Kicking off the El Sobrante Stroll is a parade down the entire one-half mile Stroll area beginning at 11:00am.
This year’s parade Grand Marshal is Tracy Holzman, celebrated as the founder of the El Sobrante Stroll.
“Tracy was a whirlwind of activity in El Sobrante,” laughs Scott Tuffnell, chamber member and this year’s Stroll Chairman. “She joined the Chamber in 1988 and became president in 1990, all while juggling her role at Wild Bryde Jewelry in El Sobrante. Wild Bryde was the town’s biggest employer for many years.”
A seasoned crafts person, it was Tracy who had the idea to start a street festival in El Sobrante 30 years ago. A fitting 30-year anniversary Grand Marshal indeed!
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg… You’ll enjoy local school marching bands, floats, horses and more in the parade. Then, more than 100 vendors line the closed road, selling crafts, clothing, jewelry, decor, plants and all kinds of food! Local groups will have booths with information for the community, games for children including face-painting, and businesses promoting their goods and services.
Enjoy entertainment by five live bands throughout the Stroll, with the Main Stage at the Kaliente parking lot featuring headline entertainers GTS Band, and a few dance troupes performing as well.
You’ll find a BMX Bike Show in front of the Pedaler Bike Shop, “always a crowd pleaser,” says Tuffnell. And food booths this year include everything from BBQ to Kettle Corn, Soul Food, fresh cheese wheel pasta, ice cream, Sno-Cones and many other Fair favorites.
Custom and Classic Car Show. This is another crowdpleaser, and it includes bicycles! Proud owners display beautifully restored or customized vehicles of all types.
“It’s pretty awesome!” adds Scott.
SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THIS YEAR’S 2025 SPONSORS
(so far): The City of Richmond, West County Wastewater District, Republic Services, The Artist Tree, Tuffnell & Associates Real Estate and 20 other terrific local businesses who sponsored this year’s limited edition T-shirt, available at the Stroll for $10.00.
To become a sponsor: email Scott Tuffnell at elsobchamber793@gmail.com
To become a vendor: elsobrantechamber.com/stroll
To enter car show:
C.E.R.T. and EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS:
What happens if police, fire and ambulances can’t get to you and you or your neighbors need help… say for example, in a Major Earthquake?
by Karen Walker
As the City of El Cerrito notes, “In an emergency, people call the fire department for help. During a disaster, the fire department calls CERT for help!”
WHAT IS CERT?
Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) is a nationwide volunteer training and organization program structured so that professional emergency responders (fire and police) can rely on CERT volunteers (trained volunteers such as you and me… and our neighbors) during disasters. This training program and its volunteers frees up the professionals to focus on more complex problems until the disaster situation is more under control.
The good news is that there are some excellent local CERT training courses for lay people— free-of-charge.
YEAH, BUT…
You might be thinking, yeah, but… I’m too old, I’m too young, I’m just too busy to do anything now, especially not “training.” It’s a good idea, though… I’ll do it “later.”
The reality, however, is that all those very reasonable excuses don’t matter when “the big one” hits, or the wildfire comes or ….
Need a few examples? Think Maui, Paradise and other California wildfires, floods, and the 1989 Loma Prieta 6.9 earthquake that collapsed sections of local bridges, caused more than $7 billion in damages and killed 63 people.
In an instant, life can become radically different. It makes sense to get a little prepared ahead of time. And, there’s no better time to get started than… NOW.
WHAT HAPPENS AT A CERT COURSE?
From the first class you’ll learn more about disaster preparation— both mental and physical—than you could have imagined.
You’ll learn about CERT, its organizational structure and local connections, and also about fire suppression, triage, disaster medical solutions, safe search and rescue protocols, disaster psychology, radio communication, how to work as a team and more.
MY EXPERIENCE
About eight years ago, in the Fall, I joined my spry 91-year-old mom for “an emergency preparedness class” in Kensington.
About 20-25 people showed up. Taught by El Cerrito fire fighters, it was engaging from the start.
It wasn’t just “book knowledge.” In the last half of each class we had to DO what we learned. This hands-on component REALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE!
At the end of that first night, I was HOOKED! The sacrifice of a few hours a week, for just 8 weeks, was more than than worth it.
For example, when learning how to use a fire extinguisher, it made sense to aim the extinguisher at the base of the fire. BUT WHEN WE ACTUALLY HAD TO DO IT, well… it’s funny what we forgot! We learned from our mistakes and from each other.
After completion, there was an optional drill at the Fire Training Facility in Richmond. CERT trainees from different cities showed up. We didn’t have to scamper up or down tall buildings, but we had to safely search for people in a dark
Continued on page 31...
FARMERS MARKETS Local
EL CERRITO PLAZA
Tuesdays and Saturdays - 9 am to 1 pm 3060 El Cerrito Plaza, Parking Lot (South West Corner)
RICHMOND
Fridays 7am - 5pm 325 Civic Center Plaza Richmond Public Library
MARINA BAY
Sunday 10am - 2pm Marina Bay Park Regatta Blvd & Melville Square
PINOLE
Saturdays 9am-1pm 798 Fernandez Avenue Pinole
MARTINEZ
Sunday 10am - 1pm 700 Main Street, Martinez
KENSINGTON Sunday 9am - 2pm 1560 Oak View Avenue Colusa Avenue & Santa Fe Avenue
RICHMOND CIVIC CENTER May through November Wednesdays 10am-2pm Park Place & Richmond Avenue
POINT RICHMOND May through September
Wednesdays 4pm-8pm Nevin Avenue and 13th Street
SAN PABLO
June to September
Saturday 10am - 2pm 13831 San Pablo Avenue
EL SOBRANTE
10am-2pm Sundays 5166 Sobrante Avenue, El Sobrante
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY BUSINESS DIRECTORY
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY BUSINESS DIRECTORY
Commerical/Residential:
pressurecleaningh2o@gmail.com
...continued from page 17
building and to address a few disaster scenarios — including earthquake situations (with volunteer “actors” and even some fire. We had to work together and use the skills we learned.
Each of us walked away from CERT training a little more confident in how to help and manage disaster situations with calm instead of panic, to organize neighbors into a team for survival and care of those injured, until professional help could reach us.
EMERGENCY RADIO SKILLS
A few locals are licensed Ham radio experts. Their skills are vital during any large disaster, as has been proven many times over the decades.
But there is another practical, effective way to communicate locally in a disaster: GRMS radio.
GRMS is open to anyone. No license needed. And we’re lucky to have local CERT-trained individuals with GRMS expertise who are delighted to share their knowledge with neighbors.
There is so much to gain from any CERT training that I can’t recommend it enough.
In the words of playwright Henrik Ibsen: “A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.”
ROOFING
• El Cerrito CERT: elcerrito.gov/176/Community-Emergency-Response-Training-CE
• El Cerrito & Kensington CERT: www.eckcert.org www.kensingtonfire.org/el-cerrito-kensington-cert
• Marina Bay Neighbors: https://sites.google.com/view/mbcert1stwedemcomm/home
• Point Richmond CERT: www.prcert.org
• Richmond CERT: www.certrichmond.org
• Richmond North & East CERT: www.certrichmond.org/find-a-cert-team/north-east-cert
• San Pablo CERT: sanpabloca.gov/1074/CERT
EMERGENCY RADIO:
D ON ’S REA L ES TATE UPDATE
U NDE RS TA ND I NG TH E MAR KE T
1. homebuyers?
2. What neighborhoods best match my budget and lifestyle?
3. Are there any up-and-coming neighborhoods where I might get more value? BU DGE TI NG & FINAN CI NG
4. What costs should I expect beyond the down payment?
6. Can you recommend trusted lenders or mortgage brokers familiar with the East Bay? HOM E SEAR CH ST RATEGY
7. What can I realistically expect to get in my price range?
9. What should I know about buying a condo vs. a single-family home?
What contingencies should I include or waive in this market?
September 2025 EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 5: MAX MEDITATION
Wednesday, 6pm-7pm. With the guidance of a professional healer, you’ll clear your mind and gain serenity. Hercules Library. 510.245.2420
SEPTEMBER 16: BUILDING STRONG READERS: A PARENTS WORKSHOP
Tuesday, 6:30-7:30pm. Parent/caregiver workshop on supporting your young readers at the Hercules Library.
SEPTEMBER 20: BALLET FOLKLORICO NETZAHUALCOYOTL
Saturday, 2-3pm. Vibrant Folklorico performance featuring traditional dances from Mexico! Hercules Library.
SEPTEMBER 20: AAUW WEST CONTRA COSTA MEETING-TECH TREK CAMPERS
Saturday, 10am. Five 8th grade Tech Trek campers from West Contra Costa School
District will share their AAUW-sponsored STEM experience at Sonoma State University. Free. At Christ Lutheran Church, 780 Ashbury St., El Cerrito. Presented by westcontracosta-ca.aauw.net.
SEPTEMBER 23: PERRY YAN MAGIC SHOW, HERCULES LIBRARY
Tuesday, 4-5pm. Join us for a spellbinding afternoon of magic and humor with Perry Yan, one of the Bay Area’s top kids’ magicians! His show features astonishing magic, laughing out loud comedy and storytelling. 510.245.2420.
SEPTEMBER 30: BACK TO UNSCHOOL
Tuesday, 1-2pm. Homeschool families are invited to Back to Unschool: an afternoon of board games, crafts and activities with other homeschool families. Hercules Library’s Homeschool Resource Center, 510.245.2420
SUN., SEPT 14
49TH ANNUAL
SOLANO AVENUE STROLL
10am - 5pm
Largest street festival in the East Bay! One mile of more than 400 vendors including entertainers, music, shops, crafters, artists, jewelers, food booths & family fun on Solano Ave. Street closed.
Learn more: www.solanoavenueassn.org/events/ solano-avenue-stroll/
SUN., SEPT. 21
30TH ANNUAL EL SOBRANTE STROLL, WITH CAR SHOW
“THE PEARL OF THE EAST BAY” 11am - 4pm
Parade (11am), more than 100 vendors with crafts, clothing, jewelry, decor, plants, community info, kids games, face-painting, businesses, 5 Live bands,dance performances, BMX Bike Show, and every kind of food.
Learn more: elsobrantechamber.com/stroll Includes a Custom & Classic Car show: elsobrantestrollcarshow.com
