This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Luke Breen, co-owner of specialty bike shop Perennial Cycle in uptown Minneapolis. The following conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity. Perennial is a specialty bike shop. We do cargo bikes, city utility bikes, and commuting bikes, and have been a niche business for 33 years. Perennial focuses on community events. Last year, we did 35 organized community rides.
I arrived at 6:45 pm that Monday evening at a nondescript office block in Dalston, a recently gentrified area of East London. I was greeted at the door by the event host, who was wearing a T-shirt that read, "The Offline Club." I handed them my phone, which they stowed in a specially built cabinet-a sort of shrunken-down capsule hotel. The entryway opened into a narrow room with high concrete walls painted white, with space enough for about 40 people to sit.
(PRO TIP: If you despise being "the last to know," then be one of the first to know by signing up for Mercury newsletters! All the latest stories shipped directly to your email's in-box... and then... YOUR HEAD.) * Portland Officers Who Clashed With Anti-ICE Protesters Identified Officer who was filmed punching a protester on January 9 was previously named in a lawsuit stemming from a 2020 protest. Another officer was reassigned after recent remarks made on camera triggered complaints and internal review.
Start your family's summer planning at the 2026 San Francisco Summer Resource Fair! Meet representatives from 100 San Francisco agencies sharing information about summer programs and resources for children and youth in grades K-8 and their families. Many of the summer programs featured at the Summer Resource Fair are free, low-cost, or offer financial assistance, and include options ranging from arts and STEM to sports, overnight camps, academic enrichment, and more.
Join us for Tai Chi this Sunday! 10am at Judah and Great Highway Park This monthly course is for beginners and experienced students of tai chi alike. Plus, coffee is on us at @javabeachsf after the course. As a reminder, Sundays at the Beach is a year-long program of weekly events possible thanks to a grant award from @avenuegreenlight. Our friends at @sunsetchineseculturaldistrict helped us make the Tai Chi program come to life! See you on Sundays!
The 2026 Oakland music scene is kicking off strong with some must-see events this month. First up, the legendary Oakland funk band Tower of Power is taking over Yoshi's for the next three weekends. Four of the shows are already sold out. The 22nd annual Living Jazz "In the Name of Love" concert at the Paramount Theatre will feature the music of another Bay Area icon, Sly and the Family Stone.
Kick off your health-focused New Year's resolution with Urban Park Rangers on an invigorating trek through Clove Lakes Park. Bundle up in warm layers and comfortable hiking boots as experienced guides reveal Staten Island's natural treasures and urban forest landscapes. This scenic walk offers the perfect opportunity to disconnect from daily stress and embrace the outdoors as you begin the year.
The year 2025 was defined as much by its major milestones as by the quiet moments in between. This collection features the Sun Sentinel staff's most visual work of the year, from the high-energy celebrations of a Florida Panthers championship to local scenes of everyday life. View the people, places, and community events that made 2025 memorable across Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Registration is open for El Camino Health's 15th Annual Heart Forum. The free event, taking place Saturday, Feb. 7, brings together cardiovascular physicians to share advances in heart care and features interactive sessions, a heart-healthy cooking demonstration and a patient's story about their journey to better heart health. Attendees will learn how to take charge of their heart health with a holistic approach to prevention and discover practical, enjoyable ways to incorporate movement into their daily routines to support cardiovascular health.
Each and every Holocaust survivor alive today is a miracle of our time. And since Hanukkah is a time for celebration and remembering the miracles of the past, organizations throughout South Florida honored these survivors during the holiday season - hosting events for them to gather, enjoy and revel in community support. Child Survivors/Hidden Children of the Holocaust, a Palm Beach County-based nonprofit group, hosted a luncheon for survivors on Dec. 7.
Christmas week events in Berkeley a century ago included a program of holiday music played on the Campanile bells on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and numerous services at local churches, including traditional Christmas Eve midnight services. The Berkeley Daily Gazette reported that the December 1925 days would be essentially a home festival with people gathering for private rather than public events. However, hundreds of people did go on organized Christmas Eve and Day caroling.
The industry's success was far from inevitable. For a long time, indie bookstores were struggling. In 1995, when Amazon opened as the "Earth's largest bookstore" and started undercutting the prices at brick and mortar stores, readers quickly started shopping online. Small stores, which were already facing competition from chains like Borders, started to close. By 2009, the number of independent bookstores across the country had dropped to an all-time low. Experts predicted that the industry would collapse.
The Friends of Palo Alto Parks plans to take action next year to increase the plaza's popularity. The goal is to get more people to eat lunch and host more concerts, said Jeny Smith, president of the Friends of the Palo Alto Parks board. Recently, the plaza hosted a Christmas tree lighting event, and many residents attended with hot chocolate in hand, Smith said.
Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, or MACLA, in downtown San Jose and Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga are collaborating on a multimedia exhibit showcasing generational knowledge and stories. For From Their Hands to Ours, five Latino artists use familiar materials in new ways and reimagine traditional crafts to tell their personal narratives, creating a dialogue between the past and present.
Lighting it up since 1975, San Francisco celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first giant public menorah outside Israel, a landmark Bill Graham project that went on to inspire thousands of menorahs around the world. This year's eight-night festival brings music, community gatherings, and nightly ceremonies honoring leaders and traditions across the Jewish community. Union Square Menorah Lighting Schedule 2025 December 14-22, 2025 Sunday, December 14
The next time you host for the holidays, imagine more than a thousand people streaming through the front door. But it's OK - a professional designer has decked your halls; and never mind the small talk because trained volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and highlight your home's finer points. You might not even need to attend at all.
"In cinema, three elements can move: objects, the camera itself and the audience's point of attention," Drew McClellan says to the crowd before showing an example on the projector screen. The clip is a memorable scene from Jordan's Peele's 2017 film, "Get Out," when the protagonist (Daniel Kaluuya) goes out for a late-night smoke and sees the groundskeeper sprinting toward him - in the direction of the camera and the viewer - before abruptly changing direction at the last second.
an evening dedicated to arts and culture in the SoFA district and surrounding areas. This free, all-ages event invites everyone to explore galleries, museums, and creative spaces from 5 to 9 PM, fostering connections among artists, locals, and visitors. With its roots in the vibrant SoFA neighborhood, the gathering extends to spots like the Historic District and Martha Gardens, offering a chance to wander through diverse venues and discover the city's artistic pulse.
With her whimsical illustrations of beloved Berkeley landmarks, artist Cara Goldstein seeks to honor the significance of the city's architecture and remind Berkeleyans that each building has a story and a historical relevance. Berkeley house by Cara Goldstein. Courtesy of C. Goldstein If you've recently passed through Pegasus Books Downtown, Payn's Stationery on Solano Avenue, or Mrs. Dalloway's, ImaginKnit, or Berkeley Organic Market, all in the Elmwood, you'll probably recognize Goldstein's art through the prominently displayed postcards, greeting cards and stickers illustrating these storefronts,
About 800,000 people every year make a visit to Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown San Jose part of their holiday tradition. Of course, it's not to visit the Plumed Serpent statue or relax on a bench overlooking the Tech Interactive. No, for five weeks spanning Thanksgiving weekend to New Year's Day, the two-acre park's biggest draw for nearly 50 years has been Christmas in the Park a kitschy and whimsical collection of animatronic displays, hundreds of decorated trees and a chance to visit with Santa himself.
Here in the Bay Area, the growth is particularly notable, with mahjong gatherings happening nearly every day of the weeknot to mention frequent pop-ups and community events throughout the region. One of those leading the surge is San Francisco's The Mahjong Movement, an organization born with the hope of promoting empathy and compassion for Asian culture and community and bringing together people from different communities and age groups.
With the opening of the new Campbell Library pushed out until next winter, the Friends of the Campbell Library have more time to fundraise. While the major funding from Measure O and several grants will cover the rebuilding costs, additional funds are needed for enhancements, including items for the planned state-of-the-art community room, study spaces and children's and teens' areas. To achieve this, the Friends of the Campbell Library has an ongoing Love Our Library campaign, with a goal of raising $250,000.
The success of the past year and a half of Downtown First Thursdays events has encouraged the event's backers to go full-throttle into next year, guaranteeing that the monthly street party will go on. Downtown First Thursdays had been funded through the end of 2025, last we heard. But now billionaire Chris Larsen has confirmed that DFT will go on past New Year's Day and New Year's Day falls on a Thursday this year, so that will be the year's first event.
Much of the fundraising progress came from a series of well-attended community events. The Granite Backcountry Film Festival brought the Northeast premiere of Noah Dine's Still Excited To Ski, drawing strong turnout. Last weekend's Fall Flannel Fest added more momentum, with live music from Brooks Hubbard, fresh snowfall, auction items, and local food helping push Whaleback toward its operational goal.
"The Spirit of Holidays Around the World" will feature he traditions around several different holidays, like Diwali, Chinese New Year and Three Kings Day. It aims to have visitors reflect on the customs and holidays they observe and what traditions they would like to pass on. Watercolor paintings by Saratoga artist Kay Duffy will also be displayed. The Saratoga History Museum is open from 1-4 p.m. on Fridays and Sundays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays.
A change to how Berkeley enforces the state fire code will force two popular street events, the city's Juneteenth Festival and a holiday gift market on Telegraph Avenue, out of the locations where they've been held for decades. Meanwhile, city officials are also moving to increase the fees they charge organizers for those and other events an effort to better reflect the staff work that goes into planning for street festivals that is expected to add thousands of dollars to the cost of permits.
