Boys & Girls Clubs of San Leandro is holding its second annual community festival, “Rock the Block,” from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9th at the Clubhouse, located at 2200 San Leandro Blvd. in San Leandro.
This free celebration of food, music, and fun is open to everyone in the community and includes a warm welcome by the Oakland A’s very own Stomper. Get warmed up in the (soccer) game with Oakland Roots or take a beginner skateboarding lesson with Rob Skate Academy. (Bring your own board or borrow one of theirs!) There’s even a Kid Zone with an inflatable slide and bounce house. An open-air train for children will circle the perimeter of the Clubhouse grounds so you can take it all in.
It’s all fun, games, and science, too. The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office will park its interactive mobile Crime Scene Unit so you can solve a mystery using DNA, fingerprints, and more. Or dig into a STEM activity with Lawrence Hall of Science. Learn how to save a life with CPR classes from the America Heart Association, then venture to the USS Hornet booth for a far-flung catapult activity.
Express your creative side at the Ghirardelli rock painting station, or learn about the benefits of secondhand clothing from our local teen advocacy thrift store, Tags SL. Need a new look? Get in line for a free haircut or face paint.
If you work up an appetite, stop by one of our free food booths for a hotdog, popcorn, or refreshing Ghirardelli sundae with all the toppings. Food will also be available to purchase from food vendors, including Smash Burgers.
Don’t leave empty-handed. Participate in our raffle by following the BGCSL on Instagram @bgcsl. You’ll be entered to win one of several prizes, from bicycles to school-supply-filled backpacks to A’s adult baseball caps, A’s children’s socks, and even an autographed baseball.
The event is also an opportunity for the community to explore our recently renovated Clubhouse, including a first look at one of the Club’s newest additions, the Teen Café funded in part by Fremont Bank. In partnership with UrbanBloc and Zocalo Coffee, the café is housed in a renovated 30-foot container painted a punchy shade of magenta and placed on the Club’s grassy courtyard. As part of the Club’s innovative workforce development program, participating teens will receive real-life experience learning to create business and marketing plans and developing inventory control strategies while maintaining outstanding customer service standards. The café is scheduled to open this fall.
Free parking is available at the San Leandro BART Station, off San Leandro Boulevard and Davis Street. Bike parking is also available at our Clubhouse.
We look forward to celebrating 76 years of supporting our youth alongside our incredible community.
