The Solano Stroll: A Berkeley fixture on day to remember

September 6, 2011 11:00 am by Tracey Taylor

The Solano Stroll barely needs any introduction. A mile-long block party that has been held annually since 1974, the Stroll is easily the East Bay’s largest festival.

The organizers expect a turn-out of 250,000 this year, but don’t let that put you off. There are 26 blocks to stroll, a parade to watch, and a plethora of free entertainment to enjoy.

This year, the stroll falls on September 11, the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and, fittingly, the theme is ”Unsung Heroes”. The event will honor “those who play a heroic role in our everyday lives”, be it first responders, teachers, librarians, coaches – anyone you consider to be a hero in your everyday life.

In addition to the retailers and restaurants doing business on Solano year-round, many other vendors will be offering a bounty of international food, clothing, jewelry, toys, gift items and more. And this year, you’ll be able to visit the Berkeleyside stand if you want to say hello, find out more or give us some story ideas. We’ll be at the upper end of Solano (the Berkeley end, of course!), near Mechanics Bank.

“We’ll have over 500 vendors, including food stands with cuisine from Armenia to China, Italy to Vietnam, Mexican, Mediterranean, Mongolian, French, Indian, barbecue, vegan — you name it, we’ll have it there,” said Allen Cain, Director of the Solano Avenue Association. “Not to mention 50 exceptional entertainers representing the same great international diversity that is the Bay Area.”

The live music line-up has too many impressive acts to list here. It includes Downtown Rhythm, Adama: Music of the Jewish People, Ballet Folklorico Juvenil de Berkeley, Bandworks School of Rock, Berkeley High School Jazz, Blues Daddies, Bryan Duncan, Deep Fried Bubblegum, Fred Anderson, Kopi-Katz, and Troupe Tangiers & Sharifa’s Habibi’s.

Crowds at last year's Solano Stroll. Photo: Alan Tobey

A special area of the stroll — which is a resolutely family-friendly affair — is set aside just for kids and will feature an assortment of state-of-the-art mechanical rides, a Ferris-wheel, carnival games, face painters, and magic. The Green Zone on the east side of Solano Avenue will offer tips about simple changes you can make at your home or business to reduce global warming. There’s a “stage door” area with over a dozen local performance/theater groups, a pets’ area, as well as a school/youth resource area.

Berkeleyside is proud to be a sponsor of the 37th Annual Solano Avenue Stroll which takes place in Albany and Berkeley on Sunday, September 11th from 10am-6pm. The parade begins at 10am.

Visit the Solano Stroll 2011 website for full details.

21 Comments

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  • jjohannson

    Haters will be ticketed, and their ponies taken away.

  • Anonymous

    Petting zoo?

  • http://www.flickr.com/parksdh D. H. Parks

    I assume they have the proper permits?

  • John Holland

    Just a reminder to walk past the merchants who opposed the Goodwill store last year:

    Ideas4Elements
    Solano Kids

  • Solano Supporter

    That’s harsh! While you may disagree with the point of view of these merchants on this issue, they are both merchants who are committed to Solano Avenue and who work hard for the shopping district.  

  • John Holland

    It’s how strongly I feel about it. I like the idea of inviting people of all economic backgrounds to Solano.

    Besides, I’m just reminding people of something that really happened. Everyone is free to choose. Hope everyone reads the article, so they can decide for themselves how those stores came off sounding, and patronize or not accordingly.

  • guest

    Ah, yes, the group that holds tight to their official “neutrality” on the issue of Goodwill’s potential to attract the wrong crowd to Solano Avenue and decided this year to pay their musicians nothing at all.

  • sbon

    Please people, leave your poor dogs at home.  They just spend the day being tripped over and mobbed from every direction.  The baby strollers are enough of a hazard in a crowd of 250,000.

  • Angie

    Does anybody else find it sad how far Berkeley has debased the idea of “heroes”?Coaches, teachers and librarians are great people who do important jobs. But are they “heroes” to be recognized on the 10th anniversary of 9/11/2011?Before you answer, just in case time has dimmed memory, read this op-ed written by the brother of an NYC fire captain:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904716604576546661793655324.html?mod=rss_opinion_main

  • http://www.nahuli.blogspot.com Anonymous

    I live near where the Goodwill is now proposed to go in and am not
    bothered by it being nearby. However I didn’t think that Solano was a good fit at all. Just the drop-off of
    donations is a nightmare in itself (witness the store on University). I love Solano Kids and have no problem with them not supporting it. It wouldn’t have been a good fit on Solano logistically speaking.

  • Bruce Love

    I’ve seen the drop-off on University lots of times and used it a few times.    It looks like a drop-off.    What logistical problem does it imply that you think is particular to Solano?

  • http://www.nahuli.blogspot.com Anonymous

    Trying to reply below but can’t – there is always a back up at that point on University (I drive that several times a week and have used it myself as well). Logistically on Solano it would have meant taking out some parking specs (fee and far between as it is) and there are not two lanes of traffic as there are on Solano, so I pictured the back-ups being even worse there when there isn’t an extra lane to use to go around those pulling in and out (and double parking because that happens on University).
    I wasn’t against it from some elite status standpoint – financially I absolutely fit right in with Goodwill’s target group:). Logistically it just seemed like a bad spot.
    The old Blockbuster building on San Pablo will be much better.

  • John Holland

    Maybe logistics would work better in a poorer neighborhood? <-sarcasm

    I'm of the mind that given the opportunity to welcome people from all socio-economic backgrounds to Solano, we should work hard to find ways to make it possible.

    Others, like you and the above mentioned merchants, feel differently.

  • John Holland

    cjcris- i’m offended. are you accusing me of demeaning poor people?!

    i said Goodwill was for people of “ALL economic backgrounds,” NOT poor people. In fact, I said it twice, in two different posts that you seemed to read with great interest.Did you understand that?!

    I’ll say it a third-time:*all socio-economic backgrounds.* that means rich, poor, young, old, black, and white. which, i suspect, is at least part of the opposition from many. 

    as for you, you may be truly grieved about the logistics of dropped off clothing destroying the fabric of solano avenue.

    all i’m saying is this:

    me: “goodwill? AWESOME. that would make solano a better place. let’s find ways to make it work!”

    you: “goodwill?” meh. simply impossible!”

    by the way, what is the “goodwill demographic” you talked about? personally, i believe goodwill serves all socio-economic backgrounds. (there, i said it a fourth time.)

  • John Holland

    One other thing I have to point out. The original story leads with the following sentence:

    Goodwill Industries is planning to open a 5,000 square foot store at the top of Solano Avenue and some area merchants (Ideas4Elements and Solano Kids) are concerned it will drag down the shopping district’s image.

    THAT’S what I am reacting two. Parking concerns and double-parking were NOT the issue.

    The fact that the merchants in question “compete” with Goodwill make it even more despicable to me. You can’t demean poor people and expect everyone to forget it.

  • http://www.nahuli.blogspot.com Anonymous

    I did say “stereotypical Goodwill demographic” yes?  Oh, yes, I sure did.
    You brought ‘poor’ into the discussion with your “Maybe logistics would work better in a poorer neighborhood.”
    And I also think it’s kind of laughable to act like having a Goodwill on Solano would achieve socioeconomic equality — you and I both know that all the houses surrounding that area of Solano are not exactly filled with people of socioeconomic equality.  Putting a Goodwill in isn’t going to solve that issue.

    All I have said is that my opinion is that it would have been a nightmare logisitically.

    Do I also think it would have dragged down Solano’s image?  Yeah, of course it would have, just as any other big box chain would.  But that isn’t my personal issue with it.  Solano is dying up there and some new stores coming in would be great, regardless of what kind they are…my sole issue is the logistics of it.

    And obviously we’re not going to agree on that which is fine.  I think it would have presented a pretty big challenge, and you don’t.  Fine.

  • John Holland

    I didn’t bring “poor” into the discussion. The owners of Idealogie and Solano Kids did. Did you read the original article?

    They injected economic status into the discussion when they said “we want to attract upscale customers.”

    Which, is a slightly less meaner way of saying, “poor people aren’t welcome here.”

    And this was their main argument! Do you share their values?

    I agree, totally offensive. That’s why I’m walking past Idealogie and Solano Kids this year.

  • John Holland

    I didn’t bring “poor” into the discussion. The owners of Idealogie and Solano Kids did. Did you read the original article?

    They injected economic status into the discussion when they said “we want to attract upscale customers.”

    Which, is a slightly less meaner way of saying, “poor people aren’t welcome here.”

    And this was their main argument! Do you share their values?

    I agree, totally offensive. That’s why I’m walking past Idealogie and Solano Kids this year.

  • http://www.nahuli.blogspot.com Anonymous

    I did read the original at the time and just re-read it now. Be very careful in how you lump the two together. The owner of Solano Kids did not use the “upscale” term. I agree with you about the owner of the other store – never shopped there and won’t. But the owner of Solano Kids referenced competition for the small antique and resale shops and referenced people leaving donations outside. She did not use the “upscale” demeaning term as the other owner did.

  • John Holland

    So to boil down your argument in you effort to keep Goodwill off Solano Ave.:

    Competition: unfair.

    Bags of donations on sidewalk: insurmountable.

    HAHAHAHAHA!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=534215682 Heather Marshall Jacobsen

    I’m glad that at least one comment here referenced hero inflation… We love our teachers and our coaches, but at least here in Berkeley their jobs require patience, skill and commitment, not heroism.