Regular readers of the Sunset Beacon might have noticed that this space on page two has been the home of Kinen Carvala’s “Looking Back” column for several years.

Kinen is taking advantage of a new employment opportunity and will no longer write his monthly column highlighting the many great features in Golden Gate Park. I will miss editing his stories; I learned something every month from his thorough research. I offer my sincere gratitude to Kinen and wish him all the best in his new endeavors.

Meet the Editor

I truly enjoy spending time at the Outer Sunset Farmers Market on occasional Sundays talking to readers and Sunset Beacon fans. We have so many terrific neighbors in the Sunset and few things inspire me more than hearing from people who express how much they love the paper and look forward to reading it each month.

We now have Sunset Beacon hats to thank supporters who donate to the paper. If you have donated in the past and would like one of our stylish hats, let me know. Donations of $30 or more gets you a token of our appreciation and symbol of your support for your neighborhood newspaper.

Thank You

We are so very thankful for all of our supporters who have signed up on our Patreon account. Patreon is like GoFundMe, a tool to help raise money for a cause, except Patreon is a way to donate money every month. Contributions from as low as $5, $10 or $25 per month really help us do this job. To sign up, see the QR code on the lower left corner of this page. We also have great SB swag for our Patreon supporters!

Thanks also go to the kind and caring readers who contribute by sending a check or funds via PayPal (editor@RichmondSunsetNews.com). Your generosity truly inspires us and we are genuinely grateful.

I even heard from a reader who asked me to set up a Venmo account so she could contribute. The QR code is below. Thank you!

Western Neighborhoods Project

Congratulations to our friends at the Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) who will be celebrating 25 years of sharing our community’s past with their grateful neighbors.

Details about WNP’s celebration at the 4 Star Theater on May 15 can be found in the Announcements section on pages 7 and 8.

We are very thankful that WNP shares its extensive collection of old photos with us for our “Then and Now” column. It is a popular feature that several loyal readers have told me they cut out and save. We and WNP are honored by that.

Announcements Section

The Sunset Beacon used to run a Calendar of Events section. A few years ago, I changed it to the Announcements section which now includes more than just events.

The simple act of acknowledging our neighbors’ birthdays elicits a thrill for a lot of readers. There’s something about seeing your name in the paper (especially when you’re a kid) that makes you feel special. The birthday announcements are free. Just send the name and birth month to Editor@RichmondSunsetNews and we’ll include it every year.

We also offer free announcements to local businesses. This is an underused feature that most business owners seem to be too busy to take advantage of.

This is what is written at the bottom of the Announcements section every month:

We support small businesses: Free announcements for small businesses celebrating an anniversary or other significant milestone or event. Send announcement to Editor@RichmondSunsetNews.com.

If you’re a fan of a local business, maybe help them out by giving them some free publicity in the Sunset Beacon. Just write up a short paragraph and send it in to be included in more than 18,000 newspapers distributed throughout the Sunset District every month and to be included on our website that averages 20,000 views per month.

“Adventures With Alice”

I went to see the production of “Adventures With Alice” in Golden Gate Park last month and really enjoyed it.

Many factors worked together to make the show lots of fun. First, the actors were all terrific. Second, the presentation kept the audience on the move. We walked about a mile through a part of the park that has felt like my back yard for more than 45 years.

The show started at the Polo Field and worked its way, with several stops for the acting parts, alongside Speedway Meadow (Hellman Hollow) where I spent endless hours playing softball back in the 1970s and ’80s with friends I keep in touch with to this day.

The story is a fanciful telling of Alice chasing the White Rabbit and encountering the familiar characters from the Lewis Carrol stories “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass.” It was silly and fun and reminded me we need more silliness and fun in our lives.

The show ended up more than two hours later at Lloyd Lake with the characters disappearing through the Portals of the Past (which I found out checking to see if Portals was singular or plural – it’s plural – that it is a National Historic Landmark. Who knew?).

The producers had lightweight folding stools for the audience to carry from scene to scene. They also had blankets for anyone who wasn’t familiar with how cold it gets a lot of times in the park year-round. I am familiar and was dressed for the chill.

So, if you’re looking for a change of pace, I say, go see “Adventures With Alice.” It runs through June 2.

Final Notes

Some of our best writers have been high school students. Becoming an intern is a great way to gain journalism experience. Let me know if you want to get involved with your neighborhood newspaper.

It is also an enriching opportunity even if you have been out of school for quite some time. Writing stories about your community is a terrific way to become part of the fabric of your neighborhood. Profiles of local artists, businesses or organizations helps them and helps our readers learn more about the world around them.

If you are a writer, or want to become one, send me an email at the address below. It’s a low-pressure gig and very rewarding.

Finally, Happy Mother’s Day, moms!

Michael Durand is the editor and publisher of the Richmond Review and Sunset Beacon newspapers and the RichmondSunsetNews.com website. He can be reached at Editor@RichmondSunsetNews.com.