Oakland has one of America’s most legendary sports legacies, and the center of that legacy surrounds Bushrod Park in North Oakland. Beginning at the historic former University High School, we will walk this interesting neighborhood and discuss the great athletes and institutions that helped produce the city’s reputation for changing the face of sports in America. A level walk. Wheelchair accessible.
We will be complying with CHORI policies, which is required to be able to use their facility. Pre-registration is encouraged. Maximum 40 total attendees. Masks are optional and contact tracing information will be needed for every person (we will provide more information on the contact tracing upon registration). Registration is open till attendance limit is reached.
Tour Leader: Paul Brekke-Miesner
Meet: Provided upon registration.
Bio: Paul Brekke-Miesner has curated exhibits on Oakland and Eastbay sports history for several venues, including the Oakland Museum of California and the Major League All-Star Game in Oakland in 1987. More recently, he was a panelist at the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture in 2009, presenting on the Oakland Athletic League and one of its legendary coaches, George Powles. In 2008, he and other parents at Oakland Tech High School built a beautiful baseball field for the school, now named for Tech alum and Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson. A former sports stringer for the Oakland Tribune and Berkeley Gazette, he authored the book HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Oakland –The City That Changed the Face of Sports.
NOTES:
• PLEASE MEET 15 MINUTES BEFORE listed time to allow for registration.
• Comfortable walking shoes, sun hats and sunscreen are recommended. Bring water.
• Vouchers, limited-income accommodation, and any other special circumstances will be handled onsite at the starting point on the day of the walking tour. Check your email the morning of the walking tour for any last-minute changes, clarifications, or cancellation.
• Due to the ongoing presence of Covid, we will continue to make masks available. If you feel ill the day of a tour, please stay home. If after a tour, you become ill and test positive, please let us know as soon as possible. Thank you.
• Please check out the profiles of tour leaders. We are grateful for their skill and generosity.
• If you need assistance navigating Eventbrite, please reach out to us at info@oaklandheritage.org or call our office at (510) 763-9218 and we’d be happy to help.
• These tours support Oakland Heritage Alliance, a non-profit that tells Oakland’s story through walking tours, lectures, newsletters and advocacy. We welcome volunteers and new members!
• THESE TOURS ARE BASED IN PART on the research of the Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, a project of the City of Oakland Strategic Planning Division, and the resources of the Oakland History Center, 2nd floor, Oakland Main Library.