CBA News Article

SF Pickin' Party

Special Invite from the Polings

It’s the time of year when pickers from Valdosta to Visalia are feeling the festival itch. Here in San Francisco, dozens of CBA members are marking time and making plans for the Big ‘Un up at Grass Valley. Meanwhile, to keep from going completely stir crazy, we gather in Golden Gate Park each spring to pick, eat, and enjoy one another’s company.

We hope as many of you all as possible can join us for the annual CBA Pickin’ Picnic on May 22nd. It’s become a swell tradition and Jeanie and I are proud to host it.

We’ll be starting at noon and going 'til 6 pm at the Dahlias Picnic Area near the Conservatory of Flowers (look for signs along the way directing you to the CBA Pickin’ Picnic). Bring a side dish or something to throw on the grill along with something to drink. We'll bring plates, cups, utensils, and condiments.

Bring your instruments, friends, and family. Chairs might be handy too.

The grove is hidden away behind the Garfield statue on JFK Drive. There's plenty of room to spread out and have several jams. We’re also not far from a restroom building. Parking is easy to find before noon.

Golden Gate Park is one my favorite places in the world, and I’m thrilled to own a home only a block away. As a native San Franciscan, I have many fond memories of family parties, school field trips, teen hijinks, and various performances in a wonderful green space in the middle of a densely populated city. Of course, it’s all artifice. There isn’t a twig or a blade of grass that hasn’t been planted and cared for by the city’s gardeners. It’s all sand dunes underneath, but it’s still beautiful.

The Pickin’ Party is a nice low-impact drill for us city folk to get ready for festival season too. After cocooning for the winter, we slowly readjust to being outdoors. We’re used to having certain amenities available to us at all times. For instance, at Grass Valley there’s only one coffee stand, and the distance from our campsite to it is approximately four times as far as the average distance a San Franciscan walks for coffee.

Not to worry. There’s an excellent café near the park that’s only twice as far as the average San Franciscan walks for coffee. It’ll give us a chance to build up our stamina without putting our bodies (and our fragile psyches) through the agony of the long march.

Also, we’re not used to being in the sun very often. And, like orchids, we can tolerate a very narrow temperature range. Fortunately, the combination of leafy, shady trees and natural, foggy, air conditioning brings relief when the mercury soars to a scalding 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Oh the humanity!

Then there’s the outdoor cooking experience. As a longtime adherent to the “man-meat-fire” school of grilling, I revel in the primal experience of charring flesh over a bed of glowing hot coals. But I can’t resist prettying things up with some grilled asparagus, zucchini, and bell peppers, neatly arranged on a platter with a garnish of kumquats, figs, and Italian parsley. And where an old cowboy cook could get by with an iron skillet or Dutch oven, I drag around more kitchen hardware than the 17th Airborne Culinary Division.

So come on out to witness San Franciscans in our unnatural habitat as we celebrate spring with the ancient traditions of music, fire, food, and friendship.

Click here to view a map of the Park.

Posted By: Rick Cornish