Alameda briefs: Annual Frank Bette Plein Air Paintout next week

ALAMEDA

The yearly Frank Bette Plein Air Paintout will take place next week from Monday through Aug. 3 in Alameda. Hosted by Alameda’s Frank Bette Center for the Arts, 40 artists from the Bay Area and as far away as Texas, Southern California and Nevada will paint pictures around the Island.

See the artists in action on the morning of July 31 on Park Street, at the bird sanctuary on Shoreline Drive and Park street and at the Aeolian Yacht Club near Otis and Fernside drives. The public is invited to paint with the pros on July 31 as community artists.

Register at Neptune Sourt in Alameda’s South Shore Shopping Center from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Neptune Court will also exhibit work produced that morning for sale from 1 to 5 p.m.

An outdoor exhibit and sale of the works will be at the South Shore Shopping Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 3 in the center courtyard areas. The 360’s band will play from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Artist demos will be in the morning and afternoon.

Want to see more? A selection of works will be on display and for sale at the Frank Bette Center for the Arts from Aug. 9 through Sept. 28. For online details, visit frankbettecenter.org.

— Margaret Fago

37th Downtown Alameda Art & Wine Faire this weekend

One of Alameda’s biggest free events, the Downtown Alameda Art & Wine Faire takes place each year during the last weekend in July. This year’s 37th annual street festival will take place Saturday and Sunday.

Enjoy the summer sun and Island breeze in this event that has something for everyone — more than 200 artisans, festival foods, locally crafted wine and beer, continuous live music on three stages, as well as a fun kids’ areas.

There is sure to be something for the entire family. Festival-goers can also enjoy a stroll along Alameda’s vibrant and historic commercial district where unique shops and restaurants will offer event specials throughout the weekend. The fun will happen in Alameda’s historic downtown Park Street district from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days.

— Downtown Alameda Business Association

City hires new IT manager as department’s new director

Alameda City Manager Jennifer Ott has selected Demetrius Cagampan to serve as the city’s information technology (IT) director. Demetrius Cagampan has served as the city’s IT manager for five years, overseeing all aspects of the city’s IT operations and brings more than 20 years of extensive experience in IT.

“Demetrius brings a robust background in IT infrastructure, operations and cybersecurity, in both the private and public sectors, which he will utilize to bolster the capabilities of the city’s IT infrastructure, streamline operations, enhance cybersecurity measures and support all city operations,” Ott said.

Cagampan will report to Ott and work closely with all departments and members of the city’s executive team. The IT Department serves the Alameda community by exploring, developing, implementing and supporting effective and innovative use of technology through teamwork, collaboration, innovation and accountability.

“I’m incredibly honored to be named as the city’s new IT Director and look forward to building a strong, innovative IT platform that best serves the city and its residents and businesses,” Cagampan said.

— city of Alameda

St. Joseph student interns with Bank of America program

Oakland resident Carrie Truong, an incoming senior at Alameda’s St. Joseph Notre Dame High School, is in the middle of a prestigious eight-week paid summer internship as part of the Bank of America Student Leaders program.

Truong and four other San Francisco and East Bay Student Leaders are working with Junior Achievement of Northern California, focusing on helping bring financial education to more local youth.

Truong is a first-generation American fluent in Vietnamese and was the first student at her high school to go to state and national speech competitions. Her passion for science also landed her a long-term internship focused on radiation and oncology at Stanford University.

This is the 20th anniversary of Bank of America’s Student Leaders program, which was launched in the East Bay in 2004 to provide teens with work skills. The program’s capstone is a weeklong leadership summit in Washington, D.C., with 300 other Student Leaders from across the nation.

— Bank of America

‘World’s Largest Bounce House’ coming to city’s West End

The Big Bounce America 2024 tour is bringing the bounciest, most action-packed experience of the year to Alameda, for four weekends at Alameda Point.

Featuring “The World’s Largest Bounce House,” the Big Bounce America is the biggest touring inflatable event in the world and includes seven massive inflatable attractions: the newly expanded 24,000 square-foot “World’s Largest Bounce House;” the brand-new deep sea foam party inflatable OctoBlast; the incredible 900-plus-foot-long obstacle course The Giant; the customized sports arena Sport Slam; and the unique, three-piece, space-themed wonderland airSPACE.

It will be on the city’s West End at 1450 Viking St. on Alameda Point in Alameda on weekends Aug. 3-25. For tickets and details online, visit thebigbounceamerica.com/event/bay-area.

— Big Bounce America

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