Bret Harte is a beautiful, walkable residential neighborhood along the southern border of San Rafael in Marin County. The earliest homes date from the late 1930s. The neighborhood is tucked into the hillside with ample green space and tree-lined streets. It features Bret Harte Park—the neighborhood's social center—and a diversity of families that call Bret Harte home.
News
The City of San Rafael is in the process of updating its General Plan, a state-mandated document that articulates the city’s vision for its future, along with policies to help it achieve that vision. The current update to the General Plan 2020 is an effort to incorporate the projects, priorities, and challenges that have emerged since the current Plan was adopted in 2004. We are accepting responses through Sunday, January 26th, 2020. There will be no extensions. Please feel free to take the brief survey below.
On behalf of the Bret Harte Community Association, we'd like to wish you happy holidays and best wishes for the coming year.
Despite the power outage (or maybe with help from it?), we had our best turnout ever at our annual Halloween event this year. Thanks to our event volunteers and everyone who came out and showed off their awesome costumes. Halloween went off as usual in 2019 in Bret Harte—a reminder that we remain one of the best neighborhoods in town for over-the-top trick or treating!
Thanks to everyone who participated in the annual BHCA Garage Sale Day and Community Picnic! The neighborhood was busy with shoppers and browsers—we certainly found a few gems and look forward to more sales next year. Special thanks to our BHCA Block Captains for distributing fliers and getting the word out.
Thanks for joining us at the Bret Harte Community Association General Meeting on Monday, June 17 on 7:00 p.m. in Bret Harte Park on Irwin Street. We discussed upcoming BHCA events and volunteering opportunities, as well as caught up with our neighbors and enjoyed our lovely park for a bit.
Representatives from the BHCA attended the opening of Station 52 on Monday, March 13th. Bret Harte resident Willie Walker, who lives on DuBois, was recognized as one of the original firemen at the station when it opened in 1957.
Thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday for Easter in the Park, and stayed for coffee (courtesy of Starbucks) and catching up with neighbors and friends. Thanks to Betsy Swenerton for organizing, and amazing volunteers Aliya Clark, Jenny Hynes, Kyan Baker, Max Hoffman (as Blossom the Bunny), Miles Clark, and Thomas Vogl. Stay tuned for our next neighborhood-wide event, the annual Neighborhood Garage Sale on Sunday, September 8th. Save the Date!
Read the March 11, 2019 update from Katie Rice, Supervisor for Bret Harte.
Upcoming Events
A furry, rascally rabbit has been spotted hiding Easter eggs at the Bret Harte Park. Bring your little ones (and a basket) and help collect all the eggs. Coffee and snacks provided.
Join friends and neighbors at Bret Harte Park for an ice cream social to celebrate National Night Out. Guest speakers invited.
Don’t miss the bret harte-wide annual sale, with dozens of participants in the neighborhood and in the park. clothing, jewelry, housewares, collectibles, small furniture, electronics, kids clothes and toys, books, bikes, antiques, glassware, flatware, plants, vintage collectibles, musical gear, gardening equipment, eclectica, and more! Garage Sale 8:00 AM-2:00 PM, Picnic 5:00 PM- 7:00 PM.
Join your neighbors in getting ready for trick-or-treating. Pumpkins generously donated by Trader Joe’s. Please bring your own carving tools.
Come dressed in costume before trick-or-treating through the neighborhood. Pizza provided by BHCA
Annual Activities
Social Events
The BHCA sponsors neighborhood social events that bring residents together, as well as support the needs of Bret Harte residents. Events are organized and run by neighborhood volunteers and most events are held in Bret Harte Park. These include:
Easter in the Park. The Easter Bunny stops by for an Easter Egg Hunt on the Saturday before Easter, with treats provided by the BHCA.
Neighborhood Garage Sale. Held the Sunday after Labor Day, the annual Sale features dozens of participants around the neighborhood and in the park.
Non-Labor Day Picnic. Our biggest neighborhood event, held after the Neighborhood Garage Sale. This barbecue and potluck (with music in the park performed by local neighborhood residents) marks our annual membership drive and helps bring our community together.
Neighborhood Pumpkin Carving. Traditionally held the weekend before Halloween, children and their parents are invited to the park to pick out a pumpkin (generously donated by Trader Joe’s), carve it, and display their finished jack-o’-lanterns.
Pre–Trick-or-Treat Pizza Party. Before neighborhood kids head into the neighborhood for trick-or-treating, they gather in the park to show off their costumes and eat pizza.
National Night Out. Coordinated with the national celebration in early August, residents are invited to join friends and neighbors at Bret Harte Park to celebrate National Night Out. Guest speakers invited from City of San Rafael police and fire departments.
Services
The BHCA engages in a number of activities by and for residents, including:
Bret Harte Bounty: A Neighborhood Sharing and Sustainability Program. Some of our Bret Harte neighbors grow an excess of beautiful fruits and vegetables, which they graciously share. And some of our Bret Harte neighbors are elderly or in need. Let’s bring them together. Bret Harte Bounty is a community program to help our neighbors while preventing food waste (ranked third on Drawdown’s list of most important solutions to climate change) by delivering shared neighborhood produce to our senior and in-need neighbors. The Bret Harte Bounty program helps pick this excess fruit and delivers to the homes of the elderly and in need in Bret Harte. For information, contact Nigel Faulkner T 415-298-2485 or Chris Brown T 628-240-4361 or David & Sarah Leipsic T 415-577 2794
About the BHCA
The Bret Harte Community Association, in existence for over 50 years, is a neighborhood organization that supports approximately 500 residences, with the purpose of bringing the community together.
The BHCA is funded by neighborhood and community donations. A $25/year per- household donation is suggested. However, all activities are available to all neighborhood residents regardless of member status. The many accomplishments of the BHCA are achieved solely through volunteer efforts. To stay up to date on what's happening in and around the neighborhood, subscribe to the BHCA Email List.