Celebrate Women's History Month Around The Bay

Women's History Month is in March. The best ways to celebrate come through camaraderie in the arts and in sports. A women's theatre fosters all aspects of the genre for women and girls, putting on the boards the most challenged socially and financially. Other actors make history come alive at the historic maritime national park at Fisherman's Wharf with a Suffragette March in period costumes. Contemporary women who love the beach and our beautiful country roads take to their boards on the ocean or become spokeswomen in the annual Cinderella bike ride.  Meanwhile, volunteering or donating at the Davis Street Family Resource Center helps the whole family of working poor in San Leandro with food, used clothing, medical and dental clinics and domestic violence prevention. Get your dose of women's history at these Bay Area places and events.

3Girls Theatre Company
Tides Playhouse
533 Sutter St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 275-0348
www.3girlstheatre.org

The Women's History Month celebration at 3Girls Theatre presents a whole month of performances, events, workshops and readings by female collaborators at Tides Playhouse. 3Girls Theatre includes its young protégés from the GirlWrights playwrighting lab, working as apprentices. The collaborators particularly help girls from low-income, at-risk or compromised situations. This charitable theater group works with girls and women who write, direct, stage and perform plays. See the pro-active creativity come to life. The writers also collaborate with others as dancers, visual artists and directors.

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Suffragette March
Hyde Street Living History Players
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
499 Jefferson St.
San Francisco, CA 94109
www.hydestreetlivinghistory.org

Date: March 9, 2013

Women's History Month means the Suffragettes are on the march at the national maritime museum around the Hyde Street Pier at Fisherman's Wharf. Patriotic female activists, actors from the Living History Players, re-enact the 1901 political success when women got on board to vote. Actors dress in period costumes with protest signs. While you enjoy the world-class tourist destination and living history, tour the maritime museum and the real historic ships. Maritime women took an active role on board with navigation, medicine and housekeeping but were usually the wives and daughters of the captains.

Velo Girls
San Francisco, CA
www.velogirls.com

Date: April 6, 2013 for the Cinderella Classic

Velo Girls bike daily. Experienced endurance riders lead rides for women and girls of all ages and levels, although there is also a co-ed ride. Meet up with recreational road racers and mountain bikers alike to train in scenic locations including Pt. Reyes Station, Sausalito, Woodside, Morgan Territory, Heather Farms in Walnut Creek and Los Gatos. Get coaching, learn new skills or join other women for the Carmel Valley Escape at a Savvy clinic. Membership gets women discounts, invitations and participation in the rides.  Velo Girls join the Cinderella Classic annually and if you join the women-only pack cruising the scenic valleys through the East Bay, you also benefit many deserving women's organizations.

Ladies Who Surf
San Francisco, CA
www.meetup.com/ladieswhosurf

Ladies Who Surf meets socially and lists 167 members who are female or identify as female. This meet-up group is about camaraderie among friends who love the beach. Requirements beyond that involve having had some lessons and basic knowledge of surfing etiquette, mutual respect and your own board and wetsuit. Join Julienne, Carrie, Laura and Meg by emailing them from the website.

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Davis Street Family Resource Center
3081 Teagarden St.
San Leandro, CA 94577
(510) 347-4620
www.davisstreet.org

Davis Street Family Resource Center helps the working poor, disabled and elderly of San Leandro get out of poverty one step at a time. This non-profit provides a kind and caring place for the struggling locals to get food, used clothing, holiday baskets and bikes for tykes. Davis Street runs free on a first-come, first-served basis with clinics for medical, dental and counseling services including domestic violence prevention. Volunteer, intern, sponsor or donate money, goods or services to help.

Cindy Warner is a freelance writer and a San Francisco Bay Area native. Cindy has covered SF theater and opera for Examiner.com via her bicycle since January 2009. Check out her work on Examiner.com.