Dunsmuir estate opens for holidays

Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate will be transformed into an Edwardian holiday setting in December.

Each of the 37 rooms in the 16,000-square-foot mansion will be decorated with holiday trees, garland, antique furnishings and decorations noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays Dec. 3 through 18.

Visitors can enjoy a snack at the Winter Cafe and shop at the Mansion Gift Shop. There will be live entertainment and carriage rides.

Children can take part in a morning brunch with Santa, followed by games, face-painting and other activities.

To buy tickets, go to www.dunsmuir-hellman.com. For more information, contact estate manager Deborah Cooper at dcooper@oaklandnet.com or 510-615-5555.

The estate is at 2960 Peralta Oaks Court.

Plaid weekend downtown

Oakland will mark Plaid Weekend today through Sunday, where shoppers are encouraged to shop locally, especially at stores hit by recent vandalism downtown.

OaklandCentral.com has a map of the businesses, several of which will have specials this weekend.

Plaid Weekend evolved from Plaid Friday, named to represent weaving individual threads of small businesses together to create a fabric that celebrates the diversity and creativity of independent businesses.

Free parking on Saturdays

Oakland will offer free parking Saturdays between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, and on Plaid Weekend.

“More than ever, we need to put our money where our hearts are and support Oakland’s small businesses which are the backbone of our local economy,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement.

The free parking applies to both standard meters and multi-space parking kiosks, city-owned lots and city-owned garages.

Standard parking rules and time limits will be enforced. If shoppers need more time, they should move their cars to parking spaces at least one block away away.

Jack London tree lighting

Jack London Square will have its annual tree lighting festival Dec. 2 on the waterfront, with music performed by local youth.

The evening will include Santa, live reindeer, children’s activities, tap-dancing Christmas trees and the lighting of the 55-foot-tall Mount Shasta fir tree with 5,000 lights.

The celebration will be 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at the foot of Broadway.

For more information, go to www.jacklondonsquare.com or call 510-645-9292.

More than 50 artisans will be selling their creations at a Jack London Square holiday pop-up that coincides with the tree lighting. For more information, go to www.nnekasmarketplace.com.

Holiday open house at Eastmont substation

Oakland police are holding a holiday open house Thursday at the

Eastmont police substation.

Tours will be given of the substation, and Crime Dog McGruff and Santa Claus will greet visitors. There also will be a raffle.

Those attending are asked to take an unwrapped toy for children ages 1 to 12. The toys will be handed out at the traffic division’s annual Motor Santa Giveaway.

The open house will be 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at 2651 73rd Ave. in East Oakland.

For more information, contact Edith Guillen at eguillen@oaklandnet.com or 510-238-7159.

Holiday security in Temescal district

The Temescal Telegraph Business Improvement District has hired security guards who will patrol on foot during the holidays. VMA Security Group, Inc. will provide walking security patrols and presence during the busy holiday season.

The guards will be patrolling Telegraph Avenue from 56th Street to West MacArthur Boulevard, part of Shattuck Avenue, and 40th Street from the MacArthur BART Station to Broadway.

The unarmed guards will patrol the district 4:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Thursdays through Fridays until January, except on Christmas.

For any questions, contact Shifra de Benedictis-Kessner at 510-860-7327 or shifra@temescaldistrict.org.