The Benicia Herald

By Donna Beth Weilenman
Staff Reporter

Fliers in hand, diners formed lines all day Tuesday to get a bite to eat at First Street Café and help raise money to save Benicia’s two state parks at the same time.

In exchange for the handbill, the restaurant’s owner, Mark Krull, contributed 20 percent of the diner’s bill to the Benicia State Parks Association.

“It was very successful,” Carol Berman, president of the association, said of the event. She could tell: She had breakfast, bought take-out lunch and returned for dinner at the restaurant at 440 First St. — and each time the place was full, and sometimes she saw lines going out the door.

“People were waiting for tables,” Berman said. “They were full for lunch. And for dinner, they were full for two and a half seatings.”

The parks association is raising money and seeking members as it works toward participating in a multi-agency goal of keeping the Benicia Capitol State Historic Park and Benicia State Recreation Area open. Both are among the 70 on California’s parks closure list, scheduled to be shuttered some time this year.

Berman said she won’t have totals from the fundraiser until Krull’s bookkeeper returns, perhaps by early next week.

Berman praised Krull for participating in the program, and for expanding the BPSA share of the diners’ money. “Originally, Mark said 10 percent,” she said. Later he doubled the contribution.

And while it was the first time Krull used First Street Café to help the parks association, it won’t be the last. “Mark offered to do it bimonthly,” Berman said. “He’s a great person.” A March date hasn’t been selected, but Berman said she expects that event will take place early in the month.

The association, a registered nonprofit, is accepting memberships. Tax-deductible memberships are $10 for students, $12 for seniors, $25 for individuals, $40 for couples and families, $50 for contributors, $100 for supporters, $200 for sponsors, $500 for patrons, and $1,000 for curators, and can be sent to BSPA at P.O. Box 404, Benicia, 94510-1625.