Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: How will Flood County Park’s squirrel crackdown affect your next visit?
And on the Menlo Park Patch calendar - Gilles Vonsattel: "Encountering Beethoven"

Hi there, Menlo Park! We've got your morning read ready! Read on to stay connected. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
- How will Flood County Park's squirrel crackdown affect your next visit?
- Which free Menlo Park storytelling nights will you mark on your calendar?
- Menlo Park engineer accused of insider-style crypto trading — what prosecutors allege
Also on today's calendar: Gilles Vonsattel: "Encountering Beethoven" and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: What is the difference between black eyed peas and chick peas? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high of 74 and low of 59 degrees.
- Thursday: Areas of low clouds, then sun, temps: high: 77, low: 56.
- Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 80 and low of 55 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. Ground Squirrels Are Overpopulating An SMC Park. Officials Plan To Kill Them (patch.com) — Ground squirrels have overrun Flood County Park in Menlo Park, damaging trees, paths, and facilities, so county officials will fumigate burrows each Wednesday in September and October. The USDA will use targeted fumigants and traps, which officials say won't harm people or animals outside the burrows, while monitoring continues into next spring.
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2. Get ready for Menlo Park's 11th annual Storytelling Festival (inmenlo.com) — Menlo Park residents can enjoy the 11th Annual Storytelling Festival with nine free library events running from September 27 through November 21. New and returning performers will share tales from around the world, plus a workshop and a community Tellabration finale, all sponsored by the Friends of the Menlo Park Library.
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3. SMC Engineer Charged In Crypto Trading Scheme: DOJ (patch.com) — A Menlo Park resident who worked as an engineer for Robinhood has been charged with federal commodities and wire fraud, accused of using confidential crypto-listing information for profitable trades. Prosecutors say the alleged scheme ran through 2025–26 and netted each engineer over $50,000, though both are presumed innocent while the case proceeds.
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4. $1M over-asking still isn't bringing more homes to market on the Midpeninsula (almanacnews.com) — Menlo Park homebuyers are facing fierce competition, with limited listings, fast sales and a median single-family price around $3.58 million, up 9% from last year. The broader Midpeninsula shows similar scarcity, frequent overbids and high cash-purchase rates, keeping even well-qualified local buyers under pressure.
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📸 Around Menlo Park
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓 Upcoming Events in Menlo Park
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
- Gilles Vonsattel: "Encountering Beethoven" →
Martin Family Hall, 50 Valparaiso Ave, Atherton
7:00 pm - Gilles Vonsattel: Beethoven Piano Sonatas →
Spieker Center for the Arts, 50 Valparaiso Ave, Atherton
4:00 pm - Redwood City Library Foundation's 5th Annual Upscale Pub Crawl →
Redwood City Public Library, 1044 Middlefield Rd, Redwood City
5:00 pm
Friday September 18
Saturday September 19
Wednesday October 7
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
- Third ANTHEM San Francisco Location in Menlo Park Grand Opening →
871 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park - This Is Now with Angie Coiro: Casey Gerald →
Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
7:00 pm - Copa del Menlo, Round Two →
Arrillaga Family Recreation Center, 700 Alma Street, Menlo Park
7:00 pm - Springline Oktoberfest →
Springline Menlo Park, 1300 El Camino Real, Menlo Park - Whirling Meditation Workshop →
Feldman's Books, 1075 Curtis Street, Menlo Park
6:00 pm - 2026 Coastal Cleanup Day at San Francisquito Creek →
1 Alma Street, Menlo Park
9:00 am - Ragnarocktoberfest 2026 3-Day Nerf Event →
Independence High School, 617 N Jackson Ave, San Jose
12:00 pm - Namiwalks Silicon Valley →
History Park San Jose, 635 Phelan Ave, San Jose
9:00 am - Up and Away Botb Annual Fundraiser →
Domenico Winery, 1697 Industrial Rd, San Carlos
6:30 pm
Thursday September 17
Friday September 18
Saturday September 19
Friday October 2
Saturday October 3
📣 Menlo Park Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Menlo Park PatchAM possible:
- RowCal - San Jose — (408) 620-5366
Click here to show your appreciation! 💚
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Ethos Veterinary Health, LLC posted a job opening for Assistant Hospital Manager in Redwood City. Apply here.
- Grocery Outlet Holding Corporation posted a job opening for Cashier in Redwood City. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Menlo Park here.
Ok Menlo Park! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Black eyed peas can sing us a song but chick peas can only hummus one. (Thank you Bev H. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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