The Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (H.A.R.D.) has partnered with KQED to present The Russell City Blues: Stories and Music of a Lost Neighborhood. The evening of live music, history and storytelling was first presented last September at KQED Headquarters. The production gives voice to the rich neighborhood of Russell City that was razed in 1966.

The presentation marks the official reopening of the Douglas Morrisson Theater and the launch of the new “H.A.R.D. Presents Series." H.A.R.D. worked with KQED over several months to bring this extremely important program back home to its roots, as H.A.R.D.’s President of the Board of Directors, Rick Hatcher notes,“It's impossible to present a performing arts series in Hayward without paying tribute to the rich musical history of our local community--learning about the past in order to be informed for the future."

The Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, known locally as “H.A.R.D.," is an independent special use district created to provide park and recreation services for over 309,000 residents. Our boundaries encompass a 100 square-mile area, which includes the City of Hayward and the unincorporated communities of Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, and Fairview. For more information, visit HaywardRec.org.