Webster Street: Peanut Butter and Popsicles

From the original home of Skippy's peanut butter and the place where the Popsicle was invented to today's and varied cafes, Webster Street has served up edible treats.

Explore the street's past and present Saturday, July 21, on a free morning walk led by local historian and Robert Perricone.

Meet at the northwest corner of Webster and Lincoln Avenue (in front of the Shell gas station) at 9 a.m. The walk will last about an hour and 15 minutes, ending up at the Alameda Farmers Market. Wear comfortable walking shoes. No dogs, please.

Perricone says there's more to the walk — and Webster Street — than food. You'll see the street's last remaining residence, built in 1876, and around the corner on Buena Vista Avenue, townhouses built by Habitat for Humanity in 2008. You'll hear about the history of the and see the spot that once housed California's smallest candy store. And the walk will be relaxed enough that if you feel the urge to pop into an especially inviting retail store — go for it, Perricone says.

The walk is part of the city's Alameda Walks series. Future offerings this summer and fall include walks focusing on architecture, San Leandro Bay and Alameda's Indian shell mound, and special walks for youth and for parents with babies in strollers. See the complete schedule of Alameda Walks here.