Divas & Drinks and Round About – All Over Town

Divas & Drinks Pride Party for Women @ The Academy

Where are the women in the Castro? On Thursday, June 24, many along with allies were at 2166 Market Street for the newly launched Divas & Drinks @ The Academy women’s-themed event series. Co-presented by the San Francisco Bay Times and The Academy and hosted by Donna Sachet, the series had a soft virtual launch in the spring followed by this special celebration for Pride. At the event, Mayor London Breed waved a Bay Times rainbow flag presented by Sachet, and spoke to the standing-room-only crowd about the reopening of San Francisco and some of her administration’s LGBTQ-directed initiatives. ABC 7’s Dion Lim introduced Mayor Breed and later reported that the event was the largest Pride party this year for women in the Bay Area.

Supervisor and former Bay Times columnist Rafael Mandelman also thoughtfully spoke about the City’s LGBTQrelated work. Pride Grand Marshals attending included Melonie Green and Melorra Green, Co-Executive Directors of the African American Art & Culture Complex; and Clair Farley, Senior Advisor to Mayor Breed and Executive Director of the Office of Transgender Initiatives.

Celebrants, including Mayor Breed, joined in a Name That Tune contest deftly led by Sachet and talented DJ Rockaway, who is known for her popular “Play” events for women and her DJ work and more for Olivia Travel. The contest pitted Team MECCA 2.0 led by Kelly Gilliam and Team Olivia Travel led by Anna Chase. A demonstration of cocktails, curated by Bacardi Vice President Heather Freyer, was presented by Liz Thyken and the Bacardi team.

Mayor Breed received a Pride Cake from Noe Valley Bakery and designer chocolates from Kokak Chocolates handcrafted by owner Carol Gancia—in attendance—and her team. The San Francisco Bay Times thanks them as well as Nate Bourg and Paul Miller at The Academy, La Méditerranée Castro for appetizers, Extreme Pizza for desserts, and ellaprint for creating the special event banner. Thanks also to volunteers Juan R. Davila, Letitia Lopez, and Maribel Rodriguez. We additionally are grateful for contributions to the event goodie bags made by the San Francisco Federal Credit Union, Bacardi, Olivia Travel, Noe Valley Bakery, and ellaprint. Special thanks also to Spritz PR!

Please join us for the next Divas & Drinks @ The Academy on July 23 to cheer on Olympians—on the big screen and in person—for the first night of the Summer Olympics! https://tinyurl.com/jnz58vwd

Round About – All Over Town

Round About – All Over Town (continued…)

Published on July 15, 2021