By Donna Sachet–
We again congratulate Mina Habil on the opening of Catch French Bistro at the location of the former Catch at Market and Castro. You’ll enjoy so much that is familiar, while absorbing a distinctly French ambiance and delightfully French menu. Their Grand Opening on Saturday, September 21, greeted many elected officials and received the blessing of Cleve Jones, who shared stories of the AIDS Memorial Quilt that will continue to have a display in the entrance hallway. Dee Spencer will be in on the piano every Friday and Saturday night, adding wonderfully to your experience. See you there soon!
September’s Divas & Drinks at The Academy, Flaming, Fabulous, & 50, took place on Thursday, September 26, and celebrated the upcoming 50th Castro Street Fair with a line-dance instruction by Ingu Yun, crowd-pleasing performance by Afrika America, and invitation from Vice President Fred Lopez to join the festivities on Sunday, October 6. This street fair was the brainchild of the late Harvey Milk, representing his love of the neighborhood and his commitment to its ongoing health and vitality and unofficially kicking off the San Francisco Fall Season.
Next at Divas & Drinks we honored outgoing Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson with a cascade of speakers and gifts. SF Police Commissioner Debra Walker, Vice President of the SF Fire Commission Marcy Fraser, and Deputy Chief Shayne Kaialoa all praised her service and commitment. Various gifts were presented by and from The Foodie Chap Liam Mayclem, NCLR, Betty’s List, Cal Performances, SF Opera, SF Symphony, the San Francisco Pride Band, PRC’s upcoming Mighty Real, Elizabeth Seja Min, Co-Chair of Chris Williamson’s 50th Anniversary of The Changer & the Changed, Dykes on Bikes, Beth Schnitzer, Iowayna Pena of the SF Giants, SF Pride, and many more. It was a night that Jeanine will long remember.
We finished off Divas & Drinks with a fun new game, Great Bells of Fire, asking attendees to grab our attention every time DJ Olga T played a song with a reference to fire. Upon my ringing the “fire bell,” winners each received a bottle of wine. What will Betty Sullivan and Jennifer Viegas of the Bay Times think of next to add to the fun of Divas & Drinks? Join us for the next Divas & Drinks, on Halloween Night, to find out.
The following morning, bright and early at 10 am, we joined Mayor London Breed, State Senator Scott Wiener, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, and a bevy of city leaders for the announcement of the location of the future home of the GLBT Historical Society Museum. It is tucked into Market and Noe, in the heart of the Castro, where the weekly Farmers’ Market occurs, adjacent to Fish & Flore restaurant and surrounded by queer friendly businesses. This sounds like the perfect place to house the society’s headquarters, extensive archives, and brand-new museum. Speeches by Cleve Jones and Executive Director of the GLBT Historical Society Roberto Ordeñana gave special significance to this historic announcement, positioning our own LGBTQ+ memories as an essential, beautiful, and powerful element of American history. Backed by state and city funding and counting on wide community support, this building promises to be a new landmark in San Francisco in the near future. We can’t wait to walk through those doors!
Suddenly, another event-packed weekend was upon us, starting with the Grand Ducal Coronation 50 on Saturday night at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway. The theme was Four Seasons in St. Petersburg and the Ducals pulled out all the stops with thematic and dramatic costuming, most notably Grand Duchesses Landa Lakes, Migitte Nielsen, and MGM Grande. Rather than focusing on the regrettably small attendance, we compliment excellent live singing of the national anthems of Mexico, Canada, and the United States by Miss Golden Gate Calliope Solis, empress Emma Peel, and Bebe Sweetbriar, the extraordinary entertainment from Emperor John Weber and Afrika America, anniversary numbers by Grand Duchess Kristy Cruise and Olivia Hart, and Queen Mother Nicole the Great’s presentation to Olivia of the coveted José Sarria Honors statue. Grand Duke RayRay and Grand Duchess Christina Ashton stepped down in style after a year of fundraising, amounting to over $100,000, and La Rosa de los Gallos was crowned the 51st Grand Duchess of San Francisco.
After a quick costume change, we headed to SVN where Magnitude, the premier dance party of Folsom Weekend, was in full swing. This event had all the signature details of a fabulous Brian Kent produced party, including DJs Thunderpuss, GSP, and Brian Maier, epic sound, amazing laser and other lighting, and smooth production. Hundreds of celebrants joined the dance well into the early morning hours.
We ended our weekend at our annual Pre-Folsom Brunch at the home of Briggs Hawley, whose place looked marvelous, and generously produced by an all-volunteer committee, including Mark Paladini, Ho Tse, Gary Virginia, and Ray Tilton. Nearly 200 Folsom attendees dropped by to indulge in fabulous brunch selections, free-flowing drinks, and Leather hospitality in sparkling San Francisco summer weather. We are incredibly thankful to all who made this event such a success and happy that so many visitors and locals, titleholders and supporters, and personal friends took the time to come by our brunch. We’ve learned so much from the congeniality and warmth of the Leather Community.
Donna Sachet is a celebrated performer, fundraiser, activist, and philanthropist who has dedicated over two decades to the LGBTQ Community in San Francisco. Contact her at empsachet@gmail.com
Thursday, October 4
Mighty Real Gala:
Imagine, Inspire, Act
PRC’s annual fundraiser
Cocktail reception, seated dinner, awards ceremony, auction
Awarding Steven Ames Brown, Dr. Monica Gandhi,
Marsh McLennen Agency
Three floors w/rooftop deck
The Pearl, 601 19th Street
6:30 pm $250 & up
www.prcsf.org
Saturday, October 5
Horizons Gala 2024
Annual fundraiser
Honoring Dr. Marcy Adelman
& Suzanne Ford
Entertainers criibaby, Emjay Mercury, Golden Girls Live!
Academy of Sciences,
55 Music Concourse Drive
7:30 pm $350 & up
www.horizonsfoundation.com
Sunday, October 6
50th Annual Castro Street Fair
Castro Neighborhood
Entertainment, booths, people
11 am–6 pm
Free! (with suggested donation)
www.castrostreetfair.org
Friday, October 11
Cleve Jones Birthday
Launching Cleve Jones Community Fund
Entertainment, tributes
The Hibernia SF, 1 Jones Street
8 pm $250 & up
www.clevejones70.com
Sunday, October 13
Ruby Red Munro benefit
Funds for Alzheimer’s research
Beaux, 2344 Market Street
4:30 pm Free!
www.beauxsf.com
Thursday, October 31
Divas & Drinks
Bay Times Halloween Party
Emcee Donna Sachet
More info coming soon
The Academy SF
2166 Market Street
$15
https://www.academy-sf.com/
Donna’s Chronicles
Published on October 3, 2024
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