-=-=-=-=-=- SATURDAY IN WEST HOLLYWOOD
I forgot to include this in my Upcoming Events posting - I will be out of town this weekend, attending an annual family reunion pool party at my sister's house in the San Fernando Valley. AFTER that party, I plan to attend Terry Leftgoff's MuscleBears & Beefcake benefit for Being Alive. Terry was one of our eight house guests during San Diego Pride 2011, and we bonded very closely as friends. That's him on the far left in this picture, showing the marchers in the Leather Contingent during the San Diego Pride Parade.
So, if you're in the area, join Terry and me. You won't have to choose between musclebears OR beefcake - You can have BOTH!
Thanks to social media, folks who have a lot to say are getting their chance to let their opinions be heard. California Leather Sir 2010 Miles B. has been writing about Leather Boys, Daddy Dan and Mister Mike have been writing about Leather Titles, and I've been writing about Flagging (wearing items on your left or right to show your desired sexual partner what you want). If anyone else has been doing any authoring of articles, please let me know, so that I can promote your work here.
-=-=-=-=- ARTISTRY IN SAN DIEGO
The erotic artist Dennis Wymbs is being featured. I've bought from Dennis in the past, and his work is of the highest quality. There is a huge collection in many forms of media (including leather scluptures, acrylic paintings, and his newest works, engravings on copper foil), and it's well worth a look, through the end of August. He's a proud, kinky, vividly-out and wonderful man who strongly believes in the power of art. So do I.
There are local artists who aren't getting enough visibility, and if you know of any other artist who could use some promotion, please let me know. Let's support local craftsmen in our community!
-=-=-=-=-=-=- PUPPIES AND RUBBERMEN
I ran across a wonderful posting on Leatherati.com that provides Puppy resources, for the rising numbers of men who are into Puppy Play. I was pleased to see RubberDawg.com listed, because it's run by our own local star Scotty, shown here, blending in with the crowd at 2011's Up Your Alley (formerly Dore Alley) Street Fair (millions of pictures here). Yes, he made every speck of that gear that he is wearing.
Scotty and his husband Doren continue to be the hosts of many wonderful, successful parties for leathermen for the last twenty or so years. Scotty created Rubber Knights, a loose affiliation of San Diego-area rubbermen, but his business has taken off, so there is less time to dedicate for anything but work. I'm hoping that some new, energized local rubberman will want to take up the slack and organize some great events!
-=-=-=-=- HILLCREST CITYFEST FOLLOW-UP
I received some great feedback from my article about Hillcrest Cityfest. I had forgotten to mention that, in 1984, San Diego's gay community was convulsing in agony. AIDS was a guaranteed death-sentence back then, there were multiple funerals every week, and we needed some kind of rallying-point. Our new, pink-neon Hillcrest Sign was a visible signal that we were still a community.
I saw the new, LED-lit Hillcrest sign this weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised. I expected it to be a zillion little specks of bright LED's. Instead, it looks EXACTLY like a neon sign, but with a solid, pure-white light… No flickering, like neon. I still think that they could have spent a bit more and kept it PINK!
From: Dak
Dear Tony
I wanted to espouse on your memory of the Hillcrest Street Fair ( not renamed Cityfest until the year after the sign actually went up). The first three years were co-chaired by myself, Chris Shaw, Chrissy Kehoe, and Tony (who was the manager of a local restaurant on 5th Ave and has since past away). Chrissy was the newly appointed head of the Hillcrest Business Association (who themselves as an organization, were only a few years in existence ) and I was a banker from what was California 1st Bank ( now Union Bank) on the corner of Fifth and University, and Chris Shaw was owner of WCPC and quickly becoming a quiet mover and shaker in the gay community.
The city insisted we raise $45,000.00 to start the project, then another $27,000.00 to match grant funds to actually put the sign up. The first Hillcrest Street Fair was on 4th Ave between University and Robinson. Because the owner of Stefanos Restaurant on University between 5th and 6th, objected to what he termed " a Castro Street Zoo" outside his restaurant". This same individual is the reason why, in compromise, three years later, the name was changed to Cityfest from Hillcrest Street Fair. He objected to anything that aligned or identified to the name Hillcrest as it was quickly becoming San Diego's gay mecca.
The year of the actual lighting we did indeed paint the streets. And once again due to that one businessman, it was blacktopped overnite to cover. We didn't let that dampen our community spirit though. He's gone now; thank you very much, and we are still a major, although no longer dominant, force in that community. We have much to be proud of in that and other neighborhoods we have "raised" and embraced.
Did you also know that the Old Globe will be producing "Rocky Horror" in Sept and they will be sponsoring a flash mob at the street fair on Sunday at 5th and University, in or out of Rocky Horror costume. Should be fun to watch.
On an after thought, Hedgehog was a massive dissappointment in too many ways, especially following Her Honor O'Conner.
Anyway, peace to you.
Later........
Dak
-=-=-=-=-
From: Rich
Long live the Hillcrest sign - a gathering point for gay San Diego!
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