Castro District, Castro San Francisco guide and voice of the gay and lesbian community!

www.pcfma.com

Market St. @ Noe St.
San Francisco, CA 94114

Keeping it Fresh at the Castro Farmers Market

Bustling and bursting with life the Castro Farmer's market has returned for its second season even better than before every Wednesday from 4-8pm. Now featuring live music and an even greater traffic level it is an exciting time for the neighborhood. With an always fresh seasonal bounty of fruits, vegetables, meats, and more the Castro Street Farmers Market cannot be missed.

While the market boasts the expected vegetable and fruit assortments; what's truly special about this market are the stands that offer the less common farmers market attire such as goat cheese stuffed raviolis, tender cuts of meat, salted nuts, dried goods, warm breads and so much more.

Perusing the stands while engaging the knowledgeable vendors is a pleasurable and educational experience. The vendors are all too happy to answer any questions you may have while explaining the ways of their goods. Want a little history of those farm fresh eggs? Ask, and you will get a story. While chatting with the local vendors be sure to partake of the gamete of free samples. Some personal favorites include the organic sorbets, and fresh cheeses. Be sure to check out these must see vendors:

Shelly's Garden: Fresh eggs and fragrant herbs.

Calolea Olive Oil: Wonderful olive oils and balsamic vinegars.

Happy Boy: A variety of seasonal organic vegetables.

City Bees: Sweet local honey.

Pick-a-peck Pickles: Crunchy pickles and other veggies.

Scream Sorbet: Fresh and fruity handmade sorbets.

Also, don't forget to visit some of the local restaurants and cafes nearby. After making your produce purchases head Café Flore located at the end of Noe Street directly on the corner. It is a great place to grab a coffee and catch up with friends. In fact, have them meet you there. Flore now has a liquor license so if coffee isn't for you can sip your way to merriment while watching the hustle and bustle of the market parade.

Be sure to make it to opening day this Wednesday April 7th. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will be making an appearance to offer blessings while cutting a ribbon with Supervisor Bevan Dufty. You can also enter a raffle to win a bag of fresh produce!

Some of the fresh seasonal produce will include:

Vegetables: Artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, English peas, green onions, hothouse tomatoes, kale, potatoes, radishes, snow peas, spinach.

Fruit: Apples, mandarins, oranges, pommelos, strawberries.

Other Market Products: Fresh herbs, baked breads and pastries, jams, sauces and dips, orange juice and apple cider, kettle corn, local honey, cut flowers and nursery starts.

-Written and Reviewed by A.G Royale – May 1, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kelly Toomey, Market Manager
Phone: (925) 825-9090; Fax: (925) 825-9101
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.pcfma.com
Market St. @ Noe St.
San Francisco, CA 94114

San Francisco, CA (February, 2011) - Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association (PCFMA) is gearing up for the seasonal opening of the Castro Farmers' Market! The market will be back in action with Northern California's freshest fruits and vegetables and live music and activities to entertain patrons all summer long. "We're very excited for the reopening of the Castro Farmers' Market," said John Silveira, Director of PCFMA. "It's such a lively market and we're looking forward to a great third year."

The Castro Farmers' Market will open on Wednesday, March 16 and run until December 21. The market will be open every Wednesday, from 4pm to 8pm, on Noe St. between Market and Beaver St.

The entire San Francisco community is invited to join in the St. Patrick's Day themed festivities, which include a blessing by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5:15pm with Supervisor Scott Wiener and Donna Sachet. Who knows, you may even see a leprechaun running around the market. The market will also be handing out free reusable shopping bags to the first fifty shoppers. Market Manager Kelly Toomey says, "We're looking forward to kicking off the season with a bang. We have a lot of great activities and events planned, and of course a terrific selection of California produce."

The market, which is sponsored by the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro (MUMC), will be a means for supporting local California farmers. Whether you're looking for earthy asparagus, flowering orchids, flavorful onions, juicy strawberries, Asian greens, fresh seafood, or any other spring produce items, you'll find them at the Castro Farmers' Market. More than two dozen California farmers and other food producers are expected to be selling their goods in the market on opening day.

The Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association is the state's largest operator of Certified Farmers' Markets, with over 60 Certified Farmers' Markets weekly in the Bay Area during the peak summer months. Certified Farmers' Markets are locations that offer only California-grown products sold directly to consumers by the farmers that grew, nurtured and harvested the crops. All PCFMA markets accept WIC FMNP (Woman Infant and Children Farmers' Market Nutrition Program coupons) and EBT (the Golden State advantage food stamp cards).

For more information on the Castro Farmers' Market, or to find another farmers' market in your area, please contact the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association at (800) 949-FARM or go to www.pcfma.com.

www.castrostreetfair.org
Market and Castro Steets
Always the First Sunday in October
11:00 am to 6:00 pm

The Fair is located in the heart of San Francisco's Castro District, at the intersection of Market & Castro Streets and the surrounding area.

The Castro Street Fair is a community street celebration that was founded by Harvey Milk in 1974. Hundreds of local artists, vendors, craftspeople, and organizations line the streets and celebrate the diversity of the neighborhood. Stages with live entertainment and dance pavilions can be found throughout the fairgrounds.

The Fair is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and all proceeds go directly to charitable causes important to the Castro community. Additionally, the Fair funds the rainbow flag that flies over the intersection of Castro and Market.

Proceeds from the Castro Street Fair are shared with our beneficiaries. Benefiting organizations provide volunteers to assist with various Fair operations, primarily collecting donations at our entry gates. Proceeds from these collected donations and other Fair sales are shared with beneficiaries based on the number of volunteer hours each organization works. Volunteers work in shifts from 10 AM to 7 PM on the day of the Fair, which is always the first Sunday in October.

2009 Beneficiaries

$81,745.22 was raised for our benefiting partners in 2009
The 15 Association
AIDS and Breast Cancer Emergency Fund
AIDS Housing Alliance
Aids Legal Referral Panel
Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center
Bad Boys San Francisco Softball
Bay Positives
Bears of San Francisco
Castro Lions
Community United Against Violence
Eureka Valley Promotional Association
The Family Link
Haight Ashbury Nursery School
Hartford Street Zen Center
Harvey Milk Civil Right Academy
Healing Waters
Immune Enhancement Project
Imperial Council of San Francisco
Instituto Familiar de la Raza
Lyon-Martin Health Services
Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco
McKinley Elementary School
Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church
Project Inform
Project Open Hand
The San Francisco Fog Rugby
Football Club
San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus
Shanti
STOP AIDS Project
Triangle Martial Arts Association
Visual Aid

No, you haven't died and gone to kink heaven, it's Folsom Street Fair®!

Folsom Street Fair® is like nothing in the world, a truly "only in San Francisco" experience with 400,000 of your closest kinky friends spread out over 13 city blocks of adult entertainment!

Located in front of the historic Powerhouse bar, leather and fetish players engage one another, mix and mingle, and play! With 250 vendor booths, two live stages with top-name alternative bands, and a massive dance area, you will stay enticed for hours.

This year's headlining acts are Canadian basement pop enthusiasts DRAGONETTE, space disco music-maker FM ATTACK making his US debut, and electronic body music (EBM) pioneers NITZER EBB! You'll have to stop by the 7th Street Stage and the 12th Street Stage to see them and up-and-coming acts like Killola, ejector, Pepperspray, and local favorites Smash-Up Derby. The full line up is at www.folsomstreetevents.org/entertainment.

Don't miss CELLBLOCK (on 10th Street between Folsom and Harrison), the destination for the hottest men in adult gay movies, featuring studios like Raging Stallion, Lucas Entertainment, and many more. And, be sure to stop by the Gold's Gym Entertainment District (on 10th Street between Howard and Folsom), featuring the hottest DJs from all over the world. For you female fetish enthusiasts, check out Venus' Playground, the education and social area for leatherwomen and genderqueers (on 9th Street between Howard and Folsom). And, of course, there is the ever-growing Erotic Artists' Area on 11th Street just south of Folsom.

The highlights of the weekend are our Official Saturday Night dance event - MAGNITUDE (on Saturday the 25th) - and our new Official Closing Party - DEVIANTS (on Sunday the 26th after the Fair). For information and ticket sales, go to www.folsomstreetevents.org.

SPONSORS: Presenting - RECON, NakedSword, Steamworks, Mr. S Leather, Kink.com, Manhunt, and GLOSS; Premier - Elbow Grease, Blow Buddies; Charter - ExtremeRestraints, TitanMen.com; Supporting - The Stockroom, Powerhouse, AdultFriendFinder, Gold's Gym; Media - Bay Area Reporter/BAR Tab, SF Weekly, SF Station, Frontiers Magazine, GAYVN; Host Hotels - SF Marriott Marquis, Joie de Vivre, and Renoir Hotel.

Folsom Street Fair proudly pours BLUE ANGEL VODKA.

Founded in 1977, Frameline's mission is to strengthen the diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and further its visibility by supporting and promoting a broad array of cultural representations and artistic expression in film, video and other media arts.

Frameline is the nation's only nonprofit organization solely dedicated to the funding, exhibition, distribution and promotion of LGBT media arts. Frameline's integrated programs provide critical support for emerging LGBT filmmakers, reach hundreds of thousands with a collection of more than 250 films distributed nationally, and create an international stage for the world's best queer cinema through the annual San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival and additional year-round screenings.

With annual attendance of 60,000 to 80,000, the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival is the longest running, largest and most widely recognized LGBT film exhibition event in the world. Founded in 1977, the Festival is the most prominent and well attended LGBT arts event in the Bay Area. Frameline also presents year-round exhibition events. Frameline at the Center: Free Screenings for the Community features monthly screenings of socially relevant works at the San Francisco LGBT community Center. Year-round programs also include members-only screenings and special events, as well as sneak previews of feature films and documentaries.

145 Ninth Street, #300
San Francisco, CA 94103
p: 415-703-8650
f: 415-861-1404
e: info@frameline.org

Photo Credit: Jane Cleland

Celebration – Saturday, June 25, 2011
Noon to 6:00 pm – Civic Center

Celebration – Sunday, June 26, 2011
Expanded hours!
11:00 am to 6:30 pm – Civic Center

Parade – Sunday, June 26, 2011
Starts at 10:30 am on Market Street from Beale Street to 8th Street.

About the San Francisco Pride Celebration

2011 marks the 41st anniversary of the San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade to be held over the weekend of June 25 and 26, 2011.

With over 200 parade contingents, 300 exhibitors, and more than twenty community-run stages and venues, the San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade is the largest gathering of LGBT people and allies in the nation.

The San Francisco Pride Celebration is packed with a wide variety of exhibitors, artists, music of all kinds, performers, dance stages and venues, and fun. There really is something here for everyone.

2011 Celebration

Photo Credit: Rick Gerharter

On Pride Saturday (June 25, 2011), the Main Stage brings the best of local musical talent and cultural performances to the heart of San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza.  Spread out on the Plaza and take in the sounds and sights of these great acts.

New this year is an expansion of Pride Sunday (June 26, 2011), a full hour earlier than in previous years. This year's headliners for Sunday’s Main Stage in Civic Center include comedienne Sandra Bernhard on Sunday, June 26 as well as exciting, up-and-coming cutting-edge talent, world-renowned performers, and the best of local entertainment from the Bay Area.

The SF Pride Main Stage has been host to The Backstreet Boys, Lady Gaga, BoA, Fey, The Cliks, Kat Deluna, Inaya Day, Crystal Waters, Me'shell Ndegeocello, leaders from the frontlines of the same-sex marriage fight, and many others.

Donate at the Gate, Take a Stand for Pride

The SF Pride Celebration & Prade is open and accessible to all. A voluntary $5.00 donation at the entry gates to the Celebration helps support Pride’s grant giving Community Partners program which has awarded over $1.7 million to community non-profit organizations since 1997.

The San Francisco Dyke March believes in the importance of being visible, even if for some that means one single day of celebration with friends in the open air.

The rally showcases our community's outstanding artists, critical thinkers, and political activists. The thousands who attend are from all classes, nationalities and countries.

The San Francisco Dyke March is intergenerational, and varied in it's physical conditions. Coming together is that way; we truly embrace the reality that we are without borders – both nationally and culturally.

The strength we gather from this day comes with a message advocating justice for all Dykes against the varied oppressions we face in our particular lives every-where in the world and the message we are not alone in our struggles or our joys.

The SF Dyke March and rally are about claiming space, being visible in that space, and going into our daily lives expecting and receiving the respect deserved by all lesbians.

Facts About the Dyke March

The Dyke March is funded through events and private donations from individuals and primarily dyke-owned businesses. There is no corporate control over the content of our gathering. We receive funding through the San Francisco Grants for the Arts/hotel tax fund.

Community Initiatives serves as the fiscal sponsor of the SF Dyke March.

The Making of the Dyke March

Organizing the SF Dyke March begins almost as soon as it happens. Our many volunteers and on-going good relations with the City of San Francisco's Police and Park & Rec. Departments combine to make the March an event to remember!

Visit our web site for the 2010 theme, the rally lineup, events in support of the March, international March info, images, a way to donate on line, and much more.

The San Francisco Dyke March

Saturday, June 26, 2010
www.thedykemarch.org
Rally @ Dolores Park 3pm
March begins @ 7pm

History of the Dyke March

At the 1992 LGBT March on Washington, a group of San Francisco lesbians organized a Dyke March, seeking greater lesbian visibility at this national forum.

In 1993, that same group organized a Dyke March in San Francisco and approximately 10,000 dykes marched. Eighteen years later, 50,000 attended the rally and marched through the streets of San Francisco, and that number keeps growing.

Accessibility

Accessibility is a key ingredient for the San Francisco Dyke March. To that end, we have accommodations to serve our elder/differently-abled population Parking space is reserved at a nearby garage, and a wheelchair accessible shuttle bustransports Dykes to and from Dolores Park. Accessible port-o-potties are located near the senior/special needs area. There is a special viewing area along the March route, with chairs, and the option of riding a motorized cable car in the March. Dykes in wheelchairs and their companions are welcome to form a contingent at the front of the March. ASL interpreters are on stage at all times. For detailed accommodation information, visit our web site: www.thedykemarch.org.

The SF Dyke March Needs You! Volunteer!

Hundreds of volunteers are needed for every aspect of the March, beginning with the core committee, which oversees the whole of the event, and members for the following committees: Access; Communication (web & all media)/Community Outreach; Facilities Management; Finance; Fundraising; Safety/Security; Stage; and Volunteer Coordination. We need volunteers for events (to work the events and to perform) and for outreach tabling and selling t-shirts around the Bay Area in the months prior to the March. A major need is volunteers for the day of the March/rally, June 26, 2010. All volunteers will be thanked via our web site and at a volunteer appreciation party in July.

Organizations and groups of friends are encouraged to work together at the Dyke March collecting donations and/or working in Safety/Security. We will thank your organization from the stage and on our web site.

Hold a house party - plan on an event!

Have fun & raise funds for the SF Dyke March. To learn how to hold a DM House Party, email us. If you have a venue & an idea for a fundraiser, we are all ears.