2005 Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACTS: David Perry/Barbara Webb - David Perry & Associates
(415) 693-0583

A FREE 4th of July We Are Family Picnic
Monday, July 4th, 11am-4pm, 2005
Yerba Buena Gardens, Rooftop Gardens, Howard Street & 4th Street

SAN FRANCISCO. CA. June 6, 2005. For the ninth year in a row, Yerba Buena Gardens is proudly hosting the annual 4th of July We are Family Picnic, with loads of wild, wacky, and fun-filled entertainment for kids and families. The event, which draws several hundred people to the gardens, is an opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, families and friends to celebrate Independence Day, and each other. The We Are Family Picnic, which is presented by Yerba Buena Arts & Events, is a component of the 2005 Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. Co-sponsors include COLAGE, Camp Lavender Hill, Yerba Buena Bowling and Ice Skating Center, and Zeum.
"The Fourth of July We Are Family Picnic is one of San Francisco's - if not the world's - most unique family traditions!" says Linda Lucero, Artistic Director of Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. "The day is about celebrating America's true family values of love, laughter, support, and sharing."

This year's picnic features: Dixieland Dykes+3, Derique the Fabulous Clown, The Foghorns, Jackie Jones and her Tap Dancing Cat, zany prizes, and much more.

Dixieland Dykes+3 is a combination of players from the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band and City Swing. The group started in 1995 and since then have played for kings, queens, and family audiences. Derique, an Emmy award-winning clown, is internationally known for his unique blend of Hambone body percussion, circus skills and high-tech electronic body drum suit called Ham-Tech. The Foghorns, all members of the famed San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, are the newest addition to the picnic. Children's favorite, Jackie Jones, is a talented multi-instrumentalist who has performed throughout the Bay Area since 1952. She performs as a solo artist on novelty instruments including washboard guitar and musical saws, and heads the Vintage Swing Ensemble, playing lead guitar and accordian. She is an inventor of musical instruments, and built the dancing cat that she performs with at street fairs and other local events.

The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, which takes place from May through October, features over 150 events, including classical and jazz concerts, opera, performance art, international music concerts, dance performances, children's programs, theater, visual arts, puppet shows, cultural festivals, and special events.

All performances and events are free and open to the public, drawing an audience of San Francisco and Bay Area residents, tourists, and convention attendees that numbers more than 100,000 each year.

Free Artistic and Cultural Programming in Yerba Buena Gardens is made possible through the generosity of The San Francisco Redevelopment Agency; The Bernard Osher Foundation; The James Irvine Foundation; The JPMorganChase Foundation; MJM Management Group; The National Endowment for the Arts; The San Francisco Arts Commission; The San Francisco Foundation; The WA Gerbode Foundation, The Walter
& Elise Haas Fund; The Zellerbach Family Foundation; and individual contributions. We gratefully acknowledge in-kind contributions from Steefel, Levitt, and Weiss; LaserCom Design; Pro Piano; The San Francisco Marriott; Metreon; San Francisco Chronicle; San Francisco Downtown Magazine; San Francisco Bay Guardian; and JC Decaux.

Yerba Buena Arts & Events, producer of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is located at 760 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. Phone (415) 543-1718; Fax (415) 543-1755; website: http://www.ybgf.org


Additional Information Links


Festival Calendar

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Destani Wolf
12:30 pm

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Artists Guild
9:00 am

John Handy
1:00 pm

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Grind 4 the Green
12:00 pm

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TODCO Poets
12:30 pm

10 11

Bayonics
12:30 pm

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Carne Cruda & Santero
1:00 pm

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Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

produced by Yerba Buena Arts & Events

760 Howard Street
San Francisco CA 94103
Phone: 415 543 1718
Fax: 415 543 1755
info@ybgf.org
www.myspace.com/ybgfestival