Songs of Prince to Enliven Castro Fair

A 10-piece Prince tribute band, The Purple Ones, will appear at this year's annual Castro Street Fair Sunday, October 2.

The 43rd annual neighborhood celebration, begun by the late Harvey Milk in 1974, will have four entertainment areas, hundreds of vendors, and food and beverages.

Milk was a big booster of the Castro, he had his camera shop business there for years and was elected supervisor of the district in 1977. Tragically, disgruntled ex-supervisor Dan White assassinated him and then-Mayor George Moscone in November 1978.

A suggested donation of $5-$10, payable at the gates, goes to support local nonprofits.

The fair takes place on Castro between Market and 19th streets, on 18th Street between Diamond and Noe streets, and Market Street between Collingwood and Noe streets. The fair's information booth is located near the intersection of Market and Castro streets, where people can pick up a program and buy a limited-edition T-shirt of this year's event and past fairs.

The main stage, located at Castro and Market, will feature the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band; Fun Home , soon to be at the Curran Theater; Bitch, Please; Above and Beyond the Valley of the Ultra Showgirls; Simone Gemini; and special guests, Oakland's The Purple Ones.

According to Castro Street Fair Executive Director Fred Lopez, The Purple Ones is "not a typical tribute band with a Prince lookalike or impersonator."

"The Purple Ones bring audiences to their feet, night after night, by speaking Prince's musical language: A mix of energy, rhythm, creativity, and of course ... a serious dose of unadulterated funk," he said in an email to the Bay Area Reporter.

According to Lopez, The Purple Ones is a "labor of love that was born in 2012" when Bay Area-based founder Morty Okin "decided to build the greatest Prince tribute on the planet." The Purple Ones includes Levi Seacer Jr., Prince's former musical director and co-founder of the New Power Generation.

Prince died April 21 at his home in Minnesota. He was one of the most popular and successful musicians and singers of his generation, and had a large following among LGBTs.

Dance Alley (in the parking lot behind Walgreens, off of 18th Street) will feature the DJ talents of RoseGold, Juan, Adam Kraft, and Jim Hopkins.

The Castro Street Stage (between 18th and 19th streets) will showcase live performances from The Monster Show, Vollmer, Beautiful Machines, and Markus.

Sundance Saloon (behind the Castro Theatre) will feature line dancing to country and western music.

Since the fair is a little more than a month before the election, Lopez said that organizers invited candidates who were on the ballot, but at press time, only gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, running for state Senate, has promised to appear. Others will likely be on hand though, as the fair typically draws about 50,000 people.

Juan Garcia, chairman of the board of directors at the Castro Street Fair, said new fees levied by the city add to the challenges of keeping the fair afloat. Last year, the fair donated over $45,000 to nonprofits, he said.

Garcia, an event planner who also teaches at San Francisco State University, pointed out that at the fair, "everyone is a volunteer so we can give away as much money as possible. We would always like to be able to give more away."

According to Garcia, many fairgoers don't know that the event is a fundraiser and don't donate at the gate.

"We only have a few seconds to give them that message," he said. "We rely on the generosity and favors" of the community.

The Castro Street Fair runs Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Details about the event can be found on its new website, http://www.castrostreetfair.org