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The Emperor’s Garden Party
September 21, 2014 @ 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
The Emperor’s Garden Party
hosted by The Emperor’s Bridge Campaign
Sunday, September 21, 2:00-5:00PM
Jefferson Square Park, Eddy Street at Gough Street, San Francisco
Suggested donation $5 Per Adult
“Please join us for The Emperor’s Garden Party!
Emperor Norton often thought big in September.
On Saturday, September 21, 1872, the abolitionist weekly newspaper the Pacific Appeal published the third and final of the Emperor’s three Bridge Proclamations of that year, in which he called for the design and construction of a great Bay-spanning bridge linking San Francisco and Oakland via Goat Island (present-day Yerba Buena Island) – setting out the vision for what we now know as the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
The Emperor actually had penned that Proclamation a few days earlier, on the 17th.
And it was exactly 13 years before that – on September 17, 1859 – that Joshua Abraham Norton had issued his most famous Proclamation of all: the one declaring himself Emperor and signed ‘Norton I, Emperor of the United States’.
Please join The Emperor’s Bridge Campaign in celebrating these two anniversaries – the Emperor’s third Bridge Proclamation (142 years ago) and his imperial self-declaration (155 years ago) – with a lovely, fun afternoon in the park.
Bring your own picnicking and relaxation accoutrements – savories, sweets, liquid refreshments, blankets, lawn chairs.
We’ll provide a treat – a cupcake! – for everybody.
A Special Welcome To Kids – We’ve got some fun activities planned!
2:00-3:15PM: Make Your Own Emperor’s Hat
Starting at 2:00PM, we’ll have a hat-making station, where kids will be shown photos of the Emperor in his beaver hat and will be provided with construction paper, crayons, glitter and feathers, for making making and decorating their own ‘Emperor’s hats’! – with adult assistance, of course.
3:15PM: The Emperor’s Story Time
The kids will gather round, in their hats, to hear Emperor Norton himself – played by Joseph Amster of Emperor Norton’s Fantastic San Francisco Time Machine (Overland Monthly video profile here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h852nCp_rls) – tell his story!
3:30PM: The Emperor’s Parade
After The Emperor’s Story Time, Emperor Norton will lead the kids – in their hats! – in a little parade around Jefferson Square Park.
BONUS!!! Free Walking Tour of Emperor Norton’s Haunts – Led by the Emperor Himself!
Or at least someone – Joseph Amster of Emperor Norton’s Fantastic San Francisco Time Machine – who doesn’t play Emperor Norton on TV but does play him rather well on the streets of San Francisco.
Our Garden Party begins at 2:00PM. If you’d like to get an early start on the festivities, the Emperor’s tour starts:
Sunday, September 21 at 11:30AM
at Empire Park, 642 Commercial Street, San Francisco.
Empire Park was the site of the Eureka Lodgings boarding house, where the Emperor lived from 1863 until his death in 1880.
At the conclusion of the walking tour – which will last about 60-90 minutes – you can join the Emperor for a couple of short bus rides to near Jefferson Square Park, and get a proper escort to the party!
Hope to see you there!”