Emerge remerges
Local LGBT grantmaking agency Sapphire Fund will host a series of events over the next few weeks to unite local women and raise funds for area LGBT organizations.
The third annual Black & White Emerge Party will take place from 9 p.m.-3 a.m. April 30 at Voyeur, 1221 St. James St.
DJ Cozmic Cat will keep partiers on the dance floor with her mix of house, top 40 and soulful funk, and will be joined by DJs Andi and Rose.
The Emerge closing party will be held from noon-8 p.m. May 2 at P.Y.T. in the Piazza at Northern Liberties, 1050 N. Hancock St., where Equality Forum’s SundayOUT! will take place. Eight rotating DJs — including BeFree, Just Jess, Klem, Kit and Glitz — will spin everything from house, Latin, top 40, reggaeton and funk to soul.
Proceeds from the Emerge parties will benefit Sapphire Fund, whose 2010 beneficiaries are the LGBTQ Womyn of Color Conference, Drexel University’s Program for LGBT Health, Mountain Meadow and Smoke, Lilies and Jade Arts Initiative.
For more information, visit http://emerge.sapphirefund.org/.
Rainbow signs return
Last week, 10 streets signs affixed with rainbow decals were returned to five intersections in the Gayborhood, after having been taken down for a city Streets Department project.
The project, which began last summer, entailed the removal of the 36 rainbow signs, 26 of which were replaced when the project wrapped up.
Gloria Casarez, the city’s director of LGBT affairs, worked in conjunction with the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus and learned that two separate contracting teams had been working on the project, and one set of workers was misinformed about which signs were supposed to be re-affixed when the project was completed.
The Streets Department couldn’t locate the original rainbow signs, so PGTC ordered new decals, which were delivered to the department April 14 and the new signs were installed April 20.
“The Streets Department worked really well with us on this,” Casarez said. “We gave them the deadline of Equality Forum for getting them back up, because that’s the kickoff to the whole Pride season, and they were able to beat that and get the signs up for Black Gay Pride.”
The next phase of the rainbow-signage project will be underway soon, with another 40 signs expected to be affixed to side streets in the Gayborhood by summer.
Win dinner from STARR
STARR Restaurants and PhilAbundance are teaming up this weekend for a food drive to benefit the hungry in the city, which will also include a reward for some lucky donors.
Several drop-off locations will be set up throughout the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival, noon-5 p.m. May 1, where visitors can donate non-perishable food items for the chance to win a dinner for two at any of the 13 Philadelphia STARR Restaurants. Each donated food item will give the donor one chance to win, and you can enter as many times as you’d like. Cash contributions are also welcome, with one contest ticket given for every $2 donated.
Food can be dropped off at the PhilAbundance truck that will be parked on 19th Street or at Alma de Cuba, Butcher and Singer, Barclay Prime, Continental Midtown and Parc, all of which will be offering food samples during the festival.
STARR chefs will also take part in a culinary demonstration along the 1800 block of Walnut Street, where the drawing will take place at 5 p.m.
For more information on the festival, visit www.rittenhouserow.org.
First Gay Day at Dorney
Dorney Park will open its gates exclusively to the LGBT community May 22.
Joyride, sponsored by New York City’s Heritage of Pride, will allow the LGBT community to take over the park and its myriad rides and games from 7:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Wildwater Kingdom will not be open for the event.
Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at www.hopinc.org.
Dorney Park is located off the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Allentown.
— Jen Colletta