Castro Courier

The Castro Country Club, a 27-year institution in the neighborhood, may soon have to relocate if its
building is sold and its drive falls short. (photo: Bill Sywak)

The cash-strapped Castro Country Club is currently raising funds to secure another long-term lease. The building that houses the club is currently for sale, and there have been benefits to get a down payment on the site or on another in the Castro, such as the High Heel Race that raised $3,000 on May 31. They hope to raise $700,000 in their campaign, called “Keep the Steps in the Castro,” either to purchase the 1901 Victorian building or secure another location.

In December 2009 the Castro Country Club was informed that the estate of deceased owner Gerard Jian was dissolving his assets for the beneficiaries of his will. That meant that the heirs put the building, 4058/4060 18th St., up for sale at $1.7 million.

Since it opened its doors in 1983, the Castro Country Club has helped people achieve sobriety by providing a safe refuge while in recovery. Hundreds of people attend over 30 self-governing 12-step groups each week including Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Sex Addicts Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Debtors Anonymous and Codependents Anonymous.

The SF District Attorney’s Office has stated that 20 year-old Ed Perkins of San Francisco, who was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Stephen Powell on June 26, is not likely responsible for the shooting at Pink Saturday. Police have determined that none of the seven bullets recovered from the barrage of gunfire matched the .357 caliber revolver found in Perkins’ possession, which also was not fired, and no witnesses could place him on the scene of the shooting. He has instead been charged with possessing a concealed and loaded weapon.

A gunman fired into a crowd at Market and Castro streets at about 11:30 p.m., killing Powell and injuring a 19-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man. Powell was hit in the torso; the other victims were each struck in the leg. Police are still looking for the shooter. The possible motive for the shooting was not released, but no hate crime charges were filed. Pink Saturday is a street party held the night before the San Francisco Pride Parade, which marked its 40th anniversary this year.

Police suspect gang violence as two men were also shot during a vigil in the Bayview for Powell the same weekend. Two men — both in their 20s — were hit, according to police. A friend drove them to San Francisco General Hospital and they were listed in stable condition.

15th Annual Silent Film Fest: July 15-18

The SF Silent Film Festival will present their 15th annual festival at the Castro Theatre July 15 to 18, expanding the festival from its usual three days to four. The highlight of the festival will be the U. S. premiere of the restored version of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927), with 30 minutes not seen since the 1927 premiere in Berlin.

International musical star Matti Bye and her Matti Bye Ensemble will play their score for Benjamin Christensen’s “Häxan,” both scary and darkly humorous. Bye has been a composer and silent film accompanist at the Swedish Film Institute since 1989, and won the 2008 Guldbagge Award (the “Swedish Oscar”) for his score of Jan Troell’s Everlasting Moments, Sweden’s entry to the 2009 Academy Awards.

The festival is also pleased to announce this year’s featured director for the Director’s Pick program: Academy Award-winner Pete Docter. Docter, who directed Pixar hits Monsters, Inc. and Up, will present the comedy shorts program and be interviewed onstage by Leonard Maltin.
Other highlights include Opening Night film “The Iron Horse,” directed by John Ford and starring George O’Brien; “A Spray of Plum Blossoms” (Yi jian mei) a 1931 silent from China; “Rotaie,” a 1929 film from Italy never before seen in the U.S.; “The Flying Ace,” featuring an all African-American cast; “The Strong Man,” directed by Frank Capra and starring Harry Langdon; “Diary of a Lost Girl,” the second film American actress Louise Brooks made with German director G. W. Pabst; William Wyler’s “The Shakedown,” with James Murray and Barbara Kent; the newly restored version of “Man With a Movie Camera,” directed by Dziga Vertov, accompanied by the Alloy Orchestra; “The Woman Disputed,” with Norma Talmadge and Gilbert Roland; an a truly amazing rediscovery, the Closing Night film “L’heureuse mort” (France, 1924).

For more info, go to www.silentfilm.org or call (415) 777-4908. Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St.

Outside Lands Plans Two Days

Fog-weary city residents can take comfort: the Outside Lands music festival returns to Golden Gate Park this summer, Aug. 14 and 15. Now in its third year, the festival will be condensed into two days instead of three like the past two summers by foregoing its Friday date. Headliners include Kings of Leon, the Strokes, My Morning Jacket, Social Distortion and Al Green.

As in prior years, Outside Lands will feature several Bay Area bands such as Saturday night headliner, Further, which includes former Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir. Other local bands making appearances include Bassnectar, Devil Makes Three, Little Wings, Quinn Deveaux and Beats Antique. Over 40 acts are set to perform, and large crowds are expected to descend upon the Polo Fields and Lindley and Speedway meadows where the performances are held.



	San Francisco, California July-August 2010