Media Contact:  
David Perry, DP&A, Inc.  / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Today – August 13 – Grocery Outlet to Open at Fisherman’s Wharf 

New Locally Operated Grocery Store at 350 Bay Street Marks Another Major Investment in San Francisco’s Historic Waterfront Neighborhood

13 August 2026 – San Francisco, CA: Ring the bell: Grocery Outlet will officially open its new Fisherman’s Wharf location today — Thursday, August 13 — bringing a full-service, independently operated grocery store to one of San Francisco’s most historic and dynamic neighborhoods.

The opening ceremony begins at 10am at 350 Bay Street and will include remarks from local independent owner-operators Jacqueline and Joel Lanoie, representatives of the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District and invited city officials. A ribbon cutting and presentation to local nonprofit organizations will also be part of the celebration.

“Since the Safeway closed at this site in 2023, people have had to leave their neighborhood just to find affordable day-to-day essentials. That changes today,” said Mayor Lurie. “This Grocery Outlet will provide North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf, and surrounding neighborhoods like Chinatown with affordable fresh food and necessities. Every day, my team and I work to make this a city that works for the families who call it home. Today, we’re taking another step in that direction.”

The new Grocery Outlet will be independently owned and operated by Jacqueline and Joel Lanoie. The store will offer fresh produce, meat, dairy products, household essentials and Grocery Outlet’s signature selection of name-brand products at discounted prices.

“We are thrilled to become part of the Fisherman’s Wharf community,” said Jacqueline and Joel Lanoie. “As local independent owner-operators, our goal is to provide our neighbors with quality groceries at affordable prices while creating a store that feels welcoming, useful and connected to the community. We look forward to meeting everyone on August 13 and serving this neighborhood for many years to come.”

“Grocery Outlet’s opening is exactly the kind of neighborhood investment we want to encourage in District 3,” said Supervisor Danny Sauter. “A convenient, affordable grocery store will be an important resource for the people who live and work here, and it will help bring consistent, everyday activity to this part of Fisherman’s Wharf. I’m delighted to welcome Jacqueline, Joel and their entire team to the neighborhood.”

The opening comes amid continued growth and renewal throughout Fisherman’s Wharf, including new restaurants and businesses, expanded waterfront programming, new public art, enhanced pedestrian amenities, the Fisherman’s Wharf Entertainment Zone and improvements being advanced through the Fisherman’s Wharf Forward initiative in partnership with the Port of San Francisco.

“Fisherman’s Wharf is both a world-famous destination and a living, working San Francisco neighborhood,” said Bri Maughan, Executive Director of the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District. “Grocery Outlet adds something especially important to that mix: a locally operated store that will serve residents, employees, nearby businesses and visitors every day of the year. Its opening builds upon the Wharf’s growing momentum—from new businesses and restaurants to revitalized public spaces, enhanced pedestrian amenities and an expanding calendar of community programming. We’re proud to help welcome Jacqueline and Joel to Fisherman’s Wharf.”

“The Port hails Grocery Outlet’s arrival at 350 Bay Street and its addition of an important new amenity to the northern waterfront,” said Michael Martin, Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco. “The Wharf’s continued resurgence depends on maintaining a healthy mix of businesses that serve residents, workers, and visitors. This new store strengthens that mix and reflects growing investor confidence in Fisherman’s Wharf’s future.” 

The August 13 ceremony will conclude with the official ribbon cutting at approximately 10:13am. Members of the community are invited to attend and welcome the store’s owners and employees to Fisherman’s Wharf.

EVENT DETAILS

WHAT: Grocery Outlet Fisherman’s Wharf Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting
WHEN: Thursday, August 13, 2026, at 10am
WHERE: Grocery Outlet, 350 Bay Street, San Francisco
WHO: Local independent owner-operators Jacqueline and Joel Lanoie; representatives of the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District; invited city officials, community organizations and neighborhood leaders

For more information about Fisherman’s Wharf, visit www.fishermanswharf.org.

About the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District
Established in 2005, the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District is a nonprofit public benefit corporation dedicated to promoting, advancing and maintaining Fisherman’s Wharf as a world-class waterfront destination. The FWCBD works to enhance public spaces, support local businesses, improve the visitor experience and celebrate the history, culture and vitality of San Francisco’s most visited neighborhood.

About Fisherman’s Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf is one of San Francisco’s most iconic and beloved destinations, known for its historic fishing fleet, seafood restaurants, waterfront views, PIER 39 sea lions, family attractions, maritime heritage and enduring role as a gathering place for locals and visitors from around the world.

About Grocery Outlet
Grocery Outlet is a high-growth, extreme-value retailer of quality, name-brand consumables and fresh products sold through a network of independently owned and operated stores. Grocery Outlet stores offer customers a “treasure hunt” shopping experience featuring deeply discounted products alongside everyday grocery essentials.

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Today, on the anniversary of her birth, we celebrate the life and legacy of Rainbow Honor Walk honoree Gladys Bentley (August 12, 1907 – January 18, 1960).

A trailblazing blues singer, pianist and entertainer of the Harlem Renaissance, Bentley captivated audiences with her powerful contralto voice, risqué lyrics and commanding stage presence. Performing in her signature tuxedo and top hat, she openly defied the era’s rigid expectations surrounding race, gender and sexuality.

One of the most celebrated openly lesbian performers of her time, Bentley later brought her groundbreaking act to California, including appearances at Mona’s 440 Club, San Francisco’s pioneering lesbian nightclub. Her fearless artistry and unapologetic self-expression helped pave the way for generations of LGBTQ+ performers.

www.rainbowhonorwalk.org

media contact:  
David Perry / David Perry & Associates, Inc. / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Mexican Navy Tall Ship Cuauhtémoc to Make Four-Day San Francisco Visit

Famed sail-training vessel will pass beneath the Golden Gate Bridge September 23 before welcoming the public aboard at Piers 15–17

12 August 2026 — SAN FRANCISCO, CA: The Mexican Navy’s celebrated tall ship ARM Cuauhtémoc BE-01 will sail into San Francisco Bay on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, for a four-day goodwill visit celebrating maritime tradition, international friendship and the enduring ties between Mexico and the United States.

The Cuauhtémoc is expected to pass beneath the Golden Gate Bridge at approximately 9:30 a.m. before proceeding along the San Francisco waterfront and berthing at Piers 15–17 on the Embarcadero.

Members of the public will have several opportunities to step aboard the ship during its San Francisco visit:

OPEN SHIP HOURS

• Wednesday, September 23: Noon–5 p.m.

• Thursday, September 24: 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

• Friday, September 25: 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

• Saturday, September 26: 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

The ship will depart San Francisco at 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 27.

City officials and community leaders are being invited to join representatives of the Mexican Navy and the Mexican diplomatic community in welcoming the ship and its crew to San Francisco. Details of an official arrival ceremony and media photo opportunity will be announced as they are confirmed. In addition, the nonprofit Building Bridges will be providing a fly-over welcome to the ship upon arrival. Various small aircraft ranging from World War II to made-by-hand planes will fly in tandem as a salute to all veterans, and the arrival of Cuauhtemoc.

“The arrival of the Cuauhtémoc will give Bay Area residents a rare opportunity to experience one of Mexico’s most important maritime symbols firsthand,” said Alison Healy, CEO of Ocean Alliances. “The ship carries a message of peace, goodwill and friendship wherever she sails, and her visit will provide a spectacular sight on San Francisco Bay.”

Ocean Alliances (OA), formerly Sails San Francisco, has been recruiting and hosting international naval tall ships since 1999. Now under OA, this nonprofit is expanding their reach to include San Diego and Los Angeles in California, and Alaska, Hawaii and Seattle. Ships will be supported and hosted individually and in 2029 there will be a tall Ship event in San Francisco.

Built at the Astilleros y Talleres de Celaya shipyard in Bilbao, Spain, the Cuauhtémoc was designed by naval architect Juan José Alonso Verástegui. Her keel was laid on July 24, 1981, and she was delivered to her first Mexican crew in Bilbao on July 29, 1982. The vessel was formally commissioned into the Mexican Navy in Veracruz on September 25, 1982.

The Cuauhtémoc serves as both the flagship of the Mexican Navy and a working classroom at sea. Aboard the vessel, midshipmen apply the knowledge acquired at the Heroica Escuela Naval Militar—the Mexican Naval Academy—while developing practical seamanship, leadership, discipline and teamwork.

Known as Mexico’s “Ambassador and Knight of the Seas,”the ship represents the nation at ports and maritime gatherings around the world, carrying what the Mexican Navy describes as a message of peace and goodwill.

The Cuauhtémoc measures approximately 297 feet—or 90.5 meters—in length and 39 feet—or 12 meters—across the beam. A shipboard community of approximately 280 officers, midshipmen and crew members lives, trains and works aboard the vessel.

During more than four decades at sea, the Cuauhtémoc has:

• Completed 45 training voyages and is now undertaking her 46th;

• Visited 234 ports in 75 countries;

• Sailed more than 905,000 nautical miles;

• Circled the globe’s equivalent distance more than 41 times; and

• Trained more than 45 generations of Mexican naval personnel.

The ship has also earned international recognition at major maritime events, including the Tall Ships Races, the Tall Ships Challenge, the Magallanes–Elcano Regatta, the Boston Teapot competition and other gatherings of the world’s great sailing vessels.

The 2026 “North Pacific” Training Cruise is a 92-day voyage visiting ports in Mexico, the United States and Canada. San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge is prominently featured in the official emblem created for the voyage.

“On board the Cuauhtémoc, the sea becomes a teacher,” said Captain José Díaz Castillo, Commanding Officer of the ARM Cuauhtémoc. “Every maneuver and every experience helps build the midshipmen’s character, discipline and sense of responsibility. This journey teaches not only how to sail, but also how to face life through teamwork, trust and camaraderie.”

The San Francisco visit will offer residents and visitors the chance to see the vessel’s decks, masts and intricate rigging while meeting members of the Mexican Navy who sail and train aboard her.

Additional information regarding public access, security requirements, accessibility and official welcoming events will be released before the ship’s arrival.

MEDIA AND PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday, September 23

• Approximately 9:30 a.m.: Cuauhtémoc passes beneath the Golden Gate Bridge

• Morning: Ship proceeds along the San Francisco waterfront

• Arrival and berthing at Piers 15–17

• [TIME TBD]: Official welcome with Mexican naval representatives, diplomatic officials, San Francisco city leaders and invited guests

• Noon: Ship opens to the public

Media interested in covering the arrival from the water, shoreline or pier should contact David Perry & Associates, Inc. in advance for credentials, access information and updated timing.

WHAT: San Francisco visit of the Mexican Navy Tall Ship ARM Cuauhtémoc BE-01

WHEN: September 23–27, 2026

WHERE: Piers 15–17, the Embarcadero, San Francisco

PUBLIC VISITING HOURS: September 23, noon–5 p.m.; September 24–26, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

DEPARTURE: September 27 at 10 a.m.

Today, on the anniversary of his birth, we celebrate the life and legacy of Rainbow Honor Walk honoree Randy Shilts (August 8, 1951 – February 17, 1994).

One of the most influential journalists in LGBTQ+ history, Randy Shilts broke barriers as the first openly gay reporter at a major American newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle. Through fearless reporting and meticulous research, he brought LGBTQ+ issues into the mainstream at a time when they were too often ignored or misunderstood.

Shilts is best remembered for his landmark books The Mayor of Castro Street, the definitive biography of Harvey Milk; And the Band Played On, his groundbreaking chronicle of the early AIDS epidemic and the institutional failures that worsened the crisis; and Conduct Unbecoming, which exposed discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. military. His commitment to truth, accountability, and historical accuracy transformed both journalism and public understanding of LGBTQ+ lives, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire generations.

Read Bill Lipsky’s tribute in SF Bay Times at the link below:

When the Band Played On: The Life of Randy Shilts, America’s Trailblazing Gay Journalist

www.RainbowHonorWalk.org

Ahoy! Art, History and a Search for Santa’s Mailbox in Nuuk, Greenland
by David Eugene Perry

8 August 2026:  Ahoy from Nuuk, Greenland! Today, Alfredo and I walked about town – our first visit since 2010. What can we say – the town has grown! When we were here 16 years ago, the city had around 15,000 residents. That has now expanded to over 20,000 with a slew of new buildings.  We started our walk-about in search of “Santa’s Mail Box”: A giant red post box which is “The Official Address for the North Pole.” More about that anon.

As we strolled on this clear but pleasantly cool day, we came across several historic statues and the Icelandic Consulate.

King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid — 12 July 1952. This simple stone commemorates the Danish royal couple’s visit to Greenland in 1952. Frederik IX was King of Denmark from 1947 to 1972, during a period when Greenland’s constitutional relationship with Denmark was changing substantially. The marker is essentially a visit memorial rather than a portrait monument.

Hinrich Johannes Rink, 1819–1893. Rink was a Danish geologist, explorer and colonial administrator who became one of the major 19th-century scholars of Greenland. Importantly, he collected Greenlandic stories, drawings and oral traditions and helped establish a printing press and newspaper culture in Greenland. The inscription on the monument essentially says that he “loved and knew the Greenlanders.” One oddity: the monument gives his death date incorrectly as 1894; records indicate he died in December 1893.

Jonathan Petersen, 1881–1961. Petersen was one of Greenland’s great cultural figures: an organist, composer, writer and linguist. Most famously, he composed the melody of “Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit,” Greenland’s national anthem. He also worked extensively on Greenlandic language and orthography and produced dictionaries and teaching material. His memorial stands near Nuuk Cathedral.

Hans Egede, 1686–1758. This is probably Nuuk’s most historically loaded monument. Egede was the Dano-Norwegian Lutheran missionary who arrived in Greenland in 1721 and whose mission ultimately led to the establishment of the colonial settlement of Godthåb — modern Nuuk. The Nuuk bronze is based on a sculpture by Danish sculptor August Saabye. Today Egede’s legacy is contested: he is remembered both for the establishment of the church and literacy tradition and as a symbol of Danish colonisation and the suppression of Inuit beliefs. The statue has repeatedly become a focus of Greenland’s modern debate over colonial history.

After we descended the hill with Egede’s monument, we came across an especially beautiful sculpture down by the water: Sassuma Arnaa — the Mother of the Sea.  It is by Greenlandic artist Aka Høegh, one of Greenland’s leading contemporary artists. It illustrates the Inuit story of the Mother of the Sea: when people break taboos, the animals become tangled in her hair and disappear from the hunters; a shaman must descend to her underwater world and comb her hair, releasing the seals and other sea animals again. The sculpture’s placement is deliberate — at high tide it can be partly submerged, so the sea effectively becomes part of the artwork.

Nearby, and also overlooking the iceberg rich waters is newly prominent memorial stone: Arnarulunnguaq, 1896–1933.  Arnarulunnguaq was a Greenlandic woman from the Thule region and the only woman who took part in Knud Rasmussen’s Fifth Thule Expedition, the extraordinary 1921–24 journey across Arctic North America investigating connections between Inuit peoples. She travelled thousands of kilometres by dog sled, sewing and repairing the skin clothing that was essential to the expedition’s survival, as well as acting as an expert in the practical skills of Arctic travel. Her contribution was long overshadowed by the famous male explorers, so this monument is very consciously redressing that imbalance.

From art we proceeded to learn about the production of train oil here at Nuuk. Until the mid-1900s, there were train oil factories in most towns in Greenland. The production process by which train oil was extracted involved boiling blubber of whales, walruses and seals as well as liver of sharks in large vats. KGH, the company holding the concession, undertook both the production of train oil and its sale to Denmark and other European countries, where it e.g. was used as lighting, soap-making and lubricating oil. Over the course of time, however, competition from vegetable oil intensified and brought train oil production to a halt in 1963.

Whale blubber, processed into oil, was one of the most important export commodities that subsidized The Royal Greenland Trading Department (KGH) and the colonization. In 1869, the sale of whale oil provided 84% of the KGH’s total revenue. A Greenlandic hunter got 5 Danish rigsdaler for a tub of blubber, only 1/6 of what the oil was sold for in Copenhagen.

A bit further, we encountered an atmospherically displayed old lifeboat: the sort that was launched by rails from land into the sea to help sailors in distress. Nuuk had—and still has—no road connection to other towns, so coastal boats carried people, supplies, hunters and fishermen through waters where sudden weather, cold seas and rocky shorelines made rescue capability especially important. The old harbour around our walking tour today grew around exactly that maritime world; today the Nuuk Local Museum occupies the city’s former boatyard and preserves the story of Nuuk particularly from the 1950s onward.

The construction of the boat is interesting too. It’s a heavily built, double-ended wooden open boat, shaped so that it can take rough water without needing the broad, flat stern of a modern motorboat. The enormous steel cradle surrounding it is now supporting the hull as a museum object; those uprights aren’t part of the original boat.

Above the museum, consulate, statues and lifeboat we spy a string of stairs, strung along the coast:  a beautiful trail of unfinished wood that goes up and hugs the coast. It’s a perfect overlook with views of icebergs, boats, and the sea.  As we walk, a bright yellow boat scoots into view: The Ice Force VIII, one of Nuuk’s local passenger boats/water taxis. She’s a relatively compact vessel, about 22 metres long and 6 metres wide, registered in Greenland and classed as a passenger ship. She operates out of Nuuk and is used for carrying passengers around the fjords and coastal waters — the sort of boat used for transfers, sightseeing and excursions among the islands and icebergs.  Ice Force VIII has actually become quite a recognizable Nuuk boat. In March 2025 she was photographed travelling among icebergs in Nuuk’s bay, including a striking shot framed through a hole in an iceberg.

After our hike on the raised wooden pathway, we head back into the center of the town, framed by row after row of large residential blocks. This are the Tuapannguit apartment towers, built between 2007 and 2011. The development created about 210 apartments in eight-story buildings, replacing three older 1960s housing blocks. When were in Nuuk 16 years ago, they were still under construction.

Now around 11:30am, we’re still in search of “Santa’s Mailbox” we do spy something familiar from our previous visit: Daddy’s Bar. Alfredo orders a local beer. Remembering Iceland’s prohibition on hard liquor before 1pm and wondering if Greenland is the same, I inquire as to the possibility of a gin and tonic.  The friendly Scandinavian barman shrugs with a smile: “I’ll serve you anything you like any time.”

He’s clearly a wise barista in light of the climate: Winters in Nuuk are cold, snowy, windy, and very dark, but not as brutally cold as Greenland’s name might suggest because the ocean moderates the climate. In midwinter, daytime temperatures are typically around −5 to −10°C (23 to 14°F), with colder spells below that. Snow cover can persist for months, and strong coastal winds can make it feel much colder. December has only about four hours of daylight, although Nuuk is just south of the Arctic Circle, so the sun does still rise.

The payoff is that winter is also prime season for Northern Lights, crisp snow-covered mountains, frozen fjord scenery, and dog sledding farther north. Nuuk itself stays very much alive through winter rather than shutting down.

As we head back, we stop in the local tourist office and finally inquire as our search for the official “North Pole Address” have been for naught. A friendly young guide in the office, likely a toddler during our last visit, frowns in a friendly  manner and says: “You remember correctly, the mail box used to be here, but it’s been moved farther north.”

Santa’s giant red mailbox is now in Uummannaq, a town in northwestern Greenland beneath its distinctive heart-shaped mountain. It was moved from Nuuk to Ilulissat around 2011–2013, and then from Ilulissat to Uummannaq in 2018. In what can only be described as friendly, Elfin assistance, students at Uummannaq’s Atuarfik Edvard Kruse school help answer the letters sent to Santa.

So yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and his address is in Uummannaq, Greenland.