media contact: David Perry | (415) 676-7007 | news@davidperry.com

San Francisco Maritime National Park Association to Host
Inaugural “Donut Day by the Bay” June 14

Free Waterfront Event Celebrates Donuts, Coffee, Live Music and the Legacy of Beloved Late Superintendent Paul DePrey

Public Invited to San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park for a Sweet Morning by the Bay

5 June 2026 – San Francisco, CA: The San Francisco Maritime National Park Association is putting a sweet spin on San Francisco’s waterfront history with the inaugural Donut Day by the Bay, a free community celebration on Sunday, June 14, 2026, from 9am to 1pm at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, 900 Beach Street. The morning event will feature donuts and coffee from local vendors, outdoor live music, and storytime about the maritime history of the donut.

“Donut Day by the Bay is exactly the kind of joyful, accessible community gathering that brings our maritime heritage to life,” said Darlene Plumtree, CEO of the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association. “It is sweet, it is welcoming, it is very San Francisco — and it is rooted in the stories, people, and traditions that make the waterfront such a special place.”

The event is dedicated to the legacy of Paul DePrey, the beloved late superintendent whose visionary leadership continues to inspire the Association’s work. While admission is free and open to everyone, food will be available for purchase from local vendors.

“Paul DePrey understood that parks are more than places — they are communities,” said Plumtree. “He believed in creating experiences that invite people in, spark curiosity, and build lasting connections. Donut Day by the Bay is offered in that spirit: a morning of music, food, history, and fellowship by the water.”

Among the event highlights is a storytime exploring the maritime history of the donut — a fitting theme for a gathering at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, where everyday traditions connect to larger stories of seafarers, waterfront workers, families, and communities.

“There is something wonderfully disarming about a donut,” Plumtree continued. “It brings people together. And when you pair that with coffee, music, and the Bay, you have a perfect invitation for people of all ages to spend a morning with us and discover more about San Francisco’s maritime story.”

The Association is also inviting donut and coffee vendors to participate. Interested vendors may contact Natalie, Event Manager, through the event page.

About the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association:
The San Francisco Maritime National Park Association supports education, public programming, historic preservation, and philanthropic initiatives benefiting San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. Through programs, partnerships, and community engagement, the Association helps preserve and share the maritime stories, vessels, landmarks, and traditions that shaped San Francisco and continue to inspire visitors, students, and residents today.

Event Details:
What: Donut Day by the Bay
When: Sunday, June 14, 2026, 9am – 1pm
Where: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, 900 Beach Street, San Francisco
Cost: Free admission; food available for purchase from local vendors
Highlights: Donuts and coffee from local vendors; storytime about the maritime history of the donut; outdoor live music
Information: https://maritime.org/event/donuts/

media contact: David Perry | (415) 676-7007 | news@davidperry.com

San Francisco Maritime National Park Association Host
FREE July 4th Celebration at Historic Pier 45

Public Invited to Celebrate Independence Day on the
 Waterfront Beside USS Pampanito

8 June 2026 – San Francisco, CA: This Fourth of July, San Francisco’s waterfront will offer a star-spangled celebration with a distinctly maritime twist. On Saturday, July 4, 2026, beginning at 8pm, the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association (https://maritime.org/) will host 4th of July at Historic Pier 45, inviting the public to gather beside the historic USS Pampanito and the Triangle at Historic Pier 45 in Fisherman’s Wharf for an unforgettable evening of community, history, and Independence Day celebration.

Presented in one of San Francisco’s most iconic waterfront settings, the event offers guests a special opportunity to experience the Fourth of July surrounded by the city’s maritime heritage, with the historic World War II submarine USS Pampanito as a dramatic backdrop and San Francisco Bay’s annual fireworks display expected to begin at 9:30pm.

“Independence Day on San Francisco Bay is always memorable, but celebrating it at Historic Pier 45, beside USS Pampanito, adds a powerful sense of place and history,” said Darlene Plumtree, CEO of the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association. “This is where San Francisco’s working waterfront, military history, and public gathering traditions all come together. We are proud to welcome the public to celebrate July 4th in a way that is festive, meaningful, and unmistakably San Francisco.”

A Balao-class submarine, USS Pampanito served in the Pacific during World War II and is now preserved at Fisherman’s Wharf as a National Historic Landmark, museum, and memorial. Operated by the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association, Pampanito connects visitors from around the world to the service, sacrifice, technology, and human stories of the United States Submarine Service.

“USS Pampanito reminds us that freedom is not abstract,” said Plumtree. “It was defended by real people, in real places, under extraordinary conditions. On July 4th, as we celebrate the nation’s birthday, we also honor the generations whose service made that celebration possible.”

Set at the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf, 4th of July at Historic Pier 45 also offers visitors a front-row connection to one of San Francisco’s most beloved civic traditions: fireworks over the Bay. The evening is expected to draw residents, families, veterans, maritime enthusiasts, and visitors from around the world to one of the city’s most historic piers.

“San Francisco’s waterfront has always been a place of arrival, departure, industry, celebration, and remembrance,” said Plumtree. “Historic Pier 45 is the perfect place to gather on July 4th — with the Bay before us, the city behind us, and history all around us.”

About the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association:
The San Francisco Maritime National Park Association supports education, public programming, historic preservation, and philanthropic initiatives benefiting the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. Through programs, partnerships, and community engagement, the Association helps preserve and share the maritime stories, vessels, landmarks, and traditions that shaped San Francisco and continue to inspire visitors, students, and residents today.

Members of the public are encouraged to reserve tickets in advance through Eventbrite at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-of-july-at-historic-pier-45-tickets-1991019764713

Event Details:
What: 4th of July at Historic Pier 45, San Francisco
When: Saturday, July 4, 2026, beginning at 8pm
Where: USS Pampanito and the Triangle at Historic Pier 45, Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco
Cost: FREE although  advance registration encouraged
Tickets:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-of-july-at-historic-pier-45-tickets-1991019764713

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

Porchfest Benicia Sets the Stage for 2027 Return
with New “Porchfest Nights” Series Launching 2026

Beloved Community Music Celebration Returns
Saturday, October 2, 2027
www.porchfest-benicia.com

5 June 2026 – Benicia, CA: The music will go on — just in a more intimate key. Following two years of joyful, community-powered success, Porchfest Benicia has announced that its next full-scale festival will take place Saturday, October 2, 2027. In the meantime, organizers will keep the spirit, sound and community connection alive with the launch of “Porchfest Nights,” a new series of intimate music events to be announced in the next few weeks, to take place later this year.

Presented by Benicia Magazine, Porchfest Benicia has quickly become one of the region’s most spirited celebrations of music, neighborhoods and local pride. The inaugural event drew more than 15,000 music lovers to Benicia’s streets, porches and downtown gathering places, while the 2025 event expanded that momentum with a wide-ranging lineup of local, regional and national performers.

“Porchfest Benicia was born from a simple idea: music brings people together,” said Mary Hand, publisher of Benicia Magazine and the creative force behind Porchfest Benicia. “While a funding shortfall means we will not be producing the full Porchfest Benicia festival in 2026, we are not going silent. We are using this moment to tune up, build stronger support and create something more personal with Porchfest Nights — smaller gatherings with the same big heart.”

Porchfest Nights will be announced in Summer of 2026 and will feature intimate performances designed to spotlight musicians, strengthen community partnerships and help build support for the full festival’s return in 2027. The series continues the model introduced in 2025, when Porchfest Nights brought audiences together for exclusive evening performances, casual post-concert gatherings and up-close musical experiences.

“Sometimes the best way to grow is to pause, listen and come back stronger,” Hand continued. “Porchfest Benicia 2027 will be a true community celebration, and Porchfest Nights gives us a beautiful way to keep the music playing while inviting residents, sponsors, businesses and music lovers to be part of what comes next.”

The 2027 Porchfest Benicia will take place Saturday, October 2, transforming Benicia’s historic streets, downtown spaces, porches and gathering places into a citywide celebration of sound. Previous Porchfest Benicia events have featured artists across a wide range of genres, from blues, jazz, soul and funk to folk, Americana, Latin, rock, country, bluegrass and global music.

“Porchfest has always been about more than performances,” said Hand. “It is about neighbors opening their porches, businesses opening their doors and Benicia opening its heart. That is the spirit we are carrying forward into Porchfest Nights and into October 2, 2027.”

Porchfest is an annual celebration that began in Ithaca, New York, in 2007, and has since spread across the United States and Canada, uniting musicians and communities on front porches, storefronts and outdoor stages. Nestled on the Carquinez Strait, Benicia is renowned for its historic architecture, vibrant arts scene and close-knit spirit, making it a natural home for the musical tradition.

Details about Porchfest Nights, including dates, venues, artists, tickets and sponsorship opportunities, will be announced shortly. For updates and information on Porchfest Benicia and Porchfest Nights, visit: www.porchfest-benicia.com

Today on the anniversary of his birth, we celebrate the life and legacy of Rainbow Honor Walk honoree Federico García Lorca (June 5, 1898 – August 19, 1936). One of Spain’s greatest poets and playwrights, Lorca transformed modern literature through works rooted in Andalusian culture, lyric intensity, and profound empathy for the marginalized. A gay artist whose life and voice were silenced by fascist violence at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, he remains an enduring symbol of artistic courage, queer memory, and resistance.  

www.RainbowHonorWalk.org

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

Federico García Lorca: Deep Songs of the Soul

#RainbowHonorWalk #FedericoGarciaLorca #FedericoGarcíaLorca #LGBTQHistory #QueerHistory #SpanishLiterature #Poetry #Theatre #Pride #SanFrancisco #LoveIsLove

media contact: David Perry / cell/text (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

June 4 Behind-the-Scenes Tour of TJPA’s
Salesforce Transit Center as part of BuildIT Founders Day

WHAT:  Behind-the-Scenes tour of the TJPA’s Salesforce Transit Center + BuildIT Founders Day media availability

Local, regional, and business media are invited to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority’s (TJPA) Salesforce Transit Center on Wednesday, June 4, as part of BuildIT Founders Day celebrated in partnership with the TJPA, owner and operator of the Salesforce Transit Center.  

The exclusive behind-the-scenes tour, hosted and led by TJPA, in coordination with BuildIT, will be followed by a press availability highlighting how large-scale public infrastructure projects like TJPA’s Transbay Program can expand economic opportunity for small, local, and diverse-owned businesses — including LGBTQ+-owned firms — through inclusive procurement practices that drive equitable growth and workforce development.

WHEN: Thursday, June 4, 2026 – Tour from 1:15 – 2:30 PM and Media Availability from 2:45-3 PM 

For tour:

1:15 PM – Tour Meets at Mission and Fremont Street outside Grand Hall of the TJPA’s Salesforce Transit

Note: registered press should check in with Lily Madjus Wu

1:30 PM Tour begins, led by Adam Van de Water, Executive Director of

the TJPA, approximately 60 minutes

For media availability:

2:45 PM – 3 PM: Media availability under the Oculus in the Grand Hall of the Salesforce Transit Center

WHO:

The following individuals will be available for interviews:

• Adam Van de Water, Executive Director, Transbay Joint Powers Authority
• Rafael Mandelman, Board of Supervisors President and Vice Chair, Transbay Joint Powers Authority
• Alan Guy, CEO, Anvil Builders
• Sandra Escalante, CEO, Laner Electric Supply
• Paul Pendergast, BuildIT Founder