Evite: http://doggiediner2014.eventbrite.com/
DOGGIE DINER SPECIAL EVENT WITH THE MAYOR
Come out to Ocean Beach today at Noon Friday March 14th and see Freddie Price, Joshua Brody perform at the rededication of the City of SF’s DogHead.
Our 3 Dogs will be there for their last viewing before the Big Makeover.
EVENT: Doggie Diner head Valentine’s celebration
EVENT DATE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14
LOCATION: 45th Avenue and Sloat Blvd. (median)
EVENT START/END: 12:30 pm1:30 pm
MEL START/END: 12:30-1pm
PROJECTED ATTENDANCE: 25 to hundreds
AUDIENCE DESCRIPTION: Doggie Diner aficionados, neighbors, kids, dogs, city officials Public Works, General Services Administration
PRESS ATTENDANCE: Invited
Event invitation to share: http://doggiediner2014.eventbrite.com/
PROGRAM DETAILS/TIMELINE
Program: 12:30 pm
12 noon – Music (musicians Joshua Raoul Brody, Freddie Price), guests arrive
12:30 pm Mayor Arrives
12:35 pm Emcee Cammy Blackstone welcoming remarks
12:37 pm Mayor Lee speaks
12:42 pm Supervisor Katy Tang speaks
12:42 pm City Administrator Naomi Kelly speaks
12:44 pm Diana Scott speaks (tentative)
12:46 pm John Law speaks
12:49 pm Program ends
Note: There will be commemorative posters and edible treats
Special note:
Bay Area prankster John Law will have his three Doggie Diner heads on a trailer at the event.
INVITED NOTABLES & ELECTEDS
– Supervisor Katy Tang (confirmed)
– City Administrator Naomi Kelly (confirmed)
– Diana Scott (tentative)
– John Law (confirmed)
– Students from Ulloa Elementary School (invited)
BACKGROUND
Restoration of City Landmark No. 254 – Doggie Diner sign
City crews (Public Works steamfitters and General Services’ Central Shops automotive painter) involved in the project to refresh the Doggie Diner head. The old sign was last restored nearly a decade ago after a wind-storm toppled the fiberglass roadside sign from its perch in the Outer Sunset, smashing its snout.
The recent face-lift included: repair a hole made by a lone bullet shot through the chef’s hat; a good scrub down with soapy water and a stiff brush to get rid of mold, mildew and other that built up over the years standing in the salt air and fog at Sloat and 45th Ave.; fresh automotive paint to replace the worn, sun-faded paint; and at least four coats of a heavy-duty clear-coat finish.
One automotive painter from Central Shops worked on the project. Steamfitters from Public Works removed and returned the Doggie Diner head from the pole it sits atop, and built a special phalange that held the head in place for its trip across town.
History of the sign
The three-dimensional Doggie Diner head, festooned in a natty chef’s hat and polka-dotted tie, was designed by graphic artist Harold Bachman in 1966.
It once served as the mascot of the now-defunct Doggie Diner local fast-food chain. For decades, the sign stood outside the last operating Doggie Diner (and later the Carousel restaurant) at 46th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard. After the eatery closed and the Doggie Diner head was threatened with demolition, the community and preservationists waged a campaign to save it.
The then-Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in 2000 authorizing Public Works to take over the Doggie Diner head for preservation and relocation. But months later, in April 2001, a 45-mph windstorm knocked it down, smashing the long nose for which dachshunds are known. The Doggie Diner head was restored, and a new home was found atop a pole on a public median just east of its original location.
It was welcomed to its new setting with a community celebration on Valentine’s Day 2005, with then-Public Works Director Ed Lee playing host.
A year later, it was officially designated San Francisco Landmark No. 254, described as an “iconic and flamboyant roadside commercial sign … unique and rare in design.”
Significance of the date:
February 14 is Valentine’s Day, and the lovingly-cared for Doggie Diner figure is a lasting gift of love to the City.