The Sixth Annual Tannenbaum Toast
View from the mezzanine as guests arrive for the First Annual Tannenbaum Toast at The House of Shields, San Francisco, in December 2013.
For nearly 90 years, a great tree has stood sentinel in Union Square, San Francisco, during the Yuletide season.
A certain legend has it that it was Emperor Norton who originally called for the tree; that he did so thinking that such a display would bring particular delight to children; and that, indeed, the inaugural display took place around the end of the Emperor's life in 1880.
Alas, the historical record doesn't bear this out.
No matter. The Emperor would have loved it!
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In 2013, on the second Sunday afternoon of December, The Emperor's Bridge Campaign* celebrated the imperial legend with a holiday party at The House of Shields — the beautifully restored 1913 bar that is just a short walk from Union Square.
We called it The First Annual Tannenbaum Toast.
From the beginning, we felt that the Tannenbaum Toast had the makings of a new tradition. The first gathering was such a festive success that we vowed to make it so.
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So, kick off the holidays in regal style! Join The Emperor's Bridge Campaign, on the second Sunday afternoon in December, for...
THE SIXTH ANNUAL TANNENBAUM TOAST
Sunday 9 December 2018
The House of Shields (mezzanine)
39 New Montgomery Street
San Francisco (map)
Party from 4 to 6 p.m.
TOAST AT 5 P.M.
Period dress welcome but not required
Cash bar
Admission is free
Of course. . .
Donations will be gratefully accepted!
PLEASE NOTE: THIS YEAR WE SIMPLY WILL GATHER AT THE HOUSE OF SHIELDS AT 4 P.M.
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As a bonus, we'll be providing a special introduction to the Campaign's next big project.
It involves contributions from 16 artists and artist teams, dating from the early 1960s to the present.
It's been in the works for three years.
The project launches in January 2019.
So, join us and be amongst the first to learn about this important and unprecedented new endeavor to archive and document Emperor's modern legacy.
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The drink for the Toast is The House of Shields's version of the classic Boothby cocktail — created in 1908 by legendary San Francisco bartender William T. "Cocktail" Boothby, during his tenure at the Palace Hotel, just across the street.
Join us in raising a glass to Norton I!
And learn more about the Campaign's efforts to honor the life and advance the legacy of Emperor Norton — and to become the leading public resource on the Emperor.
* In December 2019, The Emperor's Bridge Campaign adopted a new name: The Emperor Norton Trust.
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