From "The Memoirs" Volume Two:

            That year we did another float for the AIDS Emergency Fund, our special guys.  This year they had chosen a popular woman singer, Gail Wilson, to be their spokesperson, and it was decided that she would sing on Fund’s float in the big Gay Pride Parade in June.  Well, Gail came with her own band, called City Swing, about twenty members in all.  Sure, we could do it!

            The theme of that year's parade was "Stonewall 20," being the twentieth anniversity of the Stonewall riots in New York which had really sparked the gay rights movement.  We would build a big number "20" to showcase Gail's band.

            So we acquired a grape trailer from somewhere, and built it up real big, using some plywood platforms of Ready Set’s and laying them crossways and sort of stepped-up, like a band stand, and built a big star-burst backdrop all silver and glitter across the back and Gail Wilson, a big gal (!), and her twenty-member band fit nicely, if tightly, on the float.

            She sang a great, swinging version of “On a Wonderful Day Like Today” and we were a big hit and won first place in our category!

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   ...NEXT:  HUG-A-HUNK