It's that time of the year again...are you ready?

The 10th Annual Golden Gate Park Fringe Percussion Expo is a weekend-long gathering of all sorts of fringe offshoots of the ever-so-popular "Drum Circle" tradition! The event provides percussion-culture outcasts with a platform to share their ideas and network with others who want to experience these controversial and often shunned-upon areas of endeavor. Reaching the heart center of their extremely selective audience, these talented and eccentric musicians remind us of the innate and often slightly irregular rhythmic pulse that resides in each and every one of us. As always, "traditional" drum-circles are NOT permitted in Golden Gate Park during the festival. Our event is open to the public, but only groups and individuals who are officially "On Program" as Guests may participate in performances. We like to keep the show organized and free from the external "noise" and "chaos" that undisciplined musicians so gladly contribute. We need people to understand that this is NOT an opportunity for you to wear your expensive Dashiki you bought at that little store in Pacific Heights and bang away on a Gourd all day. We also do not encourage camping or littering in Golden Gate Park -- THIS IS NOT A 24-HOUR EVENT! As always, the park is closed during regular non-operational hours. The volunteer staff of The 10th Annual Golden Gate Park Fringe Percussion Expo is not liable for any damages to public and / or private property, personal injury / sickness or collateral damages incurred during or resulting from this event. In other words, you can't sue us.

That being said, let's get down to the real nitty-gritty! The following is a list of some of our sponsors that will journey from all over the United States, and will be offering demonstrations at their booths and tables. If you are an organization, club, or company that has something truly unique to offer, please e-mail me, the Event Coordinator for details. Reservations are required, as is a hefty deposit for internet connectivity and power. Pipe & drape is also available per request. ALL GUESTS are responsible for their own accommodations.

Without further ado, the list of Platinum Level Sponsors is as follows...

The Ultimate Corporate All-White Male Republican Christian Drum Circle Society, Inc.
This company was created for the purpose of marketing the nonsensical and annoying drumming of homeless hippies to evil corporate executives that want to try something new and fun. For a limited time, this association is offering the ultimate revenge against underlings who think their boss or supervisor is too square to dance and beat on a drum with them! As it says in their brochure, "Break down those corny boss vs. worker relationships and replace them with something that will keep your employees wondering who The Man really is! They will not only question your identity as an asshole who makes tenfold their salary and belittles them on a daily basis -- it will make them scared shitless that they no longer have anything to do on weekends to feel they are letting go and rebelling against the corporate lifestyle that you indulge in and force upon them! We provide a complete 10-day training course with materials (books, folders, subliminal self-help tapes) and staff of coaches for otherwise culturally-challenged corporate executives who feel they may not be able to pull this off without the help of experts. As a special bonus, receive your own 200-hippy tribe to follow you around and worship you! Remember, you are the one with the money! You can have everything you want -- why not have some fun, too? Show up at your employees' next beach gathering with your own group of real, trained hippy musicians that will send them running for the hills! Show them who's boss!" The Society offers a 100% decrease in company moral, or your money back.

Fraternal Brotherhood of Wise And Metronomic Forefathers
An ancient inner circle of long-bearded, elderly men who oversee the progress of all of humanity as represented by the "swinging back and forth" and "clicking" of the metronome. Much like all secret societies, these "superpowers behind closed doors" seek to keep our collective soul in balance by providing mankind with unspoken acts of loving charity when mankind NEEDS them -- and unspoken acts of tyrannical evil when mankind DESERVES them. As key players in the events that shape our world both politically and philosophically, they see themselves as the Manipulators of The Great Ritualistic Wind: "The Great Metronome Winds down, and we must Wind it, lest our very own heartbeats stop."

Benevolent and Worshipful Grand Masters of The Malevolent Military March
This beret-wearing, elite group of militaristic drummers live in tents and march from one city to another to spread the doom of nuclear & biochemical holocaust through the study and implementation of marching band drum-line rudiments from ancient times to modern. This particular group believes that drums should only be used in times of WAR -- and they march around in the hopes of starting one with their impeccable, tricky beats and stick twirling.

Magnificent Archers of Metaphysical Synergy
Without drums or instruments of any sort, these seemingly-ordinary people manifest Zen-like Psionic Abilities to "aim" their inner and primitive rhythmic urges with merely the focus of their subconscious / astral superego. Ectoplasmic polyrhythms are performed by tentacle-like ethereal hands, feet, and fingers of all shapes and sizes -- on drums not otherwise possible on this earth -- controlled only by the whimsical fancy of this order of gifted mental giants! At times, they are able to "synergistically" combine their individual souls and become a single all-encompassing drummer that endlessly performs Nature's Perfect And Most Sought-After Beat, "Not-Very-Hard-Not-Very-Hard-Not-Very-Hard-So-Much-Fun!"

Maryland Shrine of Musically-Incompetent Monks
Actively recruiting during The Festival, this dwindling number of wayward souls from a small woodsy town in Maryland provide free musical education to those who can't keep a beat. Anyone who develops ability during the somewhat undisciplined studies is ex-communicated, including the "professors" -- this partially explains the ongoing leadership issues within the hierarchy, as all of the founding members have either formed their own successively recursive shoot-off shrines in the surrounding countryside or gone on to successful careers long ago! Stop by their booth and see if you qualify for free financial aid!

The Resounding Re-Percussions From The Fall of Adam Foundation
Part Biblical Allegory and part Music History, this non-profit foundation traces the parallels between modern drumming and Fundamentalist Christianity. Members of this newly-founded organization are working on a re-draft of the entire Old & New Testaments based on the recently-discovered hypothesis that the Sumerian word for God was mistakenly substituted for the word Drumming in early Mesopotamian scrolls. "Mankind's departure from the incorporation of Drumming in their daily tasks has left him as a helpless creature with no guide for morality," says Reverend Jack Dietz, 53. "Furthermore, all of this focus on God, and debate over his existence would have gone away a long time ago if the average person realized The Bible is really a training manual for beating on things -- Drums, in particular! You can witness the manifestations of this all around you in the world today. Just look at all the violence that has resulted! Drumming was originally intended to serve as a competitive sport for settling border disputes. The idea of mixing God up in this process is proving to be disastrous!"

Church of Chronos Choir
This growing church choir from Canada has travelled the world and spread the word of a self-declared prophet, Count Infinity, who claims to directly channel the voice of Chronos, Glorious God of Time. While not technically a group of drummers, this choir does dedicate their ceremonies to one primary practice -- counting mathematically... and rhythmically towards Infinity. Their sole axiomatic commandment passed on to followers of Count Infinity is: "Man's mental-capacity and therefore man's happiness-capacity increases in proportion to his ability to count to higher and higher numbers: onward towards Infinity! Everyone wants to be a Millionaire -- but how many have actually tried counting to a Million -- and if they haven't, how can they assume they can understand that big of a number? Expand the Count and Expand Your Self!" Every day, members of the church gather together under the instruction of Count Infinity himself to share in this doctrine.

The Doo-Dads of America
Simply put, this is a beginners group of out-of-work, deadbeat Dads who need something to do! Often recommended by Alcoholic Anonymous as a 13th Step, this group meets nationwide on Monday mornings at 9 a.m. to affirm the ability to get out of bed and do something constructive during the otherwise unemployed work-week -- whether it be playing a percussion instrument as simple as the shaker, or as intricate as the afuchi cabasa. The group boasts a 99% success rate!

San Francisco School of Spherical Drumming
Based on principles much like R. Buckminster Fuller's theory that everything is universally based on triangles, this somewhat eccentric school takes drum circles into the 3rd Dimension by creating Drum Spheres! Although their dogma is actually quite complex and requires years of geometrical research and endless diplomas before initiation, their primary belief is that music is a 3-dimensional entity which must be projected in real-time in real-space, towards every-place, in every direction at once! During their performances, entire crowds of hundreds of people have reportedly coalesced into geodesic balls of pure light and hovered into the upper atmosphere -- returning safely to the ground with true understanding of the Mysteries of the Universe!

Space is still available for more interested Sponsors, at various tiers of support. Delineations are as follows:

Platinum Level - $100,000 and up
Platinum Level Sponsors receive the most prominent placement in our media promotions. 50 ft. x 50 ft. booth / stage with sound system and Digital Video Display, Full-Color Visual Logo Placement Package in all major local and national print and radio advertising campaigns, All-Weekend All-Access V.I.P. passes w/ Laminate for Green Room Tent, Unlimited Wireless Internet Connectivity, 25% discount at participating Bay Area hotels (see attachment), and free T-shirts & balloons. Only ten (10) Platinum Level Sponsors will be accepted, and must receive a unanimous vote of approval by our Sponsorship Committee.

Gold Level - $10,000 - $99,999
Gold Level Sponsors receive somewhat prominent placement in our media promotions. 20 x 20 ft. booth with small sound system, Black & White or 1-color 1/4 page ad in our Program Guide, One-day Temporary Green-Room Tent Access Sticker, and free T-shirt & balloon.

Silver Level - $1,000 - $9,999
Silver Level Sponsors receive a Free 10-Word Listing in our Program Guide. Small picnic tables will be allotted among Silver Level Patrons on a first-come, first-serve basis. Those organizations that do not receive a picnic table on the first morning will be put on a waiting list. Please arrive early on Friday morning to guarantee participation in our Festival.

Copper Level - $100 - $999
Copper Level Sponsors will receive a special ribbon which can be displayed on their shirt with the use of a safety pin. Safety pin not provided.

NOTE: We are not accepting donations of less than $100 at this time. Sorry, no refunds.

Refreshments will be provided by local vendors and caterers. We can not guarantee that they will accept credit and / or debit cards, and we do not know what variety of food will be available -- so please do not call me with questions regarding food & drink. ALL VISITORS are responsible for their own daily needs. Fighting, pushing, shoving, or arguing will result in your disqualification as a participant. Understand, we are a small group of volunteers that strive to make this event a success! We want to make this festival as helpful, fun, informative, and pleasant for everyone involved!

Please direct all inquiries to:
Dr. Zoltan
Event Coordinator
Golden Gate Park Fringe Percussion Expo
San Francisco, CA