San Francisco's Castro Neighborhood to Get AIDS Quilt Display

Local merchants and AIDS advocates hope to display panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in San Francisco's historically gay Castro neighborhood during Valentine's week. The roughly 320 panels envisioned would be one of the largest displays of panels in the city since 1999, when the Names Project Foundation, which maintains the quilt, moved to Atlanta. Display organizers are in talks with the proprietors of the Market and Noe Center about housing the display in the vacant retail complex.

"It was a combination of people wanted to do it, the space is available, and Valentine's week is a nice time to think about loved ones," said Mike Smith, executive director of the AIDS Emergency Fund and Names Project co-founder. He has been working with Petyr Kane, owner of the Castro clothing stores Citizen and Body, and officials with Under One Roof, a retail shop that donates profits to local HIV/AIDS groups, on the display.

Details were still being finalized, but plans called for showing the quilt for up to eight days starting Sunday, Feb. 12. The exhibit would be free and open to the public. Though donations for local HIV/AIDS organizations would be suggested, "This isn't being set up as a fundraiser," Smith said.

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