OUT at the Fair: HAVIN’ A GAY OL’ TIME! by tim parks Suffice it to say, social media can provide a powerful platform when
bringing the LGBT community together. That was the case when partners Wil- liam Zakrajshek (aka DJ Will Z) and Caleb Williams posted this announcement on facebook regarding the 2011 San Diego County Fair; “Join us tomorrow for the first ever ‘unOfficial Gay Days’—check-in to show your support.” After receiving numerous check-ins and a truly successful event that year,
the decision was reached to expand the idea and include the “unOfficial Gay Days” posting the following year. The word spread, with over 135 people say- ing “yes” to the added general gaiety at the fair in 2013, and caught the eyes and ears of Del Mar Fairgrounds officials. In a show of support and solidarity they began handing out pins to participants and offering reserved spaces for attendees, parties and exhibitors. During the third year, Fair officials worked with Zakrajshek and company to make it a bigger fête, working with community non-profits, partnering with Rich’s for an “After Dark” event and snagging singer Adam Lambert as a main stage performer.
“Because this is one of the first LGBT days at
any fair, I felt we should show how diverse and how accepting San Diego County is.”
The Rage Monthly spoke with Zakrajshek about the best way to enjoy a gay
ol’ time at this year’s official “Out at the Fair” celebration on Saturday, June 14, including the added fun of the first LGBT pool party featuring DJ Drew G and DJ John Joseph at the Hilton San Diego Del Mar across the street. How did the event initially come about? The event started on social media three years ago and we called it “unOf-
ficial Gay Days” in 2011. It was intended to help branch our community out to the rest of Southern California, to showcase local talent, non-profits and
raise awareness about the LGBT community. What drove my partner and I to start this event was the lack of the community represented at the Fair. I felt I kind of owed it to San Diego to give something back. I moved here
from Minnesota and the Hillcrest community really opened up and wel- comed me here. We started it small with just a social media check in to see if there was interest. To our surprise there was and it grew from there. It has impacted my life by making me even more proud of San Diego’s LGBT com- munity and has opened the door for me to work with amazing non-profits and people. This is the fourth year of the event and there has been a change from unOfficial Gay Days to Out at the Fair—why is this an important factor for the 2014 proceedings? This year we started working directly with supporters like San Diego
Pride, Human Rights Campaign Fund, The Center and San Diego American Flag Football League to come up with an official event. That’s why the name change came in. We decided to change the name to “Out at the Fair,” becom- ing an official event and lock it in annually on the second Saturday of the fair. In addition to the night stage we are adding a day stage also, with local
bands and performers; San Diego Pride is also holding their Voice of Pride contest, hosted by Pauly and Monks. The Paddock day stage starts at 12:30 p.m. and the night stage starts at 9 p.m. on the Coors stage. What sets this apart from the typical fair experience? This is unlike any other day at the San Diego County Fair. Because this is one
of the first LGBT days at any fair, I felt we should show how diverse and how accepting San Diego County is. It allows the LGBT community to be show- cased in a positive manner to people who may not attend other LGBT events.
For tickets and more information on the Pool Party and the all-day-long Out at the Fair events, performers and entertainment scheduled, go to
outatthefairsd.com.
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RAGE monthly | JUNE 2014
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