Monday, June 26, 2017

50th Anniversary "Summer Of Love"-- Part 5: "Turn On. Tune In. Drop Out"

Said Dennis McNally, longtime publicist of the Grateful Dead:  "Every fantasy about the summer of '67 that was ever created -- peace, joy, love, nonviolence, wear some flowers in your hair and fantastic music -- was real at Monterrey."  he has curated an exhibit at the California Historical Society on it which will run through September 10.

The exhibit, "On the Road to the Summer of Love" explains how the epic summer came about and why San Francisco became its home..

The national press paid little attention to what was going on in San Francisco until January 1967, when poets and bands joined together for the "Human-Be-In," a Golden Gate Park gathering that unexpectedly drew about 50,000 people.  It was there that LSD-advocate Timothy Leary said "Turn On.  Tune In. Drop Out."

But, that Summer of Love had its drawbacks.  Tens of thousands of youths looking for free love and drugs flooded to San Francisco, living in the streets and begging for food.  Parents journey to the city looking for their young runaways.  There was an epidemic of toxic psychedelics and harder drugs hit the streets.

Oh yes, And Peace Signs Too.  --FlowerCoot

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