Hey, you guys. Amid all the Super Bowl hoopla, we almost forgot that, as a city, we are still in a state of mourning at the passing of Vivian Brown. On Friday, January 25th, would have been her 86th birthday. (An Aquarian too? The Brown sisters' story keeps getting better.) Her surviving sister, the wonderful Marian, will celebrate tomorrow with a cake party at 6pm at the Sir Francis Drake.

You will be there.

Mr. Harry Denton (friends with the Brown Twins for years) will try to rally the city tomorrow at 6:00 for a big chorus of Happy Birthday to Marian as she blows out 86 candles at 6:30. Sort of like a "you lost your sister, but you still have your San Francisco family."

Have plans? Too bad. Cancel them. Live in the Mission? Too bad. Get on BART or your bike. Live in the Outer Richmond? Looks like you'll be riding the 38, doesn't it? Over in Bayview? We hear the T line is nice. And If we find out that any goddamn elected official isn't at the Sir Francis Drake tomorrow at 6pm sharp... we will destroy you. (Yes even you, progressive ilk; you can go back to saving the world on Monday.) Okay, not really. But don't be a dick by not attending.

See you there. Better be there. Don't let us find out you weren't there. Real talk.

Sir Francis Drake: 450 Powell (at Sutter), SF; 415-392-7755

Frank Chu, local color and noted sign carrier, turns 51 today. It's sad that, as far as we know, the city of San Francisco has yet to hand the man a proclamation, or honored him with an official day named in after him. Probably because he's slightly unhinged - seriously, the man you see carrying that sign every day isn't a performance artist, at least not consciously so - but just unhinged enough for most of San Francisco to find a place in their hearts for him.

Since we admire him from afar (it's best to admire him from afar, with the utmost respect), here's how Wikipedia descries the local icon:

Frank Chu (born 24 March 1960) is one of San Francisco's best-known eccentrics. His street protests against US Presidents, corporations, and a distinctive concept he calls the '12 Galaxies' have been held in San Francisco and nearby locales since at least 1995.

Chu lives in Oakland, California and commutes daily to San Francisco where he can find the largest audience of passers-by and television news crews with whom to share his thoughts. He supports himself through a combination of state aid, sign sponsorships, and small donations from his supporters.

Everyone from Laughing Squid, Barbary Coast Consulting, Harputs adidas, Learn iT!, Quiznos Sub, Rasputin Music, Chris Daly's 2006 San Francisco Supervisor campaign, and Phil Angelides's California gubernatorial campaign have purchased ad space on his famous sign.

Last year, fans honored his 50th with a party at the Palace Hotel's bar. Not sure if anything is happening this year, but certainly he deserves to be feted, yes? Yes.

Here are some of our favorite shots of Chu in action. Tell us your favorite Frank Chu story in the comments.

And one more thing: Happy birthday, Frank!

In today's Garchick, we learn that Chez Panisse, Berkeley's iconic joint for organic grub, plans on celebrating the big 4-0 in an even bigger way. Behold: "This year's holiday card from 'The Family of Chez Panisse' included a save-the-date note for Aug. 28, for a celebration of the restaurant's 40th anniversary. 'Join us for a procession, a concert, a film, a meal for 5,000 people at the Greek Theatre" (a benefit for the Chez Panisse Foundation).' "

That's a lot of dinner rolls. Save the date, folks.

[Garchick]

Noted sign-carrying bon vivant Frank Chu turns 50 today. We should all pause for a moment of unbridled glee for we are most fortunate to have the man in our lives.

In part of this touching letter penned to Frank Chu, Caliber SF's Troy Holden writes: "He is a character with character. He has the universal, timeless quality of the truly gifted metropolitan lurker. He travels to and fro The City from The Town each day via BART carrying with him only a sign and some persistence."

Well said.

In honor of Chu's golden anniversary on Earth, please enjoy this gallery featuring one of San Francisco's greatest characters. Happy birthday, Frank.

For those of you not in the know, check out Chu's Wikipedia page for more details on the eccentric man we've come to admire. Also, if you have a Frank Chu story you'd like to share, tell us all about it in the comments.

Update: If you want to toast Chu in person, he'll be at Maxfield's at the Palace Hotel at 5:30 tonight.

We're a bit late to the game with these images, but they're well-worth the tardiness. Believe us. Check out shots of Saturday's Church of Scientology protest/L Ron Hubbard celebration. In these images you will find protesters, Bay Area Scientologists, and an oldie-but-goodie NSFW shot thrown in for good measure.

If any CoS Hubbard birthday attendees would like to chime in with regard to what went down or to write about the festivities for SFist, let us know. We're excited to have your input. Also, please do not have us killed. Oh, and for the rest of you, here's a Scientology Classification Gradation and Awareness Chart. You'll want to print this out and hang it up on your dorm room, cubicle, or bedroom wall for sure. It is, for lack of a better word, mind-boggling.

Update: Technical difficulties fixed; view away.

Images: Jim Herd and Encyclopedia Dramatica

Tomorrow BART celebrates 35 years of hauling your asses around. Revenue service began on 9/11 in 1972. Since then, according to BART Board President Lynette Sweet, BART has continued to "carry the Bay Area through good times and bad...[w]e were there to keep the economy moving when the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake knocked out the Bay Bridge, and most recently when the MacArthur Maze connector collapsed." But most important of all, BART has also helped countless of horny creeps achieve orgasm on the (in)famous last car. All for a low, low price.

Speaking of which, how often do they clean the carpets on a BART train?

Still, it's a better ride than MUNI. Happy 35th, BART!