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Hunky Jesi

An SF Easter Tradition

By Carl Fisher

March 30^th, 2016

Easter Festivities in the park

It was that time of year again when the flowers were almost in full bloom. Both those grounded in terra firma and upon people’s heads. Yes, it was time for Hunky Jesus. PTL (praise the lord). Put on annually by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, it had been a couple of years since I had been able to attend. Fortunately, the weather gods were smiling with temps in the upper 60’s to lower 70s. You don’t want the Jesi to have to cover their exposed flesh with layers of material. What would there be worth gawking at then?

Frollicking in the park

There were plenty of blankets, lots of food, the beverages were flowing freely, and there was something in the air. I believe it was cannabis. I had missed the Easter bonnet contest, but there were enough of them in the crowd that I was still able to get my fill.

Putting on a show

The Sisters really know how to put on a show. It was not just about the sights, but also the sounds. They managed to get legendary DJ Carl Cox to spin the tunes and the place was hopping (or was that just all those bunnies?).

Heady stuff

The head gear ranged from the overly floral to the not so simple head scarf and everything in between.

Let the strutting begiN

The most anticipated contest was about to begin. But not before a few last minute primps. The winner was to be decided by whoever elicited the loudest cheer from the crowd. Usually the more flesh exposed, the louder the cheer. But there is also an element of cheekiness and creativity that the crowd appreciates. The leanest or beefiest torso does not always win the day.

The hats have it

More head turners.

Time to collect. The bucket brigade was out collecting donations. Apparently it was for a good cause (and not just for more foundation).

THe champ

Despite the valiant effort of a multitude of Jesi (Jesuses?), who were much svelter and younger, the winner turned out to be a full figured fellow with really nice pom poms. The spirit truly won out this time. No one could top the spunk of Jesus Cheer. A tip of the bonnet to him. May he have a glorious year as 2016 Hunky Jesus.

Down an alleyway I spied this most appropriate of stickers.

The winner: Jesus Cheer. The underdog came through with beaudacious pom poms.

Strummin

As I made my way up Haight Street in the general direction of my car, I ran into an interesting character. I usually try to steer way clear of the sketchy types when I’m walking around that hood, but I was feeling in a generous mood after basking in all the holy goodness of the afternoon. As I was trying to pull up the picture of my car that I had taken earlier (just in case I got disoriented), a rather intense gentleman asked me if I was a local. When I told him I lived in SJ he responded that he lived in Palo Alto. What a small world indeed. I’m not quite sure how a fellow such as he could afford to live there, but at least it’s cheaper than SF. I could have ended it at that and just started walking away, but I decided to stay and find out what he had to say. He did seem harmless. He had noticed the camera hanging at my side and it turned out that he had had a Pentax camera at some point and could appreciate the challenge that creating good photos can present. The next thing I knew he was striking a pose with his guitar and asking me to take his picture. I snapped off several quick ones and asked him if he had an email account that I could send them too. For some reason, I was not too surprised that he did not. I don’t think he even had a cell phone, which makes me wonder how he survives out there. It was actually a very altruistic gesture. He seemed genuinely concerned about my artistic development and was willing to be used as a prop to allow me to hone my craft. For that I am grateful. It was a blessed day indeed.