Haven't been to Sunset Junction in a while? Then it's time to pay a return visit to Silver Lake's hippest street fair, where diversity rules the day.

By Ken Knox

If you haven't been to the annual Sunset Junction street fair, then you've certainly been missing out. In past years, Junction founder Michael McKinley has pulled out all the stops by booking high-profile musicians such as the Dandy Warhols, X, Juliette Lewis and the Licks, Camper van Beethoven, Thelonious Monster, the Donnas, Martha Walsh, Phoebe Snow, Stephanie Mills, and Imperial Teen to play alongside local L.A. musicians for two days of fun in the sun, community togetherness, and also to benefit the more-than-worthy Sunset Junction Youth Program.

Such eclecticism is par for the course with the Junction. Indeed, from the carnival rides, arts and crafs and food vendors (now up to 250) to the hot leather daddies and stroller-pushing mommies and daddies, Sunset Junction offers a little something for everyone and this year's event promises, well, more of the same.

"I don't think that making something different makes it better," says McKinley, who founded the event in 1980 as a way to bring the gay and lesbian community together with their hetero brothers and sisters. McKinley, who had been an organizer of the first-ever March on Washington for gay rights in 1979, wanted to celebrate the differences that make us all human. Inspired by those who put together the New York Pride celebration, he fashioned the Sunset Junction as a sort of "Silver Lake Pride" -- but for gays and straights, Latinos and blacks, adults and kids, and dogs and cats. "We're trying to celebrate diversity and trying to bring people together for two days," he enthuses. "We're trying to celebrate music and we're trying to celebrate the neighborhood. I've traveled all over the world, and the thing that seems to bring people together is music." (It seems Madonna was right about that after all.)

In addition to the dance tents and DJs (Dragstrip host and IN columnist Paul V. is slated to spin), this year's lineup of A-list talent includes Temptations singer Richard Street, former Velvet Underground bandmate John Cale, dance/pop outfit hey willpower (featuring openly gay Imperial Teen-ster Will Schwartz), alt-rock hipsters the Walkmen and Rilo Kiley, '80s dance diva Jody Watley (see sidebar), pansexual electroclashers Gravy Train!!!!, baroque popster Jason Falkner, the iconic Chaka Kahn and a reunited New York Dolls (minus the dead ones, of course).

McKinley's don't-fix-it-if-it-ain't-broke philosophy is one of the things that keeps the happy mix of homo hipsters and heteros coming back year after year. "We try to add to it, and we learn every time out if something didn't work," he offers. "I think the most important thing is to keep it real -- professional enough that it works, but not slick and artificial."

One thing that will be different about this year's event, however, is that the normally optional $10 donation is no longer an option. "We tried the honor system, but it didn't work," McKinley says. "Less than half the people were donating. We have to pay for this event and we run a youth program, and we're not trying to become millionaires, but we do want to keep the event going and keep our youth program going." Still, $10 is peanuts for all that you get at the street fair. And really, how often is it that Los Angelenos get out of their cars for a change and spend time socializing with each other in the streets?

Of course, to McKinley, the real benefit of Sunset Junction is seeing how it benefits the wayward teens from the youth program in need of community and how it brings disparate but like-minded people together. In this day and age of anti-gay rights referendums and unwarranted conservatism, the Junction is more important than ever. "I think the powers-that-be would like to not have this on the street," McKinley says. "They complain about the cost but I don't think they want to deal with the reality that we all can get along. On a day-to-day basis, they play us against each other -- the gays against the straights, the Latinos against the blacks, men against women -- and we're trying to say, 'We want to get along.'

"There are a lot of ways of dealing with homophobia, and this is one of them," he continues. "I don't think it always has to be a demonstration or a rally. I think on some levels, something like the Junction is more powerful."

Sunset Junction will take place Aug. 27-28 in the 3600-4400 block of Sunset Blvd. Admission is $10. For additional information, call (323) 661-7771.