As hilarious and pleasing as it is that this is a thing and that Norton might get a bit of official adoration, why exactly is this something they need to ask for assistance with?
How hard is it really to spare $50? Sure, if you’re struggling to make ends meet I could see it being a problem, but in that case don’t you have more important concerns and obligations for your time and energy than running an NPO? 
It is fun? An opportunity to get people involved?
Made me grin. The idea of holding a fundraising gala for such a small amount is nicely daft and a neat counterpoint to the big money campaign mixers in political circles.
I, too, was amused. I protest in jest, one might say, if it can even be said that I protest at all. I question rhetorically, it could be said.
I suppose I merely feel compelled to voice the odd questionings and thoughts which such stories inspire in my mind. If someone tells me something which is pleasingly absurd, I like to respond with a similar bit of absurdity, just typically taken in the opposite direction. 
This exactly is the point — many thanks for flagging it as such!
I’m the founder of The Emperor’s Bridge Campaign. The total amount we’re trying to raise is the $420 we need for our 501©(4) “filing fees.” We have $370 so far, and we’ve taken all of this in small donations of $5, $10 and $20, so as to provide the greatest number of people with the greatest opportunity to participate in the founding of the organization.
Of course, I or any number of folk who are associated with this project could pitch in the final 50 dollars. But, in honoring a guy who sold scrip for 50 cents, it seemed more appropriate to make it easy for those who simply — as we say in our invite — could “buy the Emperor a drink.”
Well, to be fair his notes ranged from 50 cents to 10 dollars in 1879, and if you adjust for inflation you end up with notes for the equivalent of $12.32 to $246.40 in 2013 dollars.
$50 for Emperor Nelson, somehow I feel Daddy Warbucks should be involved in this.
I for one would find that confusing. What’s a draiser?
Every time I pass the official sign as I approach the Willie Brown^H^H Emperor Norton bridge from San Francisco, I fantasize about the possibilities:
- A nearby billboard that says “ignore that sign, here’s the real history” (kind of like the “I’m with stupid” T-shirts with an arrow that require that you stand on a particular side of your friend/sibling)
- Laser projection out of a building to correct the existing sign
- A citizen initiative that overrides the legislature and corrects the naming
- Sponsoring the Bay Bridge lights and getting appropriate messages spelled out
I may or may not be able to make it Thursday, but I’ll certainly support the 'draiser, with or without the (fun).
Well, Glitch, for any folk who plan to buy the Emperor something top-shelf on Thursday night, 12 bucks could be about right. Alas, unlike in the Emperor’s day, that drink won’t come with a plate and a pass at the free-lunch table.
Well, we asked for 50 bucks, and we got 325. Needless to say, we’re delighted with the outcome! Thanks, again, to Jason Weisberger for flagging our event.
Thanks for hosting it it It was fun.
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