PROJECT INFORM IN OTHER MEDIA ... 2008

News in brief: San Jose Pride this weekend

Bay Area Reporter

by Cynthia Laird, June 12, 2008

(mention of Project Inform in bold below)

Headliners Frenchie Davis and Ari Gold will appear in the South Bay Sunday, June 15 at this year's San Jose Pride Festival.

Sunday's festivities get under way at 10:30 a.m. with the 33rd annual Pride Parade, which begins at South Market Street and West Santa Clara streets. Among this year's grand marshals are Assemblyman John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) and Gail Chandler.

The festival takes place in Discovery Meadow. Saturday is a free community day from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. featuring the best in local entertainment and activities for the entire family. Comedian Jennie McNulty will host the second annual women's music festival from 1 to 6 p.m. Acts include Lisa Dewey, Dianna Gatto and The Craving, Tamra Engle, Blue Serra, and Orquesta d'Soul.

Sunday's festival runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and has a $15 admission (discounted $10 tickets can be purchased on Saturday at the festival information booth). In addition to the main stage, there will be a country western dance area, a senior grove, family carnival, microbrew tent, and the popular community dance tent. Other entertainment includes Smashup Derby, Cheer San Francisco, Finding Stella, the ProLatino Aztec Dancers, and Trusting Lucy.

For more information, visit www.sanjosepride.com.

Hayward Gay Prom Sat.

Project Eden's Lambda Youth program's 14th annual Gay Prom will take place in Hayward Saturday, June 14 from 7 p.m. to midnight at Centennial Hall, 22292 Foothill Boulevard. Tickets are $25 per person or $20 per person for groups of 10 or more. LGBTQ people and allies ages 20 and under are welcome.

This year's theme is "Light Up the Night and Embrace the Rainbow." For more information, call (510) 247-8200 or visit www.gayprom.org.

Sacto Dyke March Friday

The second annual Sacramento Dyke March will take place Friday, June 13 at 6 p.m. at the west steps of the Capitol with a brief kickoff rally, followed by a march around Capitol Park and returning to the west steps.

Speakers at the event will include Gretchen Bender, a Sacramento County Board of Education member and the county's first out lesbian elected official; Marghe Covino, Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Community Center co-founder; Shelly Bailes and Ellen Pontac, marriage equality activists; Cathy Schwamberger, Equality California; Kathleen Montgomery and Pam Whiteley of Sacramento PFLAG; and Wendy Hill, Gay-Straight Alliance Network. Additionally, the True Colors Women's Chorus will perform.

Organizers said that everyone who is supportive of lesbian equality and visibility, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, is welcome to participate in this free event. An estimated 300 women took part in last year's inaugural march.

For more information, call (916) 442-0185.

District 3 supes forum

With the June primary over, attention now turns to the upcoming supervisor races in November, when the odd-numbered seats will be on the ballot. In District 3, Supervisor Aaron Peskin is termed out of office, and 11 candidates have so far announced intentions to run for the seat. The Middle Polk Neighborhood Association will host a District 3 candidate forum Monday, June 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway, 1500 Van Ness Avenue (at Pine Street). The event is free and open to the public. Dawn Trennert, MPNA chair, noted that to date, nine candidates have confirmed their participation, including Joseph Alioto Jr., Harold Brown, Sal Busalacchi, Claudine Chang, David Chiu, Mike DeNunzio, Lynn Jefferson, Denise McCarthy, and Wilma Pang.

For more information, visit www.middlepolk.org.

Project Inform to honor Delaney

Project Inform will honor its founder, Martin Delaney, for his 23 years of leadership in the fight against AIDS at a benefit Thursday, June 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Green Room in the San Francisco War Memorial Building, 401 Van Ness Avenue.

"On the great and tearful day that the complete history of the AIDS tragedy is finally written, there is no question that Marty Delaney will be described for his enormous contribution to the effort to identify and make accessible effective treatments and a cure for HIV infection," said Executive Director Dana Van Gorder.

Delaney helped to lead Project Inform from its inception in 1985 until January 2007. The agency operates an AIDS treatment hotline provides information on a variety of issues around the disease. He's been a constructive critic of federal, academic, and industry AIDS research efforts, and a key figure in helping to bring effective HIV treatments to market.

Tickets to the event are $100. For more information, contact Henry Lucero at (415) 558-8669, x211 or hlucero@projectinform.org.

South Bay AIDS benefit

The AIDS Coalition Silicon Valley will hold its "Unmask the Mysteries" masquerade gala and benefit Saturday, June 21 at 7 p.m. at the Summit Banquet Center, 88 South Fourth Street in San Jose. The event features fine cuisine, an auction, and entertainment by Velocity Circus.

Tickets are $175 and can be purchased online at www.unmaskthemysteries.com. For more information, call (408) 451-9255.

Bowl to help seniors

Online registration is now open for the sixth annual "Bowl-A-Strike-4-Seniors" that is a benefit for Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly. The event takes place Saturday, June 21 at Presidio Bowl in the Presidio, San Francisco. There are two heats: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m. with 12 teams in each heat. Interested people can sign up by visiting www.firstgiving.com/LBFE. There is a $25 registration fee per person for the event, and each person has a fundraising goal of $250 ($1,250 per team). Funds raised will go directly toward the agency's holiday events, including Thanksgiving and Christmas home deliveries to isolated elders. For more information, contact Aimee Forster at (415) 771-7957, ext. 106 or aforster@littlebrotherssf.org.