This summer’s Pride festival will feature an unprecedented number of performers and attractions from throughout its 33-year history, with more than 100 artists, 300 businesses and an expected audience of 40,000 gathered to celebrate equality, freedom and diversity in the GLBT community.

Vendor booths and multiple stages will be set up throughout the festival grounds at Marston Point in Balboa Park, giving way to a wide range of musical genres that include high-octane and hard rock, electronic pop, Latin rhythms, jazz, country and more.

Specially featured in the roster is a lineup of local, independent bands and musicians who are passionate about supporting the GLBT civil rights movement.

“Nearly all of those performers are here to help us commemorate Pride as a way of giving back to the community and because they believe in the celebration,” said Ron deHarte, executive director of San Diego Pride. “San Diego is fortunate to have a supportive independent music community that reaches out to the LGBT audience, which, in turn, is very supportive of the musicians.”

In addition to this year’s sturdy menu of local talent, the acclaimed English “synth-pop” band Erasure will headline Pride weekend, at 6 p.m., July 22, on the festival’s Jack FM Stage. The group, which features Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, is currently on a national tour promoting its new album, Light at the End of the World.

Other well-known recording artists scheduled to appear include Dirty Sanchez, an electronic-pop group currently heating up the Los Angeles musical scene, plus Gloria Trevi, a sizzling performer from Mexico, who will appear on Pride’s Nuestro Orgullo Stage in partnership with Club Papi. Sharing that stage during Pride weekend are Anayka from New York, Yoland Ruiz of Los Angeles, Anamor from Italy and Sonora Dinamita Con Vilma Diaz, known as “the kings of cumbia music.”

In addition, the indie rock-and-roll group Buckfast SuperBee, and The Cured, a tribute rock band to The Cure, will join a host of other groups such as Corday, Vinyl Radio and The Fascination. A complete list of groups and showtimes is posted on the Pride Web site: www.sandiegopride.org.

The two-day festival will also feature a host of new and popular attractions, including a 40-foot-high Ferris wheel, laughter yoga, an interactive photography exhibit, the Art of Pride showcasing GLBT artists, a Jocko Underwear fashion show, Aging as Ourselves Cool Zone for visitors 50 years and better, and the Interfaith Pavilion. Colt and All Worlds Video models will be on hand, and food vendors, beer gardens, dance floors and nearly 300 exhibitors will round out the event.

Festival hours are from noon to 10 p.m., Saturday, July 21; and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday, July 22. Admission is $15 for a one-day pass or $21 for a two-day pass. Pride weekend also includes a colorful, mile-long parade starting at 11 a.m., July 21, at University Avenue and Normal Street. The parade is free and remains San Diego’s largest civic event.

For more information, call the Pride office at 619-297-7683 or visit the Web site at www.sandiegopride.org.

On July 12, Mama’s Kitchen will celebrate the 10,000th visit to Mama’s Pantry. The pantry serves individuals living with HIV/AIDS on a limited income who supplement their grocery shopping with monthly trips to a food pantry. Mama’s Pantry is an extension of the nutritional services provided by Mama’s Kitchen in an effort to respond to the changing face of AIDS in San Diego County.

In 2004, Mama’s Kitchen celebrated the grand opening of Mama’s Pantry with Councilmember Toni Atkins cutting the ceremonial ribbon. Councilmember Atkins will make a visit on July 12 to share in commemorating this significant milestone with executive director Alberto Cortés and the volunteers who staff the pantry and make it possible for Mama’s Kitchen to continue to offer this service.

The celebration will take place on Thursday, July 12, from 3-4 p.m. at Mama’s Pantry, which is located at 4083 30th St. in North Park. More information is available by calling 619-233-6262 or online at www.mamaskitchen.org.

Dr. La Mar Hasbrouck, a native San Diegan and Crawford High School graduate, will head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Guyana. Guyana is located in South America and is one of 15 focus countries targeted by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Emergency Plan/PEPFAR). Most of the focus countries are in sub-Saharan Africa, as are more than 70 percent of the world’s AIDS cases. It is estimated that 2.5 percent of the adult population in Guyana is infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Guyana received nearly $30 million from PEPFAR last year to fight the AIDS epidemic.

The Emergency Plan, a five-year, $15 billion commitment made in 2003, is the largest commitment ever by any nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease. Recently, President Bush announced his intention to work with Congress to reauthorize $30 billion for the initiative, doubling the United States’ initial commitment.

After graduating from Crawford, Hasbrouck attended UC Berkeley and later graduated as a Dean’s Scholar from the Drew/UCLA medical program in South Central Los Angeles. Prior to being appointed director of the CDC in Guyana, Hasbrouck served as a professor, researcher, international consultant and medical doctor, working at the CDC for nearly 10 years. He also provided direct technical support for several countries in the initiative, including eight missions to Nigeria. He’s also worked in Haiti, Namibia and Uganda.

Wells Fargo contributes $58,500 to San Diego LGBT Community Center

The San Diego LGBT Community Center announced that it has received sponsorship gifts totaling $58,500 from Wells Fargo to support a diverse array of events and programs. Wells Fargo has been a corporate sponsor and supporter of The Center since 1997.

Wells Fargo sponsors several events and programs at The Center, including the annual Women’s Night; Happy Birthday, Frida!; The Children’s Garden; the 34th annual Center Gala; the San Diego LGBT Community Wall of Honor; The Center’s bingo program; the Volunteer Recruitment Fair; the Community Coalition Breakfast; and AIDS Walk San Diego.

“Wells Fargo has a long history of giving back to the communities we are a part of,” said Dean Thorp, regional vice president for Wells Fargo. “Our sponsorship is part of our ongoing commitment to serving as a true corporate and civic partner in our community. We’re honored to support organizations like The San Diego LGBT Community Center that provide such unique and essential services to the community.”

“For the last decade, Wells Fargo has been an incredibly important partner to The Center,” said Jennifer Jones, director of development for The Center. “Their generosity and commitment help make so many wonderful community resources and events possible. They are truly a valued supporter of The San Diego LGBT Community Center.”

For more information on The Center’s programming, call 619-692-2077 or online at www.thecentersd.org.

As part of the year-long Hillcrest Centennial Celebration, three Hillcrest groups are putting together a large community-wide cleanup. The Hillcrest Town Council, Hillcrest Clean TEAM and Hillcrest Centennial Committee, with the support of Councilmember Toni Atkins, will join forces with concerned citizens to spruce up the neighborhood’s sidewalks, just in time for San Diego Pride.

Formed in November 2005, the Hillcrest Clean TEAM committed to sweep and clean the sidewalks of the Hillcrest community every first and third Sunday of each month through January 2007. This successful all-volunteer effort ended its regular cleanup schedule when the Hillcrest Maintenance Assessment District (M.A.D.) came into effect, which provides funding for contract companies to provide regular sidewalk cleaning and other needed maintenance. As Hillcrest is a heavily trafficked part of San Diego, the community groups have decided to come together for this special cleanup. In conjunction with the Hillcrest Town Council, the Clean TEAM has committed to quarterly community cleanups.

The Saturday, July 14, Centennial Cleanup is from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Participants will gather in one of two spots: Park Boulevard (south of University Avenue) or in the dirt parking lot of Rich’s Nightclub at 1051 University Ave. Volunteers will be separated into teams and will spend the morning making Hillcrest shine. Participants are asked to bring gloves, brooms, rakes and dust pans, but there will be extras available.

The organizers are also looking for groups, organizations or neighbors that may have identified an area in Hillcrest that needs special attention. Those who form their own group will be able to clean their own “special interest area.”

All volunteers will receive a free T-shirt. RSVPs are requested, but not required. E-mail volunteer@hillcrestcentennial.com or call 619-260-1929 to RSVP. More information is available online at www.hillquest.com.