The American Planning Association (APA) announced that Hillcrest has been designated one of Ten Great Neighborhoods for 2007.

APA selected Hillcrest because of its legacy of activism and trendsetting. Considered one of San Diego’s most urbane neighborhoods, it has been and continues to be a source of social, cultural and political influence, particularly for gays and lesbians. From its start in 1907, experimental ideas and practices have taken hold here. Hillcrest was one of the places where the progressive designs of Arts and Craft-influenced architect Irving Gill were built during the early 20th century. The neighborhood also has works by Hazel Waterman and Lillian Rice, who were among the first women to practice architecture in the nation. Hillcrest residents are highly engaged, from establishing San Diego’s first business association to organizing clean-ups to getting involved with local planning issues.

“We are honored that one of our most historic and dynamic neighborhoods is being recognized on a national level,” said Mayor Jerry Sanders.

Residents and friends of the community will celebrate this honor at the Hillcrest Centennial Gala tonight, Thursday, at the Prado Restaurant in Balboa Park. For more information visit www.hillquest.com.

As part of the festivities of its annual gala event, The San Diego LGBT Community Center (The Center) will honor local individuals and a business for their commitment, service and generosity.

The Center’s 34th Annual Gala, presented by Wells Fargo, will take place Saturday Oct. 13 at the Marriott Hotel and Marina. The event is sold out.

“Our annual gala celebration is one of the great traditions in San Diego’s LGBT community,” said Jennifer Jones, director of development for The Center. “The Gala gives us the opportunity to share and celebrate the amazing work of The Center over the past year, and recognize the outstanding contributions of extraordinary leaders and volunteers as well.”

The 2007 Center honorees are:

Al Kalian, Danielle & Luis Pacheco-Lopez and Sam Wong (The M. Corrine Mackey Award/Dennis Howard Award), Liam Kukuchek (The Brian S. Mullin Youth Award),

Nordstrom (The Friend of The Center Award), and Sen. Christine Kehoe (The Jess Jessop Founders Award).

For more information, please contact Sarafina Scapicchio at 619-692-2077, ext. 247 or sscapicchio@thecentersd.org.

The Hillcrest Town Council’s (HTC) mission is “to provide a voice and enhance the quality of life for Hillcrest renters and homeowners while supporting actions that benefit our neighborhood.” In keeping with its mission, the HTC will host the first City Council District 3 Candidate Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 9 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Joyce Beers Community Center, located at 1230 Cleveland Ave. in the Uptown Shopping Center.

The League of Women Voters will moderate the forum. The candidates for District 3 include Todd Gloria, Stephen Whitburn, John Hartley, James Hartline, Kevin Mock and Robert Lee. Written questions from the audience will be accepted on the night of the event.

For more information, contact John Taylor at 619-997-5299 or jtlimo@cox.net.

The San Diego Chorus is a women’s a cappella chorus singing 4-part harmony (barbershop style) and dedicated to local entertainment and international competition. With a highly trained and talented membership of 100 women, the chorus has a 53-year history in San Diego and has been marked by more awards, medals and prizes than any local sports team. The San Diego Chorus can accommodate individual special needs with its full chorus, mini-chorus, double quartet or quartet, which offer an exciting repertoire of songs complete with costumes, stage makeup and choreography.

The San Diego Chorus always welcomes guests to visit during rehearsals. The group rehearses on Wednesday nights from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Casa Del Prado, Room 207, in Balboa Park.

For more information e-mail info@sdchorus.org, call 619-685-3385, or visit the group’s Web site, www.sdchorus.org.

Scouting for All (SFA) will hold its eighth annual rally to protest the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) membership policies, which exclude gay and atheist youth and adult leaders. The rally will take place in front of the Boy Scouts’ Balboa Park headquarters at 1207 Upas St. on Sunday, Oct. 7, at 11 a.m.

Scouting For All is assembling a diverse group of speakers from the GLBT, straight, non-theist, and faith-based communities to protest the Boy Scouts of America’s policies of exclusion. Current BSA National policy specifically excludes youth who are gay, atheist, or agnostic. Additionally, the BSA excludes youth who are the children of lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual or non-theist parents. We seek to persuade the public to exert influence on the BSA so that all children and adults are once again welcome participants in the scouting program.

Founded in 1997, Scouting for All is a nonprofit organization that advocates the restoration of the traditionally unbiased values of scouting as expressed and embodied in the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. The group seeks to influence the Boy Scouts of America to serve and include as participating members all youth and adult leaders, regardless of their spiritual belief, gender or sexual orientation. To learn more, please visit www.sdscoutingforall.org.

For more information about Sunday’s rally, contact SFA Southwestern Regional Director Howard Menzer at 619-299-1612.

FilmOut San Diego, whose mission is to enlighten, educate, and entertain the communities of San Diego County through the exhibition of GLBT-themed film, will co-present at two upcoming San Diego film festivals.

The San Diego Women’s Film Festival, held Oct. 4-7, will showcase approximately 100 films from around the world, offering a selection of features, shorts and documentaries that compete for both judge and audience awards. FilmOut will co-present Wax New, a series of 13 short films, on Saturday, Oct. 6, at noon. The film will be shown at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park. More information about the San Diego Women’s Film Festival can be found online at www.sdwff.org.

The eighth annual San Diego Asian Film Festival will be held a week later from Oct. 11-18. FilmOut will co-present Queer Delight: Sweet Buns and Sticky Rice, which is a collection of short films about the gay and lesbian experience. The film will be shown on Friday, Oct. 12 at 7:15 p.m. at the UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas. This film is also being co-presented by a number of other community organizations including The San Diego LGBT Community Center, LGBT Resource Center of SDSU, UCSD LGBT Resource Center, PFLAG San Diego, Project S.T.A.R., Guys Like Us, and others.

FilmOut San Diego hosts an annual GLBT-themed film festival, as well a number of other events throughout the year. For more information about FilmOut, visit www.filmoutsandiego.org.

AIDS Walk San Diego announced that this year’s event raised $610,000 and drew more than 16,000 participants. The 18th annual AIDS Walk San Diego, presented by Nordstrom, took place Sunday in Balboa Park. It remains the largest one-day HIV/AIDS fund-raising event for San Diego County HIV/AIDS service organizations.

Funds raised by AIDS Walk San Diego are distributed to a diverse range of local HIV/AIDS service organizations each year.

“This was truly an amazing event, an incredible day. We’re overwhelmed by the commitment and generosity of San Diegans from all walks of life who helped raise these critically needed funds,” said Jennifer Jones, director of development for The San Diego LGBT Community Center. AIDS Walk San Diego is a program of The Center. “AIDS Walk is just such an inspiration to all involved, and sends a clear and powerful message to all those impacted by this disease that we care.”

Local public officials including San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, City Councilmember Toni Atkins, and University of California-San Diego Chancellor Mary Anne Fox participated, along with teams from several local businesses, organizations and schools.

The 19th annual AIDS Walk San Diego is set to take place Sunday Sept. 28, 2008. For more information visit www.aidswalksd.org.

The San Diego Democratic Club’s 2007 Freedom Banquet will take place on Saturday, Oct. 6 at the Holiday Inn on the Bay located at 1335 North Harbor Dr. (at Ash Street), in downtown San Diego.

The VIP reception with Assemblymember Mark Leno and awardees starts at 6 p.m., the general reception and silent auction starts at 6:30 p.m., and the dinner and program start at 7:30 p.m. VIP tickets (which include priority seating, VIP reception and dinner) are $160, or $1,600 for a table of 10. Dinner only tickets (which include the general reception and dinner) are $100, or $1,000 for a table of 10.

Marti Emerald, former Channel 10 investigative reporter, and 10News Troubleshooter, who is now a candidate for San Diego Council District 7, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

Several awards will be given out at the banquet. This year’s awardees include: Assemblymember Mark Leno (A. Brad Truax Human Rights Award); Greg Bolian (J. Douglas Scott Political Action Award); Doug Case (Gloria Steinem Communications Award); Pride at Work, San Diego Chapter (Eleanor Roosevelt Community Service Award); Stephanie Moody–Geissler (R. Steven Pope Volunteerism Award); and Jeri Dilno (Herb King Lifetime Achievement Award).

For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.sddemoclub.org.

The Hillcrest Clean T.E.A.M. and the Hillcrest Town Council will host another community cleanup on Saturday, Oct. 13 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Founded in November 2005, the Hillcrest Clean T.E.A.M. committed to clean the streets of the neighborhood every first and third Sunday in 2006. The group successfully completed that goal, and now hosts quarterly clean-ups.

Urban Mo’s will host an appreciation celebration for volunteers after the cleanup.

Visit www.hillquest.com for more information.

The Imperial Court de San Diego, Inc. invites the community to have a “ball” at the Annual Empress Satin Styles Memorial Volley in the Park. The event, which will be held on Sunday, Oct. 7, is a benefit for the Ben Dillingham Community Grant. Sign-in time is 10 a.m. with the game beginning at noon. Volley in the Park will be held at Balboa Park, off of Sixth Avenue at Quince Street.

A $7 donation will include a picnic lunch. Participants are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket. To sign-up or for more information, contact Mama Wheels at 619-889-0985.