The Imperial Court de San Diego’s “Coronation: A Military Ball” takes place on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 6:00 p.m. at the Westin Horton Plaza. A three-course dinner will be served this year.

The Imperial Court de San Diego was established over three decades ago as a fun contest to elect an “emperor” and “empress” of San Diego. In 1972, its first year of existence, the “monarchs” and their “court” hosted a Halloween fund-raiser for the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC).

The co-presidents of San Diego’s Imperial Court are called the emperor and empress, and are elected annually at the Coronation Ball. Any San Diego County resident who attends the Coronation may cast a vote for that year’s emperor and empress. The monarchs guide the court through its fund-raising efforts throughout their reign, which is approximately one year. The Imperial Court de San Diego has been officially honored by the California Assembly, the San Diego City Council, and other governmental bodies, agencies and organizations for its community service.

The Imperial Court is open to anyone and everyone, and is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Members represent every aspect of society, including all ethnicities, sexual orientations and gender identities.

Tickets to the Coronation are $65 and are available in advance only. A limited number of prime seating is available at $75 in the Imperial Circle. Call the ticket hotline at (619) 523-9500 ext. 15 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and ask for Empress Toni Rose.

Full length gowns, tuxedos, formal uniforms or dress leather is required. The Westin Horton Plaza is located at 910 Broadway Circle downtown.

For more information about the Coronation Ball or the Imperial Court de San Diego, visit this article online at www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to their Web site.

Gay Men’s Chorus San Diego wraps up its 13th season with two summer concerts, taking place Saturday, Aug. 6, and Sunday, Aug. 7. The concert, entitled “Oz & Beyond: The Music of Harold Arlen,” will feature standards such as “Get Happy,” “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” “Stormy Weather” and a number of selections from Arlen’s classic score for The Wizard of Oz.

These shows will be performed at the 500-seat David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre at the Jewish Community Center in La Jolla, the same venue which hosted the chorus’ spring concert, “Broadway A-Z.”

The American Film Institute recognized Judy Garland’s rendition of Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow” as the number-one movie song of all time. While Arlen wrote some of the nation’s most-beloved songs, many of which reflect the Jewish and African-American influences of his youth, his name is not widely-known.

The Oz & Beyond concert will also include the songs “Accentuate the Positive,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “I Love a Parade,” “The Man that Got Away,” “That Old Black Magic,” and many more. The concert will also feature Holt’s new arrangement of “A Sleeping Bee,” from the 1954 Broadway musical House of Flowers on which Arlen collaborated with noted author Truman Capote.

Gay Men’s Chorus San Diego is a member of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA) and is funded in part by a grant from the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture. Call (619) 57-GMCSD for more information about the chorus or “Oz & Beyond.”

AIDS Walk San Diego jumps into high gear this summer with “Activation,” the annual event designed to activate fund-raising for AIDS Walk San Diego. It takes place on Wednesday, Aug. 17, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the 500 West Hotel, located in downtown San Diego at 500 W. Broadway in the former Armed Services YMCA building.

Teaming up with 500 West to host this year’s event are MAC Cosmetics and indie rock singer/songwriter Eric Himan.

Activation is open to all who wish to support AIDS Walk/Run 2005. Guests may register for a team or make a donation to AIDS Walk San Diego at the door, or register online. In addition to supporting HIV/AIDS service providers throughout San Diego County, participants will also have the opportunity to win several prizes, including spa treatments, airline tickets and gift certificates.

Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served, and AIDS Walk sponsor Clear Channel Communications will be on hand to deliver thank-you items to all those who register or sign up for a team at the party.

New to this year’s celebration, the glam squad from MAC Cosmetics will be on hand to offer make-up tips and samples of its Viva Glam lipstick. All sales of Viva Glam go to support non-profit HIV/AIDS service organizations both locally and around the world. First introduced in 1994, the lipstick has become a successful AIDS fund-raising initiative in the fashion world, and has been endorsed by several top celebrity spokesmodels, including Missy Elliott, Christina Aguilera, Chloe Sevigny, Linda Evangelista and Pamela Anderson.

The 16th annual AIDS Walk/Run will be held on Sunday, Oct. 2. Pre-walk ceremonies begin at 7:00 a.m., with the USATF-sanctioned 10K run starting promptly at 8:00 a.m. and the 5K walk at 8:05 a.m. The registration fee for both the run and walk is $25, though participants are encouraged to raise as much money as possible.

AIDS Walk San Diego is the county’s largest single-day fund-raiser for HIV/AIDS service providers. The 2005 walk/run will take over Balboa Park and the streets of Hillcrest with more than 10,000 people expected to participate and volunteer for the event. To date, AIDS Walk has raised more than $6 million for 30-plus San Diego County organizations serving people living with HIV and AIDS.

Visit this article online at www.gaylesbiantime.com to register for AIDS Walk, or contact AIDS Walk program coordinator David Laguana at (619) 291-WALK.

The Center announced its board leadership for fiscal year 2006, which began July 1. Richard Valdez will continue to serve as chair of The Center’s board of directors. He is a partner in the law firm of Sandler, Lasry, Laube, Byer & Valdez LLP, where he is involved in civil litigation. He’s also on the board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego & Imperial Counties.

Dale Kelly Bankhead will serve as a vice chair along with Todd Gloria. Bankhead, the public affairs director of the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties, was previously a legislative aide with the California Assembly in Sacramento. As executive director of “I Love A Clean San Diego,” Bankhead won an Emmy Award in partnership with KNSD/TV for her contributions to public service announcements on recycling.

Gloria is the district director for Congressmember Susan A. Davis. His duties focus on issues affecting veterans, housing, the military and homeland security, and he serves as Davis’ GLBT liaison. Gloria’s work has been recognized by a number of organizations including the San Diego Mediation Center, the Greater San Diego Business Association and PFLAG, and he was named a 1999 Harry S. Truman Scholar.

Matthew Doherty will serve as secretary, Lennie Alickman as treasurer and Joel Valenzuela as a member at large. Past chairs Robert Gleason and Kevin Tilden will continue to serve on the executive committee.

The Center will host a special community seminar to help friends and family members deal with the impact of a friend, lover, partner or family member who is struggling with crystal meth use. The free event will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 10, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. at The Center, located at 3909 Centre St.

The seminar will feature a presentation by Dr. Michael Majeski and Dr. Erin Sicard from The Center’s Health Services Department, and will address the consequences of crystal meth use, why meth is so appealing in the GLBT community and what the larger community can do to help.

For more information, contact Dr. Majeski at (619) 260-6380 ext. 116, or Dr. Sicard at (619) 260-6380 ext. 106.