By Just Russ

The list of special events commemorating the Hillcrest Centennial continues to grow. A “Sock Hop” is scheduled for Friday, March 30, from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Joyce Beers Community Center in the Uptown Shopping Center. Tickets are $6 per person or $10 for a couple, with proceeds benefiting the Hillcrest History Guild. A number of other centennial celebrations are being planned throughout the year including several community forums, which will feature guest speakers, and an official gala dinner on Oct. 4. Look for a couple of specific LGBT events to be announced soon. Thursday, Aug. 2, is the neighborhood’s big day as it marks the official date for Hillcrest’s 100th anniversary. A big birthday cake and community social will be just two highlights scheduled. Get more information about this milestone and learn how you can be a part of all the fun at www.hillcrestcentennial.com.

Want to learn how you can grow and connect with hundreds of men? Now clear your head of any dirty thoughts…I’m talking about the California Men’s Gathering organization. A number of events and activities throughout the year highlight what this group is all about and the entire state is covered including the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego and Palm Springs. The upcoming Spring Gathering 2007 will be held on Memorial Day Weekend in Malibu at Camp Shalom. Tickets and general information will be available very soon. Their Fall Gathering 2007 event will be held once again the first weekend of November in the beautiful mountains of Julian, Calif., just outside San Diego. It is all about “Men Mentoring Men To Be Men,” and you are invited to learn more at www.theCMG.org.

The fifth program in Diversionary Theatre’s current season opens on Friday, March 23, continuing through April 15, and is a presentation of Paula Vogel’s The Long Christmas Ride Home, a puppet play with actors. Vogel is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of How I Learned to Drive. The past, present and future collide for a family of five on Christmas Eve in this humorous and heart-tugging play. The cast features Chris Buess, Ozzie Carman, Amanda Cooley Davis, Dana Hooley, John Rosen and Crystal Verdon. The puppets are being created by The Puppetry Center of San Diego. Tickets are now on sale. For more details about the current season, visit www.diversionary.org.

Take a break and head to the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park to experience the incredible images included in the Annie Leibovitz—A Photographer’s Life, 1990 – 2005 exhibit. Almost 200 photographs are featured in this special event lasting through April 22. In addition to many famous portraits of celebrities and public figures, personal images of her family and friends highlight the presentation. For further information, call (619) 232-7931 or visit www.sdmart.org. Did you know that Tuesdays are special at the museums in Balboa Park? On a rotating basis, free admission is offered to select venues every Tuesday. For complete details about this program and all of the park’s ongoing events, visit www.balboapark.org.

Tickets will already be on sale by the time you read this, but mark Wednesday, June 27 on your calendar. The True Colors Tour will visit San Diego at the Open Air Theatre on the SDSU campus. The tour is in support of the Human Rights Campaign and will stop in only 15 cities across the nation. Cyndi Lauper, Erasure, Deborah Harry and The Dresden Dolls are all part of the concert, which will be hosted by the one and only Margaret Cho, who comments that “I am thrilled to be part of this tour because I am about as colorful and as queer as it gets.” Additional special guests will also be on the bill. Learn more at www.truecolorstour.com.