Party with Pride 2011 this Saturday at Capitol Mall. More than 20 performers will entertain festivalgoers with dancing, drag queens, cheerleaders and more at this annual event to raise money for the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center.

Guy Farris, Emmy award-winning anchor of “Sacramento & Co” will lead the parade as this year’s Grand Marshall. Don Geronimo, host of Sports 1140 KHTK, and LaRoy, a gay radio correspondent, will emcee.

Club queen singer Luciana Caporaso and Sacramento native Raquela bring raucous disco while Miss Coco Peru does her unique brand of storytelling in a day of non-stop entertainment. “We were extremely lucky to book Luciana, Raquela and Miss Coco for the festival,” said Hilary Hodge, Pride Entertainment Manager.

Cheer San Francisco, Xavier Toscano, Tom Goss, Jovi Radtke and Precious Cargo also add to the excitement.

Sierra Forever Families will have a family-friendly Kid Zone while Amtrak, the Midtown Business Association and Badlands sponsor the hot-and-heavy Dance Pavilion.

This year, Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel again became the major sponsor. Comcast Corporation, Wells Fargo, Hewlett-Packard, SMUD, and Markstein Beverage Company also fund the event as well as other local companies and nonprofits.

Even the City of Sacramento also helps offset costs. “Given the economy, we were very thankful to have the same amount of funding from the city this year that we did last year,” said Josh Jacoby, Pride director.

Beverage tents, a food court, vendors and exhibitors create a mini-mall where festivalgoers can while away the day.

The annual festival and parade is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center, which serves more than 30,000 people annually.

The Center’s programs and services include a legal clinic, sign language classes, Lavender Angels that patrol midtown on weekends and a homeless youth initiative. The Center also holds peer programs for families, youth, 20-somethings, transgender, people with HIV/AIDS, men, women and bisexuals.

For more information, please visit http://www.sacramentopride.org.

WHO: Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center
WHAT: Pride 2011
WHEN: Saturday, June 4, 2011, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Parade also starts at 10 a.m.
WHERE: Capitol Mall near Tower Bridge
Parade starts at S and 5th Streets
WHY: Most entertaining event of the year for the LGBTI community—and the biggest annual fundraiser for the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center.
COST: $10 for adults. Children 5 and under free.

DISCLOSURE: A former journalist, Dell Richards runs Sacramento's Dell Richards Publicity. Sacramento Pride is one of her clients.