<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content=text/html;charset=iso-8859-1>
<STYLE></STYLE>
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16414" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY id=MailContainerBody
style="PADDING-LEFT: 10px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; PADDING-TOP: 15px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; TEXT-DECORATION: none; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"
leftMargin=0 topMargin=0 acc_role="text" CanvasTabStop="true"
name="Compose message area"><!--[gte IE 5]><?xml:namespace prefix="v" /><?xml:namespace prefix="o" /><![endif]-->
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5>FYI - Seattle Pride Fest 2007 Cancelled!! </FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial; PADDING-TOP: 10pt"><BR> </DIV>Please note:
This press release is being sent out as heads-up and courtesy to the community.
A formal press release will follow in the near future. No further information or
interviews will be granted until after our Board meets tonight. FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE Monday, April 23, 2007 Seattle - In 2006, the Seattle Pride March and
Festival moved from Capitol Hill to Downtown Seattle and the Seattle Center.
Event attendees, organizers and city officials all hailed the events as great
successes. Unfortunately, the increased scale of both the March and Festival
produced poor financial results including the well publicized and still unpaid
debts. The move created a lot of controversy and a competing event was produced
that divided sponsorship opportunities and divided the community. Simply put,
the income from both events was not adequate to cover the costs of the March and
Festival. In 2007 Pride organizers Seattle Out and Proud (SOaP) voted in new
leadership and SOaP's primary concern was to produce a financially sound March
and Festival in 2007. This week, after months of intense research and
negotiation, it has been concluded that producing a Pride Event at Seattle
Center is not financially prudent at this time. While most people believe that
the 2006 March and Festival in Downtown Seattle showcased the LGBT Community
extremely well, a fiscally responsible 2007 March and Festival, no matter their
physical location, is the most important goal. With all of the baggage that has
built up over the last year, the SOaP board has decided the best thing for the
community and the future of Seattle Pride is for SOaP to step down from
producing the Seattle Pride Parade and Festival, and allow someone else to step
in and take over Seattle Pride. We have honestly tried to do our best as a
volunteer board with no agenda other than to produce a great celebration for our
community. We hope that whoever does step in can unite the community behind them
and likewise lead with no alternative agenda. We look forward to supporting
whichever group of people can step up. We must agree that as a community we must
cut our losses and start anew. We must keep moving forward with energy,
strength, unity and passion. T he SOaP Board of Directors will be meeting
tonight to start working out the details. This press release is being sent out
as heads-up and courtesy to the community. A formal press release will follow in
the near future. No further information or interviews will be granted until
after our Board meets tonight. For questions please contact Eric Albert-Gauthier
at ealbert-gauthier@seattlepride.org # # # </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=5>Yakima Pride Fest 2007 ~ Saturday June 9,
2007</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><U>Pride in the Park</U> ~ Fulbright Park, Union
Gap</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>10:00 AM to 4:00 PM with speakers, entertainment, games,
booths, Free HIV/AIDS testing by Yakima County Health District & our ever
famous free potluck/picnic</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><U><FONT size=3>Yakima Pride Dance & You Make the Difference
Awards</FONT></U></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>Sports Center, downtown Yakima</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>9:00 PM to 1:30 AM </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>$10/person or $17/couple</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>DJ by AO</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>Awards recipients 2007: Yakima Herald Republic &
Yakima County Health District</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><U>Yakima Pride Fest 2007 Youth Dance </U>~ Friday June 8,
2007</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>8:00 PM to 12:00 Midnight</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>Dance location TBA</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>Buy your Yakima Pride Fest 2007 & first Fridays raffle
tickets & Rainbow-Pride Bracelets </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=3>Info:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><A title=about:blank href=""><FONT
title="http://www.myspace.com/yakimapridefest2007 CTRL + Click to follow link"
size=3>www.myspace.com/yakimapridefest2007</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=3>First Fridays hosting Yakima Pride Fest
2007</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=3>First Fridays it the largest non-profit
organization in support/social of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and
Ally community in Yakima </FONT><FONT size=3>and south central Washington
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=3>With First Fridays you an never
alone!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=3>We are a 501 ( c ) 3 per the IRS and donation are
tax deductible.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=3>509/576-0276</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center><A title=about:blank href=""><FONT
size=3>1st-Fridays@gayakima.com</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV align=center><A title=about:blank href=""><FONT
size=3>yakimapridefest2007@msn.com</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV align=center> </DIV>
<DIV align=center> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>