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Your Voice, Your Choice
Echo’s Reader’s Choice Awards to Rock Tempe June 1
By Luis Garcia
PHOENIX —The anticipation to find out who edged out whom in the 2008 Echo Magazine Reader’s Choice just got a little more intense.
In order to satisfy the overwhelming response of people interested in attending the annual awards show, Echo’s Associate Publisher Tim DePlanche has made the executive decision to move the ceremonies to a venue that will accommodate everyone, and pushed the date back to June 1 in order to give people a chance to modify their schedules.
This year the dazzling new Tempe Center for the Arts will have the honor of being home to the event. The award show will take place inside the 600-seat proscenium theater.
Designed by Tempe-based Architekton and award-winning Barton Myers Associates of Los Angeles, the theater overlooks Tempe Town Lake, with views of the Papago and Camelback mountains.
It will be the third year the Echo Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards have been given out in an award show-type atmosphere. Traditionally Echo partnered with Phoenix Pride and the winners were presented with the awards on the main stage during the festival.
In 2006, then-Echo General Manager Tim McBride masterminded the idea of an event outside of Pride to give the community the opportunity to celebrate the winners, and at the same time help raise money to local charities.
According to DePlanche, last year a record-breaking 300 people attended the event at the Wrigley Mansion, which raised more than $1,300 for the 1 Voice Community Center.
“We are expecting more people this year,” DePlanche said. “We have done a lot more promoting of the event this year and the response is awesome. It has grown to be a major event.”
1VCC co-chair Donna McHenry told Echo that she is humbled and honored to be nominated in the category of Distinguished Service by a Woman and is looking forward in attending the event.
“Recognitions such as this are truly a reflection of many people who have chose us to be their ambassadors,” McHenry said. “It is my honor to serve the community because many have made contributions to my ability to be who I am — proudly and boldly. Our ancestors made it possible for us and I believe it is our duty to honor them by reinforcing their legacy, by making it possible for those that follow.”
Cactus Cities Softball League’s commissioner John Deffee agrees with McHenry that its an honor to be nominated, and hopes that some of CCSL’s recent accomplishments such as hosting the Saguaro Cup, the largest gay softball tournament in the United States, and the 2007 National America Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance Softball World Series last October will win CCSL awards in the categories of Best Sporting/Outdoor Event for Saguaro Cup and Best Sports Organization for CCSL.
“CCSL has been around for about 14 years,” Deffee said. “Our current league consists of 24 teams — nine women's teams and 15 open teams — with both men and women on the teams. We have individuals participating from all over the Valley from Apache Junction to Surprise and the Peoria area, and from as far up as Anthem over to Casa Grande with a some players driving up from Tucson every weekend. Each year we continue to grow and involve more and more of our community in our fun and competitive league. Next year we are proud to say we will be doing outreach in both Tucson and Flagstaff to include more interested individuals to join us. We are extremely thankful for this nomination.”
There are 29 categories this year including a tight race for Best Political Advocacy Group between Equality Arizona, Human Rights Campaign-Phoenix and PFLAG.
“We sincerely appreciate the Echo Reader’s Choice nomination,” Equality Arizona Director of Public Affairs Sam Holdren said. “Together we are building a movement. Ours is a movement that won't stop with the defeat or passage of a single bill or amendment. We're building a movement that plays out in our everyday lives — at work, at play and at home. At Equality Arizona, we believe ‘equality begins at home’ because that is where true change occurs and is the longest lasting.”
Micheal Weakley, who is the Valley GLBTQ youth group 1n10’s outreach coordinator, will co-host with 1n10 Coordinator A. Beck. Proceeds of the money raised will go to AIDS Walk Phoenix 2008.
“I am very excited to be on stage with so many wonderful people in our community,” co-host Weakley said. “I am glad to see the AIDS Walk back in Phoenix. I am looking forward with working with them. It’s good to have them back.”
After a successful award show last year, SWAY Events will once again coordinate the show this year.
“With this year’s Your Voice, Your Choice theme in mind, we took the awards directly to the people,” Gary Guerin, SWAY Events Founder said. “Over the course of a week, and with support from our friends at Smirnoff Ice, team SWAY hit up the town and captured candid video interviews all around the city. The reactions we received were shocking, educational and hysterical all at the same time. And on June 1, their voices will absolutely be heard. In addition to a dynamic venue, Tempe Center for the Arts, we'll have some of the best talent in town and a ‘who's who’ guest list that will most definitely elevate this year’s Echo Readers' Choice Awards to a new level.”
Vital Information
Echo Magazine’s Readers Choice Awards, 5 p.m., June 1, at the Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway. Tickets are $25, available at the box office Friday, May 9 at 10 a.m., or by visiting www.tempe.gov/TCA, or by calling 480-350-2822.
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