SAN DIEGO – The fun never seems to end in Hillcrest, even after the neighborhood’s signature events, CityFest and San Diego Pride, have passed. Next up is the fourth annual Toast to Hillcrest.

The community celebration will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12, in the gayborhood.

The event is a fundraiser for the Hillcrest History Guild (HHG), an organization that captures the rich and colorful history of the neighborhood known as the cultural core of San Diego’s GLBT community.

HHG was founded in 2005 by Ann Garwood and Nancy Moors. They have been collecting and gathering photographs, videos and stories to document the neighborhood’s most colorful history.

Hillcrest celebrated its centennial year in 2007, and a number of events were held to commemorate the neighborhood’s first 100 years, including a sock hop, scavenger hunt, block party, film screening and the first ever “Toast.” The centennial year culminated with a festive Gala Dinner Dance at The Prado in Balboa Park, at which the American Planning Association designated Hillcrest as one of the Top 10 Great U.S. Neighborhoods for 2007.

Neighborhoods that receive such an honor are evaluated on a number of characteristics, including walkability, sustainability, architecture, character and community events. Events like the Toast to Hillcrest set Hillcrest over the top, and continue to make it a neighborhood that people from all over San Diego love to come to visit.

Community activist Benny Cartwright, who has hosted the event since its inception, will be joined this year by Ricky Cervantes, who will serve as co-host of this year’s toast. Cartwright, a San Diego native, and Cervantes, who moved to San Diego five years ago to finish his bachelor’s degree, have never lived in Hillcrest proper, but call themselves “friends of Hillcrest.”

“Hillcrest has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I was born in Hillcrest, and as soon as I got my driver’s license at age 16, I made it a point to come out here almost every day,” said Cartwright, who grew up in the Allied Gardens neighborhood of San Diego and now resides in North Park.

“While I have never lived in Hillcrest, this neighborhood feels like home to me, and I happy to volunteer my time to support this beautiful place.”

The Toast to Hillcrest is for those 21 and older and allows participants to visit dozens of Hillcrest cocktail lounges, restaurants, wine bars and pubs offering drink and food samplings (“toasts” and “tastes”) to participants as they stroll throughout the neighborhood. In addition, a ticket to the fundraiser allows participants to hop on and off a red double-decker bus cruising throughout Hillcrest.

Cartwright and Cervantes will act as hosts on the bus, which will circle the area with revelers until 9 p.m. – with complimentary coffee available on the upper level.

Cervantes said he is excited about co-hosting this year’s event.

“The Toast is one of the most exciting Hillcrest events I have participated in, and I was so excited that Benny, Ann and Nancy invited me to co-host this year,” he said.

Cervantes said he was first drawn to Hillcrest when he moved to San Diego in 2006 by the Hillcrest Youth Center. “I have felt like a part of this neighborhood ever since – everyone is so welcoming,” he said.

Garwood and Moors, who are two of the biggest “cheerleaders” for the community, said they love organizing the annual celebration.

“The event gets better every year,” said Moors, who along with Garwood, also produce the popular HillQuest Urban Guide and its companion website, HillQuest.com.

Tickets for the event are $25 and can be purchased online at www.hillcresthistory.org through today, Aug. 11, or at the corner of Fifth and Robinson (in front of Chase Bank) starting at 4:30 p.m. on the day of event. All online ticket sales are “will call.” Participants will receive a card listing all of the participating venues. Participants may walk or travel by the double-decker bus at their leisure.

Garwood and Moors encourage “Toasters” to check out some of Hillcrest’s newest eateries participating in this year’s Toast, including Bo’s Seafood Market & Grill, La Focaccia Gourmet Pizza & Organic Salads, Kip’s Cafe, Banana Leaf, Porkyland, Kona Coffee Co. and R Gang Eatery.

For more information about the Toast to Hillcrest, visit www.hillcresthistory.org or call (619) 260-1929.