Mariah Hanson Wins Palm Springs "Legacy Award"

On Friday, November 7, The Center, a Palm Springs, CA based organization serving the desert LGBT community, is honoring Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend founder and producer, Mariah Hanson, with the first-ever "Legacy Award" for her invaluable contribution to the Coachella Valley LGBT community. The award will be presented at The 5th Annual Center Stage Gala, by the Eisenhower Medical Center at The Riviera Resort & Spa.

"When considering those who have made a lasting impact on the desert's LGBT community, Mariah Hanson's name quickly rose to the top. Her vision for an all-women's event has become the largest lesbian event of its kind in the world. This is Mariah's legacy to our community and our reason for recognizing and celebrating her outstanding accomplishment," said Mike Thompson, Executive Director at the LGBT Community Center of The Desert.

Hanson's visionary leadership as the founder of one of the Coachella Valley's largest tourism boosters and undisputed biggest lesbian event of its kind in the world, the legendary Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend (aka "The Dinah") makes her the perfect choice as the first recipient of this inaugural award.

Presented by The Center, the LEGACY award is a brand new distinguished honor, which pays tribute to remarkable individuals exemplifying the highest level of achievement and professional excellence when it comes to leading and travailing for the advancement of the LGBT community.

Hanson's incredible accomplishment with The Dinah has for the past 25 years continuously created a viable platform for the advancement of the LGBT community.

Transforming lives and making a difference in and for the LGBT community, The Dinah offers an unparalleled one-of-a-kind experience for myriads of women who come from all over the world to enjoy the freedom to be who they truly are without fearing the judgment of others, and gain, as well, a tremendous amount of self worth.

Over the course of a quarter of a century, The Dinah has not only been changing lives, but also spearheading music careers. Building on its reputation as the ultimate entertainment hub, Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend has positioned itself not only as an event the entertainment industry's most elite go to but also as a trendsetting event that music industry insiders watch and jockey to book their artists' performances.

The Dinah is one of the only all-girl parties featuring a phenomenal line-up of talent ever to perform at a lesbian event. Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Colbie Caillat, India Arie, The Pussycat Dolls, Kesha and more recently Iggy Azalea, are just a few examples of major recording artists that headlined the epic event while still "unknown" and then systematically went on to hit international superstardom.

More than just an event promoter extraordinaire, Hanson is first and foremost an avant-garde business entrepreneur and exemplary community leader, who in a little over two decades has created an unsurpassed cultural and social phenomenon and built an impressive empire turning a small one-night event with 1,500 participants into a five-day bash with some 15,000-plus participants, booking entire hotels and securing major corporate sponsors.

The 5th Annual Center Stage Gala will open with a Reception & Silent Auction at 5:30 P.M., followed by a sit-down Dinner and Entertainment at 7 P.M., hosted by the quick witted Kate Clinton and concert by the nationally recognized singing string quartet Well-Strung. The Center will also honor Judge Vaughn R. Walker (Ret) with the "Vanguard" Award.

Already expected to be one of the highlights of the Coachella Valley social season, the Center Stage soiree not only stands as a fun kick-off to Palm Springs Pride, but also as the perfect opportunity for The Dinah to stamp its mark in its highly anticipated upcoming April 2015 milestone 25th Anniversary.

The 5th Annual Center Stage Gala presented by Eisenhower Medical Center will be held on Friday, Nov. 7 at The Riviera Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, CA.

For information or tickets, call 760-416-7790 or visit www.thecenterps.org/events/centerstage. For information about Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend, visit www.TheDinah.com