BORREGO SPRINGS, Calif., Oct. 28, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is the title sponsor of the Borrego Days Desert Festival Parade on Saturday, Oct. 29, in Borrego Springs, Calif. The event is part of the 40th Annual Borrego Days Desert Festival, a three-day event taking place Oct. 28 - Oct. 30, featuring the parade, the Miss Borrego Springs Pageant, an arts-and-crafts fair and a music festival in the historic desert community located 85 miles northeast of San Diego.
The parade starts at 11 a.m. and will travel down Palm Canyon Drive, ending at Christmas Circle and featuring more than 50 entries. The parade will include marching bands, floats and vehicles representing community leaders, schools, civic clubs and businesses. San Diego County Supervisor Bill Horn will serve as the parade grand marshal.
SDG&E's entry will feature two large trucks used by electric crews to construct, maintain and repair its overhead electric system; a line truck with a 48-foot overhead boom, used to "set" poles, install equipment and move overhead wires; and a "bucket truck" that can lift line workers some 50 feet into the air to work on electric power lines. The entry will also feature Louie the Lightning Bug, SDG&E's mascot that teaches kids how to play it safe around electricity.
SDG&E will have a booth at the Arts and Crafts Festival on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 29-30 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. where customers who meet income requirements can sign up for its assistance programs including the 20-percent utility-bill discount program for limited-income customers. Visitors to SDG&E's booth can enter a drawing for an energy-saving Energy Star LG 26-cubic foot, side-by-side refrigerator with digital display controls for ice, water, temperature, child locks and water filter indicator. They can also learn about the Sunrise Powerlink, SDG&E's new proposed power line project.
"I can't say enough positive things about SDG&E. The company and its employees have always been there for our businesses and our community and we are thrilled to have SDG&E as this year's parade sponsor," said Gwenn Marie, president of the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce.
"SDG&E has a long tradition of giving back to the communities it serves and is proud to be a part of the Borrego Days Desert Festival," said Steven D. Davis, senior vice president of SDG&E's external relations and chief financial officer.
Borrego Springs is an unincorporated community in the county of San Diego where San Diego County highways S-3 and S-22 meet in Borrego Valley. Borrego Springs has a full-time population of 3,000 residents and a part-time population of more than 10,000. It has the unique distinction of being surrounded by the largest state park in the contiguous United States, the Anza Borrego Desert State Park part of the Colorado Desert. About 900 square miles in size (over 650,000 acres), the park is home to hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails, 12 wilderness areas and many species of wildlife such as golden eagles, mule deer and big horn sheep. This desert park features washes, wildflowers, palms groves, cacti and sweeping vistas. To learn more about Borrego Springs and the 40th Annual Borrego Days Desert Festival, go to www.borregospringschamber.com
SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.3 million consumers through 1.3 million electric meters and more than 800,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The utility's area spans 4,100 square miles. Exceptional customer service is a priority of SDG&E as it seeks to enhance the region's quality of life. SDG&E is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE). Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company.