Press Release, Tuesday, September 08, 1998:
STAR OF TV's BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER NAMED HARTFORD HALLOWEEN PARADE GRAND MARSHAL

AIDS Project Hartford announced today that Anthony Stewart Head, the actor who plays Giles the Watcher on the hit television program Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will be the Grand Marshal for AIDSWALK '98: The Hartford Halloween Parade to Benefit AIDS Project Hartford.

Mr. Head will lead off the costumed Halloween parade on Sunday, October 25th, starting from the grounds of The Hartford Insurance Groups headquarters on Asylum Street near Downtown Hartford. The two-mile parade route will wind its way past Hartford's historic Union Station and on through the streets of the downtown business district, before culminating in an awards ceremony at the pavilion stage in Bushnell Park. The event is sponsored in part by WB-59 TV, The Travelers, The Hartford, Anthem/Blue Cross, WKSS-FM and WHCN-FM.

Head is best known for his role in the ongoing series of Taster's Choice commercials and a successful theater, television and film career in his native England for many years. For over ten years, television viewers in England and the United States, anxiously awaited the newest installment of the budding romance between the two neighbors who shared a love for the same coffee.

Now, Head is achieving new success in the United States for his pivotal role in the highly successful and critically acclaimed Warner Brothers series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, now approaching it's third season. In the role of Rupert Giles, Head plays the "Watcher" to Buffy's "Slayer" on the action packed series.

Head says that he is very excited about the opportunity to visit Hartford and take part in AIDSWALK '98. "I am very committed to lending my talent and energy to keeping the message about AIDS and HIV prevention at the forefront of everyone's mind," he said recently.

Money raised from the Halloween parade will go to benefit AIDS Project Hartford. The agency provides financial counseling and assistance, support groups, a food pantry and other services to hundreds of individuals living with HIV/AIDS annually.

Note from AIDSWALK (sent to ash-gasp (mailing list), 5 November 1998):
AIDS Project Hartford would like to thank everyone who joined Anthony and our supporters at the Hartford Halloween Parade this month. It was a great success and the GASPERS who came in made it a very special day indeed. Tony had a great time and was pleased to help out with our fundraising efforts.

If anyone wishes to make a donation to AIDS Project Hartford in Tony's name, please send your checks to:
Joseph Downton
AIDS Project Hartford
Development Office
110 Bartholomew Street
Hartford CT 06106

Commercials:
"Hi. I'm Anthony Stewart Head. Tuesday nights I'm usually slaying vampires with Buffy on WB 59. But this month I'll be taking on a different kind of fight in Connecticut--the fight against AIDS. Join me and Courtney from Kiss 95.7 at the Hartford halloween parade to benefit AIDS project Hartford on Sunday October the 25th. By taking part in the halloween costume parade, you can help combat the spread of HIV infections and provide support for people with AIDS."

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Daily Campus, "AIDS Walk this Sunday in Hartford," 23 October 1998, by Jason Harris, Staff Writer. (http://www.dailycampus.com/focus/current/aids_fjh1023.html)

The fight against AIDS continues when AIDS Project Hartford conducts AIDS walk '98. The parade, entitled The Hartford Halloween Parade to Benefit AIDS Project Hartford, will take place on Sun., Oct. 24.

The parade walks along a two-mile route through downtown Hartford. The grand marshall of the parade will be Anthony Stewart Head who portrays Giles on "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer."

Head was asked to be the Grand Marshall a couple of months ago, he said. It was the first thing he was asked to do when he came back to the U.S. to start filming the third season of "Buffy."

"I made a choice that I will be more available this year," Head said about doing things for charity. "I have lost a number of friends to AIDS. We should care for the people who have it."

In London, Head has done work for the Terence Higgins Trust, the main body which coordinates AIDS events research, he said.

"I am always careful not to spread myself too thin," he said. "I like people to know that I have thought about [these causes]."

The event begins with the pre-parade registration at The Hartford Insurance Groups headquarters on Asylum Street. All pledges and donations must be collected prior to the day of the parade. There will be prizes awarded to the individuals and teams who have raised the most money. The prizes include a trip to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a Web TV package with television set, weekend getaways to New Orleans and Cape Cod, movie and theater passes, plus gift certificates from area restaurants and bookstores, and other prizes.

People coming to the parade can dress up as their favorite cartoon character, actor, television character or anything else a person can dream up.

The event will have food donated by Subway and featuring music by The Undertones, Storm Warning Jazz Band and others throughout the day. There will be a benefit concert at the Webster Theater featuring Max Creek and Deep Banana Blackout. An estimated 1,000 people will be attending the event, said Joseph Downton, the director of development at Aids Project Hartford.

The entire event is sponsored by WB-59 TV, The Travelers, The Hartford, Anthem/Blue Cross, WKSS-FM, The Hartford Advocate, WHCN-FM and a number of other companies.

Tickets for the benefit concert are $20 and will go to AIDS Project Hartford along with all the money raised from the parade. The doors to the Webster Theater will open at 6:30 p.m. and the concert will begin at 8 p.m. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

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(Hartford) Courant, "Watch the Watcher," 23 October 1998, by Mark S. Del Vecchio. (http://www.courant.com)

Buffy fans, get ready to march! Anthony Stewart Head, who stars as Giles the Watcher on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on WB), will be the grand marshal for AIDSWALK '98: The Hartford Halloween Parade to Benefit AIDS Project Hartford.

Head will lead off the parade, scheduled to step off at 11 a.m. Sunday.

The costumed parade, with participants who are sponsored to benefit AIDS Project Hartford, will start at The Hartford Financial Services Group headquarters on Asylum Avenue. It wlll wind its way past Union Station and through the business district and end with an awards ceremony at the pavilion stage at Bushnell Park.

As part of the festivities, Max Creek and Deep Banana Blackout will play Sunday at the Webster Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., the concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door. The show benefits AIDS Project Hartford. The theater is at 31 Webster St., Hartford. Information: (860) 525-5553.

For more information, call AIDS Project Hartford at (860) 951-4833, Ext. 313.

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Page created May 1999. Original material © Betsy Vera (bentley@umich.edu). This website is for information and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to infringe on copyrights held by others.