This past weekend, April 14th and 15th were the days that Pride in the Park was held in Elmwood Park in Roanoke, VA. Normally Pride in the Park has been held during the fall, but this year they decided to change things up and the weekend of festivities was moved to the spring. Pride in the Park has been held for 28 years now, and it this year I got to experience what it was like to be there firsthand for the first time.
I was volunteering at a booth for the history project that I intern for (check out our facebook page) and I was present for both days of the festival. I have never attended a pride festival anywhere so I was so intrigued by the amount of families with young children that showed up the first day. There were many families and parents who were walking around with young children and it was so heartwarming to watch them encourage and support their children when they expressed interest in learning more about different booths.
There were so many amazing performers and groups that were on stage throughout the festival; and the diverse group of people that came out to support them was amazing to see. Even Sunday, with the threat of a tornado warning looming, everyone stayed out to celebrate, support and bond with one another. Now, when it did finally start to pour there was a stampede of rainbows and faces beat to the gods running from the park faster than a strike of lightning, and it was a site to see. Regardless of the weather, people were out and willing to talk about themselves and their experiences and it was amazing to experience the openness and love that pride really brings to an area.
This was especially relevant Sunday, as our booth hosted a reunion and discussion with members of First Friday, which was the FIRST AND ONLY lesbian organization in Roanoke, Virginia. It was probably one of the most interesting and enlightening moments and I encourage anyone to check out copies of Skip Two Periods, which was the newsletter they published because it truly was and is an important and interesting read no matter which edition you pick.
I had never been to a pride festival before, so this was a truly fascinating and self-affirming weekend that I will gladly be present at for years to come. If you missed out or want to know what type of entertainment and vendors to look forward to next year you can check out the guide for all of the information on Pride in the Park 2018. I could never have imagined myself being so open about my own sexuality and gender identity but this past year I really have found a community that is more accepting than I could have ever imagined. Feel free to check out my recent story about my LGBTQ+ journey, and make sure you come out to Pride in the Park next year for a fun time with some great people!
Image Sources:
All photos provided by author
Gif from Giphy.com