Friday June 15, 2007 Vol 35 Issue 24 |
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Friday, Jul 04, 2008
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PRIDE HAS ARRIVED! |
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| PRIDE HAS ARRIVED! | ||
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Four major Pride events: March on Broadway; QueerFest at Volunteer Park; Seattle Pride Parade along 4th Avenue; and PrideFest at Seattle Center by Robert Raketty - SGN Staff Writer The countdown to Seattle's 2007 Pride is over and the festivities have begun. This week is full of exciting and interesting events, all building in anticipation of next weekend's four main events; two scheduled to take place on Capitol Hill on Saturday, June 23, and the other two to be held downtown on Sunday, June 24. Due to the efforts of the Seattle LGBT Community Center, Seattle Out and Proud and, newcomer, One Degree Events, there will be much to see and do next weekend. Saturday will include the Pride March on Broadway and QueerFest at Volunteer Park. Likewise, the Seattle Pride Parade downtown along 4th Avenue and PrideFest at the Seattle Center after the parade will be held on Sunday. Seattle's QueerFest and Pride March on Capitol Hill are free to spectators. The Sunday Seattle Pride Parade downtown is also free to parade watchers. In addition, PrideFest at Seattle Center is free, except for an after party produced by One Degree Events at Level 5. The Seattle Gay News again spoke with the organizers of these Pride celebrations this week about their respective events. SATURDAY, JUNE 23 The Seattle LGBT Community Center's QueerFest on Capitol Hill on Saturday, June 23, will begin at 11 a.m. with the Pride March proceeding north along Broadway, starting at Pine and ending at E. Prospect. Senator Ed Murray, Representative Jamie Pedersen and Congressman Jim McDermott have been named the Grand Marchers of the march and will lead the procession. The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Washington State, the organizational Grand Marcher, will fallow behind them. At Volunteer Park, QueerFest continues from noon to dusk with two stages of music and entertainment, organizational and business booths and food vendors. The Cal Anderson Art Walk, a showcase of art from local LGBT artists co-sponsored by 4Culture, will be a new addition this year. Former Miss Gay Seattle XL and drag artist and activist Aleksa Manila will act as mistress of ceremonies. The line-up of entertainment will include popular acts, as well as up-and-coming artists. The Erika Wright Band, Animal Prufrock, Camille Bloom, God-dess & She, Sister Hyde, Beehive, Alabaster, will be among the musical entertainment. Local favorites, such as the Rainbow City Band, the Purple Passion Swing Band, Bad Actor Productions, Sapphire Knight from The Court of Seattle, Chica Boom and the Queen Bees will also perform. Spoken word artists from the Bent Writing Institute will contribute their works. In addition, Barbara Sehr, Jen Kober and Steven Carriker will grace the stage. The popular free outdoor movie screening, presented by Three Dollar Bill Cinema, will return this year. The movie Hairspray! will be shown at dusk. According to Shannon Thomas, Executive Director of the Seattle LGBT Community Center, the festival will have increased in "size and scope" when compared to last year. She also said it was not too late to sign up for the Pride March or to be a vendor at Volunteer Park. QueerFest is also looking for Pride volunteers, she added. For more information, visit www.QueerFest.org. Helping to insure the ongoing success of QueerFest, the Seattle LGBT Community Center announced a partnership on Thursday, June 14, with Neighbours Nightclub to help to underwrite the event this year and for future years. "The support of Mona, Mo and Tony at Neighbours has been amazing," said Thomas. "Since we stepped up to expand QueerFest to be a Pride Festival in early May, we've been under the gun to raise the funds to support it. This partnership ensures years of success for our LGBT community to come together in celebration and activism. Neighbours' support of The Center not only supports this once-a-year-event, but supports our LGBT Community Center throughout the year." Proceeds from the Saturday event will benefit the Seattle LGBT Community Center. SUNDAY, JUNE 24 Seattle Out and Proud will hold its second parade along 4th Avenue on Sunday, June 24. The Seattle Pride Parade will kick-off at 11 a.m. at Union Street and end at Denny Way. According to Troy Campbell, a board member and spokesman for SOAP, the event is shaping up to be a success. "I am really excited," he said. "It's great how everything has come together and I am ecstatic about the whole thing. "It is quite the diverse [parade] line up. ... I think it looks great and I feel it represents many different segments of the community." The 2007 Grand Marshals include: Dennis Coleman, Artistic Director of the Seattle Men's Chorus; Kiantha Duncan-Woods, Board President of Seattle Black Pride; and the Gay Fathers Association of Seattle. The Celebrity Grand Marshals, Jane Abbott Lighty, Pete-e Petersen and Chuck Lazenby, are featured in the documentary film Inlaws & Outlaws. "There's going to be special guests this year and they are, in addition to our Grand Marshalls: Jenna Drey, Alyson and Reina," he added. "These are big name performers who are actually going to be in the parade and performing in Seattle during Pride weekend " Mark "Mom" Finley will be the official parade announcer this year. "He's really great. It's nice to have a familiar face doing the parade again. I was happy that he was able to come back for the second year and was willing to do it," said Campbell. The parade announcer's booth and ADA viewing area will be located at Westlake Park between Pike and Pine on 4th. New to Westlake Park, however, will be a SOAP merchandise table and a panel of judges who will award a total of $4,000 to notable parade contingents. "I haven't seen anything yet, but some of the questions that we have received so far have led me to believe that some groups are definitely putting together some spectacular floats and entries," he said. "The e-mails we have received have really sparked my curiosity and it sounds like there will be a lot of really cool things; floats people are putting a lot of time and effort into." SOAP went to great lengths to correct issues with the parade last year, including the length of the parade and gaps between the contingents, according to Campbell. "Since we don't have to be split between running a festival and a parade, all of the board and committee members will have specific jobs this year," he said. "We have more volunteers and better radios. ... We are also having spotters in different parts of the city watching the parade and letting us know if we need to speed up or slow down so that the pace of the parade is steady. ... That way a lot of the things that needed to be improved from last year won't happen again." For more information about the Seattle Pride Parade, visit www.seattlepride.org. Following the parade on Sunday, June 24, will be PrideFest at the Seattle Center's Fisher Pavilion and surrounding lawn. The event from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. features a beer garden, speakers, entertainment and booths from nonprofits and businesses alike. The entertainment will take place on the main stage and in the "acoustic café." The line-up includes performers, such as Inaya Day, Reina, and Abigail; DJs Bryan Pfeifer, LA Kendall, Kyler from C89.5, Wasabi; and comic Jen Kober. State Senator Ed Murray, who is only the second openly Gay person to serve in the Senate, is scheduled to address the crowd. During his time in the legislature, Murray sponsored and helped to pass an anti-bullying measure, a non-discrimination bill and domestic partner legislation. Egan Orion, Owner and Principle Producer of One Degree Events, told the SGN last week PrideFest will be a "celebration for the whole community" and "will kick some butt." "We have a great lineup of sponsors that has enabled us to put everything back into the event," he said. "Even though we only had 6 weeks to create a top-notch festival, we make no excuses for time. ... [It is] definitely going to be one mighty Pride." Orion's company is also producing several parties on Pride weekend: one on Capitol Hill on Friday; one at the Seattle Center on Saturday and another nearby the Seattle Center on Sunday. One Degree Events is also hosting a private meet-and-greet with Frenchie Davis at Neumo's on Capitol Hill on Friday, June 22, to raise funds for Lifelong AIDS Alliance. A $10 suggested donation is requested. According to Orion's website, a "minimum of 25 percent of the net proceeds from the One Might Pride Party and PrideFest will benefit local LGBT community non-profits." For more information about PrideFest or to reserve a booth or table, visit www.seattlepridefest.com. |
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