The Battlefords Area Pride committee is organizing the upcoming Pride Week festivities in August, including the Pride Parade planned for Saturday, Aug. 24. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff) 

By Angela Brown

Pride planning

Battlefords Pride Week events taking shape for next month

Jul 3, 2019 | 4:56 PM

The Battlefords Area Pride committee is primed for painting the streets the colours of the rainbow as it gets ready to host the annual LGBTQ+ Pride Week festivities next month.

The event runs from Aug. 19 to 25, with the parade day planned for Saturday, Aug. 24 in the early afternoon.

President Bobbisue Thompson said she is excited to see the Pride Parade now in its third year in the Battlefords.

“It is raising awareness,” she said. “We’re starting to get more people aware that we are actually out there and we’re here to help people.”

She said many LGBTQ+ people are afraid to come out and be themselves, so having a week to celebrate Pride is “a real inspiration to anybody who feels alone.”

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Thompson added organizers are also still looking for more volunteers to help with the festivities.

Last week the committee and supporters repainted the Pride rainbow crosswalk in Battleford, and have plans to create a new Pride crosswalk in North Battleford sometime soon.

As part of the Pride Week festivities, organizers plan to have a barbecue at the Live in the Park event at Central Park next to the North Battleford Library on Wednesday, Aug. 21.

New this year is a “family-friendly drag event” in North Battleford during the week, confirmed Thompson.

Other activities include a Pride Music in the Park event in Battleford.

Pride organizers are also looking forward to a screening at the Capital Theatre of To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! a road-trip comedy starting at midnight on Friday, Aug. 23.

A Pride street festival is planned for Aug. 24 to coincide with the parade, that will include entertainment, food vendors and various information booths in the afternoon in downtown North Battleford.

Kelly Waters, on the Battlefords Area Pride committee, said the team received a huge rainbow flag donation that participants are expected to carry in the parade this year.

She said if any individual or business wants to hang or fly the flag somewhere, that is also a possibility if anyone is interested.

On Sunday, Jack Saddleback of OUTSaskatoon and other guest speakers will deliver remarks.

Full details about the dates and times of all the activities during Pride Week are still being finalized.

—

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow