Jamestown Pride will hold their sixth annual Pride Festival this Saturday in downtown Jamestown.
Pride has been historically celebrated during the month of June following the Stonewall Uprising, which was a series of protests by the LGBTQ community after a police raid during the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, on the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. This became a seminal event in the history of the LGBTQ movement for equal rights in this country.
The day will start with the Jamestown Farmers Market and at least 80 street vendors at 9:00 a.m.
Those interested in taking part in the Rainbow Walk Foot Parade may sign up starting at 10:00 a.m. at the Wintergarden Plaza. The walk will start at noon with speakers at the Wintergarden Plaza before making a loop around downtown. Music and dance activities will continue on the Wintergarden Plaza until 3:30 p.m.
The party then moves to various venues downtown including a variety show at Wicked Warren’s, Queens on the Patio at Brazil, and a youth friendly Pride show at Knights of Enchanted Dreams. The night ends at Sneakers Bar with a burlesque and drag review. That event is for those 21 and over. There is a $10 cover fee.
Pride events will end Sunday at 10:00 a.m. with a Pride Service at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.
Jamestown Pride President Steven Cobb said that while growing up in Jamestown, he felt he had to move away in order to be open about who is he is and to feel safe.
He says he realized that wasn’t true, “I felt it was important that people in our community and the queer community know that they don’t have to leave Jamestown in order to be safe, in order to be part of a community, to contribute to the community, and to feel valued and recognized.”
Presenting sponsors for this year’s festivities are Evergreen Health, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, and the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County.
For more information, visit Jamestown Pride on Facebook or Instagram.
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