This June is Pride Month across the world. It is a month dedicated to celebrating and uplifting the LGBTQ+ community as well as advocating for the rights of our family, friends and neighbors in the LGBTQ+ community. This year, the OutCenter Southwest Michigan invites the community to celebrate at ‘Pride Fest in the Park’, a fun family festival being held in Dwight P. Mitchell Park at 100 E Main Street, Benton Harbor on June 25, 2022 from 3-6 PM.
This free, all ages event will feature tents with local artists showing their work, face painting for the kids, lots of food trucks and music by DJ Michael. Creating this event began in 2021 in response to reimagining traditional Pride events in the age of Covid, while finding a creative way to give it the same Southwest Michigan style festival energy you would experience at events like the Niles Apple Fest or the Coloma Peach Fest.
Since the start of Pride in the 1970s, hundreds of independent Pride events have sprung up in cities worldwide, however our area’s local organizers wanted to create an inclusive event that is focused on the ways our community enjoys coming together.
“We were inspired by the events that exist in our area and wanted to create a fun festival atmosphere open to everyone,” explains Gerik Nasstrom, OutCenter Southwest Michigan Program Coordinator. “Our community isn’t New York, Chicago or San Francisco. We wanted to make sure it feels like us, like Southwest Michigan.”
While ‘Pride Fest in the Park’ aims to be a fun summer day in the park, the overarching goal to bring our community together is the event’s main focus.
“This festival is important for a number of reasons. If you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community or have a close friend or family member that is, it’s a good opportunity to come celebrate with them and learn about the community as whole,” explains Gerik. “Even if you don’t necessarily have someone in the LGBTQ+ community that you are close to, it’s so valuable for people to come out and support people who are your neighbors or coworkers who don’t always see that type of support in their daily lives. We wanted to create a space where likeminded people can come together and show the LGBTQ+ community members who may not have the support they need, know that they do not need to feel alone.”
Everyone is invited to ‘Pride Fest in the Park’, families, friends, allies, people who have questions, or are in the questioning stage. The OutCenter will have a booth on site with resources and staff to answer questions about the organization and the work they are doing in Southwest Michigan.
“We are incredibly happy with the growth happening in our area. We are starting to see a lot of walls breaking down and have engaged with school administrators, the health care industry, and professional workspaces to help them give LGBTQ+ individuals the support they need,” says Gerik. “We invite everyone to stop by and see what we are doing not only for the community we directly serve, but how we are creating a social space that embraces how someone identifies and the causes they care about. This is a community where people might not know where they belong and this festival, and OutCenter Southwest Michigan, is a place where they can see their friends and neighbors and be united in something bigger.”
‘Pride Fest in the Park’ is just one of a slate local of Pride Month events planned for the week of June 23rd. To see a full list of events, including events at The Market in St. Joe and the Livery in Benton Harbor visit https://outcenter.org/pridefest-2022.
‘Pride Fest in the Park’ will have a rain location at the Boys and Girls Club on Nate Wells Drive in case of inclement weather. This year’s event is sponsored by Full Circle Café, AEP, United Federal Credit Union, Whirlpool Corporation, Gast Manufacturing, Spectrum Health Lakeland, Lakeside Inn, Comcast, Elizabeth McCree Law, Hinman Counseling Services, and Horizon Bank.
Story by Julee Laurent MOTM Contributor
