Although June is traditionally considered Pride month in the LGBT community, gay pride will be rolling through several Pennsylvania towns this month too.
Reading will host its Pride celebration July 18, while Harrisburg will stage the Pride Festival of Central PA on July 24.
This will be the fourth year for the Reading festival, which will take place in Centre Park from noon-6 p.m.
Donald Maher, director of marketing for the festival, said planning for this year’s event began just one day after last year’s festival, as organizers outlined how best to fuse both education and entertainment components into the festivities.
This year’s celebration will stretch throughout the weekend, beginning with a screening of “Small Town Gay Bar” at 7 p.m. July 16 at Reading Area Community College’s Schmidt Training & Technology Center, Second and Penn streets.
Maher said he expects the documentary to resonate with Reading’s LGBT community.
“Reading only has one gay bar,” he said. “While the film is set in the deep South, I think a lot of people in this area can relate to it. We want to use this film as a forum to look at the gay bar as a community institution and explore why it is that there’s only one gay bar in our area. We have an extremely rich history of gay bars — we had up to 10-plus gay bars at various times — but over the last few decades most have closed, so we want to take a look at that.”
Organizers are also hoping to fuel discussions about the intersection of the LGBT and religious communities during a Pride in Interfaith Prayer Service, 7 p.m. July 17 at Calvary United Church of Christ, 640 Centre Ave., which will be open to individuals of all faiths. The Pride Night-Before Party will kick off at 10 p.m. at the town’s gay bar, Red Star Saloon, 11 S. 10th St.
The Pride festival itself will feature headliner Thea Austin, who produced hits such as “Rhythm is a Dancer” and “I’ve Got the Power,” as well as singer Tom Goss, DJ Evelyn and an array of drag queens and kings.
About 2,500 people are expected to turn out for the event, which will also include nonprofit and food vendors, a Pride Idol competition for budding vocalists and a Pet Drag Show.
“Just like the ‘Small Town Gay Bar’ film, this is a small-town Pride festival. It’s in a lovely park and, hopefully if the weather holds out, it’ll make for a wonderful afternoon,” Maher said. “We have a great after-party right after the festival, so this is a good chance for people to come up from the big city in Philly to see how somewhat smaller towns do Pride.”
Philadelphians are also invited to head west for the Central PA Pride celebration the following weekend.
Pride began 19 years ago as a picnic and has seen continued growth ever since, said board president Jeff Clouser.
The event now includes a parade, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, and which will set off at 11 a.m. July 24 down Front Street. New to the parade are a dog drag competition — where LGBTs and allies can walk in the parade alongside their dressed-up pets — as well as a contest for Miss/Mr. Pride Parade, for those with the most over-the-top drag outfit.
The festival will run from noon-5 p.m. at Riverfront Park and is expected to draw about 5,000 people. LGBT dance troupe DC Cowboys, fresh off their appearance in Philadelphia’s Fourth of July parade, will headline the event, taking the stage at 3 p.m.
Clouser said that organizers decided to retain the two-stage format introduced at last year’s festival, giving a number of local talent the chance to perform.
In addition to the entertainment, guests can peruse the offerings of the more-than100 vendors, receive HIV testing or visit the family-friendly area.
There will also be a series of LGBT events throughout the weekend, such as a joint concert by several local LGBT singing groups, 8 p.m. July 23 at 20 S. Second St., and pre- and post-Pride parties.
“I think everyone will find something to do that’s geared toward them,” Clouser said. “It’s not only a destination for Pride, but it’s also a great chance to see Central Pennsylvania and visit where our capital is.”
For more information about Reading Pride, visit www.readingpridecelebration.com.
For more information about the Pride Festival of Central PA, visit www.prideofcentralpa.org.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].