Pride on Main²

After I wrote about the misnamed “Moms 4 Liberty” from Carroll County bringing their aggressive intolerance to the Ellicott City Target, I received a lovely note from a reader:

Sykesville will also be having a Pride celebration on Main Street. Please don't think those few represent Carroll County.

Proof positive, today in Sykesville:

From the Downtown Sykesville Connection Website:

Join us for Sykesville Pride Day on June 3rd and be a part of a community that embraces love and acceptance! We have so many fun activities planned including:

Storytime with Naomi Ratchet. Naomi is an award-winning comedy queen/showrunner and former news reporter. Naomi’s story time will be from 1 pm-1:30 pm

Naomi Ratchet will MC our Pride Day walk at 3 pm at the Fountain park. 🌈🎉#SykesvillePrideDay #PrideCelebration,

Book chat time with A Likely Story Bookstore at 1:30 pm,

DJ through the day,

Pub crawl to benefit OUT LOUD, a program that provides a safe space for queer, neurodiverse adults (18+) to exist together and embrace individual perspectives.  “OUT Loud is intended for folx of a specific lived experience. We embrace all neurodiverse individuals – whether you’re formally diagnosed or not, we are committed to making you feel welcome”.

Free Cotton Candy,

Photobooth by the Carroll County Public Library,

Free face painting by Vicki’s MasCharade,

Hot dogs,

Raffle baskets,

Scavenger hunt,

Large canvas with handprints: everyone is invited to leave their mark! (7537 Main St).

and more!

Also today, (and tomorrow) on Main Street in Old Ellicott City:

Old Ellicott City welcomes all to join us June 3 & 4 as we celebrate PRIDE and our diverse vibrant community!

This year’s town-wide festivities include the return of the Mascara Run (this time up and down Main Street!), the Art Fair and Drag Story Hour. Throughout town find live music, special performances, a special movie presentation of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and lots more. OEC shops and restaurants will be rolling out the rainbow carpet with themed specials and their spin on Pride fun.

On Saturday, grab a dress and some tennies (no heels please!) and meet at AxGard at 1 for a little axe throwing then eat, drink and compete your way through town during the Mascara Run. Visit 14 OEC spots down the north side of Main Street then up the other side to finish in Lot F. Tickets are just $10, get your tickets HERE

Lot F will be full of Pride fun Saturday!  Starting at noon dance with DJDeezy, sip on Manor Hill Brewing craft brews and orange crushes, nosh on great eats from Buen Gusto and Bull on the Loose, and shop the Art Fair. Live music happens 3:00 to 7:30 with a group wedding/vow renewal and drag show mixed in between!

Find more vendors and live music on lower Main Street with Oella River Band rocking the street 1 – 4 pm on Saturday, and 2 – 5 pm on Sunday at B&O Plaza.

On Sunday at 11 am there’s Drag Story Hour at Backwater Books and the Art Fair moves to the EC Pops / Ooh La La parking lot just off Main Street on Old Columbia Pike

Count on plenty of free parking throughout town AND free shuttles run on Saturday 2 – 9 pm from the George Howard Building and old Circuit Courthouse lots to Main Street.

Proceeds from Mascara Run and Lot F festivities go to the wonderful people at CARY (Community Allies of Rainbow Youth in Howard County). Learn more and support them HERE.

Pride celebrations can be fun. My personal favorite is Howard County Pride which takes place in October in Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods. You know I love the setting but I also much prefer October weather! I also endorse the (unspoken) suggestion that it is suitable to celebrate LGBTQ+ neighbors in any/every month of the year. 

This weekend’s Pride celebrations support OUT LOUD and CARY and I encourage you to check them out and see how each group supports the LGBTQ+ communities where they are. Even if you don’t make it to one of these events, or the weather interferes, you can still make a donation and support their programs.

If you want to stand up for LGBTQ+ neighbors, friends, coworkers, family members - - plus all the community members you may never meet - - you need to do more than have fun at Pride.

• Vote for school board candidates who acknowledge and support the needs of LGBTQ+ students.
• Vote for state legislators who both support and are willing to vote to protect the civil rights of LGBTQ+ Marylanders.
• Ditto for national politics.
• If you see anti-LGBTQ+ harassment/discrimination: speak up.

Speak up, speak out, turn out, VOTE.

Our neighbors are under attack in almost every state right now. If you want to be an ally, please be an active ally twelve months a year.