Skip to main content

Show Your Colors and Celebrate Community



Howard County Pride is kicking off their celebration of LGBTQIA+ culture with an event this morning at Colorburst Park in the Merriweather District. As you know, Howard County’s official celebration of Pride is held at Merriweather Park in Symphony Woods in October, to coincide with LGBTQIA+ History Month. 

Image from Howard County Pride website


This morning’s event begins at nine thirty and runs until 1:00. There will be plenty of fun, family-oriented activities plus the announcements of the winner of the K-12 Art Contest for HoCo Pride Festival in October and Hoco Pride Community Awards.



They’re encouraging folks to patronize area businesses in the Merriweather District, some of whom have provided some incentives to support HoCo Pride. To learn more, visit the HoCo Pride Facebook page.

I went to last year's event (and wrote about it) and I’d like to give a shoutout to the planners of this year’s event for choosing a morning time slot this time. 

Last night I went with my family to a HoCo Pride event held at Color Burst Park in the Merriweather District. It was the first time we had been there and I ought to be able to give you some kind of decent description but I can’t.  It was so, so hot that my brain went into survival mode. My apologies. I can say that drinking fountains or those cool, newfangled contraptions that allow one to refill their water bottles would have been welcome.  - - HoCo Pride Braves the Heat, Village Green/Town², June 26, 2023

A morning event in that space is bound to be cooler! Smart move.

I noticed that they have one of those Eventbrite free registration links but I don’t think they’ll be checking registration at the site. Something I do want to call your attention to:



Note the highlighted part on the registration page. 

There is an event at Merriweather at noon. It is recommended to come early to find parking.

Friends, they are not kidding. Last year there was a similar overlap with MPP and parking was…a struggle. If you think I’m exaggerating, may I present Exhibit A: a post from Downtown restaurants Cured/18th & 21st:

At long last, concert season at Merriweather Post Pavilion kicks off this weekend! But, that means coming to dine with us can get a little hectic. That's why we put together some helpful tips on getting here and getting parking in the garage.

https://bit.ly/3xUFVoq

The Merriweather District’s proximity to MPP is, of course, entirely on purpose. The fact that a nearby restaurant is offering helpful parking information for patrons suggests to me that there may be times when the location is less than convenient. A tip of the hat to Cured for getting this helpful information out there.

I’m hoping that a morning time frame will make it far easier for folks to access Colorburst Park and enjoy the event, but, I thought I should clue you in if you haven’t been there during concert season.

Alas, I’m not available this morning. If you go, I’d love to know all about it. The good folks of Howard County Pride do an amazing job providing support, community education, and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ individuals and families in Howard County.


Village Green/Town² Comments 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more