What an incredible journey the last 8 months have been! All of us at Erin Pride cannot even begin to express our immense gratitude for the amazing community that stood behind us and helped make our first official Pride happen in Erin! Let us take a moment to share some of the highlights with you - either as memories or for the first time!
Our morning began with Mayor Dehn giving a land acknowledgement and addressing the significance of finally bringing Pride to Erin
He was then followed by our founder and chair Tracey Wallace welcoming everyone to the party, expressing our joy and gratitude for everyone who joined us, and highlighting what we had in store for the afternoon.
Local award-winning chef, director of Cooking Up Change, and experienced therapist Pam Fanjoy took the mic to talk to our guests about the impact of Pride in small, rural communities like Erin, Ontario, and the significance of being able to finally hold an event such as ours in this community.
It was then time for us to get the party started! We began with our Junior Pride Cake Decorating Competition - which seemed to succeed at making just as many smiles as it did messes! Pam even leant a hand, though we're not sure for which cake...
Despite the heat and the slightly-chaotic nature of it all, these kids came up with some pretty fantastic designs!
We gave Tracey the impossible task of judging, but before choosing a favorite she gave each contestant the chance to explain their inspiration - "rainbows" were a common theme
We finished out the morning with Drag Queen Story Hour with Sapphyre Poison, reading our captivated little ones a series of children's books that focused on different types of families and personal expressions.
One fan made sure to snag a selfie at the end
While Sapphyre wrapped up her after-story Q&A with her fans, The Matinee Idols set up in the pavillion for their amazing set. It was at this moment that the rain came - two hours early. While we all scrambled to get our vendors under their tents, the band rocked on. This day needed way more cowbell
Unfortunately the early downpour cut our event even shorter than it had already become with our rain plan, but before we all got drenched there were quite a few moments worth taking in
And our brave vendors had tons of goodies to share with us (they are all still listed on our Exhibit page in case you missed picking up something from them!)
We also had a number of pups showing us their Pride!
There was a brief moment where the rain let up and we started packing, but we still had a trio of drag royalty ready and waiting to perform their set! Rural Commons saved our butts by opening their shop up for an impromptu perforamce where everyone could stay dry
King Freddie, Justin Cider, and Sapphyre Poison dazzled our small audience with some Disney-inspired favorites
We thank everyone for doing their absolute best for making the most of an unpredictable day, for the courage to come out and share the afternoon with us, and for the love you've shown us and each other.
Until next time.
Comments