What a day! For as much as we worried about the weather, the skies cleared and the sun shone down (and maybe even the Canadian wildfire haze dissipated?) on Tuesday, June 6th on the Winchester Town Common for our 3rd annual PRIDEfest. With more than 20 faith communities, businesses, organizations, and student groups; drag queens MCing and DJing the event; and upwards of 500 comumunity members, it was exactly the safe and inclusive space that we hoped the event would be.
PRIDEfest 2023 kicked off with a re-raising of the Pride flag over the Winchester Town Common, featuring remarks by Select Board Vice Chair Anthea Brady and Network for Social Justice Executive Director Liora Norwich. Following the flag raising, Network for Social Justice Board Member Timothy Matthews addressed the crowd before turning over the microphone to event emcee Miz Diamond Wigfall, along with her DJ Maxine Harrison. Miz Diamond entertained the crowd by dancing, singing, and bantering with the audience. Also taking a turn at the mainstage were three brave McCall QSA students who read a poem and sang for the crowd
We are so grateful to our event co-sponsors, Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church and Winchester Cooperative Bank; mainstage sponsors DEIB Outdoors, Dara Singleton, Realtor, the law office of Kerri A Koen, Gibson Sotheby International Realty, WUSYG/JUSYG, and the Winchester Community Music School; and of course our in-kind sponsors FULLer Cup, The Hive, Frozen Hoagies, House of Hot Sauce and More, Bagels ‘n’ Brew, Playa Bowls, and Sweet Surprize. While they helped make the event possible financially, PRIDEfest would not have happened with the hundreds of LGBTQIA+ community members and their allies who made the event what it was. Thank you so much!