PRIDE IN SASKATOON
Kaydence Stronger (Centre right) marches down the street during the Saskatoon Pride Parade downtown on Saturday. The Colourful parade Brought together people from All walks of life to Celebrate the LGBTQ2+ Community.
The floats in the Saskatoon Pride Parade are a celebration of the LGBTQ2+ community in the city — and sometimes they are a gesture of love and goodwill.
Allyson Reigh, one of this year’s parade judges and a member of Rosie and the Riveters, said the official criteria for the best float contest were colour, creativity and community spirit. Colour and creativity are fairly self-explanatory, but Reigh said community spirit is just as important to her.
“It’s inclusivity. Getting people out in support of what the parade and what Pride is really about,” Reigh said. “There’s people from all walks of life, and that’s a really important part of Pride too.”
Rev. Emily Carr with St. George’s Anglican Church was one of many who entered a float into the parade. It wasn’t the biggest or the most colourful, but Carr said it’s important for them to be out there.
“I’m a priest in a church that doesn’t yet have equal rights for gay people,” Carr said before the event. “I’m proud to be a part of the community who wants to advocate for equality, for all people, in our churches.”
Being involved in Pride celebrations has a dual meaning for Carr. She described herself as being gay and part of a “gay family,” and she said the church has not been particularly welcoming with the LGBTQ2+ community — both historically and today.
Carr was the prayer leader at a Pride church service Saturday morning, and then joined the parade with members of her congregation. The float was mostly intended to help children and the elderly take part, but Carr said she asked everyone to wear rainbow colours. She said the support from the congregation made her “feel loved.”
Reigh said it’s that kind of effort that makes a difference in terms of “community spirit.”
“The church is a place where a lot of discrimination has happened and a lot of hurt has happened,” she said. “I think showing support for an event like Pride ... really symbolizes a move in the right direction.”
Melissa Squire and her team from the clothing store and salon Alchemy regularly build standout floats for the parade, even winning the 2016 contest. This year the float had a “Ferngully ” theme, with lots of greenery and fairy wings.
But Squire said they don’t do it to win any competitions.
“It’s more just making a really cool float that kids like and the community likes,” she said. “I think showing up is the most important thing.”
Corey Neufeld, co-owner of The Better Good on Broadway, said he hadn’t even thought about winning the best float contest until their float “got so good.”
It’s an impressive-looking piece, with a metal dinosaur sculpture repurposed to be a unicorn and a solar-powered bubble machine that drew most of the attention.
It’s not as big or flashy as some other entries. But as Neufeld puts it, what matters most is being there — to show some community spirit.
“One person is as important as a whole float,” Neufeld said. “Everyone should be loved ... it’s a simple message.”