LGBTea Dances hosts first Chester County Pride Fest since 2005
The first Chester County Pride Weekend since 2005 kicked off on Saturday, June 4, from 12 to 5 p.m. at Reeves Park in Phoenixville with a Pride Festival.
From all across the region, hundreds of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community members and allies joined in a celebration of diversity and progress.
The festival began with an introduction by Phoenixville Mayor Michael Speck, as Grand Marshall, and a tribute the late Frank Viera and Jeff Rudd, pioneers of the Chester County LGBT community.
Attendees enjoyed musical performances by Gretchen Schultz, Touch the Sky, Mama’s Black Sheep and Andrea Nardello, as well as Diamond Entertainment’s female impersonators Liza Minnelli, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and the 2016 Chester County Pride Queen, Carl Max, as Whitney Houston.
The festival included more than 70 vendors covering a variety of everything from art to veterinarians and there were raffles, food, games and a wide range of giveaways. Families and children enjoyed their own section of activities from face-painting and science experiments to clowns and inflatable fun.
After the festival, numerous businesses within Phoenixville offered specials and discounts for the attendees of Pride Fest, and even offered free babysitting for the evening.
On Sunday, June 5, LGBTea Dances hosted the Second Annual Pride Gala at Spring Hollow Country Club from 12 to 5 p.m.
The Keynote Speaker was Mark Segal, founder of the Philadelphia Gay Newspaper (PGN) and LGBT pioneer. Mr. Segal spoke about details from his new book, And Then I Danced, which chronicles his journey as a leader of LGBT rights, starting with his presence at the infamous Stonewall raids in 1969.
The Gala also featured Guest Speaker Braeden Lange, the local youth responsible for the creation of the Courage Games, and performances by the talented Grant Holcomb and CarlMax, the 2016 Chester County Pride Queen.
Funds raised at these and other events support Chester County high school GSA clubs, LGBTQA student scholarships, LGBTQ support groups, Pride Festivals and community outreach, health and education programs. Supporters such as Virtual Creative Farm, Dow Chemical, Pfizer, Sanctuary Counseling, Creative Capital Wealth Management Group, Phoenixville Hospital, Phoenixville/Freedom Valley YMCA, Baja Beach Tanning and Chorus Photography helped this weekend’s events raise almost $28,000.