The Trentonian (Trenton, NJ)

Trenton hosts Pride Fest, first lady scheduled to attend

- By Sulaiman AbdurRahma­n Sulaiman@21st-centurymed­ia.com @sabdurr on Twitter

TRENTON >> Mayor Reed Gusciora, Trenton’s first openly gay leader-in-chief, is looking forward to attending Saturday’s downtown Pride Fest and invites everyone to participat­e in the festivitie­s.

“We are pretty excited,” Gusciora said of this weekend’s pride event honoring the LGBTQ community, adding New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy is expected to attend.

The 2019 Trenton Pride Fest takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday on South Warren Street between East State and Lafayette streets here in the capital city.

“We are going to have performers throughout the day,” Gusciora said of the event. “We are going to have dance companies. People are bringing in classic cars, a number of food vendors. There will be plenty of activities for persons of all ages, and we are hoping to have a good attendance.”

Downtown Trenton on weekends tends to be a “ghost town,” but the city wants to “bring more people downtown and enjoy the central business district,” Gusciora said. “We hope with these events that people come visit downtown and have Trenton as a destinatio­n. These are efforts to make Trenton lively and an enjoyable place.”

The LGBTQ+ Trenton Facebook page has promoted the free event and says “all are welcome” to attend.

Although Gusciora is a member of the LGBTQ community, he said his support of Saturday’s Pride Fest is consistent with his broader approach to have more community events held in downtown Trenton, such as the Chinese New Year and Bastille Day celebratio­ns that took place earlier this year.

“This is a way,” Gusciora said, “of getting people of all races, religions, sexual orientatio­ns together to enjoy life in the heart of Trenton.”

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SUBMITTED 2019 Trenton Pride Fest

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