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Date: 4/25/2023
NORTHAMPTON — In conjunction with Northampton.live and the Downtown Northampton Association, Hampshire Pride is spearheading a Hampshire Pride event in downtown Northampton on May 6, starting at 11 a.m.
The event will celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in Hampshire County through a bevy of events throughout the day, including a parade, vendors, drag performances and a “Hampshire Pride Bar Crawl” that begins at 11:30 a.m. and goes throughout the day.
Clay Pearson, the director of Hampshire Pride, told Reminder Publishing that, although Pride month is celebrated in June, the parade and festival will occur on the first weekend of May to make sure the majority of the population can participate before summer vacations begins.
“Northampton has traditionally done [the festival and parade] the first Saturday in May to make sure that they can really include the vast majority of the young population in this area,” Pearson said.
The parade, according to Pearson, will begin at Sheldon Field on 26 Old Ferry Rd. and then march into town until it reaches the Thornes Marketplace parking lot, otherwise known as the Armory Street parking lot. From there, the rest of the festivities ensue.
“There’s going to be live music, there’s going to be drag queens, there’s going to be speakers, and there’s going to be DJs,” said Pearson. “There’s going to be a whole bunch of vendors selling various wares, or nonprofits just tabling and telling interesting things about their community efforts.”
The Hampshire Pride organization putting this festival and parade together officially went live at the beginning of March, according to Pearson. Preparations for this event have been a collective effort encompassing key people in the local LGBTQ+ community.
For example, Kayla Abney, a co-owner and operator of The Majestic Saloon — the staple queer bar in Northampton — has been “paramount” in setting up the vendor program for the event, according to Pearson.
“[Abney and The Majestic Saloon] has been the heart of the queer community in Northampton,” said Pearson.
According to a flyer on social media, The Majestic Saloon will be open 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Hampshire Pride Day with events at the bar happening all day including karaoke with DJ PRL from 5-8 p.m. and queer anthems with Bux Wild from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Other key organizers for the Hampshire Pride event include Celina Almendarez, who has spearheaded the social media outreach for the event, and Holly Cox, who is in charge of getting all the drag performers together.
Pearson, meanwhile, is a well-known figure in the LGBTQ+ community for their participation in the drag queen scene in the area for the last several years.
“It’s really been about getting the community to make sure that everybody can be represented,” said Pearson, of preparations. “We’re really trying to get each one of the letters of the alphabet mafia in there as best we can.”
The group’s wide range of expertise has culminated in a full slate of events for
May 6, like the Hampshire Pride Bar Crawl, which encompasses nine different bars throughout the day including The Majestic Saloon, The Toasted Owl, The Dirty Truth, Tellus & The Satellite Bar and much more. The social media page for the event encourages people to collect all nine wristbands from each bar for a chance to win a Hampshire Pride T-shirt.
The festivities will also include an extensive group of vendors like Dyke Dyes, High Five Books, SexEduNation, Wicked Whisk, Euphoria Float Soap, The Venture Out Project and more.
In a statement to Reminder Publishing, Ana Seiler, the marketing & partnerships coordinator for The Venture Out Project, said the organization is looking forward to celebrating the day with the rest of the community
“As a nationwide, LGBTQ-run nonprofit whose place of origin is right here in Hampshire County, we can’t imagine a better way to kick off the summer season than by celebrating with our hometown community,” Seiler said.
According to their website, The Venture Out Project leads backpacking and wilderness trips for the queer and transgender community. They also conduct transgender inclusion workshops for educators, adventure professionals, summer camps and more.
“Look for our table during the festival to explore our queer-led, eco-centered adventures, enter raffles to win major gear prizes, and purchase queer-designed outdoorsy swag that supports our organization,” Seiler said. “See you out there!”
Readers can follow updates on Hampshire Pride and learn more about the vendors by visiting the Hampshire Pride Facebook page, facebook.com/hampshirepride1.
For more information , visit linktr.ee/hampshire.pride?.