“Maynard once again showed what makes our community so special. The 3rd Annual Pride Festival was a great success and brought together neighbors, families, businesses, and visitors in a joyful expression of inclusion, acceptance, and community spirit,” the Maynard Pride Association reported.

“Our theme this year was ‘Rooted in Resistance,’ honoring the legacy of the Stonewall uprising and the generations of LGBTQ+ advocates whose courage made today’s celebrations possible. Pride began as a movement for equality and visibility, and we were proud to recognize those roots while celebrating how far we’ve come,” the Pride Association said. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who attended, volunteered, sponsored, and helped make the day such a success. The enthusiasm and support on display reflected Maynard’s longstanding reputation as one of the most welcoming and LGBTQ+-affirming communities in MetroWest.”

The festival was created after the Maynard Cultural District Committee put out a survey in 2023 and several people asked why Maynard didn’t have a Pride Festival given its sizable LGBTQ+ population. The first festival in 2024 was so successful that organizers decided to incorporate as a 501(c)(3) in order to hold other community events during the year, including a comedy night and a mini movie festival.

Peg Brown, who grew up in Sudbury but has lived in Maynard for 47 years, said the festival “fits the bill for so many people; that’s why it’s so great! We used to go to Boston Pride but also have a low-key celebration here. All this stuff is what binds us together. The respect in this town for gay people is unparalleled. And I’m thrilled to see young people invested in this activity because it means it will continue for years.”

Deb Roussell, who has lived here for 30 years, moving from Western Massachusetts to Maynard to marry Peg, said “Maynard feels similar to Northampton but, because of our size, feels even more like a community.”

Lauren Tetreault, a local realtor, said she “moved to Maynard 38 years ago as a first-time homeowner. I was initially drawn to Maynard because there was housing I could afford. I was already a realtor then, and though the decision was financial at the time, I fell in love with the community here and with what was being built here.

“As for Gay Pride celebrations, we used to head into Boston with all the other folks and then head back to our home, where we were lucky enough to be part of a growing circle of friends, family, and allies that wanted to celebrate. One of the things I loved about being part of Maynard was that neighbors, even those who weren’t particularly interested or knew about the concept of gay pride, wanted to help our family celebrate: elderly neighbors, once they understood it was a ‘thing’ at our house, would volunteer a spare parking space, or send over a plate of cookies. How amazing and welcoming is that?”

“Now that we have a celebration in town, we sponsor, and take a day to be part of the amazing street festival that the Maynard Pride Committee has put together. It’s so delightful to meet more of our neighbors and celebrate with music, color, and dance. And we still rock it old-school with a family and friend-based Pride party later in the month, because Pride is too much fun to keep to one day,” Tetreault said.