Undaunted by overcast skies that turned into a heavy downpour, the Maynard community showed up in joyful abundance for the 2nd Annual Maynard PrideFest on June 7th!
This year we established a new tradition of bestowing the title of Festival Grand Marshal to honor selected members of Maynard’s LGBTQ+ community who have been activists and voices for the greater LGBTQ+ community, served the larger Maynard community or have done individual acts of service that deserve spotlighting.
This year’s Festival Grand Marshals, Peg Brown, Deb Roussell and Mark Koenig were chosen for their tireless efforts in securing the place and funds for a new Maynard Senior Center. We can’t wait to be at the ribbon cutting!
We kicked off our PrideFest this year with a Pet Parade, added in honor of our Rainbow Sponsor, Well Balanced Dog Training. And one lucky participant won a pet photo sitting with Cris Antonio Photography!
This year’s festival had so much to choose from: more food trucks, vendors and speakers, music from The Ladies of Blues and Soul, The Laters and line dancing with 617 Country. The vibe was sunny despite the damp and people stayed out dancing right up until it became too rainy for the band to continue. Nothing puts a damper on the Maynard Pride celebration!
In follow up surveys, our vendors and visitors told us they loved the true sense of community in Maynard. This year, in addition to our Maynard community, we attracted celebrants from Acton, Concord, Hudson, Stow, Berlin, Somerville and Arlington. 90% of our vendor survey respondents either met or exceeded their expected sales and nearly the same percentage plan to return next year.
Sunday’s Drag Story Hour with Miss Patty at Felixology was a great success, drawing a packed house. Both kids and adults were singing songs and listening to stories with rapt attention. We can’t wait to bring Miss Patty back for another event!
More than ever, it’s important that the Maynard LGBTQ+ community stays Out, Proud and Burning Bright! We’ll continue to light the lantern with more events throughout the year and more colorful, joyful (and hopefully sunny!) PrideFests in the years to come!
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