May 29—ASHTABULA — Ashtabula Pride, Inc. will be hosting its fourth annual Pride Festival at Walnut Beach on Saturday, June 15.
June is Pride month and for a long time the LGBTQ community in Ashtabula county did not have a place to celebrate locally.
That all changed when Rev. Bill Daywalt and Rev. John Werner, along with Michael Riffe and A.J. Petro, introduced the first Pride Festival in 2021.
More than 3,000 people attended the event.
Pride Festival founder and vice president Becke Beeman said that when she attended the first festival, it was inspiring.
“I have never been in an environment where it was just so positive all day,” she said. “There was just so much love and happiness. It was really just unreal. To be able to continue on with that is just amazing.”
Originally, this year’s festival was supposed to be on Bridge Street, but Beeman said that the recent road construction was set to possibly disrupt their plans. Beeman said that after some deliberation, the board believed that Walnut Beach was better suited for the event.
“By moving there we were able to add a lot more elements than we would have on Bridge Street,” she said. “The Bridge Street merchants added up to about 75 percent of our sponsors for the event,” she said. “They’re 100 percent on board with us.”
In a recent city council meeting, there was a debate over wether or not drag queens were suitable entertainment for children.
“We exist wether certain people like it or not,” Beeman said. “We have families, we have children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews … it’s important for us to be able to celebrate with out children and children’s children. We are PG and family friendly. It’s also important to show people that sometimes perception is not really the truth. They’re professionals and they know how to entertain based on who is around.”
Riffe, the Pride Festival president and founder, said that in the community, there’s a large group of LGBTQ members and a huge amount of allies.
Riffe said as a drag performer [Mona Lott], he’s never had anything questioned until recently. He said that all of the drag queens that come from all over Ohio are professionals and know how to conduct themselves.
“The LGTBQ youth need a place to go,” he said. “They need a place that they feel safe. People have to realize that individuals in the LGTBQ world have families too. We have children that we want to celebrate with as well. Or we have children that are part of the community as well. That’s what family-friendly means to us.”
Beeman said they will be featuring a large family fun area.
She said there will be a caricature artist, a professional balloon twister, a meet-and-greet with Moana, Ariel, Captain America and Spider-Man, face painting, inflatables, 80 different vendors and 10 food trucks.
There will be performances all day, including local bands, drag performances, Saint John High School students singing in a talent hour and Lakeside High School students performing their production of “The Prom.”
Beeman said that the LGTBQ community is excited for the event.
“What they’re most looking forward to is just having fun,” she said. “Having a safe place to celebrate, without any judgement. A place to be free.”
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