The Dyke March. Was. Awesome. I was very impressed with how well the ladies pulled off a switch from Oakland to the Downtown area. From our vantage, the event was smooth and made quite an impact on the multitude of downtowners watching us march past. I think the switch was good and added more visibility to the whole affair. The women were in high spirits as the delicious Betty Hill speech kicked things off. It was really cool. We attended two years ago and it was completely different — I felt much more welcome and part of the group this year. Maybe it was the location switch — being out of the university environs and in a more diverse atmosphere. The “Don’t Sell Your Pride” theme was very appropriate downtown. Regardless, the dyke organizers did a terrific job and here’s looking forward to something even more spectacular next year.
PrideFest was a good experience for me. My agency had a booth so I had shade, a seat and a great view of the crowd for the first however many hours. I missed the parade because of set up, but I certainly heard it. There was a huge crowd and people were in a really good mood. Many friends, old and new, stopped by to say hello, including Doug Shields and Michael Lamb. Doug was in a really good place and kissed my intern — she was really stunned b/c she had no clue who he was. I was pleased when Michael Lamb recognized me (or my name at least). We had an interesting discussion and I have to reiterate that he impresses me. So much that I’ve reconsidered a campaign donation I was planning. Overall, Pride was pleasant. The kids area was busy. We walked around at the end of the event and I managed to walk away with no new flyers, papers or handouts. We stopped for a minute near the food/beer garden end of things and that was a little less nice. It makes me appreciate the park and having a place to plop down. I think moving the event to West Park on the Northside and maybe utilizing the Garden Theater for inside events would be great.
Kudos to the PrideFest Committee for a job nicely done. The folks who helped us get our booth set up and address some related issues were really nice and helpful. I appreciated that. Thank you.
How was your Pride experience?
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Sue I have to say I had a great time also. I must disagree with you on the location. It was totally awesome to be on a major street with all 3 media stations covering pride. Kudos to the PrideFest committee for letting all Pittsburghers know we are here…we are your neighbor and we love PITTSBURGH!
I sadly missed the Dyke March this year, but just looked through the pics on myspace, and it looked fantastic! [Remind me never to move during Pride again–or maybe just to never move again, period].
I did make it down to the Pride Fest for a couple hours, and had a blast. I loved that it was in such a visible location, and just seemed really big, diverse, and that everyone seemed to be having a good time. The weather was lovely, the entertainment was fantastic. I give it a big thumbs up!
Pittsburgh should be very proud of this year's Pride. The entire week was chock-full of events for everyone. We went to Pride in the Streets Saturday night and saw some former Pittsburghers who had come up from Washington DC who couldn't believe they were in Pittsburgh.
I think the location debate is just about personal preferences. Potato, potato sort of thing. The media coverage was nice and consistent with the strong foundation from past years' events. It was a shame that the PG didn't cover the event. The story they did in 2004 was one of the best ever … a big beautiful photo of children running under Richard Parsakian's Pride flag. I thought KDKA's interview with Kathi Boyle of PATF was nicely done and very balanced.
I'm definitely looking forward to plans for next year, especially the expansion of Dyke March festivities.