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?