As Dolly Parton once said, “If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!” On Saturday, Aug. 17 the 2024
Great Lakes Bay Pride Festival brought the rainbow to match the rain at Bay City’s Wenonah Park.
The cancellation of the Great Lakes Bay Pride Festival in June this year left many disappointed and some frustrated or angry. Officials at Great Lakes Bay Pride made the tough decision to cancel and reschedule the much-anticipated event for concern about severe weather conditions.
Some people who planned on attending the festival expressed their support of the decision, sympathizing with the safety concern posed by the weather. Despite warnings, the day of the event came and went with no severe storms in the area.
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Onnie StoneA performer at the 2024 Great Lakes Bay Pride Festival goes off-stage to teach the crowd some dance moves
“We are planning to proceed with the festival tomorrow, rain or shine,” read a Great Lakes Bay Pride Facebook post on Aug. 16, the day before the rescheduled event. Organizers and attendees dealt with some scattered showers, but the weather didn’t seem to deter the community from showing up to share in the festivities.
In fact, the new August date allowed some people to participate in the festival.
“We’re usually on vacation during it,” says Midland resident Michele Millhouse. “So I’m glad that it got rescheduled.”
The rescheduling of the festival allowed her to attend the Great Lakes Pride Festival for the first time with her son. Millhouse has a tradition of walking at the Detroit Pride Parade every year. She says she looks forward to the excitement, connection and support famously found at Pride events.
“With all of the negative messaging and the negative politics out there, it’s just really cool to see there’s lots of people who are supportive.” Millhouse says. “I think that gets missed along the way.”
Music boomed from the World Friendship Shell throughout the event. Drag queens and musicians heightened the energy with their performances, enticing people to join in on their singing and dancing.
The outdoor celebration went on as usual. Festival-goers could peruse through vendors selling comic books, jewelry, art and other fun creations. The Great Lakes Bay Pride Festival is also a place to find information on organizations that support LGBTQ+ individuals and communities, from physical and mental health to fostering and adoption. It also provides an opportunity to network with diverse and inclusive groups and people.
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Onnie StoneMany local businesses gather to celebrate Pride in August
Sponsors of the event like Jolt Credit Union and 211 joined the ranks of tents with Pride goodies and information of their own. Wonder Burger,
Maria’s Food Truck and Domino’s provided food at the festival.
A children’s area next to the playground provided younger attendees some fun of their own. Colorful children’s paintings hung over the rainbow tables of arts and crafts that filled the tent. Event volunteers helped with making beaded bracelets and sticky slime.
“You just really fit in,” Alexis Welter says. “You just feel like you belong somewhere.”
Welter, a Bay City native, attended the Pride festival with four of her close friends. For Welter, Pride events are an opportunity to socialize and meet new people.
“The Pride events are somewhere you can be yourself and not be judged,” Welter says. Attendees of the Pride festival were welcoming to those who may not have attended a Pride event before.
“Personally, if I saw someone that it was their first time and I got to talk with them, I would just put them under my wing and try and make them feel like they belong,” Welter says. “Because they really do belong here.”
Holding a Pride festival outside of Pride Month may seem odd, but it serves as a reminder that LGBTQ+ Pride is not limited to one month out of the year. The benefits of a Pride festival – community building, health services, civic engagement, local tourism and much more – can be appreciated beyond the month of June. Great Lakes Bay Pride proved that Pride is celebrated year-round, rain or shine.
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Onnie StoneResidents show their colors at Pride
If you like what Great Lakes Bay Pride is doing for your community, there are several ways you can join the mission.
Donations can be made online
through their website. You can also donate to the
Great Lakes Bay Pride Scholarship Fund, which is awarded to a qualifying Michigan resident every May.
To qualify for 501(c)(3) status, an organization cannot operate for private interests, according to the IRS. So, Great Lakes Bay Pride’s status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit means you can rest assured that the organization's earnings go toward supporting GLBP’s mission, not to line anyone’s pockets.
If you have more time than money, consider volunteering for GLBP. Volunteer work is a great way to help out nonprofits.
Stay up-to-date by signing up for the organization's newsletter or following them on social media; attend events organized by GLBP, learn more about LGBTQ+ topics and issues (and what you can do to help), and connect with the people in your community.