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Sunday’s event for NEPA’s gay community likely to be twice as big as the first one in ’08.
Glenda, a performer, walks the sidewalk at Kirby Park looking at what vendors are offering during last year’s PrideFest event.
Aimee Dilger/times leader file photo
Dawe
WILKES-BARRE – Members of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s gay community will gather Sunday in Kirby Park for their second annual summer festival – PrideFest 2009.
John Dawe, executive director of the NEPA Rainbow Alliance, said this year’s festival is expected to be twice as big as last year’s, with more than twice the number of vendors, exhibitors and entertainers.
“Probably the most amazing thing is the growth over last year,” Dawe said.
There were about six or seven entertainment sets and 20 vendors at last year’s festival, which was also at Kirby Park. On Sunday, 43 vendors and 12 performers are expected to participate, with no additional recruitment effort by organizers, Dawe said.
“The real goal of our organization is to connect the LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender) community with organizations and businesses that provide complementary services,” said Dawe, explaining that many of the exhibitors will be there to educate attendees on the services their organizations can offer.
The event is intended to be family-friendly and will include a children’s tent with activities such as face painting and balloon animals, Dawe said.
“There’s a surprisingly larger number of people with children, especially in our area, which is an important piece of our festival being totally inclusive,” he said.
There will be a variety of entertainment, including disc jockeys, musicians, poets, magicians and a drag queen show.
Maria DuBiel, an acoustic pop artist from Wyoming, looks forward to returning to this year’s festival, performing songs from her new CD, “Goin’ Back.”
“It’s great to see a lot of people in the community coming together to support such an event. And from an artistic aspect, it’s a great venue as well,” DuBiel said.
Bill Brown, chairman of vendors and exhibits, noted there will be two entertainment stages.
“Last year we had trouble getting entertainers. This year, we’re overwhelmed,” he said.
Christopher Lonyo, who operates Erie-based Christopher’s Novelty Gifts and sells gay pride merchandise at PrideFests along the East Coast, also said he looks forward to returning, especially because the economy left his business hurting and the festival is expected to double in size.
He also liked the atmosphere at Kirby Park. “People were really friendly there last year. I’ve been in some cities where people aren’t that friendly,” Lonyo said.
But not everyone at last year’s festival was welcome. Six to 12 protesters came from out of the area to share their opinions, and Dawe expects protesters this year, as well. He believes there are two kinds of protesters – those who are “sincere” in their beliefs and others “who do it for money.”
Dawe said some protesters try to bait festival attendees into a confrontation and, if pushed, shoved or struck, leave and later file a lawsuit against the aggressor, the organization and municipality in hopes of winning tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Dawe said Silent Witnesses of Pennsylvania will be on hand to act as a buffer between protesters and attendees who might encounter protesters as they enter or leave. Protesters are not allowed into the area of the park where the festival is taking place, but they have a right to gather on a public sidewalk between the parking lot and the festival area.
The Wilkes-Barre Chapter of the Guardian Angels will be on hand to escort groups of attendees to and from the parking lot, and at least two uniformed city police officers also will be on hand, Dawe said.
IF YOU GO
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Who: Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Community
What: PrideFest 2009
When: Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Kirby Park, Wilkes-Barre
Why: Socialize and network with members of the region’s gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender community, with food, novelty and informational vendors, children’s games and activities and live entertainment on two stages.
Visit www.myspace.com/gaynepa
for information on PrideFest 2009. Visit www.gaynepa.com
for information on the NEPA Rainbow Alliance. Sponsorships and some exhibitor space remains available. Call 606-4410 for information.