June is Pride Month, and this year Park City’s LGBTQ+ Task Force will celebrate more than just a series of community events.
“We are announcing the Task Force, originally formed with the help of Park City in 2021, is branching out on our own,” said member Cami Richardson. “We hooked up with the Park City Community Foundation, who helped us collect donations, and are going to form our own 501 (c) 3, called Summit Pride.”
The organization is currently working on launching a new website, but for a little longer it will still be under parkcitypride.org, according to Richardson.
“We’re excited about this because it will give us more flexibility to do our own thing,” she said. “We’re now at more than 50 members, and we have a new leadership team who is gelling and working together with experts in different areas. There are a lot of great things that will happen in the future, and we’re excited for this particular change.”
As far as Pride Month events, Richardson announced its schedule, which kicks off at 10 a.m. on June 1 with a Pride flag-raising ceremony at Miners Hospital.
“During the flag raising ceremony, we’ll have free coffee and donuts and things like that,” she said. “We’ll also have talks and presentations by different people from the Task Force, and we welcome anyone from the community to join us and participate.”
Richardson is grateful for the support Park City has shown to the Task Force over the past three years.
“The significance of what the City has done for the Task Force and, now, Summit Pride, should not go unnoticed,” she said. “They not only will participate in the flag ceremony. They will also wrap buses in Pride colors, and they will allow us to hang flags on Main Street. And we look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.”
The festivities will move to City Park at 11 a.m. with a Pride Picnic, according to Richardson.
“Mel Soul & The Heartbeats will perform live music until 2 p.m., and people can bring their own food and participate in this community-wide picnic to celebrate Pride,” she said.
On June 4, Summit Pride will award a $1,000 scholarship to a Park City High School student, according to Richardson.
“Over the past two years, we have put together LGBTQ+ Task Force Scholarships for students at South Summit and Park City high schools,” she said.
Scholarships are presented annually to students who exemplify a steadfast commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in their everyday actions and lives, Richardson said.
“I think the scholarships bring hope to kids in the LGBTQ+ community who are figuring things out that took someone like me, who is 70, a long time to do,” she said.
Pride Month happenings continue on June 28, with a Pride Happy Hour for ages 21 and older at the Boneyard Saloon, Richardson said.
“We’ll have a roped-off area for us and we invited anyone who wants to join us,” she said. “We’ll have some appetizers, and people can order food and drink.”
The band playing that night will be Beacon Street Experience, Richardson said.
“They are a really good jazz band, and while they aren’t playing specifically for us, they are scheduled to play that night,” she said. “So this will be a fun night to socialize, dance and have a great time with the community.”
The last Pride Month event of the year will actually dip into July at the Fourth of July Parade, Richardson said.
“As we have done in the past, we’ll march again in the parade,” she said.
The parade usually starts at 11 a.m., and participants will gather a few minutes prior at Swede Alley, Richardson said.
“There will be more information to be announced, but we invite all community members, allies and supporters to join us,” she said.
Pride Month, which commemorates the Stonewall Uprising, a series of protests that took place in June 1968 after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in Greenwich Village, is a significant event for Summit Pride, Richardson said.
“It brings visibility to us, which is important, and our community really shows a lot of love and support for us,” she said. “We’re so blessed to be here in an area that is so welcoming, and I hope everyone will come out and celebrate our new name and move forward with us in a positive direction.”