Sat 8/26 @ 11AM-8PM
Last September, four friends were sitting around an Akron bar shooting the breeze and wondering why Akron didn’t have a big Pride celebration like Cleveland and Columbus and Cincinnati and Pittsburgh — and Toledo and Youngstown and even, for pete’s sake, Mansfield. They were hashing over the Cleveland situation last year, where Cleveland Pride was cancelled at the last minute and Pride in the CLE sprung up in less than two weeks to take its place.
“I said I don’t see why we don’t have a pride down here,” says Dee Lotmann, one of the four. “And they looked at me and said, ‘why don’t we?’”
Within a month, Lotmann says, a call she made after that discussion had blossomed into a steering community of more than two dozen local activists, civic leaders, and other movers and shakers, including several city council people, people on city staff, the Akron prosecuting attorney and longtime community leaders such as Phil Montgomery, president of the board of AIDS education nonprofit Canapi. They got behind the original four — in addition Lotmann, they were Cass Warren, Ronda Warren and Stacie Reusser — and started to make things happen.
Now it appears as if this first-time event, which they initially scaled for 1,500-2,000 people, will draw over 5,000, perhaps as many as 10,000 if the weather cooperates. Fortunately, the original plan to do it in Highland Square didn’t work out and the event will take place in the more spacious Hardesty Park a mile and a half up the road. The kickoff parade, which they’re calling an Equality March, will start at 11am at Highland Square behind Chipotle and walk to Hardesty Park. (You can arrive at 10am that day and register if you’d like to join in).
Why didn’t Akron have a Pride celebration until now?
“We had some smaller things,” says Lotmann. “I think a lot of folks just traveled up to Cleveland and Columbus, so Cleveland got most of the overspill. It was just the right time. I think it was ready for it.”
And things are changing in Akron, with new organizations, new projects, new developments — and a new mayor, Dan Horrigan, who was elected in November 2015 and took office early last year. He’ll be leading off the march.
“I think minds are changing,” says Rotmann. “I would say under the new mayor, the new administration, he’s opened the door for a lot of well-being in our community. He signed a non-discrimination order back in April.”
The festival starts at noon and goes until 8pm and it’s looking to be a big deal. Expect about a dozen food vendors and more than 100 other vendors and booths from area businesses and entrepreneurs, churches, healthcare and wellness groups, nonprofits such as the Human Rights Campaign and Planned Parenthood, and organizations ranging from rugby clubs to animal rescues. The Ohio Democratic Party, Summit County Progressive Democrats, Democratic Socialists of America and the Socialist Party USA will be there but no Republican groups are listed.
There’ll be a children’s area from noon-3pm with a bouncy house, Spider-Man and Elsa from Frozen, and the Akron Children’s Museum hosting arts and crafts. A strolling magician, stiltwalkers, carnival games and performances on two stages including headliners Martha Wash of the Weather Girls (“It’s Raining Men”) and Britney Spears impersonator Derrick Barry, a contestant in Season 8 of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, as well as such local favorites as the Angie Haze Project, Babies in Black and Zach & the Bright Lights, will entertain the crowd.
Be warned: there is very limited parking around Hardesty Park. Pride organizers have obtained use of the Red Cross parking lot on Main Street and there will be trolleys going up and down Main Street every 10 minutes.
