Mansfield will host 9th annual Pride festival and parade on Saturday
Tim Denis promises this year's Mansfield Pride parade and festival will be "our biggest and best event yet."
Saturday's festivities will mark the ninth annual Pride celebration.
"I'm encouraged by what's happening this year," said Denis, president of the Mansfield Gay Pride Association.
The parade will start at 11 a.m. at the five-way light at Park Avenue West and Marion Avenue and continue to Central Park.
There are 34 entries and 350 people involved in the parade. Dogs from the Humane Society of Richland County will be featured, along with a "unicorn" from local attorney Kristin Brown.
Denis said to expect other surprises with the parade.
"You just never know what people are going to come up with until they show up," he said.
Following the parade, the festival will take place from noon to 5 p.m. Organizers decided to end the festival two hours earlier than the usual 7.
Denis says 60 merchandise vendors are lined up, along with five food vendors.
"We are just about maxed out for spots in the park," he said.
The grand marshal will be Jasmyn LaBasha.
Entertainment will include rock band Brave and Crazy
This year's festival will feature music from Brave and Crazy, described as an energetic, five-piece, powerhouse rock band, along with Sarah Goff and Gayle Walker.
Doug Ferrell is back again as the entertainment DJ.
By popular demand, there again will be two drag shows.
An expanded kids' zone will include two story times with the fictional characters Rapunzel and Ella from "Frozen."
After Pride will take place, this year at a new venue, the Electric Company on West Fourth Street. Doors will open at 7, with the show kicking off at 8.
Dan Lew Exchange will again host the drag brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Vivian will host, with Jay Fox handling the DJ duties.
Tickets for both events will be available at the door or online by going to the Facebook pages of either the Mansfield Gay Pride Association or the Mansfield Pride festival & parade.
Denis already is looking forward to next year's celebration, which will take place in June to coincide with Pride Month.
"We're starting to talk about some things we want to do to make it special," he said, noting it also will be the 10th anniversary of the Pride event in Mansfield. "I've wanted to move it to June ever since I was a volunteer. When I became president, I thought at some point we are going to make this happen."
The locals had eschewed June previously to avoid conflicting with bigger cities such as Cleveland and Columbus.
After doing research, Denis found that Cleveland normally hosts its Pride event on the first Saturday in June, while Columbus has its festival on Father's Day weekend.
Next year's Pride scheduled for June 22
Mansfield's Pride event next year will take place on June 22.
"We will stay in June from here on out," Denis said. "I know our community wants to be a part of the whole."
He summed up what he sees as the importance of Pride.
"It is a way for our community to celebrate who they are and not be embarrassed or ashamed," Denis said. "They have a rightful place in society like everybody else."
mcaudill@gannett.com
419-521-7219
Twitter: @MarkCau32059251
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Gay Pride festival and parade to take place Saturday in Mansfield
