We did not have the power to change the direction of the storm on Saturday for Pride 2008 but we sure had a fabulous day. By the time the rain hit Bicentennial Park, there were 120,000 people who marched along High Street and attended the festival. This was the biggest and best Pride ever with over 100 floats and groups marching and over 150 vendors exhibiting. Janet Jackson served as our Grand Marshal this year and the United Way of Central Ohio had ninety people marching along side of her. Some folks called the event “electrifying and flashy.” Those comments may have referred to the lightning; nevertheless the over 300 volunteers including Pride committee members took the compliment to heart. The headliner Jennifer Holliday was not able to perform due to weather conditions but did take the stage at AXIS nightclub later that evening. Events were scheduled all month long and each of them was extremely well attended. Brunch on Sunday, June 29 had 250 in attendance including Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner, City Attorney Richard Pfeiffer and a variety of political figures. Stonewall Columbus thanks the countless volunteers and sponsors who made this day happen. Next year, Pride weekend will be held June 19-21 at Goodale Park. We welcome your comments and suggestions: visit http://columbuspride.org/survey to take the survey.
Congratulations to our Winners of the Parade Contest. A thanks goes to our judges, Joe Baer, Mary Ellen O’Shaughnessy and John Angelo who made the tough following choices:
Float Most Closely aligned with the theme, “Our Power” – Girth and Mirth
Best Contingency - United Way of Central Ohio
Most Outrageous - Exile
Most Creative - Gay Men’s Chorus
Best Float – Wall Street Nightclub
