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 lightening; 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

Happy Pride!! 31 Days until the Pride Parade and Pride Festival!

The big month is upon us! Pride Month officially begins this Sunday, and the events are as numerous and diverse as our very own community. Be sure to check out the fabulous list of everything on the “Events” link on the Pride website. Many of these events have their very own web pages with more detailed accounts of the goings-on, but feel free to drop me a line or give me a call if you have any questions. Your Pride Committee and Friends and Leaders in the Community have some really exciting things planned, so be sure to support these events and, of course, Stonewall Columbus!

The Festival IS still at Bicentennial Park this year, by the way! I know, I know - you are wondering where everything is going to go. Not to worry. That’s a bigger space down there than you realize! The City of Columbus has also been extremely helpful with keeping your Festival Committee updated on all the latest construction details and whatnot. I think Joe, Joyce, and Rob and Company could do this festival anywhere, they are that good! Just as long as the sprinklers don’t come on again this year to wash away Rob’s booth numbers, there are no worries!

Speaking of booths, have you registered for your space yet? Have you registered your parade entry? The “Pride Participant Packet” is available online. Simply download that, fill it out, and send it in to me. Don’t YOU want to see and be seen? Of course you do! Go to the online links and sign up now, as the deadlines are approaching.

Also available online are the dogs tags, as well as tickets for all things Pride. You can buy tickets for An Exhibit of Pride, the annual Pride Art Show which is coming up next week. You can also get your VIP spots for the special Pre-Party and Saturday Brunch with Bitch and Ferron, as well as other tickets for “Our Power Weekend,” the Pride Kick-Off Concerts.

You can even register your golf team to play in “Fore! Pride,” or you can register to “Run for Pride.” You also better snag those coveted spots to come to the Pink Party to meet that cute Southern Boy, Leslie Jordan (aka “Brother Boy,” “Beverley Leslie.”) And don’t forget to go to our link to the Ticketmaster site to purchase tickets to his show at the Southern Theatre the following night! He is hilarious!

VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP is also available online! We still need a few people to help in various areas, including the upcoming Art Show. Sign up to be a stylish server at An Exhibit of Pride. Or is setting up and tearing down the festival more along your lines of talent? Want to help with the Parade? How about helping in the Family Area or volunteering in the Beverage Area? Don’t you want to look important in one of those awesome SWC Volunteer Shirts? Come on, sure you do! All the cool kids are doing it!

I am getting tired just telling you about all these events! So get your pedicures, manicures, stylist appointments, disco naps, and dates all lined up - it is time to do the “Happy Pride” shout out for the next 31 Days!

Happy Pride!

HAPPY PRIDE!!   65 Days until the Pride Parade and Festival!!!

Can you believe that countdown?  I have it posted in my Pride office and I change the numbers every day! It’s purely because of my excitement - like Seniors counting down their last days until Graduation -  not because I am stressed about getting everything done in time . . .

There are sooooooooooooooooo many Pride events the month of June! “We aren’t just a Parade and Festival anymore,” that’s what I’ve been saying.  June is officially “PRIDE MONTH” now! We have moved up from just one weekend and definitely from one day! Many of our events have their own official websites, too, with online registration and ticket purchasing. We are definitely advancing the Pride Site so that everything is easily accessible and very user-friendly. Simply click on the “Events” button on the left side of our Columbus Pride Home Page, and you will see a complete list of events with dates, locations, website information, and whatnot.  Many thanks to the various Event Chairs and their committees who bring all of these fabulous - and diverse! - events to you!

I am also including a concise list of events here as I conclude this post. Please refer to the “Events” site for the more detailed information.  Enjoy these events, and HAPPY PRIDE!   - Jan

June 3 - History Panel:  The Central Ohio Response to the AIDS Crisis

June 5 - An Exhibit of Pride Art Show

June 6 and June 7 - “OUR POWER WEEKEND” Pride Kick-Off  Outdoor Concerts

June 11 - History Panel

June 14 - Pride Poker Run

June 14 - Fore! Pride Golf Outing Inaugural Event

June 15 - Leslie Jordan “Pink Party” Pride Fundraiser at Stonewall

June 16 - Leslie Jordan: My Trip Down the Pink Carpet   One-Man Show

June 20 - CATF “Skate for Life”

June 21 - Run for Pride 5K Run/Walk

June 26 - After Stonewall DVD Showing

June 27 and June 28 - Rockin’ in The Streets

June 27 and June 28 - Qasis Pride

June 27 and June 28 - Interfaith Events

June 28 - Pride Parade and Pride Festival

June 29 - Pride Brunch

June 29 - Bat -N - Rouge

June 30 - Call in Sick! =)

HELLO, and HAPPY PRIDE!

Hope you are enjoying all the video updates and Pride blogs on our new website. What’s been going on in Pride World, you wonder? Well, this past month has been filled with securing sponsors, registering vendors for booth space, registering parade entrants, planning our growing number of events, and signing up volunteer after volunteer after volunteer.

If you are interested in participating in Stonewall Columbus Pride 2008 “Our Power,” please submit your information to me here at Stonewall. Our website is very user-friendly and just about every form you will need can be found online and submitted directly to me. You can also download, print, and fill out the various forms, too. The most important thing is to just get your papers in to me! I am eager to sign everyone up for anything and everything!

Our “Events” link contains all the various “Pride Happenings” throughout the month of June. You will be pleased to see many new events listed. One exciting event is the extension of our outdoor concert festival kick-off for Pride. “Our Power Weekend” will be held on June 6 & 7. Many outstanding artists and performers will be at Stonewall Columbus that weekend, so go to our “EVENTS” link and check it all out for yourself! Tickets will be available soon, so keep posted.

Another new event this year is “Fore! Pride,” the inaugural golf outing being held at Raymond Memorial Golf Course. Gather your foursome now and get ready to sign up for what we are sure will be a very popular new event. Door prizes, golf contests, auction items, SCHMIDT’S catering, and an all-around good time are in store for this event. Stay tuned to our website for information on registering your foursome.

The traditional Pride events also return, including the Art Show, “An Exhibit of Pride,” which will open on June 5 at Stonewall. This exhibit will remain up for viewing throughout the month of June, something new for the show this year. “An Exhibit of Pride” is a juried event with a “Call for Submissions” currently being advertised. Contact me for further details.

The Pride Poker Run also has an exciting change this year. Registration will take place at Pickerington’s own “Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.” Participants can register for the Poker Run and then tour the site for free while awaiting the start of the event. The Poker Run will end at Club Diversity, the popular ending point for many years.

Also, the “Run for Pride 5K” is returning this year. It will once again be held at Goodale Park and promises to be as fun as it has always been in years past. Kelly Jaeger and Company are working on putting together some rather nice “goody bags” for you, so look for the registration link in the next few weeks.

The History Panels truly kick off the Pride events. Tuesday, June 3, is the date set for the first panel of the month. This panel will discuss “The History of Aids.” Stay tuned to our “Events” link for further details on participants.

That’s about it for now. I will try to stay more update on communicating to you all that you wish to know. Feel free to contact me to discuss anything Pride-related. I will be glad to help you out and continue to promote Stonewall Columbus Pride 2008 - “OUR POWER.”

Happy Pride!

Pride Question of the Week:  What exactly is the 3000 Steps Fund Raising Campaign for Stonewall Columbus Pride?

Last year (or sometime thereabouts), a brilliant local businessman conceptualized the idea of a fund raising campaign for Stonewall Columbus Pride.  And why not? People often raise money for very worthy organizations, charities, and causes through “Walk-A-Thons” and such (e.g. March of Dimes, Multiple Sclerosis, American Cancer Society, various local schools, etc.). Certainly one such fund raiser should be tied together with Stonewall Columbus Pride, right? I agree with all of you out there: the answer is “right.”

With this thinking in mind came the appropriately named 3000 Steps campaign.  “Why is this name appropriate, you ask?” Well, readers, this fabulous title signifies the number of steps one takes from Pride Parade Step-Off at Goodale Park to the end of the Pride Parade route into Bicentennial Park.  I told you this businessman’s thinking was brilliant, didn’t I?!

And just in case you are as truly detail-oriented and fact curious and/or skeptical as I am (seriously, ask anyone who knows me!), you can rest assured. I recently used my supreme Scientific Method skills and walked this route twelve times to make sure the number 3,000 was an accurate count of the steps. Take my word for it. The walk took 3,000 Steps exactly. Well, it did eleven times anyway. Today when I did my final test (I wanted to be completely accurate before posting this information), it actually only took me 2,917 steps. But one must factor in the -43 degrees windchill for today’s discrepancy, as I took bigger steps in this frosty mess. Sorry. And on that note, ”Welcome back to sunny Ohio, Linda and Karla!”

Now, if you still aren’t feeling rest assured at this number 3000 as being “official,” my expert advice to you is to go try it out for yourself. Once finished with your 3000 Steps test, you will feel proud, strong, and accomplished. But save your own research for another day, please. Pride is extremely important, we all agree. But sacrificing yourself to the elements of that brisk wind on the walkways and overpasses along High Street toward Civic Center Drive in the February weather won’t win you any special Commemorative Dog Tags or Pride Merchandise. Save your own personal Pride March for March.  

Now that you have the somewhat verbose, yet factual history of the 3000 Steps Fund Raising Campaign, you certainly want to know more, don’t you? I know that you are having the following conversation in your head right this very second:

“Thanks for this informative, witty, and very scientific historical presentation, Jan. But what do I do now? What exactly is my next step toward the 3,000 if I want to be involved? How do I sign up? How much does it cost to get started? How do I set a fund raising target goal? How do I recruit both team members and campaign donors? And most important, will I have a date for Pride?”

No need to consult your Magic 8 Ball® with your questions.  My sources say, “Come to Union Bar + Food on Tuesday, February 19, from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. to get all your answers.” Stonewall Columbus will be doing a special 3000 Steps presentation that very night. This night you can join in on the complimentary appetizers and cash bar, get all your information, and actually sign up for 3000 Steps and receive both your 3000 Steps and Commemorative 2008 Pride Dog Tags! You will also learn how to monitor your progress on the website, and so on and so forth. We certainly hope you are interested in attending! I know I will be there!

Please let me know if you have any questions or thoughts. I am always here!

Happy Pride!