Alameda County Fair to hold Pride celebration

compiled by Cynthia Laird

The Alameda County Fair kicks off

Friday, June 16, and will include a special Pride celebration Sunday, June 18, featuring Out at the Fair, an organization that works to increase LGBTQ presence at county fairs in California and other states.

According to Out at the Fair’s website the LGBTQ-themed programming will take place on the grandstand stage from noon to 6 p.m. Performers include Erica Ambrin and the Eclectic Soul Project, KingQueen, Jeffrey Chan, and Winter Grain. There will also be a Glam Show at 5:30.

Other events include an Out at the Fair storytime and giveaways.

Out at the Fair has been participating at the Alameda County Fair since 2018, a spokesperson stated.

The fair itself runs through July 9 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton. Hours are noon to 11 p.m. daily. The fair is closed Mondays and Tuesdays except for July 3-4, a news release stated. Carnival rides are open from 1 p.m. to closing.

Concerts will take place each night except July 4, starting at 8 p.m. Groups include tribute bands such as Bee Gees Gold (June 18), Queen Nation (June 24), and George Michael Reborn (July 1). There’s also a nightly drone show at 9:30, except July 4.

In addition to entertainment, the fair will have plenty of rides, traditional fair foods, and new items with an international twist, like the Korean corn dog, Boba, and Musubi rice snacks, the release stated.

There will be family-friendly movies as part of the fair’s “Movies on the Lawn” series, FMX Motorcross shows, and merchandise vendors.

On Saturday, June 17, the West Coast qualifiers for Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest will take place at 3 p.m. The top three male and female quali- fiers will punch their ticket to the finals, which take place July 4 on Coney Island in New York.

Advance general admission to the fair, until June 15, is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (62+) and kids (6-12) Parking is $13. Unlimited carnival plus the Sky Ride is $32, valid for any one day.

Those prices increase after Thursday by a few dollars.

There are various promotions and special days. For more information, visit alamedacountyfair.com.

Celebration at Alameda County library

After a drag storytime event was rudely disrupted by alleged members of the Proud Boys at the Alameda County library in San Lorenzo a year ago, staff implemented “Every Month is Pride Month,” which featured LGBTQ programming for 12 months. Now, the end of the formal program will be commemorated with a special celebration Saturday, June 17, beginning at 11:30 a.m. and followed by an afternoon of fun for the whole family. It coincides with “Queer Comics Expo,” the last program in the series.

Every Month is Pride Month programming amplified the stories, talents, and creativity in the LGBTQIA+ community, a news release stated. The up- coming program will feature speaker panels and appearances by queer authors and artists, crafts, cosplay, comic and zine creation, community resources, and prize drawings.

Cindy Chadwick, Ph.D., Alameda County librarian, is expected to make remarks. She wrote an op-ed for the Bay Area Reporter last August discussing why drag story hours were important for public libraries. She will be joined by Sergio Ardila, LGBTQ+ policy adviser to Alameda County Supervisor Lena Tam, and other community members.

The release noted that while Every Month is Pride Month is ending, Alameda County Library will continue to offer LGBTQIA+ programming.

“Every Month is Pride Month has been a success, not just with supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, but with developing an innovative programming model that other libraries can adopt,” the release stated. “Alameda County Library has received both national and state awards for the achievements of Every Month is Pride Month.”

The library received an honorable mention for the Urban Libraries Coun- cil 2023 Innovation Awards in the advocacy and awareness category. It was also named the recipient of the Zoia Horn Intellectual Freedom Award, given by the California Library Association.

The San Lorenzo Library is located at 395 Paseo Grande.

Heklina’s image to be featured at flower show

The late drag queen Heklina will be one of several local LGBTQ people whose images will be adorned in flowers at the Pride-themed Fleurs de Villes show that opens Friday, June 16, at the San Francisco Mint, 88 Fifth Street. The touring show uses floral mannequins representing local queer icons who’ve made a significant impact on the city’s LGBTQ community, according to a news release.

About 13 local florists have been tapped to help design the floral displays.

Heklina, the drag persona of Stefan Grygelko, died April 3 in London. A former San Francisco resident, Heklina had moved a few years ago to the Palm Springs area after selling her stake in the Oasis LG-

BTQ nightclub South of Market.

Others who will be depicted as floral mannequins include Peaches Christ (Joshua Grannell), a drag artist and good friend of Heklina’s; slain supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California; the late Ken Jones, a gay man who was the first Black president of the San Francisco Pride board; Nguyen Pham, a gay Vietnamese man who is the current SF Pride board president; Dr. Nasser Mohamed, a 2023 SF Pride community grand marshal; and late lesbian pioneers Del Martin and Phyllis Martin.

Congressmember Nancy Pelosi (DSan Francisco), a straight ally, will be depicted, as well the late trans leader Marsha P. Johnson and the late gay activist Bayard Rustin. The late rainbow flag co-creator Gilbert Baker, outgoing Transgender District President and Chief Strategist Aria Sa’id, and late disco singer Sylvester will be shown as floral mannequins.

The late Jose Julio Sarria, a gay Latino veteran and founder of the Imperial Court System; bi comedian Margaret Cho; trans activist Mia Satya; and Tongva-Ajachmem artist L. Frank will also have floral mannequins featured. Suzanne Ford, a trans woman who is executive director of SF Pride, praised the upcoming show.

“Inspired by the vibrant spirit of the LGBTQ+ community, Fleurs de Villes is beautifully weaving the essence of our heroes into breathtaking floral sculptures, including one of our very own SF Pride president, Nguyen Pham,” she stated.

The release noted that the show is inspired by SF Pride’s theme, “Looking Back and Moving Forward.”

The show runs through July 3. Tickets are $35 for adults, $28 for seniors, and $15 for kids, and can be purchased at fleursdevilles.com/sf-pride.

See page 12 >>