The Irregular June 2019

Page 1

june 2019 FREE

Celebrate Your Pride by Christine Lake June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in the United States, with celebrations happening across the country throughout the whole month. Though the Lehigh Valley has long had celebrations of Pride, this year will see a new festival taking place in Easton to commemorate the month. Pride on the Riverfront: A Welcoming LGBTQIA+ Experience will take place on Saturday, June 22 from 12 PM to 10 PM at Scott Park along Larry Holmes Drive in downtown Easton. This free event is being organized by Jackson Café: The Art of Music, an entertainment and event planning company specializing in shows, soirées, social mixers and event marketing. Founder and CEO Stacey Jackson, an Easton resident, has over fifteen years’ experience in party planning, catering, hosting, and bartending. “I’ve been in Easton a long time, and this type of event has just not been done here,” she says. “Of course, they have events like this in New York City, but there’s no train! Without a convenient way to get there, that’s not accessible for everyone.” Knowing that she had the expertise to create an event like this, and also knowing that Easton has grown into a vibrant community with its own social scene, she decided to see if there was an audience for a homegrown Pride event. “I made a Facebook post asking about a Pride celebration in Easton, and the response was absolutely incredible,” she explains. “So I knew I had to do this.” Pride Month began as a commemoration of the Stonewall Riots. In the early morning of Saturday, June 28, 1969, LGBTQIA+ persons rioted following a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village in Manhattan. The protests lasted for several days, and this became a landmark moment in the modern LGBTQIA+ rights movement, leading to the first Gay Pride March in United States history on June 28, 1970. The marches spread throughout the country throughout the ‘70s, and in the 1980s these grassroots marches started becoming much more organized and cohesive. President Bill Clinton declared June “Gay & Lesbian Pride Month” in both 1999 and 2000, and President Barack Obama declared each June of his tenure LBGTQIA+ Pride Month. Pride is recognized during June worldwide, with parades, parties and events in cities around the globe. Easton’s first Pride on the Riverfront event will feature live music, dancers, a literature reading, a parade, food vendors, craft vendors, and more. “The idea is really just to see everyone having a good time, and smiles on people’s faces,” Jackson says. “This is an event for everyone, for us to see that we are all one heart, and we have to love one another and have pride in one another.” She admits that she’s had some people who were questioning why she was doing this event. “They say to me, ‘But you’re not gay!’, and I remind them that’s not the point,” she explains. “This is about breaking down stigma, and creating a safe space for people of all backgrounds to come, be themselves, and know that no continued on page 3

Summer in the City by Christine Lake The Greater Easton Development Partnership (GEDP), the nonprofit organization comprised of the Easton Main Street Initiative, Easton Ambassadors, Easton Farmers’ Market, Easton Public Market, and PA Bacon Fest, is extending its reach into the West Ward. The GEDP launched the West Ward Community Initiative (WWCI) in April, designed to complement the group’s current programming and to bring enhancements to the downtown-adjacent neighborhood. This initiative was made possible through a Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credit Program grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. The award, $200,000 a year for six years, allows the WWCI to work on community revitalization efforts in the target area from 6th to 15th Streets, and from Butler to Jackson Streets. “It’s a huge neighborhood. We’re talking sixty square blocks,” says Amy Boccadoro, manager of the West Ward Community Initiative. “I’m excited to move into the West Ward, because I’ve seen what we’ve been able to do in downtown. The opportunity to expand that effort is just awesome.” An Easton native, she returned to her hometown in 2006 after college at Penn State and doing her early career work in the State College area. “I was downtown during that year’s Garlic Fest, which I think had about nine vendors,” she recalls. “I saw an Easton Main Street Initiative booth and I asked about volunteering.” After seven years of working with the Initiative as a volunteer, the Assistant Manager position opened up, and Boccadoro applied. “I love downtown, I love Easton,” she said. “It seemed like a great fit.” The WWCI will focus on six priorities that were identified during the West Ward Neighborhood Plan community engagement sessions in 2018: Arts, Culture and History; Call 610-258-4330 to advertise

Business and Services; Fostering Strong Neighborhoods; Improving Mobility Access; Open Space and Public Amenities; and Education and Equity. This first year, West Ward residents should expect to see a few activities that are focused on each of these areas. “Eventually, we’ll start digging into more in-depth programming, but the first year will see more surface-level type events,” Boccadoro explains. “This will give residents an idea of what we’re hoping to do as the program moves forward. We’re also looking for partners to help us do even more.” That could be small local businesses, larger corporations continued on page 3

Artistic Endeavors page 10

Gardening page 12

Children having a great time at the West Ward World Cup Event in Easton last summer. photo by Katja Kruppe

June 2019

The Irregular


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
The Irregular June 2019 by bruneopublishingllc - Issuu