OUR HOMES | OUR RIDES He told me how down-to-Earth the celebration was. Wood was not wrong. I probably attended a few over the years, including one time at their barbeque on the eve of the festival at Peace Plaza. Nonetheless, Rochester has always been a nice celebration that is worth attending. Then, I started discovering other Pride celebrations across our state and beyond. DuluthSuperior Pride always had a great vibe. To go the festival at Bayfront Festival Park – the huge stage with the Duluth Harbor Basin, Lake Superior, and St. Louis Bay in the background – is unlike most Pride atmospheres one has to take in. One year, I was there when CeCe Peniston and Crystal Waters headlined the festival. You can’t get any nostalgic than that! Needless to say, there was a 30-year-old chubby bear trapped inside me with their hits swirling on my radio and CD player. If I had to pinpoint a Pride experience that I enjoyed the most (and, one that has not been published in this magazine) was my first East Central Minnesota Pride in Pine City back in 2012. They had it across from the Pine County Fairgrounds at Voyageur Park on the Snake River. I drove a friend up there from The Cities and ran into a few friendly faces from both The Cities and the local community. A couple of
which I work with today. As I was leaving the park, I noticed a light blue and pink 1964 Chevrolet Corvair Monza. It’s not often you see a Corvair, but my mother had one when I was a kid. It was a trans woman that drove it. It was her’s. She was featured in a story on WCCO prior to the Pride festival. A few moments later, her parents showed up in an olive green 1960 Chevrolet Corvair fourdoor. It was exactly the one my mom owned! That probably made my experience in Pine City all the better. Last year, I led the members of the Great Northern Region of Lambda Car Club International up to that year’s East Central Minnesota Pride. Little did we know that the streets were under construction around Robinson Park. We paraded around, parked and the rest of the guys went to Three-Twenty Brewery for food and beer. At the point, I want to take the opportunity to apologize to the good folks in Pine City. You were kicking off the Pride festivities when you heard the blaring of the horn from a red 2021 Lexus RC 350 F Sport coupe, followed by several other vehicles. That was me. Please accept my apologies. I was extremely glad to be there to celebrate Pride with you. Perhaps too enthusiastically.
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Pride is always about the celebration. The discovery of your community when you first discover it. The meeting of friends – old and new. Getting some swag that you otherwise not purchase in town. And, showing your true authentic self among others who love you for who you are! Whether it is at Loring Park or somewhere across our state and beyond – celebrate yourselves, fly your flag, and be who you are with our apology. And, please be safe!
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