ENTERTAINMENT & NIGHTLIFE Lawrence PRIDE members include (back row) Courtney Farr, (middle row, left) Shania Lopez-Cabrera, (middle row, right) Valerie Metzler/Marie Queerie, and (front) Allie Souza.
Most Unforgettable … John Brown’s Underground for their unique drink menu, friendly staff, and memorable place to catch up with friends.
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Most Likely to Cheer You Up … Munchers because they are always open for a late-night snack anytime you want it or breakfast to kick off your weekend mornings. Most Likely to Succeed … 23rd Street Brewery because it is well loved in the community, and their $6 Wednesday burger special can’t be beat.
From year to year in the Best of Lawrence voting, a group of businesses, organizations, and individuals regularly finishes near the top of the ballot. No matter what events, trends, or styles have swept across the city in any given year, this group represents some of the communities Most Valuable Players.
Since 2018, the Lawrence PRIDE celebration has gone from an idea and a small party to one of the city’s largest and most successful public gatherings. Organizers behind the event attribute PRIDE’s success to the dedication of volunteers as they filed parade permission forms to close down Massachusetts Street, lined up sponsors, created floats, set up safety barricades and more. “We play to our strengths, we used what everyone could bring to the table,” explains Shania Lopez-Cabrera, the organization’s finance director. “We made adjustments as needed, and delegated as needed.” “We had a working board,” adds event committee
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Best of Lawrence 2023
member Valerie Metzler, who performs in drag as Marie Queerie. “They were working 10, 20, 30 hours a week on the event before PRIDE happened.” “The board and key volunteers threw themselves at the task and gave it everything they had,” Courtney Farr, the group’s community engagement director, notes. “That was a big reason it was the event it could be.” Plans have already begun for the 2024 celebration that will once again showcase and celebrate the presence of the city’s LGBTQIA+ members. “We are a community—and it shows,” says co-director of marketing, Allie Souza.