by Dot Cannon
“It’s never rained (during our Festival) before,” said San Gabriel Valley Pride co-founder Aaron Saenz.
Saturday morning, October 13th, had dawned, damp and threatening more rain. The previous night, epic thunderstorms had rattled through Southern California.
Now, just after eight a.m., volunteers were arriving at Pasadena’s Central Park. San Gabriel Valley Pride Festival XVII was set to start at 11:00, rain or shine.
And the organizers, volunteers and attendees were just about to demonstrate that a little weather couldn’t dim the festive spirit of the day.
“Rainbows always come after the rain,” commented San Gabriel Valley Pride Vice-President Isaiah Tercero.
San Gabriel Valley Pride’s annual festival is unique, for several reasons. With its emphasis on community, the festival features family-friendly events at which everyone is welcome. Attendees get to enjoy a wide spectrum of events throughout the day: performances, author readings, The Big Draw L.A. art event and a classic car show.
In addition, admission is free. And this year’s schedule included some new additions.
But that Saturday morning, the main question was: would the skies open up and send everyone running for shelter during SGV Pride XVII?
Volunteers and exhibitors forged ahead with the setup process. Booths and rainbow bunting went up. Technicians checked audio equipment.
And we did a double take! Was that–a DeLorean driving up?
Absolutely–1981 vintage.
Rainy park, classic cars
Great Autos of Yesteryear, the West Coast’s largest gay and lesbian car club, hadn’t been deterred by the weather.
While they had fewer vehicles on exhibit than at previous Pride festivals, they still provided a chance to “ooh” and “aah” at some amazing classic automobiles.
That included “Marvin”, Mitch Braiman’s 1968 Mercury Park Lane.
Previous SGV Pride Festivals we’ve covered have started right at 11:00. This year, our personal experience was that the freeways were a mess! Not surprisingly, exhibitors continued to arrive after 11:00, with the events starting a little later than in previous years.
“We’re a little behind, but we’re going to get there,” one exhibitor remarked.
And they did–with this year’s event themed around Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland”.
Blessing a sacred space
This year’s SGV Pride Festival events started with an Interfaith Pride Worship Service.
The Reverend Dr. Pat Langlois, Senior Pastor at MCC United Church of Christ in the Valley, had coordinated the service with area churches.
At the start of the service, the gathered crowd faced each of the four directions, joining in the Rainbow Covenant Prayer. Then, the group sang several songs.
After a responsive-reading Prayer of Gratitude, Reverend Dr. Langlois invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence® to the front for a “Glitter Blessing” of anyone who wanted to participate.
Shortly afterwards, the Blessing of the Animals began.’
Three talented musicians sang the gathering song, “Our Pets Are Blessed”. One verse, about the ways pets love to eat and tend to grab whatever their humans drop, evoked some smiles and laughter among the attendees. Prayers and readings followed, including a moving one about the “Rainbow Bridge”, honoring pets that have gone on before us.
Renewal of the “Covenant for Human and Animal Companions” preceded the blessing of the animals. Reverend Langlois encouraged attendees to call out their pets’ names or display a picture of them on their phones, if they hadn’t been able to bring the animal to the park.
An honor and a hug
As the day’s events continued, an elected official recognized San Gabriel Valley Pride for their work over the past seventeen years.
“On behalf of the California State Senate, I join the City of Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley in celebrating this happy occasion,” said State Senator Anthony Portantino from the entertainment stage.
“I thank you for your dedicated service to educating, raising awareness and supporting the LGBTQ community. Your exceptional efforts to empower youth and adults who are LGBTQ is a testament and an inspiration to all of us.
“Thank you for all you do, and God bless,” Senator Portantino concluded, handing a certificate of recognition to SGV Pride President Jessica Amaya.
(As noted in a previous post, San Gabriel Valley Pride was started in 2001. Global nonprofit Catalyst had been producing an event called “Pasadena Pride”, but stopped doing so in 2000. So, as SGV Pride Treasurer Chris Ramirez explained in an email, four volunteers–Chris, Aaron, Theresa Quin and Margo Strik–planned a no-host picnic for the 2001 event. With positive community response, the event organizers would go on to create their current nonprofit, San Gabriel Valley Pride.)
A walk through the park
The rain, we should note, never did become a torrent that Saturday. A full spectrum of exhibitors waited to chat with attendees. Those included:
Christ the Shepherd Lutheran Church, from Altadena;
and Planned Parenthood.
We especially enjoyed the Rainbow Rollers bowling league…
…and the imaginative carnival “gaymes” which Madrid GSA presented.
And while they’re always fun, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were on hand as part of their organization’s ongoing community service and outreach.
Sisters Kumonawanna Leiya and Harlot D Lite explained that their nonprofit donates to smaller, underfunded organizations which provide direct service to AIDS patients and others in need in the community.
“We make $200 go a long way,” Sister Harlot D Lite said.
Showtime at San Gabriel Valley Pride 2018
Meanwhile, the entertainment stage hosted some serious talent.
The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, the only chorus in America made up of transgender, gender-nonconforming and intersex singers, presented some gorgeous harmonies in their rendition of “Over the Rainbow”. They also offered several other selections, including their signature song, “You Have More Friends Than You Think”.
(And did we mention that 2017 Doo Dah Parade Queen Imani Phoenix served as MC?)
Boynanarama, a male-fronted tribute band, showed the audience a good time, with their covers of songs including “Cruel Summer” and “I Heard a Rumor”.
Vocalist Devin Tait combined showmanship with fun as he interacted with his husband of three years on the latter.
He also told the audience that the two female vocalists were singing with the group for the first time at SGV Pride XVII, and asked them to come to the front of the stage for the band’s final selections.
Elise Shackleton demonstrated her versatility on keyboards, guitar and vocals with her jazz-flavored set.
And gifted positive rapper Payton 3.0 delivered messages of self-confidence and understanding in his uptempo rhymes.
Time for awards
As with previous SGV Pride Festivals, the classic cars stood waiting for recognition. Attendees could vote on their favorite for People’s Choice.
And on hand for the awards ceremony, was a familiar face.
Alison Arngrim, whom everyone loved to hate as Nellie Oleson on “Little House On The Prairie”, handed out the awards. (She’s now a stand-up comedian and author!)
Categories included “Best in Class 1960 – 1970” and “Best Motorcycle”.
“Oh, my God. I’ve never won anything in my life!” exclaimed one recipient.
Alison also gave a special award to the car she’d most like to drive home.
And, it turned out to be…
“Marvin”, Mitch’s car! (“It’s so comfortable, it would be like driving my couch home”), Alison commented.
Alison, whose book “Confessions Of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated” is a New York Times bestseller, would return later to the Authors’ Tent.
She read some funny selections from her book, mentioned that she may write a sequel and talked about her visit to a Washington bar that gave her an appropriate memento.
Update on a classic lawn game
“Does anyone know how to play (croquet)?” asked Sister Kumonawanna Leiya. The “Croquet Gayme”, featuring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, was a new addition to SGV Pride this year.
OK–maybe no one gathered there quite knew the rules.
But laughter and fun ensued and the wickets somehow, mysteriously, managed to maneuver to where the croquet balls wound up! (Alice would have been proud!)
And Aaron Saenz, as the King of Hearts, cut a handsome figure in his tartan plaid.
Aaron, who traveled to Scotland earlier this year, said he’d chosen this particular tartan because it’s the closest one to a rainbow!
Meanwhile, creativity was everywhere we looked.
And the entertainment was ongoing.
The afternoon was winding down. Except for some light showers, the weather had cooperated.
The sun had even peeked through the clouds at one point. Too bad, though, that there wasn’t an actual rainbow to highlight SGV Pride XVII.
That’s OK. The glow continues.