by Dot Cannon
San Gabriel Valley Pride was setting up for an anniversary.
Saturday morning, October 12th, had brought beautiful weather to Pasadena’s Central Park. And at noon, SGV Pride’s nineteenth annual Pride Festival would start.
2019 marks the fiftieth anniversary of New York’s Stonewall Uprising–often credited with starting the gay rights movement.
While commemorating this landmark, SGV Pride was preparing to do exactly what their festival always does: welcome everyone to celebrate love, support and community.
Among Pride festivals, San Gabriel Valley’s is unique. It’s both free and family-oriented.
“It’s not raining,” observed Covina Community Church‘s Reverend Lee Yates happily, when we said hello just after ten. (As noted in a previous post, last year’s festival happened after some pretty dramatic thunderstorms–and under skies that threatened more!)
The sunshine and warm temperatures just added to the festive mood as setup proceeded.
Wowed by the “classics”
A favorite part of setup is always watching the participants from Great Autos of Yesteryear bring their entries for the car show.
Great Autos of Yesteryear is the largest gay and lesbian car club on the West Coast. They have nearly 1,000 members, according to their website.
And ohhh, those classic cars!
The driver of this 1911 fire engine offered a demo of its still-working siren.
Festival firsts
This year’s SGV Pride Festival included a number of “firsts”. In addition to new features, a number of first-time exhibitors were on hand.
For 2019, Pasadena Tournament of Roses® was there, as a sponsor!
“As luck or history would have it, I’ll actually be the first openly gay President in 2026,” said 2020 Tournament of Roses® Vice President Terry Madigan (pictured on the left).
Vice President Madigan said 2020 would mark his twenty-sixth Rose Parade®.
He explained that Tournament of Roses® Presidents are selected eight years in advance. (He will preside over the 137th Rose Parade®, and the 112th Rose Bowl Game®. According to the Tournament of Roses® website, Vice President Madigan has served in numerous areas, including Parade Operations, Post Parade, and Special Events, since he first volunteered in 1993.)
Throughout the day, attendees would get to talk with him and other Tournament staffers about the possibility of becoming a White Suiter–one of Tournament of Roses®’ 935 volunteers.
New at SGV Pride 2019
Another notable new “first” resulted in–a hug.
Nonprofit Free Mom Hugs, started in 2014, is an organization of parents and allies who are all about affirming and celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Founder/Executive Director Sara Cunningham sums up her nonprofit’s mission of education and outreach with one sentence, on their website: “It’s time we celebrate our LGBTQ+ children.”
Susan Goldman, proprietor of Big Gay Weddings, was also a first-time exhibitor.
A professional photographer, Susan worked for the Associated Press for a number of years. She uses her journalistic background to shoot weddings in documentary style, according to her website.
Also new to exhibiting at San Gabriel Valley Pride Festival was Q Youth Foundation. A nonprofit, they create safe spaces for LGBTQ youth through storytelling, playwriting and community activities.
One more first? Holy Family Catholic Church was among the spiritual organizations exhibiting, this year.
They’re the first Catholic church to exhibit locally in Pasadena, at a Pride event.
Nonprofit 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, according to SGV Pride Co-Founder and Treasurer Chris Ramirez.
So for 2001, Chris, along with volunteers Aaron Saenz (pictured here), Theresa Quin and Margo Strik, planned a no-host picnic. The community responded positively, leading the event organizers to create their current nonprofit, San Gabriel Valley Pride.)
The start of the festivities
“Have a great day! Thank you so much for coming!” SGV Pride President Jessica Amaya greeted attendees from the stage at noon.
DJ Gracie D started the music.
And San Gabriel Valley Pride Festival, 2019, was happening!
A new feature for 2019 was the Senior Tent–with karaoke.
Attendees and exhibitors were stepping up and rocking it!
And, welcome back to…
We saw quite a few return exhibitors, in addition to the new ones.
Those included PFLAG…
…and West Coast Singers, currently in their 35th year. They’re the third oldest LGBTQ+ mixed chorus in the nation. (And they’re getting ready for their December concerts!)
A multifaith gathering
“I think there’s are a lot of animals here…so we’re going to do a Rainbow Pet Blessing,” said Reverend Dr. Pat Langlois, Senior Pastor of MCC United Church of Christ in the Valley, just before the Interfaith Animal Blessing and service around 1:00.
Four spiritual leaders, in all, led the interfaith worship service, introduced by the day’s MC, Clitdreese.
Onstage with Reverend Pat were the Reverend KC Slack, Senior Minister of Unitarian Universalist, Verdugo Hills; Reverend Kelli Parrish Lucas, Minister of Education at Altadena United Church of Christ; and Reverend Lee Yates, Pastor of Covina Community Church.
After Reverend KC offered an opening thanksgiving prayer, they led the attendees in several songs, including “This Little Light of Mine”. Then, attendees were invited to speak along with the leaders in a prayer of gratitude.
“We are all divinely loved,” they affirmed. “You have said ‘yes’ to us in creation…so we pray for the courage to live ‘yes” back to You. ‘Yes’ with our love…’yes’ with our determination, ‘yes’ with our sexuality, …’yes’ to our neighbor, ‘yes” to insuring justice for all.”
In a brief message afterwards, Reverend Pat referred to the recent Supreme Court actions against the LGBTQ community.
“It’s pretty, well, –I don’t have a nice word, so my momma said, ‘don’t ever say anything if you can’t say it nicely.’
“So what I would say right now, is, we are so much more than what people would call us out to be. And, you know, we are connected…and we as the rainbow community, the LGBTQ and ally community, honey, we are still united.”
Reverend KC led the group in singing, “And They’ll Know We’re Together By Our Love.”
Honoring our animals
Afterwards, the Blessing of the Animals began with a prayer.
Reverend Pat and Reverend KC offered thanks for all animals, including “all cats, lions and tigers and jaguars and bad little kittens”.
“I’m going to ask each of here to to renew our covenant with the animals in our care,” Reverend Pat said. “Will you continue to love and protect your pets in good times and in bad, as long as they shall live?”
“I will,” everyone answered in unison.
Shortly afterwards, attendees were invited to receive a blessing of their pets.
“We’re going to bless the water,” Reverend Pat directed. “…We’ll go to the shade, you come to us, and we’ll bless your pet.”
Music began playing. Reverend Pat and Reverend KC blessed several dogs and the photos people offered, of their animals.
After the blessing, the music segued into a more uptempo song–and an impromptu line dance began, led by Reverend KC.
Participants moved almost as one person. Several minutes later, smiling and breathless, the spiritual leaders returned to the stage.
“You guys go and have an awesome day,” Reverend Pat wished the crowd.
Closing out the service, Reverend KC said,, “There’s something I love to do at Pride. Folks, I think us queer people are fragments of the divine, coming back together like glitter and the Universe. So if you want to come on up to me, I’ll give you a little glitter blessing…Little bit of glitter on your forehead, a reminder that you are part of what is holy in this Universe.”
“A bunch of good stuff going on”
Clitdreese summed up the day to come. “Happy Pride! There’s a bunch of good stuff going on.”
Events at San Gabriel Valley Pride’s nineteenth Pride Festival would continue until nine that evening.
The Authors Table hosted authors throughout the afternoon.
Art from previous year’s Big Draw L.A. sessions was available for sale, to support San Gabriel Valley Pride (which is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit).
Attendees could also use their creativity to show their support, by drawing a heart.
“Gaymes” were set up, at the GSA Carnival, and attendees were invited to try their skill.
The “Fearless Project“, by photographer Jeff Sheng, showcased LGBT student athletes.
People could socialize over drinks or grab an artisanal popsicle, burger and fries or Mediterranean food. (Ummm, those falafel!)
And the Entertainment Stage hosted some very talented performers.
Center stage, on the mic
Laughter and applause followed each of author/lyrical poet Joshua Castro’s selections. Joshua performed several of his lyrical poems and read an excerpt from his short story, “A Safer World”.
(A personal favorite? “Christmas (Stop Coming to Town in September)”!)
Lyrical hip hop artist and community builder Figgy Baby told the audience he had just performed in Compton’s first Pride Parade.
And at SGV Pride, some of the youngest attendees were having a great time dancing to his rhymes and rhythms.
Queer Latin Dance LA not only performed…
…they offered a mini-salsa class.
“Come on, dancers! I need some dancers!” called singer Betsy Boyd, at the start of a soul music set that included Black Box’s “Everybody Everybody” and Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls”.
The crowd seemed happy to oblige!
A visiting dignitary
Later in the afternoon, San Gabriel Vice Mayor Denise Menchaca came by to honor San Gabriel Valley Pride.
Vice Mayor Menchaca congratulated the community on their nineteenth event.
She also extended an invitation.
“I hope you’ll come to San Gabriel (some of the exhibitors here today are based in our city).”
The Vice Mayor offered words of encouragement to San Gabriel Valley Pride:
“Keep up the good work!”
Classic cars, a new award
Across the park, on a table, stood the trophies for the classic car show. Around 4:00, former SGV Pride President Mitch Braiman prepared to do the honors.
Mitch explained that “First in Class” was similar to “First Runner-Up”, with “Best in Class” the top prize for each category.
A number of wins followed.
Among them:
“Best in Class, Prewar Category” went to the 1911 fire engine.
The 1967 Mustang convertible took “Best in Class” in the “1967-1985 Open Car” category.
For the “Best in Show” award, the Nissan Figueroa rolled into first place.
And this year, a new award was being offered.
Tournament of Roses®, as a 2019 Pride sponsor, would give the “Power of Hope” Award to one entrant.
In honor of the 2020 Rose Parade® theme, this award would go to the vehicle in which the judges “would most like to cruise down Colorado Boulevard during the Rose Parade®”.
And the winner…the 1957 Dodge Sierra!
Warmth and inspiration
Onstage, the entertainment continued.
In the midst of all the new additions to SGV’s 2019 Pride, Singer/songwriter Niccole Ostonio was experiencing a personal “first”.
“This is my very first live show,” she told her audience.
In her program, she invited her wife, Ace, onstage to sing an original song which Ace had written for Niccole and performed at their wedding.
(“I did that so she’d sing that song to me again,”) Niccole told the crowd.
Niccole offered both original material and a soulful cover of No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak” in her 30-minute set. At one point, she challenged the audience to guess about whom she’d written one particular song.
The answer? Their dog–obviously a much-loved member of the family.
Niccole and Ace also performed a song they had written together, the previous week. Then Niccole mentioned that she was entering another new area, professionally.
“I’m going to release a single, ‘A Few Too Many Whiskeys’,” she said. “It’s about taking risks.”
Niccole performed her new song, and the audience applauded.
The sun was beginning to set.
SGV’s nineteenth Pride Festival had been a great day.
We’d seen lots of smiles, mindfulness, love, and people reaching out to one another during the festivities.
But with the end of the daylight hours, San Gabriel Valley Pride 2019 didn’t end. Unlike earlier festivals hosted by SGV Pride, this one would continue until 9 pm.
We had to leave shortly after six, but did have the opportunity to hear Peacefilled YaNI, Founder of The Peace People’s Movement, onstage.
YaNi is a hip-hop artist from New York, as well as the pastor of Missiongathering, in Pasadena.
Her music and personable stage manner gave a sense that everyone was welcome at her performance–and as part of her community.
Which is exactly the message we received from San Gabriel Valley Pride, during their nineteenth annual Pride Festival.
Happy Pride, everyone! Looking forward to celebrating SGV Pride XX with you in 2020.