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WHEELING – The celebration of LGBTQ history, culture and community will return to Wheeling this weekend at Heritage Port Plaza with even more to offer - including a wedding.
Community members will gather at the plaza from 3-9 p.m. during the family-friendly event to commemorate the global celebration of the LGBTQ community that occurs during June's Pride Month.
The Friendlier City Project will host the event, with chair Mikaya Green noting the festival has grown in scale and offerings since the first rendition at Market Plaza. She explained that after last year's event, organizers were already brainstorming new additions for this year.
"We're trying to keep the momentum from last year," described Green. "To see all the support last year that we weren't expecting was amazing. This year, so many businesses and locals are willing to support us and contribute to the event."
The Bridge Tavern, Orrick and individual contributors are sponsors for this year's Pride on the Plaza. The event is also in collaboration with Orrick, which will host its annual Pride in Wheeling community beautification event on Friday. The mural created at Orrick's event will be unveiled during Saturday's festival.
"We expected a lot from the event our first year, but we were so impressed, and the turnout exceeded our expectations," noted Wheeling Councilwoman Rosemary Ketchum, co-chair of The Friendlier City Project. "This year as a result of the growing numbers and some of the construction downtown, we decided to move our festival to Heritage Port Plaza, which we think is going to be a great spot because it's larger and provides more shade."
One of the most exciting additions to the festival for organizers is a live marriage ceremony that will take place during the festivities, along with live vow renewals.
Another new inclusion at the festival is a scholarship and award ceremony during which a $1,000 scholarship will be presented to a graduating high school senior. The recipient was selected through an essay contest in which students responded to the prompt, "What does pride mean to you?"
Local artists will also display their own take on "what pride means to them" during the unveiling of the traveling art exhibit "Pride As Protest: Using Art For Social Change" at the festival. The exhibit was born from the collaboration between The Friendlier City Project and YNST (You're Not Seeing Things) Magazine.
The exhibit will commemorate the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which sparked the ongoing movement for LGBTQ equality. According to Green, the exhibit will feature contemporary art from creatives in Appalachia and the Southern United States inspired by "iconic and historically significant protest art."
The art exhibit is one aspect of the education and outreach the event will provide, with Green explaining one of the festival's goals is to connect LGBTQ community members in the city to resources that can help and support them. To accomplish this, community tables and resource providers will have booths at the festival, including the Ohio County Public Library, Genesis Youth Crisis Center, Oglebay Institute, Central Outreach Wellness Center, Bethany Memorial Church and Fairness WV.
Another resource available to LGBTQ community members at the festival is a name change clinic hosted by Legal Aid WV. The clinic will walk transgender and queer people who do not feel comfortable with their birth names through the legal process of changing their names.
A communal gender-affirming clothing swap will also occur at the festival, and a medical van will be available for physical and mental health check-ups.
"We want to incorporate a sense of mutual aid at this year's festival, which includes the resources, tools, and opportunities for LGBTQ folks," explained Ketchum. "All these things will be available so we can have a great time celebrating Pride Month but also making sure that folks are getting greater access to resources."
In addition to education and advocacy resources, over 30 retail vendors will sell original artwork, clothing and other artisanal goods at the festival. Vendors include Nicky's Garden Center, Logan Schmitt, Sporeprint Press and Caricatures by Megz.
Food options will also be plentiful at the festival, including Midge's Hot Dogs, Tacet Coffee Cart and The Gringo Taco Truck, as well as several walkable restaurants open to festival goers.
The festival's entertainment includes local musical acts such as Van Gilder, Jim McLaughlin, Bluegrass, Stone Campus and cokeworks.
Green noted that the new offerings and returning attractions at the festival are focused on creating a welcoming and enjoyable environment for all attendees. She explained that the event wants to ensure everyone in the city, particularly young members of the LGBTQ community, can feel welcome and safe in their hometown.
"One of the biggest problems Wheeling faces is young people leaving to go to bigger cities, so our main goal is that we don’t want kids to feel like they have to move away to be their true selves," said Green. "We want them to feel included in the city, so having events like this will hopefully help them realize, 'Oh, I have a community here.'"
Ketchum stressed that "representation matters," explaining the festival allows LGBTQ community members to see "their values reflected in their city."
"We’ve heard from many queer folks who said that last year's festival was the first LGBT-focused event they attended," noted Ketchum. "Loneliness and isolation are all things we experience as human beings, particularly when you’re part of a marginalized community, so that’s why these celebrations matter."