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Pride Festival returns to Medicine Hat on Saturday

Sep 15, 2017 | 5:11 PM

 

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The rainbow flag will fly in Medicine Hat once again this weekend.

The Medicine Hat Pride Association will host its annual Pride Festival on Saturday at Riverside Veterans Memorial Park.

“It’s a lot of fun, and there’s a lot of interest out there,” said Becki Korhonen, a member of the association’s board of directors. “It’s just digging it up and getting people to understand what it’s all about.”

Korhonen says the planning for the festival is a year-long process, with the board meeting weekly with the festival date getting closer.

This year’s event will feature activities for all ages, including bounce castles, live music and performances by drag kings and queens. The event gets underway with the flag raising in the park at 11:30 a.m.

Korhonen says the goal of pride is to help open the eyes of residents to the LGBTQ community and issues they face.

“It’s just about letting people know what’s going on, letting people know that this is not something to be afraid of, it’s something to be…embraced,” she said.

This year, Medicine Hat Mayor Ted Clugston, Medicine Hat MLA Bob Wanner and Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes will all make remarks at the festival. This year is the first time Barnes has attended the festival.

The event runs until 4:30 p.m. and is free for the family to attend. The association will also host Pride After dark at the Ortana Room at the Legion, for people ages 18 years and older. Tickets for the latter event are $20 at the door.