Pride Week concluded in Prince Albert with the Pride Parade and Pride in the Park on Saturday.
The rain lifted just before the Parade began on Saturday morning and did not diminish the crowds.
Prince Albert Pride Chair Andromeda Eremondi said they were excited to see all the supporters and allies of the LGBTQ community at the Pride Parade and Pride in the Park.
“Pride Week has been going really well,” Eremondi said. “We’ve had a lot of fun this week. We didn’t even have any issues. We had one single lone protester on Sunday, and that’s about it. We haven’t had any issues with it. Everybody’s been having fun. We’ve been hearing from the community that they’ve been having fun.”
Eremondi said the support from the broader community has been meaningful.
“It means a lot, especially with the solidarity (as a theme). It just kind of means that, hey, people are more welcoming and more loving than they are hating.”
The theme of “Solidarity” came about because of the union representation on the current board, which includes Eremondi and recording secretary Brandon Nicholson among others.
“We thought it was kind of kismet to say solidarity,” Eremondi said. “Being stronger as a community last year was about self-care and this year is (about) facing hate, especially seeing what was going on in elections and stuff. (It’s) just coming together and being stronger together.”
Representatives from Affinity Credit Union, the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division and countless other organizations were in attendance for both the Parade and Pride in the Park.
Eremondi moved to Prince Albert for a job in 2020 and got involved in Pride last year.
“I knew it existed. I was surprised last year with how big and tight knit it was,” Eremondi said.
The Parade, as always, began at the Court of King’s Bench and ended at Kinsmen Park for Pride in the Park.
Pride in the Park opened with a prayer from Elder Liz Settee and included an introduction of allies in the name of the theme of “Solidarity”. These included Mayor Bill Powalinsky, representatives from the University of Saskatchewan Students Union (USSU), NDP and many others.
Eremondi said it was nice to have the Mayor in attendance.
“I think that’s kind of credit to the fact that Prism Project is headed by his daughter (Alex Powalinsky) and then back in March, he actually signed a declaration to make March 21st the 2 Spirit Awareness day.”
The event had a long list of sponsors and supporters and that was because of the work of the Pride organizers.
The event was also supported by the Prince Albert Police Service who provided an escort for the Parade.
Pride Week concluded with a drum circle on Sunday evening.
“I just hope everyone had fun this week,” Eremondi said. “I hope to see everybody throughout the year too, because Pride doesn’t just stop in June.”
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
