‘It’s unbelievable’: Growth and local support fuel second-annual State College Pride
For the second straight year, hundreds of people came out to celebrate Pride in State College with a decorated car caravan and downtown festival on Saturday. The weekend’s festivities marked just the second official Pride celebration hosted by the borough and the Centre LGBTQA Support Network.
More than 100 cars, bikers and skaters — plus at least 200 marchers — took part in the afternoon’s parade. The “Pride Ride” caravan began on Westerly Parkway near State College Area High School before winding through the borough and ending on South Fraser Street. The best-decorated cars were later entered into a competition for prizes, including gift certificates from the Downtown State College Improvement District.
Once the parade wrapped up, attendees partied at Sidney Friedman Park. There, festival guests were treated to music from Joy Marie and the Gill Street Band, performances from a magician and plenty of meals and treats from local vendors.
Pride attendees like State College resident Lynne French, who visited the borough’s inaugural Pride celebration last year, said the event’s growth stood out this time around. More involvement helps Pride take root within the community, she said.
“It’s much bigger this time. A lot more participation, which is wonderful to see,” French said. “I liked the fact that there were local politicians (at the parade), there were college kids there, there were families there. It was joyful, bright and light — what it should be.”
State Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, and Centre County Commissioner Michael Pipe both walked alongside vehicles in Saturday’s parade. Centre County-based officials Robert Zeigler and Paul Takac, who are both seeking election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the fall, were also involved with the event.
State College Mayor Ezra Nanes couldn’t attend Saturday’s festivities due to a COVID-19 flare-up within his family, he posted in a message on Twitter. Still, the recently elected mayor offered a message of support right from his own living room.
“I just want you to know, as your mayor, that we stand with the LGBTQ+ community,” Nanes said in a video posted on Twitter. “You inspire us. You being your authentic selves helps all of us be our authentic selves. We know there’s still work to do, and we are in this with you.”
At least 42 local businesses helped sponsor this year’s Pride celebration, according to Cat Cook, the Centre LGBTQA Support Network’s director of operations. She said community involvement has skyrocketed following last year’s inaugural Pride festival.
“We are beyond elated to have not just businesses but so many local organizations and local residents involved,” Cook told the Centre Daily Times earlier this week.
This year’s Pride celebration took an extra step to involve community staples by offering Rainbow Cards, which, for a $10 fee, granted cardholders access to local discounts and deals throughout the week. In turn, some sponsoring businesses hosted events like drag shows and happy hours leading up to Saturday’s parade and festival.
State College Pride’s growth was noticeable to just about everyone in the borough on Saturday. That certainly wasn’t lost on Tamar London, who co-founded the Centre LGBTQA Support Network and helped organize Pride.
“We’ve had the support of the borough, and 3 Dots and the Downtown State College Improvement District — the whole downtown area,” she said. “We’ve got stores blinged out for Pride, participating in the storefront competition. We feel like we’ve gotten support from so many different groups.”
“It’s unbelievable,” she continued. “It’s just amazing.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2022 at 7:15 PM.
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