As I wound my way through the tables at The Garage, I could almost hear the thoughts of the other patrons eating their dinners. “Well, I’ve never seen her before.” The Garage is definitely a place for regulars, but they’re more than welcoming to friendly “newbies” who wander though their doors. Especially a girl like me who’s been a hag for over a decade. Now, I wasn’t just there for the huge tasty steak, nor the nummy mashed potatoes. I was there to get the dish (pun intended) on the upcoming Hampton Roads Pride Festival “Out in the Park”. And I was excited because OnHamptonRoads.com is set to have a booth at the event (plus I wanted to help promote the people who masterminded the much-needed revamp of my wardrobe when I was 20. No, really. ‘Much-needed’ is an under statement.)

Held on September 24th, this will be the 18th and biggest annual festival thrown by HR Pride. Attendance and vendors have increased every year, most dramatically in the past three years. The usual attendance has been between 1500 and 3000, but with double the vendors this year (over 50), the Pride board is hoping for a comparable upswing in turnout. The event is at Chesapeake City Park, so it’s up to you if you want to try walking around wearing heels all day.

My experience with heels on grass has been unfortunate, but most of these lads probably have a bit more experience.

In addition to the usual food and craft booths, this year will also include a Beer Garden (first year for serving alcohol), the main stage events, and kids and family activities (face painting, crafts, etc.). The children’s area is being sponsored by the New Life MCC, and I think I’m going to talk my sister into bringing my nephews down. They’ve grown up in a loud and crazy family, so those boys should get along with the ‘ladies’ just fine. 

Hampton Roads Pride has gotten a surge of new blood on the board recently, which may explain the rapid growth the festival has seen. The group has been very active in charities, particularly the ones for At Risk and AIDS children. Their holiday toy drive contributed about 400 backpacks full of toys and other items that most kids take for granted. And they offer scholarships to gay, lesbian, bi, and transgender students – totaling $10,000 this year alone.

Although the fall festival is their biggest yearly event, Pride also organizes other events throughout the year, such as ‘Breaking the Ice’ in the winter, which is mostly an educational event held at ODU offering a variety of workshops like – Balancing the Gay Checkbook. (I asked if there’s a difference between a gay checkbook and a straight checkbook… apparently it’s all in the amount of hair product.) Then they also put on a film festival at the Naro in the spring. In the past, they’ve had everything from spectacular to just spectacle (a.k.a., bad). But that’s how film festivals generally go, I guess.

All of these things push toward HR Pride’s mission statement – “to instill pride, celebrate unity, and embrace diversity by creating visibility and promoting full human and civil rights”. And, of course, by throwing great parties. So whichever side of the fence you prefer, come out to the party and stop by the booth, and I’ll see you there.