The Spirit Of Pride

It might have rained on the parade, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the revelers who came out — about 40,000-strong over the weekend of June 21st — to celebrate the ninth annual Stonewall Street Festival and Parade on Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors.

In previous years, both the parade and the festival were held on the same day, with the parade starting off the festival. This was the first year the parade was held on Saturday evening, followed by a street party and the festival was held on Sunday.

“Look at how far our baby has come,” said Terry Norman, who along with about a half-dozen other community members, founded Pride of Greater Fort Lauderdale and held the first Stonewall Street Festival and Parade nine years ago. “Isn’t this terrific! The parade has taken the next step it needed.”
“What [Stonewall Pride] has morphed into is a week-long celebration as a reminder of what our predecessors have done for us to have the freedom to do and live as we choose and to have the freedoms they did not have at that time,” said Jackson Padgett, one of the owners of Georgie’s Alibi. “We here in Fort Lauderdale have so much pride, we have to do it twice a year.”

But the Stonewall Pride celebration has become more than the local party it started out as. Now members of the gay community from around the state, as well as the east coast of the United States, now make travel plans to attend the festival. Mark and Sam came over from Naples, Florida to attend the festival. “We came over for the camaraderie and fun,” Mark said. “We’re having a great time.”
“We’re as ready as can be,” said Wilton Manors Mayor Scott Newton, “We’re gonna have a great time like we always do here in Wilton Manors.”

As those who live in this area know, the weather this time of year is hot and humid and the threat of rain is always present. But with the rain both days, at times torrential, the party didn’t stop and the only known casualty was the mascara running on the faces of some of the drag queens.
“Technically, we’ve only had rain twice in the last nine years,” said Bobby Keiser, chairman of Pride of Greater Fort Lauderdale. “One year it was totally rained out. We didn’t have that this year. Nor was it the hottest year.”

“When I went down [to the parade staging area] and I saw all the wonderful talent and creations and the lighting it was nothing like I expected,” said Bobby. “I was scared because I didn’t think we would have what we needed and in the end, there was much more than I anticipated. For a first-time event, it was just incredible.”

“Not all things went exactly right,” said Bobby, “because of the rain — because of the over-commitments. It was really tough taking [the parade] to this new level. But now we have a lot of new systems in place for next year.”

“Saturday night was a night for us. It was for us to show our talents, it was for us to show our stamina and to stick with it. Whether rain, shine or whatever, the community said they’re going to be there to support their community.”

After the parade ended Saturday evening the party continued, particularly under the dance tent sponsored by Sidelines Sports Bar, which was filled to capacity and ran through the night under the guidance of mix-master, D.J. Ryan Morales. After having participated in the parade, the entourage from Hotspots Magazine, led by Publisher Peter Clark, danced the night away, along with hundreds of others, under the tent as the skies cleared for the evening. “The music was amazing and the crowd just kept dancing,” said Peter.

Crowds reappeared on Sunday for the Stonewall Festival. Tents lined Wilton Drive along with shirtless guys, people on roller blades, people enjoying the carnival food, cocktails and other drinks flowing from various booths and more  shirtless guys. Every size and shape of guy was present dressed in their gay pride best. There were twinks and bears, tall and short, thin and the not-so-thin, the muscular and the skinny, all with one goal in mind: to support the community and have the greatest time they can. They were on roller skates, Segways, bicycles and scooters and many pet owners had their special friends in strollers. 

The most popular attraction at the festival this year was the Main Stage area sponsored by Hotspots Magazine, a major sponsor, that featured the talents of deejays Tracy Young and Ryan Morales and singer Crystal Waters, among others.

In addition, the Sunday festival itself was much larger, stretching from Sidelines down “The Drive” all the way to Rosie’s and Five Points — about a 25% expansion over previous years. This permitted more walking room without being overly crowded. And many in attendance made new friends or renewed old friendships. The rain itself also held out a few hours after the festival began.

“It didn’t stop. The people kept coming out,” said Bobby. “People stuck with it. People came out into the rain. The people said, you know what, we’re not giving up. And that’s what our community is all about. Yes, their hair might have gotten wet, but they didn’t care. They went out there to support the community and have a good time.”

But was the re-worked festival and parade considered a success by Pride of Greater Fort Lauderdale despite the weather? “I like the fact that people were sending me thank you notes saying it was great entertainment — it was fun. That’s what we wanted. It wasn’t just about going to a festival where all day long people are hawking their wares to the gay and lesbian community. It was about having fun on ‘The Drive’. And that’s what made us the happiest.

Hotspots Magazine was particularly proud to participate in this year’s Stonewall Street Festival and Parade and give their thanks to all the sponsors and the organizing committee who put their hearts and souls into making it the success it was. We’re looking forward to next year!