On Saturday, June 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Town Park will host a Pride celebration.
The LGBTQ+ community with friends and family will gather to mark the second year of this event in Pagosa Springs.
The event epitomizes the sentiment expressed by Mahatma Gandhi so long ago: “Unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.”
The day will begin with an opening ceremony at 11:30 a.m. that will include the keynote speaker, native Pagosan, Kat Martinez, Ph.D (they/them), speaking on “Lessons in Building Loving Community” based on life experiences as a world traveler and university associate professor and assistant dean. Currently, Martinez creates trainings for a nonprofit in Boulder County.
Folks will also learn of state legislative progress on matters relevant to the LGBTQ+ community as well as listen to the reading of the Town of Pagosa Springs proclamation establishing “that the month of June 2025 is recognized as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month and encourages all residents to respect and honor our diverse population and celebrate and build a culture of acceptance and affirmation.”
Following that will be a time for folks, kids and adults, to enjoy music from DJ Wise Man, drag trivia, community visioning, the kids’ art corner, face painting, the photo booth (come in costume) and to visit the various nonprofit resources and more.
At 1 p.m., Angelina Waterman, M.A., will present a unique interactive educational talk aimed at both affirming LGTBQ+ members and informing their supportive community with a blend of storytelling, behavioral science and simple wellness tools.
At 1:30 p.m., everyone, kids and grownups, will gather for a parade. Here’s where costumes will be on display and judges will be making their selection for first prize. Folks will gather back at Town Park following the parade for a Celebratory Poetry reading and to hear the first-prize costume award announcement, as well as the winner of the $50 gift certificate to a local store.
Our community has come together in this moment of divisiveness to celebrate diversity — an uncommon event and one to ponder.
Hear these relevant thoughts expressed by John F. Kennedy in his 1963 Commencement Address at the American University: “If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.”
Local businesses and individuals have come together to support this event sponsored by the interfaith community: the Pagosa Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Community United Methodist Church and St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church.
For more information, see the Pagosa Pride Facebook page or email to pagosapride@gmail.com.
