Pride festival comes to downtown Washington
Brad Hundt/Obsever-Reporter
Pride flags were displayed on several businesses on Main Street during Washington’s Pride festival, including the building that houses the offices of the Observer-Reporter.
Brad Hundt/The Observer-Reporter
A drag performer made an appearance at the Washington Pa Pride festival Saturday afternoon.
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
A drag performer appears at the Washington Pride event Saturday.
After two years of planning and navigating delays brought on by COVID-19, Washington had its first-ever Pride festival Saturday, celebrating diversity and promoting equality for the LGBTQA community.
Entertainment by DJs, drag performers and musicians happened throughout the day, and many organizations had tables set up at the festival, promoting a variety of causes and selling an assortment of products.
“We’ve been planning it since pre-COVID and today’s the day,” said Kathy Cameron, co-founder of the Washington County Gay Straight Alliance. “We have a great team and board that’s put it all together.”
It’s perhaps a reflection of how widely accepted the LGBTQA community has become in recent years that a city the size of Washington hosted such an event. Once just a staple of major cities, Pride festivals are now happening in smaller towns. At the same time the Pride Festival was happening in Washington, a similar event was unfolding at Yough River Park in Connellsville. Other Pride events are set for June, which is Pride Month, in Mt. Lebanon, Dormont, Millvale and other communities in the region.
Several businesses along Washington’s South Main Street also displayed Pride flags during the festival.
“I really like that they’re expanding out here,” said Hannah Waechter, a Big Siblings coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh. “We’ve been reaching out all around.”
The festival was originally set for 2020, but was moved back to 2021. As the pandemic continued, it was pushed back again to this year.
“We’ve been waiting to see it, but it’s been hijacked by the pandemic,” said Washington resident Patrick Arena. “They’ve done a really good job. …It’s the visibility that’s important.”