Family fun at Topeka Pride

For the past three years, the annual Topeka Pride Organization has created many days of fun to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Pride. Topeka Pride's executive director Kimberly Daughtery expects this year's pride event to be the biggest one yet.

According to Daughtery, there will be several events the third week of September 2016. 

"The events start September 12. On that Monday, we will have an education event designed for the LGBT youth. Tuesday, we are going to have a social night with karaoke, which will be the 13th. 

"The 15th, Thursday, there will be annual pride awards," Daughtery explains, which is where awards are given to people in the local community. This includes individuals and organizations who have “supported equality in the last year.” Afterwards, a dinner is held.

On Friday, there will be a drag show in the evening showing 10 performers. Saturday is the street fair, parade and after party.

Topeka Pride’s street fair event is held in the NOTO Arts District. Daughtery says they block off the 800 and 900 blocks off of N. Kansas Ave. She also says that several of the businesses in the Arts District participate, and vendors will be outside with activities. 

Daughtery explains that there will be food vendors and informational booths from organizations about equality or resources for the LGBT community. She adds that people will sometimes sell artwork, “handmade wears” and their books. Last year, there were roughly 75 vendors total.

As far as the entertainment goes, there are musicians who play, as well as speakers and activists who speak. There is also a daytime drag show that is kid-friendly. 

Daughtery explains that she brought her - at the time - 4 and 6-year-old children to the first year of Topeka Pride during the day-time drag event. There was a drag queen dressed up as the Disney mermaid princess Ariel, and Daughtery says it was a great way to teach her children about drag culture. “It was an educational thing,” she proudly states.

In addition to the musicians, speakers and drag shows, there will also be side-show performers who spin fire and do fire-oriented shows.

Since the event is kid friendly, there will be fun activities for children. Daughtery says there will be face painting, games and “some sort of a bouncy feature,” such as a bounce house. She states that last year, for the young adults, they did “knocker ball, where they can get into those big balls and run into each other.”

The parade is taking place at 3 p.m. The vendors will be set up before that time, so pride-goers can shop before the parade. After the parade, there will be various activities going on until 7 p.m.

Daughtery says that the best ways to help out Topeka Pride is to volunteer and donate. To volunteer, people can go to topekapride.org and click the link to volunteer and sign up for however many hours. Daughtery excitedly states that volunteers get a free special t-shirt for the “first time ever.”

“We can use donations if people can’t come but want to support the cause,” Daughtery says. She also says they are also accepting vendor applications until September 15.

“Last year we had close to 10,000 people participate throughout the week, and we would like to double that this year.”

For more information, you may visit www.topekapride.org.

Sarah Boone
Journalism Intern
Copyright 2016 The Gayly - 9/3/2016 @ 7:55 a.m. CDT.