From Vandergrift to Freeport, pride in being one’s true self flowed through the heart of the Alle-Kiski Valley on Sunday as Pride Month celebrations were held in both boroughs.
The fourth annual Vandergrift Pride in the Park saw Kennedy Memorial Park filled with a variety of vendors and food as bands performed on the stage, while at about the same time the smaller seventh annual Freeport Pride Stroll and Festival marked a move to Riverside Park and the awarding of the first George Wolfe Memorial Scholarship.
In both cases, organizers were hoping to get as much of their events in as safely possible as the weather was threatening. Storms in the forecast held off for most of the afternoon, except for some sprinkles and wind gusts that sent some tents flying on occasion in Vandergrift.
Sarah Kurtz, co-chair of Vandergrift Pride in the Park, said they were going to be there rain or shine.
“We felt like the community needed it. It’s something a lot of folks look forward to,” she said. “Right now there’s a lot of uncertainty around rights and where things stand. It’s important to find community. This is a place where everybody can be accepted and loved for who they are.”
Allison Jordan of Plum wasn’t going to miss it, either.
“I used to live here,” she said. “This is one of the Vandergrift events I will always get my day free for. I’m part of the community, both Vandergrift and LGBTQ.”
Jordan, who got a new tattoo of the event’s possum mascot on her leg, said her view of pride is a bit different from most.
“I just like the community factor of it,” she said. “It brings people together and everybody is having fun. You can just be who you are.”
Among the vendors were those offering services and information, such as the Pittsburgh Equality Center, which is based in Pittsburgh but serves all of southwestern Pennsylvania.
“It’s great to see folks come out and celebrate authentically,” said Raymond Sidney-Smith, chair of the center’s board. “This could be the first pride someone experiences and we want them to have a great experience.”
Jess Plue and her husband, Cody Kump, of Blairsville came with their friends, Laramie Cowan and Jacob Antolik, of Latrobe, who were all attending their first pride event.
“I’ve never been brave enough to try it,” Cowan said. “I don’t regret it. It’s a fantastic and welcoming experience.”
The Pittsburgh Pride Festival, held the prior weekend, didn’t work for their schedules, and Plue said they also wanted to try a smaller festival.
“It is the perfect blend for newbies and veteran pride attendees — very welcoming,” Plue said. “I wanted to celebrate my individuality and those who are underrepresented and under heard.”
Freeport strolls
While Freeport PA Pride changed up its event by moving it to Riverside Park and having a few vendors for the first time, the stroll on sidewalks through town was one of its highlights.
“We stroll for all of those who cannot anymore, who don’t feel safe enough to grace the world with their light,” said Freeport PA Pride Vice President Sam Crummie, a Freeport native who now lives in Brackenridge. “We stroll for every person who died of AIDs, every person who threw a brick or a stone or a bottle or high heel shoe or purse at Stonewall, every person who has ever been bullied, hurt, harmed or killed for just being themselves, every person who has fought back against injustice, every person who carries the weight of perceived inadequacy that feels like a back pack that they cannot take off.
“We also stroll for everyone who can be here today,” she said. “We stroll for each other. We stroll for our loved ones. We stroll for and alongside those who are brave enough to let their light shine regardless of the pain and hate and sorrow the world throws their way.”
This year’s festival marked the award of the first scholarship in memory of its founder, George Wolfe, who owned Wolfie’s Pizza and died in 2023. The $1,000 award will be given to a member of the community or an ally from Freeport Area High School, said Kristen Brenneman, president of Freeport PA Pride.
“We just want the kids in the school to know they’re supported,” Brenneman said.
The recipient of the first award, Mickaela Sypulski, of Buffalo Township, said she will attend the University of Mount Saint Vincent and wants to be a constitutional lawyer.
“When I was in middle school, there was nothing. I felt alone,” said Sypulski, who identified herself as bisexual. “No matter what people said, I showed up to school every day and did my best.”
The Freeport Pride day means a lot to her.
“It shows kids that they can be proud of themselves,” she said. “They can be whoever they want to be and people will accept them.”
As the stroll made its way through town, resident Brenda Wyant and her partner, David Kissell, of Wilkinsburg, were taking a break along Fourth Street at High Street.
Wyant remembered being at one of the first events, and said how nice it was to see it getting bigger.
“I think it’s important to be supportive of everyone. That’s it in a nutshell,” she said. “There’s too much hate in this country.”