The 2019 Columbus Pride Festival

     Last weekend was Pride weekend in Columbus, Ohio, the main events being the Pride Festival on Friday evening and the Pride Parade on Saturday morning.
     Now, I'd never before been to an LGBTQ Pride event before, unless you count the time my daughter Theresa and I protested in front of the Columbus Catholic Diocese office for their having fired a lesbian high school teacher after she was outted by a cruel self-righteous parent.

    And at our house we do represent every day.

     But one of my friends mentioned that she and her husband were thinking about going to the Friday night Pride Festival in downtown Columbus, so I suggested that Tom and I join them and that we all go to Pride, as the weekend events are collectively referred to, together.
      So we did.
      We parked in the garage across the street from the park known as the Columbus Commons, where there was held that same night an outdoor performance of the Columbus Pops,

...then we walked a couple of blocks to the entrance of the Pride Festival,

...which was set up along and across the Scioto River  in Bicentennial Park, along Civic Center Drive on the east side of the river,

​...along Washington Avenue in front of Columbus's  Center for Science and Industry on the west side of the river,

...and across the Town Street and Rich Street Bridges,

...all of which locations offered some splendid panoramas of downtown Columbus,

...along with the splendid, rainbow-hued panorama of the festival itself.

     There were many dozens of commercial booths,

...and public service booths.

    Tom got into a conversation with the friendly youngsters from the Louisville, Kentucky  public relations booth.

       Many businesses were also present, showing support for the LBGTQ community.

     There were also food booths,

...some with quite artfully-done displays.

    We opted for some Caribbean food,

...Tom ordering the BBQ Bites over vegetables and rice,

...and the rest of us going with chicken over veggies and rice - huge portions -

...which we ate on a cozy spot on a nearby wall,

     After dinner we caught a couple of the musical shows.

     There was a review of Tina Turner impersonators.

     They were quite good and very entertaining.

    We also watched a couple of the singers and dancers on the River Stage.

    Then we strolled around,enjoying the beautiful June evening,

...and at the same time proud to be part of this crowd, in this place,

...where everyone was accepted,

...and welcome to be themselves,

...no matter who we were.