PORT TOWNSEND — The second annual Pride in the Park put on by the Jefferson County Pride is Saturday and will celebrate 50 years of Pride, the Stonewall Riots, LGBTQ pride and honor those who came before in a family friendly variety show.
This year’s theme is “Stonewall to the Salish Sea,” and the event starts at 11 a.m. and goes until 5 p.m. with different vendors selling T-shirts, food and beverages. It is recommended that attendees bring chairs or blankets to sit on to watch the variety show at Pope Marine Park.
The variety show will have an indigenous speaker, readings of letters of support for the teen center the group is putting together, followed by singing and other performances, said JCP President Emelia De Souza.
The event had a T-shirt competition for Jefferson County residents aged 14-19, who were able to submit design ideas up until May 31. The winner’s design is printed on this year’s commemorative shirt, and they received a $100 cash prize.
High School Junior Magdalena Grace won this year’s competition, and her shirt design is the one people are still able to purchase online at jeffersoncountypride.org and at the event.
As part of their programs, JCP is attempting to make a space for an LGBTQ youth and ally center to build a safe space for members of the community and to help combat the rising amount of suicides within the LGBTQ community.
“Since the loss of the Boiler Room we don’t have a place anymore for kids to hang out and be themselves,” De Souza said. “So I just said ‘let’s do it,’ and so April at our board meeting we decided we were going to take up the campaign of establishing a teen center here.”
The teen center plans to be built on proceeds of the T-shirt sales and community donations.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
