Winooski holds its first-ever Winooski Pride event
Local drag queens Emoji Nightmare and Katniss Everqueer pose for a picture with Dax, a young event-goer, during Winooski Pride’s Drag Queen Story Hour. Photo courtesy of Katniss Everqueer, real name Kat Redniss.
Folks danced under rainbow lights for the first-ever Winooski Pride celebration this past Saturday in Rotary Park.
The event — put on by the Winooski City Council, Downtown Winooski and Winooski Strong — coincided with Vermont Pride Week and featured activities for all ages: a drag queen reading performance, live music, an outdoor trail of book pages and artisan vendors.
City councilors came up with the initial idea of holding a Pride celebration this year. There had never been an official festival in Winooski before to celebrate LGBTQ identities, and the council — several members of which belong to the LGBTQ community — felt that should change..
Councilors Thomas Renner and Aurora Hurd were at the event all night, smiling all the way. The celebration, Hurd said, did more than just recognize diversity: It actively looked to include folks historically excluded by society.
Take local drag queens Emoji Nightmare and Katniss Everqueer, who read children’s books to kids as part of a Drag Queen Story Hour, a loose series of readings by drag performers that has been gaining popularity — and detractors — across the country in recent years.
The books carried messages of inclusion and love, which is what Everqueer thinks drag and Pride is all about. ”It is such a pure expression of joy and community,” said the performer, real name Kat Redniss.
The celebration also included what’s called a StoryWalk — think of it as turning a book into a readable walking trail. Organizers from the city library put pages of a children’s book on posts around the park for kids and parents to follow and read.
In an example of the mood of the night, DJ Matthew Binginot punctuated a beat drop during his set by proclaiming: “Taylor Small is my cousin and I’m so proud of her!”
Small, who represents Winooski as a state legislator, is a transwoman and the first openly transgender legislator in Vermont. She spoke before the crowd that night too.
“It feels so necessary in our centennial year [to celebrate Pride],” she said before introducing some of the night’s performers.
Photos showcasing Winooski Pride speakers, performers, event-goers, and a community-created mural. Photos by Charlotte Burns.
The event ran from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. But the darkness outside didn’t slow down the party. DJs boasted rainbow light poles around their setups, and people danced well past the scheduled end time.
The mood seemed one of self-expression and acceptance among the guests, who ranged in age, body type and identity.
Meredith Bay-Tyack, executive director of Downtown Winooski, said she was happy to celebrate Pride so publicly for the first time in the city. Others echoed her feelings.
One of the vendors at the event, going by the artist pseudonym Grimm Noir, said they were happy to see Pride being celebrated “through the people’s choice.”