e Pride Vermont: Still Here, -StillQueer, Still Paying Off Last Year (But We’re Almost Done) BY TIM EVANS _ , . 1 hat will , Vermont’s-. ‘ Pride Day bring to the GLBT community in. 1999? Will past financial con- cerns and problems dampen this year’s festive spirit? What can our relatively small yet vital community do to support the event and help future Pride Day activities? As in any minority communi- ty, there are as many answers to these questions as there are peo- ple who take part in the annual Pride Day. There are many ques- tions and details that the Pride Vermont committee has to attend to in order to put on a successful event, issues that may not always be obvious to the casual observ- er. . M This year’s Pride Day is scheduled for Saturday, June 19 . Once again, it will be held at Burlington’s Waterfront Park to accommodate the .ever-increas- ing number of participants, The, gathering starts at 11:00 at the waterfront._ An hour later, ,,the parade will start making its way along Main Street to, Church‘ Street, up to Cherry Street, and. » back to the waterfront. _ According to. Tracy Kom- mons,. chairperson and treasurer of the Pride Vermont committee,.~- - the differences . start after » the parade. The aftemoon entertain- ment segment of the celebration following the parade will see some changes. The committee is still finalizing the lineup of fine local talent, but confirms that musician, DJ, and poet Craig Mitchell will emcee the after- noon. Also new this year is the tea dance planned to follow the. entertainment. . V Of course,’ the more things change, the more they stay the same, and there will be the usual food and information vendors for those revelers in need of suste- nance?-and_'news',. _ g _, Once you: consider the’ costs of space _r_/ental, a‘dVvertis'in'g, security, a shuttle system, tents,‘7= sound; trash removal,-.-and? all the "‘ other }.details, the price tag?-for Pride Day, is in flie neighborhood ofa hefty‘$10,000. " _ As’ if that weren’t financially .‘ dauntingenough, jthe committee, is still; working withflast year’s _ debt as it"makes~.»p’lans_caforv this I Year. Unpaid bills left over-from 1997 ;have had "something of a “snowball effect,” says Kom- mons. _ “1998 started in the hole,” she Says, explaining that the commit- tee has had to play catch-up to get those bills paid. file photo The old debt is just about taken care of and the committee is optimistic that it won’t be a . problem for next year. “The goal is to have some funds to start with, “ says Kommons, so that planning doesn’t start with an empty pot. So where does the financial support come from? Certainly not from money donated on Pride Day“ by the participants, generous though those contribu- tions might be. According to Randy Violette, Pride committee liaison to the city of Burlington, 1 organizers realized last year that « the event alone would not pay for itself. 7 Local businesses have been a source of donations in the past. I and one of the scheduled enter- tainment acts failed to material- ize. _ There are also a number of complaints to deal with from withinthe gay community. Some feel the parade should be better organized and not formed on the spot. Violette says that, at least for now, the parade seems to work best when it is assembled at the last minute.iHowever, the ' committee does welcome groups that want to reserve a place in ' advance. — _ _ 1 Another ripe has-‘been that not all of e"'éntertainers and vendors participating are gay or lesbian. The committee has had to struggle with questions of excluding friends and allies will- . A g0‘rganiz_ergs realized year th a__t “the - P Violette" says area merchants have usually been very support- ive when-approached; forTexam- » ple, last year Borders supplied V the money for the shuttle system to and from Waterfront Park-.5 Pride also welcomes individ- ual donations in ‘advance of‘ the ‘ event. The organization doesn’t have its own official non-profit‘ status with the IRS, ‘but it does fall underthe Peace”and Justice Center’sumbrella of coverage -4’ _ which meansithate donations inade through the Center in Burlingtoniare tax deductible. 0 Besides cash donations," the‘ committee depends on fundrais- ing events from within the com- munity. Jeff’s Maine Seafood in St. Albans is again hosting a silent. auction and evening of socializing to support" the cele-if brations._ (See _ Community Compass, 26, for details.) .But money isn’t the only organizational challenge. There - are a huge number of city rules and regulations to follow. Violette says that the security deposit on the park was not fully refunded last year because some vendors did not follow all the regulations. More frustrations came when both a park rental discount promised by the mayor’s office event alone would notpayforyitself. ing to contribute. In some cases, 8 it’s a philosophical‘ issue; in oth- ‘ ’ ers, it simplycomese _downg‘to affordability and money once > more. _ . 9 7. _ _ But one of the most important issues facing -Verm'on,t’s Pride organizers — and Pride comm_it- . ‘ tees across the ‘éountry — is not as concrete as financial support or the ente-rtainm_ent'l»ineup; It is an issue of beliefs and convic- tions —‘ the inatureof Pride itself. ‘ Born of_ protest and demands 5 for gay rights, early Pride rallies ' ' were political in nature._ Today, there is more of a feel of celebra- tion. Some-veterans of those first 9* Pride Days are dismayed by the change, believing there ‘is still a long way to go" in the fight for equality. Proponents of .the cele- bratory atmosphere say that many strides forward have been made in the last 15 years and it is a timetowdance and celebrate.’ ._ Is there room for both view- points on a single day? The Pride committee seems to think so, and they welcome constructive criti- cism and new ideas. They also welcome participation, whether that means making a financial contribution, volunteering to help out, orjust showing up to be _ counted on Pride Day. V OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS — APRIL 1999 — 13 rGood legal advice can make I ’ all the difference. ' . Langrock Sperry» Wool offers the services of 22 lawyers with over 300 years’ combinedexperience in all areas of the law _ '— including two lesbian attorneys with A special expertise serving the a ‘legal needs of the g/l/b/L,/q community ‘ Susan M. 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