Buchanan hosts its second annual Pride Event

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. --Buchanan is set to host its annual Pride event to close out Pride Month. 

Last year marked Buchanan's inaugural event celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. This year, organizers say they're excited to continue the tradition and celebrate another year of visibility. 

Today's festivities kick off at 4 p.m. at The Common with the opening of vendor booths. At 5 p.m., South Bend native DJ Chuck Frye will get the party started with a night of dancing, followed by a performance from Ultrafab at 6 pm. Frye will return later in the evening to close out the night. 

With Love & Hope Co., one of the vendors, is offering to officiate weddings at the pride event for couples with a valid marriage license. 

Executive Director of the Buchanan Area Senior Center Adam Burck praised last year's successful event and hopes for a larger turnout this year with over double the vendors, encouraging everyone to attend. 

"Last year we had 450 people. We're hoping this gets even bigger. But it was such a great event last year. The environment, the mood on The Common was wonderful. The teens came and presented themselves for how they wanted to be seen. Lots of families came with their children, it was wonderful, it was a great community event," Burck said.  

One of event organizers, Kimberly Gingell, says last year's event brought a lot of positivity to the community, opening up the visibility door. She says she can't wait to see what this year has in store. 

"The whole message of visibility and the reason we're bringing this event together is because of small communities and people still being hated and discriminated against for simply being who they are, for simply trying to love who they love. That's what is not okay. We're hoping that this brings more awareness to that and people are allowed to live their lives the way they are," Gingell said.