By Matthew Young
For HDMedia
Charleston kicks off 30 years of Pride in the Capital City this June.
A worldwide observance first recognized in West Virginia in 1997, Pride Month got its start in 1970 after parades were held in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco in response to the police raids and subsequent riots at The Stonewall Inn — a gay bar located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City.
Schedule:
- 6 p.m. Thursday: Drag Queen Bingo at the Lee Street Lounge, 222 Leon Sullivan Way in Charleston. Admission is $20. For more information, visit rainbowpridewv.org.
- 6-10 p.m. Friday: Drag Race & Block Party on Summers Street at Slack Plaza at City Center. Featuring DJ EJ, drag performances and a Drag Race Relay. Free to attend. For more information, visit rainbowpridewv.org.
- 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday: Pride Parade & Festival, Slack Plaza at City Center. Featuring headliner Mila Jam, RuPaul’s Drag Race star Sam Star, Olivia Knowles, DJ EJ and the “Big Gay Dog Show.” Pride Parade begins at 12:30 p.m. at Laidley Field. Free to attend and free to march in parade. For more information, visit rainbowpridewv.org.
- 2 p.m. Sunday: Kick Ball & Field Day, Shawnee Sports Complex, 1 Salango Way in Dunbar. The community is invited to play kick ball against Pride organizers from throughout the state. Free to participate. For more information, visit rainbowpridewv.org.
- 5:30 p.m. June 11: Pride Night with the Charleston Dirty Birds, GoMart Ballpark, 601 Morris St. Featuring NOH8 Photo Shoot, fan giveaway, $1 domestic beer and water, post game drag show and post game fireworks. Tickets start at $9.50. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit dirtybirdsbaseball.com.
For additional information and full schedule of June Pride events, visit charlestonwv.gov, rainbowpridewv.org, dirtybirdsbaseball.com or RainbowPrideWV on Facebook.
Read more from HDMedia, here.
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