Today’s Start Walking blog:
Saturday, 24 June 2006: Pride
Today was Anchorage Pridefest. We were running late, so we took the bus downtown & got the the staging ground for the lesbian/gay pride parade at 8th & D in time to join in the parade, which took us up E Street to 6th Avenue, then westward on 6th (counter to the usual direction of traffic) past the Transit Center & a couple blocks beyond, before turning south to the Park Strip, where the Pridefest picnic was held.
The first Pride parade in Anchorage I was in was in 1983. There were only 19 marchers. This was quite a difference — there was even an announcer with a PA system outside the Performing Arts Center announcing the different groups as they passed by. The Imperial Court of All Alaska did its usual splendid job of putting together a beautiful float. There were two Gay Straight Alliance groups from Anchorage School District schools, Metropolitan Community Church & Immanuel Presbyterian, various lesbian/gay/bi/transgender groups, Standing Together Against Rape, & Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG), which we marched with as we have several friends there.
Rozz dropped something along the way, so we later walked back to the staging area to find it (which we did) & did a little mozy around downtown, including a stop at Side Street Espresso for a coffee apiece, before returning to Pridefest, where Jesse joined us. Did a lot of walking there too, enjoying the music & seeing friends. Mostly sunny & warm; at one point it looked like some rainclouds might be headed our way but they dissappated before they got very close to us. Afterwards we walked home, & later Rozz & I drove to Mad Myrna’s for a bit of dancing. A beautiful, celebratory day.
Day total: 14,264 steps.
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