Colorful spirit shines through rain at second annual Elgin Pride Parade and Festival
Spirits remained high through a steady rainfall Saturday as ELGbtq+ put on its second annual Elgin Pride Parade and Festival in downtown Elgin.
Colorfully dressed paradegoers in raincoats, ponchos and umbrellas watched as the festive parade worked its way north along Riverside Drive and then south down Grove Avenue.
“I think today will be great and a little rain doesn’t stop us from shining,” said Brandon Richardson of Elgin, who was dodging raindrops in a doorway along Grove Avenue before the parade started.
The festival, held in Festival Park, started immediately after the parade and feature LGBTQ+ musicians and performance artists, local vendors offering merchandise and services, and a wide selection of food and nonalcoholic drinks.
“We were so honored by the love and support shown by the Elgin-area community last year,” said ELGbtq+ board member Sam Raue Hebert. “We’re excited to once again provide a safe, inclusive, family-friendly environment and to showcase our amazing local organizations and vendors.”
ELGbtq+ is a volunteer-run 501(c) (3) aiming to foster a safe, welcoming environment where all LGBTQIA+ folks and allies in the Elgin area can come together, celebrate and learn from each other, and create unity within the community.
Its mission is to create family-friendly, accessible events everyone can attend, while uplifting queer voices in and around Elgin.
Monthly events include game nights, book clubs, coffee meetups, and more.