
June 21, 2018 · 0 Comments
By Mike Pickford
A simply “awesome” inaugural event is coming to Orangeville Saturday and organizers cannot wait to share what will be a monumental day for the local LGBT community with area residents.
Celebrate Your Awesome is the brainchild of community members Jim Waddington and Lisa Post. It will bring about the very first celebration of Pride and diversity in Dufferin County. Having spent several months planning the event, Ms. Post said she could hardly believe the big weekend was finally upon us.
“This event really is a year in the making. We started meeting last September and things have just snowballed since then. This is something we believe is so important for Orangeville and Dufferin County,” Ms. Post said. “The dynamics of our community have changed, so we want to make sure we’re doing something that is inclusive of everybody regardless of race, sexual orientation or culture. We want to create a fun environment and a safe place where people can feel comfortable in their own skin.”
Other notable individuals involved in the project include local artist Ricky Schaede, former Dufferin County Museum & Archives curator Wayne Townsend, Orangeville Police Service Const. Scott Davis and Orangeville Business Improvement Area Chair Joe Sammut.
All the fun will take place on Mill Street, which will be closed off to vehicles, starting at 1 p.m. There will be two stages set up, which Ms. Post says will feature a variety of musical, dancing “and other fun, surprise” acts. There will be a DJ on site all day, while different art and food vendors will be set up along the street.
“We have a north and a south stage. The north stage will feature more busker performers, we have a dance group coming in, a tap group, a beat boxer. Then on the south stage we have the larger band groups performing. It’s going to be a packed schedule. We’re going to have a lot of fun.”
The event will also feature resource sites for organizations such as Choices Youth Shelter, Family Transition Place, Rainbow Ridge, Dufferin Child and Family Services and both Georgian and Humber College for anyone with questions about supports and programming in the local area.
Ms. Post is anticipating between 1,500 and 2,500 people will pass through Mill Street on the day. Because of the “amazing support” the event has received from businesses in the community, the committee was able to make it free to the community. They will be taking donations on the day in an effort to raise funds for next year’s offering.
“This event is huge for the LGBT community. There has never been anything like this in Dufferin before. The support these people need to be shown is very clear, to have an inaugural event like this where everyone can come and feel like they have a safe space in the community, where they’re welcomed and feel included is vital,” Ms. Post said. “We, as an organizing committee, are all so excited.”