Gettysburg Pride’s 10th annual Pride Festival included a ceremony held at the Gettysburg rec park today that connected the LGBTQ+ rights movement to the nation’s 250th anniversary and Gettysburg’s place in American history.
The event adopted the theme “Pride 250: A New Birth of Freedom,” drawing on the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence and the legacy of the Gettysburg Address.
Board President Florence March, serving as master of ceremonies, opened the day’s events on the bandshell stage by thanking the community members, organizations, businesses, and government officials who helped preserve the event after Gettysburg Pride’s leadership structure collapsed earlier this year.
March said organizers feared the event might not survive, but local officials, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and volunteers stepped forward to help rebuild the organization. March credited Gettysburg Borough Council President Matt Moon, Adams County Commissioner Marty Qually, and attorney Kristen Rice with helping guide the group through “the legal process of forming a new board,” while Members 1st Bank assisted with transferring financial accounts.
March also thanked a long list of community partners that helped make the festival possible, including Gettysburg Community Theatre, the Unitarian Universalists of Gettysburg, the Adams County Arts Council, Gettysburg Recreation Park, Target, Adams County Rescue Mission, and numerous volunteers. “Everywhere we turned, someone was ready to help,” March said. “On behalf of the entire board of Gettysburg Pride, I want to say three words: Thank you, Gettysburg.”
“What happened was Gettysburg,” she said.
The program featured a blessing by Gettysburg College Chaplain Michael Bright, and a keynote address by retired Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, a Gettysburg resident and former acting U.S. Army surgeon general.
Dr. Stephanie Sellers delivered a land acknowledgment recognizing the Indigenous nations historically associated with the Gettysburg area and highlighting Native traditions of inclusion and gender diversity.
Pollock framed the LGBTQ+ rights movement as part of a continuing American effort to expand freedom and equality. Drawing connections between the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, and modern civil rights movements, she described Pride as part of the nation’s “unfinished work” of extending liberty and equal protection to all people.
Gettysburg Mayor Alison Lintal addressed the gathering and presented a proclamation declaring May 29-31 Pride Weekend and June Pride Month in Gettysburg. Lintal praised volunteers who organized the festival and encouraged residents to resist fear and remain engaged in civic life.
Representing Gov. Josh Shapiro, Ashley Strange, executive director of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, presented a state proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month and May 30 as Gettysburg Pride Festival Day.
The ceremony also featured a reading of the Gettysburg Address by Craig Bruno, appearing in period dress as Abraham Lincoln, and a historical presentation by educator and performer Dr. Kyle Weary, who traced the LGBTQ+ rights movement from the 1969 Stonewall uprising through the growth of Gettysburg Pride.
Weary noted that the local celebration began with a small bar crawl in 2017 and has grown into an annual event drawing more than 1,000 participants.
The opening ceremony launched a full day of activities at the park, including vendors, food trucks, nonprofit organizations, resource tables, and family activities spread throughout the area.
The day’s entertainment, which continued in the bandstand, included performances by Honey on the Rocks, the Cadence Treble Chorus of Central Pennsylvania, Mood Indigo, and DJ Nan Martino.
The festival’s new Activity Hub offered story times, music circles, arts and crafts projects, karaoke, sensory-friendly spaces, and youth programming. Visitors could also meet Brave Little Brunhilde, a pet pig featured during the afternoon activities.
Saturday evening events were scheduled to include a free screening of the film “But I’m a Cheerleader” at Gettysburg Community Theatre and Amethyst Diamond’s “An Evening with Royalty” drag show at the Adams County Arts Council. An all-ages dance party scheduled for Waldo’s & Company was postponed until June 12.
The weekend began yesterday evening with a Pride 250 Kick-Off Walk through Gettysburg, a showcase of music, storytelling and drag performances at the Unitarian Universalists of Gettysburg, and a community stargazing event at the rec park.
The celebration concludes tomorrow with worship services at St. James Lutheran Church and the Unitarian Universalists of Gettysburg, followed by Pride Yoga on the lawn at the rec park.
Throughout the weekend, organizers emphasized a message of inclusion, visibility, and community, while linking Gettysburg’s history to ongoing conversations about equality and belonging.
