T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM – Drag performer Dickey Wrecked Lyon performs “Sucker” by the Jonas Brothers during the inaugural “Pride in the Park” event held at West End Park on Saturday. Lyon approached members of the crowd and offered them Dum Dum suckers during the song.
Attendees, performers and vendors braved the heat and went away happy with the experiences at the Pride in the Park on Saturday at West End Park.
Organizer Taylor Bear said anywhere from 150 to 200 local and out-of-town people attended the event throughout the day.
“That is great,” she said. “We would have been happy if we had 60. It was amazing. The number started to die down later in the evening as everyone was beat from the heat. They needed rest, air conditioning, food, but I got great feedback.”
Bear intends to use that feedback if the event gets the necessary approvals for next year. She would like to make Pride in the Park an annual event.
“If I can get approval, I would like to start planning next month,” Bear said. “That would give us more time for fundraising. I want to make it better and more involved.”
Some Marshalltown residents are hopeful the event will return.
United Way Area of Marshalltown Executive Director Kendra Sorensen said she could see Pride in the Park being bigger and better next year.
“I think we will see more food trucks and gain more vendors,” she said.
The family-friendly event was amazing, Sorensen added, despite the high temperatures.
“I spoke with people who came from Fort Dodge, Iowa City, Grundy, someone from Chicago. It’s been amazing to see the outpouring of support and everybody being so inclusive and welcoming,” she said. “I’ve seen all ages and demographics here. We are so excited Taylor was able to pull this out and we are happy to be a part of it.”
Close to the United Way booth was the Marshall County Democrats, bearing campaign signs of political candidates. One of which was Rep. Sue Cahill, who was also present. When she first arrived at West End, Cahill noted hundreds of people.
“I was so impressed with all of the booths and the support of different agencies and groups,” she said. “I was thrilled. It has been something I hope becomes another tradition, like the Fourth of July parade. This needs to be a tradition to let everybody see we love each other, we accept people as they are, we hear them, we see them, we respect them and we love them.”
T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM – Drag performer Terra Byte Lyon interacts with the crowd. Roughly 50 people gathered on the grass to watch the show.
‘Authentic selves’
Highlights of Pride in the Park were the performances of RuggedPRO wrestling, Remix Dance Academy and the drag show performers. One of the drag queens was Marshalltown teenager Lonika LaReese Knight, also known as Landon Stanley.
Knight, 17, said the turnout for Pride in the Park was great, and added the event was beneficial to those attending.
“It’s the very first one, and for being the very first one ever – the vendors are cute, the performers are cute and the audience is having fun and loving this,” Knight said.
T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM – Lonika LaReese Knight, also known as Landon Stanley, of Marshalltown performs “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen for a crowd during the first Pride in the Park at West End Park in Marshalltown Saturday.
Knight recalled traveling many miles in order to attend drag shows.
“I remember in 2018, when I was a little fifth, sixth grader, there was nothing around Marshalltown like this,” Knight said. “I had to travel an hour to Des Moines, 45 minutes to Ames to see anything, and that is where I discovered my passion for drag. That’s where I discovered that I love to do drag. Six years later, I was named the Teen Capitol City Pride 2024. The fact I had to travel six years ago an hour away to see anything like this. Currently, I can travel down the street from my house on a beautiful day to a beautiful park and see beautiful people everywhere loving their authentic selves.”
Knight noted Marshalltown has come a long way in accepting the LGBTQIA+ community during the last few years. Fortunately, negative moments were not frequent. Bear said no one arrived to protest the event. There were a couple of negative incidents from some people looking on, but such instances were few and far between.
“I never felt endangered or outnumbered,” she said. “People were very vocal about enjoying it and being happy to be there.”
As Pride progressed through the day, Bear said some vendors, such as Pitchfork Primitives & Fodder, had to leave early because they gave away all of the swag or sold out of product.
“I am so grateful people came and chose to eat there, and also at the Flying Elbow and Lillie Mae’s,” she said. “The 13th Street District was hopping.”
Free Mom Hugs, a national nonprofit dedicated to acceptance of the LGBTQIA community, was giving away more than swag. Marshalltown resident Stacy Heil had a free hugs pin on his shirt and said he had already given some hugs away shortly after Pride began. State leader Natasha Hoenig said it was the first time Free Mom Hugs had been in Marshalltown, and they had hugging alternatives considering the heat.
“We also do high fives and fist bumps,” she said. “We are super excited to be here.”
Bear thanked the private donors and primary sponsors of Pride in the Park – Emerson’s and Members1st Community Credit Union. Bear’s Cave also donated a camper to provide the performers with an air conditioned space to change. She extended her thanks to the 13th Street District, City of Marshalltown Parks & Rec Department and Director Geoff Hubbard for providing the opportunity to host the event.
“That is so important because Marshalltown is so diverse,” Bear said. “There is no reason we can’t celebrate that, and that is key. We also pulled people from other communities, which is what we want to see.”
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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or [email protected].
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