This weekend, Ste. Agathe will host its very first Pride parade—and in a time of seemingly endless event cancellations or postponements, this is one item on the social calendar people can expect to go forward as planned. But with some restrictions in place to ensure the event is safe for everyone.
The parade will kick off at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 31.
“This pandemic hasn’t been easy on anyone, but as the mom to a 17-year-old high school senior, I was tired of delivering disappointing news to my daughter as one thing after another was cancelled in what should have been the best and most exciting year of her secondary school life,” says local organizer Ranee Parker.
Parker says Winnipeg Pride is a festival her family looks forward to every year. And for her daughter, who’s a lesbian, it’s a chance to be in a judgment-free environment and be fully accepted.
“The Pride parade is the one day a year when her smile shines brighter than any other,” Parker says. “When the parade had to be cancelled due to COVID-19, I didn’t want to miss out on seeing that smile on her face. So we decided to have our own parade in our community.”
Don’t expect hordes of people marching down the street, though. To accommodate the province’s continued pleas for social distancing and crowd size restrictions, parade participants will all be staying inside their vehicles.
“It’s going to be very similar to what many people have been doing for birthday parties since the pandemic started,” says Parker. “We’ve done everything we can to ensure our own messaging includes information about our expectations for parade-goers and spectators to adhere to the current social distancing rules… We’re asking parade participants to stay in their own vehicles and that spectators watch from their own driveways and yards as much as possible.”
The parade will begin at the north end of Pembina Trail and work its way down to the south end, then loop back via Abbé and Bel-Ami Drives and cross over to Lemoine Street on the return trip.
“While we won’t be driving down every street, we’re hoping this route will allow the majority of people to watch from their own homes.”
Parker doesn’t know how many people to expect at the event, but she has received a few key confirmations. The Ritchot fire department will lead the parade in their truck, and she’s gotten word that Dykes on Bikes and a few Pride Winnipeg board members are planning to be there.
“We’re also expecting some local members of the LGBTQ+ community and hoping we’ll see quite a few folks from local and surrounding communities show up, whether they join us in the parade or cheer us on. All forms of support are welcome!”
Also, the organizers have been in contact with the RM of Ritchot’s council, which is in turn helping them to promote the parade.
Finally, Parker has a few reminders about the purpose and meaning of the Pride movement.
“I think it’s important to note that a Pride parade isn’t meant to change people’s minds if they have negative feelings about it or don’t understand the purpose,” she adds. “It’s one hundred percent a celebration by and for the queer community.”