sandy karim red
sandy karim red
Rainy conditions couldn’t stop the rainbows at this year’s Elgin Pride Parade
Rainbows in every shape and form, including balloons and umbrellas, brightened the gloomy, rainy skies of downtown Elgin Saturday as the city celebrated Pride Month with a parade and festival embracing its LGBTQ+ community.
Keyera Freund, 19, of Elgin, braved the less-than-ideal conditions to find the perfect spot along the parade route with friends.
“I love it. It’s really cool,” she said. “As a kid, I would think no one was ever going to support me. But this has made me feel like people do.”
The second annual Elgin Pride Parade and Festival was organized by the nonprofit ELGbtq+. Last year’s inaugural events were deemed a huge success, drawing about 4,000 people downtown and to Festival Park.
Open Door Health Center of Elgin’s colorful float in Saturday’s downtown Elgin Pride Parade was decorated with rainbow-colored balloons and butterflies. (Gloria Casas/The Courier-News)
Despite smaller crowds along the parade route this year because of the weather, those who attended seemed unbothered by the cooler temperatures and falling precipitation, cheering marchers who made up the 52-entry pageant.
The assembly started on Riverside Drive, proceeded to East Chicago Street and South Grove Street and ended on Prairie Street. Among those who participated were Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley, Open Door Health Center of Illinois, Greater Family Services, and several downtown restaurants and social service agencies.
The newly formed PFLAG Geneva/Tri-Cities chapter, which supports local parents, caregivers and families of people who identify as LGBTQ+, was among the entries participating in the parade for the first time.
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