WALDOBORO — The second annual Waldoboro Pride celebration will take place on Sunday, June 30, on Main Street in Waldoboro. Organized by a broad coalition including community leaders, local businesses, and individuals, the festival seeks to celebrate the diversity in our midst.

“It is a privilege to throw a party for and with LGBTQIA people and allies to celebrate the diversity and gifts in our community,” said Rev. Nancy Duncan of Broad Bay Church, one of three host sites for the events. 

The festivities kick off with a concert at the Waldo Theatre by the Maine Gay Men’s Chorus at noon. Tickets (suggested donation $5-$20) are available online and at the door.

From 1 - 3 p.m. is the main Pride festival, at which all are invited to share a free meal and enjoy music, games and activities for people of all ages on the lawn at Broad Bay Church. The afternoon includes an open mic and raffle of a Pride flag quilt, and a portion of Pleasant Street will be closed to accommodate resource tables and vendors.  

“Local businesses are excited for the event, which attracted more than 100 attendees last year,” said Waldoboro Pride, in a news release.

“To me, creating a safe and inclusive space in our community, such as Perch, is a valuable resource to the queer community,” said Lynn Bachelder, owner of Perch Cafe & Bakery on Main Street. “Hosting Pride celebrations in small towns where they previously have not been held feels like an expansion of that safe space! I believe that representation matters. I’d like to see things change so that flying a Pride flag in front of your business is not seen as controversial but seen as a show of kindness and support to an often marginalized community.”

To cap off the festivities, from 4 - 7 p.m., the Waldoboro Inn will host a Tea Dance featuring two DJs. The dance is free; all ages are welcome, and free refreshments will be provided in the back garden. (Tea Dance is a term used in gay communities to describe a Sunday afternoon/evening gathering that includes socializing and dancing.) 

“Through Pride, we seek to create an environment that shows queer people in the Midcoast that there is a space for us and we belong here,” said Anomali, one of the DJs and a Waldoboro resident who is helping organize events.  

For members of the LGBTQIA+ community, Pride is both a much-anticipated public celebration and an important affirmation of belonging in this community.  

“It’s a joyous celebration, and I hope people will come out and meet people of diversity,” said longtime Waldoboro resident Rachel Genthner, who has been instrumental in getting regional Pride celebrations off the ground. “LGBTQIA people are all different, but tend to get put under the umbrella of those letters. I don’t think we need all the letters – we just need one: H, for human.” 

Waldoboro Pride’s schedule is as follows:

12 - 1 p.m.: Maine Gay Men’s Chorus at the Waldo Theatre

1 - 3 p.m.: Pride Fest and Community Meal at Broad Bay Church 

4 - 7 p.m.: Tea Dance at Ida's Wine Bar at The Waldoboro Inn