DECORAH – Decorah Pride has a phrase in its slogan that goes beyond increasing LGBTQ+ visibility and celebrating diversity.
The nonprofit in far northeast Iowa is also dedicated to “unleashing creativity.” And one way it’s showcasing that quality this year is Saturday night’s QueerPopera, a melding of visual art, dance, and classical music by vocalists and instrumentalists.
Party in the Park starts at 3:30 Saturday.
The group describes the night as “a magical night of music, art and community.” Leader Jaime Webb says the event will leverage the “emotive power of opera” and the “wonder of the human voice” to spread “queer joy and empowerment.”
It’s one of six events happening this weekend to top Decorah’s weeklong Pride celebration. A parade kicks off at 3 p.m. Saturday and the big annual Party in the Park is 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Decorah’s green space.
QueerPopera follows at 6:30 p.m. at Impact Coffee, 101 W. Water St. You can join an all-ages dance party at 8 p.m. at Pulpit Rock Brewing Company, 207 College Drive. At 9, Decorah Pride will hold yet another first-ever: an after-party hosted by Gays and Faes at Your Place, 307 W. Water St.
Sunday morning, a Pride Fun Run will finish out this year’s Decorah Pride celebrations. “Runners will start at the front of The Landing, run a rainbow 5K around Trout Run Trail and Ice Cave Road, then get covered in color,” says the event page. You can register right up until the day of the run; click here for the registration form.
Planning committee member Marcella Meza, in suspenders, walks in last year’s Pride Parade.
Organizers anticipate largest Decorah Pride Party in the Park ever
“We got our flags up in downtown yesterday. It’s beautiful and affirming,” said Marcella Meza, a planning committee member.
Meza says the crowd for Satuday’s Party in the Park is likely to top last year’s attendance of about 500 people. The event will feature drag performances, speakers, and also more than two dozen groups, businesses and artists with tables and booths. That’s the largest number of Party in the Park “partners” in the event’s history.
For those who need a break from crowds and sound, the event will feature two “Quiet Zones:” one for adults and one for youth.
Meza also said that while Decorah is known throughout Iowa as a “progressive” community, it’s located within an overall county that is conservative. That dynamic is one reason why she said the event has become more important to northeast Iowa.
“It’s more and more important for spaces that are affirming, but also that are safe spaces for drag shows,” she says. “When you’re surrounded by a community that is fervently supportive and loving, it allows all of us to be really comfortable, and to be our full selves out in public.”
Decorah Pride also held new events earlier in the week that will likely become part of the community’s future Pride tradition, Meza said. They include a Faithful and Fabulous gathering of affirming area churches and a Trivia Night.
For a map, admission information and more on the parade, Party in the Park, QueerPopera, the dance party, the after-party, and the Sunday Fun Run, head to decorahpride.org.
(photos courtesy Decorah Pride)
