Quiet Corner Pride: ‘Celebrate you, us’
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
An umbrella might have been occasionally employed but rain did not dampen spirits at the third annual Quiet Corner Pride festival May 2. After all, this year’s theme was resiliency.
Full of song, joy, smiles and color color color everywhere, the festival drew about 2,000. Vendors filled Rotary Park and inspiring words and songs filled the stage. Openness and inclusion greeted all.
The vehicles of joy ran from a bicycle parade, to tie dyes, to poetry, songs, and more.
Pastor Ross Johnson, in his welcome, said “Today’s a day for building community and taking a few minutes to celebrate you, us. All the ones who have found a place somewhere beyond the rainbow. “
Mayor Barney Seney said: “We love our community. We love our people and this is what it’s all about – loving people, respecting people’s rights. Be yourself.”
Pastor Ross said the committee of 12 had been working on the festival since January.
Poetry Abounds
Putnam’s Poet Laureate Aubrey Waz-Grant said the planning committee chose the word resilience for this year’s theme. “All of us have had things that we’ve overcome. That’s something that we all have in common, so I wrote this poem for every single one of you.” She read her poem, “Candles and Sunlight.”
Waz-Grant last week led a poetry workshop with the resiliency theme. Christina Cirillo Schmidt took the poems that were written and transformed them into an art installation at the festival. Poems were transferred to waterproof paper and hung among crystals from a black metal arch that represented a rainbow. Her inspiration for the installation was rainbows, resiliency. “Without the darkness of a storm and water, you don’t have the rainbow.” The poems are meant to mimic falling rain. The crystals capture the light and on a sunny day, it’s beautiful.”
Following the festival, the poetic art instillation will move into the Montgomery Ward building for Pride month.
Joy on Wheels
Dot Burnworth was the creator of the bicycle parade. She said they were brainstorming ‘what else can we do?’ and came up with the parade. The goal is always to pursue more inclusivity. Full of bright happy colors the group rode to the festival at Rotary Park from the Farmers Market Pavilion.
Arc’s Inclusion
After stops and starts, Jamie Lazaroff, a self-advocacy coordinator at the Arc Eastern Connecticut, brought to fruition the inspirational Voices of Inclusion Words That Unite that was unveiled along the River Trail. There are 10 quotes etched into metal plates that are attached to some of the posts that hold the Putnam Public Library’s story boards. The installation is about words that unite, not divide. Lazaroff was inspired by his mother Dawn who passed recently. “She believed we are stronger together,” he said. Putnam was the perfect community for the project. “Putnam has a reputation as a community that values inclusion, diversity and belonging. Walking the River Trail is the perfect time to reflect on what is important.”
Pastor Ross said later: “I view the event as a tremendous success because it connected what is otherwise an isolated community here in the Quiet Corner. No rain or sun can take that away. Folks were there from all generations celebrating and meeting one another.
He added, “It is my hope that we have raised enough support and engagement to continue community events throughout the year.”