The 20th anniversary celebration of Capital City Pride was certainly one to remember, thanks to a group of exceedingly talented volunteers and a tremendous amount of community support. It was extraordinary to see the Pride organization come of age, and take big steps forward in a number of areas, from the size of the festival itself, to a number of new community-based and marketing initiatives.
I was particularly proud of the level of diversity among those who attended and supported our 20th year celebration. To me, it is a very visual statement about the values around equality and the sense of community that Olympia and South Sound residents hold as important.
During 2011, Capital City Pride continued to build on its transformation into a year-round community group, by sponsoring a number of community gatherings, receptions honoring key community support organizations and served a pivotal role in bringing together the regional GLBT community at a number of different – and diverse – events. In a very real sense, Capital City Pride is one of very few, if not the only, local organization with a mission to bring together all parts of the GLBT and broader community.
There were two areas of dramatic expansion in 2011: the 2011 stage and entertainment show was absolutely the highest quality, the best produced and best attended show in the history of Capital City Pride. The incredible work-ethic and skill of Gregory Conn and his team of volunteers made this possible. Our marketing efforts took another leap forward with the addition of Justin Taylor who’s graphic design skills brought a high artistic quality to all of Pride’s promotional materials.
Pride took a big leap forward in 2011: from the increased demands of logistical and financial challenges, to the need for more volunteers and enhanced booth and parade coordination.
The 2011 team were:
Timothy Carbury, Administrative Assistant
Gregory Conn, Entertainment Coordinator & MC
Roger Cummings, Parade Coordinator
David Kindle, Outreach
Tony May, Volunteer Coordinator
Anna Schlecht, Business Manager
Tony Sermonti, Co-Chair
Matthew Shrader, Booth Coordinator
Justin Taylor, Secretary & Graphic Identity Manager
John Whisenant, Operations Assistant
Kim Widman, Co-Chair
Hopefully the organization will continue to reach out and attract new talent, particularly in logistics and in leveraging the capabilities of technology; continues to mature into a group that has solid, coherent leadership; and focuses on its year-to-year financial stability. Above all, I’m hopeful that both long-time folks as well as newcomers to the organization will embrace change, respect one another and continue to grow Capital City Pride in a responsible way, but not be averse to chances or challenges.
Tony Sermonti, 2011 Co-Chair