Pridefully Speaking

Shimmering Shamrocks Raises Over $1,300!

The Annual Shimmering Shamrocks Bag Lady Show was held on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) at Talbott Street.  The “Ladies” managed to raise over $1,300 even though the crowd was rather small!  “Our crowd obviously started drinking early in the day this year and probably were too drunk to make it to show,” according to Cadillac Barbie!  Despite the smaller crowd, ten performers and a cute little “Leprechaun” entertained the crowd and got them donate the funds to Indiana Youth Group (IYG).   IYG provides a safe place, a confidential environment, youth development programs and support services which foster personal strength and wellness among self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people. IYG advocates on their behalf in schools, on the streets, and in the community.

Bag Ladies On Tour!

The Pride Bag Ladies will be at Zooleggers in Lafayette, IN on Friday night, March 26.  If past shows there are any indication, the event will be interesting!  Special thanks go out to Zooleggers’ owner Wayne for inviting us back.  We look forward to seeing the great bar staff and the Zoolegger “ladies.”  A special thank you to our sister Amanda Love who will be the hot hostess/emcee!  We hope to see so many of our Indianapolis friends in Lafayette!

Country/Gospel Brunch Tickets on Sale!

Tickets are now on sale for our annual Country/Gospel Brunch.  The date is Sunday, April 18.  Doors open at 11:30 a.m.  Brunch is at noon.  Showtime is 12:30 p.m.  Tickets for the brunch and show are $20.00 per person in advance ($25.00 at the door – if space is available).  Be sure to get there early – you don’t want to miss the church music sing-a-long with the Rev. Sequoia Pentecost and Rachel Yoder (the Queen of the Amish)!  Proceed from this event will be donated to Eric Berry and his family to help pay for his medical expenses.

Eric Berry has ridden the Bag Lady Bus on several occasions. Eric, who is 35, was found unresponsive in his apartment on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at approx. 5:45 p.m.  After he did not report to work, his employer contacted his parents and Eric’s father who happened to be in Chicago for business, was able to break into the apartment to get to him and call for medical attention.  Eric was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downer’s Grove, Illinois where he underwent emergency surgery to remove blood from his brain.  Eric was then transferred to the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Doctors discovered that Eric has an arteriovenous malformation in his brain.   To date, he has had six procedures while in the hospital.   Eric is currently at Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana so that his family can help with his recovery.  Please come out and enjoy the show and help us raise this “love offering” for our fellow Bag Lady!

Hope to see you at a Bag Lady Event Soon!

The hilarious and ground-breaking comedian, Suzanne Westenhoefer, is bringing her “Totally Inappropriate” tour to Talbott Street on Wednesday, May 12th,  AND it is a benefit for Indy Pride!

That’s right, the first openly gay comedian ever to appear on television is coming to town, and you can purchase tickets online at the Indy Pride website or at the Talbott Street box office.  Tickets are $18 in advance and $23 at the door.

Seating is general admission, and since everyone must be seated for the show, the doors are opening at 6:30.  It will be a show that cannot be missed!  A giant thank you to Talbott Street Cares for making this all possible!

For more information on Suzanne, visit her website: http://suzannew.com/

As you can imagine, putting on an event like Circle City IN Pride takes months and months of preparation, and while there has been lots of things going on behind the scenes, we’re getting close to the early press deadlines, which means we can start to announce things.  We’re still hammering out all the details, but we can say there will be things going on everyday from June 6th through the 12th

The biggest news has to be the move to a new venue for the Festival on the 12th.  While we are still in same general area, instead of being just south of the War Memorial in University Park, we are moving one block north of the memorial to the American Legion Mall.  The mall is flanked by Meridian, St. Clair, Pennsylvania, and North Streets.  Since the venue is moving, this means the parade route will be slightly different, too, but we’ll have new maps available closer to the event.  The main reason for the move was simply the fact that we outgrew University Park.  It was so crowded last year, it was difficult to get around.

Outside of the move, the top story is that multiplatinum diva, Taylor Dayne will be the headliner on the big stage.  Along with Ms. Dayne, American Idol Season Six runner up, Blake Lewis and award winning, out singer Nhojj will be appearing, too.  Nhojj will also kick off the Festival’s events with the National Anthem.  Dayne, Lewis, and Nhojj will be joined throughout the day by the best local and regional acts making this year’s stage the best yet!

Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done.   We’re doing really well on selling vendor spots and the festival, and our sponsorship levels are going up.  We’ll be meeting the first and third Wednesday’s of each month to discuss the progress of the various planning committees, and really, before you know it, June is going to be up on us.

Keep checking back for more information!