Norwood Pride Prepares To Celebrate Its 3rd Annual LGBTQ Pride Event
/In 2016, a small group of friends and residents of Norwood jokingly talked about having a “small-town Pride in the country”. By the summer of 2017, they had successfully organized a social event that welcomed more than 250 people in its inaugural year.
The volunteers of Norwood Pride are now getting ready for their upcoming 3rd Annual Pride Event on Sunday, July 14th. The community will come together and celebrate diversity, inclusivity and equality within the Township of Asphodel-Norwood, located 30 minutes east of Peterborough.
Photo courtesy Norwood Pride
“We never expected it to be so warmly received so quickly,” says volunteer Tony Tavares of how the event has caught on. “We started out just planning an informal gathering of friends for an afternoon social, and then we saw people join us from all across the township—and beyond—to celebrate with us. It was really amazing.”
With the support of the community behind them, the group of local volunteers hosted a second event in 2018 and saw continued success. The addition of a live band and BBQ sponsored by the local RBC Royal Bank branch drew even more attention in 2018.
“Part of why we’re doing this is to increase awareness for young people that might feel isolated and alone in a small community,” adds Tavares. “But one of the things that was really encouraging to us was people who had grown up gay or lesbian in the area and are now 60 or 70 years old who approached us, visibly emotional some of them, and said ‘I never thought we would see this happen here, we’re so glad you’re doing this.’”
Photo courtesy Norwood Pride
