Kids of all ages and abilities, from babies to seniors, are welcome to celebrate at Windham Raymond Pride’s third annual event, Camp Pride, at the Windham Town Hall Gym from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 31.
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| Windham Raymond Pride's third annual event, Camp Pride, will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 31 at the Windham Town Hall Gym. It will feature food trucks, a scavenger hunt, vendors, games, prizes and information designed to build connections within the community and within local families. COURTESY PHOTO |
The event’s theme is meant to invoke memories of camp days and was developed by the organizing committee, who built a mood board of materials to develop the theme for this year’s event.
“Who doesn’t have fun at camp and what adult doesn’t want to let loose and have fun for a day, so it’s good for everyone,” Turpen said. “It’s a time where life was easy and things were fun.”
The event will be fully accessible, as the site has no stairs, and has additional shaded and seating areas, and will include ASL interpreters and Lucy’s Rest Nest, a low sensory indoor area to allow overstimulated participants a place to decompress. School Road will also be closed for the event.
“Pride season is for celebration and visibility,” Turpen said. “We try really hard to decrease barriers wherever possible.”
Another effort to help all feel welcome at the event will be in the variety of food trucks that will be on site. For example, Ironclad Eats will offer tacos, quesadillas, and burritos, while Meet on the Street is still developing their menu, but is expecting to offer rice bowls, potato bowls, and fries five ways. Lady Shuckers will also be there to provide oysters, shrimp, and lobster rolls.
“It’s something really important to us, making sure there is an option for all dietary restrictions or needs,” Turpen said. “We tried really hard to make sure everyone has something to eat. You can’t have fun if your body isn’t fueled. We have vegan, gluten-free, all the things that you could consider.”
A new addition to this year’s celebration will be a scavenger hunt for all ages. Attendees are asked to stop at the Welcome Booth to take a ticket and then move around the event to collect six stamps from locations signified by pennants.
“It’s a way to help people connect with each other in ways they may not have without that prompt,” Turpen said, “and you get a prize at the end. We tried to give back to the people who show up for us.”
The prizes for the scavenger hunt will be comprised of items donated by local makers and Windham Raymond Pride merchandise, they explained. There will also be larger prizes for two Bingo games, which will be hosted by local drag queen and hair stylist Sarah Tonin, donated by local businesses including Black Maple Piercing Studio, the Portland Sea Dogs, and Smitty’s Cinema.
Another new activity will be a tie-dye booth, where participants will color handkerchiefs donated by Windham graphic design and printing business, Creation Labs. Also, Flow Artist Pixel Angel will be giving a performance before inviting the community to join her in learning how to do some tricks with hula hoops.
“We have folks of all ages, from the simple ‘I haven’t hula hooped in 40 years’ to people trying to flip it over their head,” Turpen said, adding that DJ Keith James will be providing music for the day’s activities and attendees will also have the chance to tour a maker’s market.
On top of the activities planned, the event is meant to help build connections both within the community and within families.
“Last summer, we had an older woman and a child under 10 come up to our welcome booth and the older woman, a grandmother figure, was trying to explain [to the child] what pride meant and she goes ‘Oh, like Auntie Sylvia,’” Turpen explained, saying that the older woman’s voice became emotional as “she was definitely talking about a trans woman in her family or a loved one who had passed.”
“I offered for her to write the woman’s name on a pride flag, and we posted it in our volunteer booth. We’ve kept that flag with us all year” they said. “It was a connection point intergenerationally between this woman and the younger person in the family.”
The day is also for learning, as organizations such as Queerly ME, Equality Maine, and Disabilities Right Maine, will be present to help teach more about helping embrace all members of the community.
“It’s a day to learn some history as we have a ton of social organizations that are sharing messages, so it’s an opportunity to learn in a low-pressure way,” Turpen said. “Aside from people having the opportunity to make connections, I think it’s a cool time for people in our community and for kids and adults to see each other show up. We can bring everyone together in community.”
“Truly it’s about allies too; it’s about everyone who supports a queer person in their journey,” they added. “We have health care providers coming, we have churches coming. It’s thinking about queer people as holistic neighbors, not just queer people.”
The organization also worked with Windham Police Chief Kevin Schofield to ensure all participants find a safe and welcoming environment. Attendees are also expected to abide by behavior guidelines to further ensure the safety of all.
“Having a fun event is important, but having a safe event is critical,” Turpen said. “Our organization is a place where neighbors and friends of all sexual orientations can find support and resources to uplift our community generally as a positive place to live.
June has been globally recognized as Pride Month, a time of celebration, commemoration, and activism for the LGBTQ+ community. The activities during Pride Month are not only a vibrant celebration of diversity and self-affirmation, but also a potent reminder of the need to promote equity, acceptance, and respect for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Windham Raymond Pride is planning to have a booth at Summerfest on Saturday, June 20 where they will have snow cones “to lean into the rainbow vibes,” Turpen said. There will also be a movie fundraiser at Smitty’s Cinema in Windham to watch superhero movie “Supergirl” when it is released in late June.
Parking for the event will be located at Field Allen School, the lot next to the entrance to Stadium Drive, and the Windham Public Library, but closer accessible parking will be available.
For more information about Camp Pride, visit https://windhamraymondpride.org. <
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