HOLLAND — Community members gathered at Holland’s Kollen Park over the weekend to celebrate Pride Month on the waterfront with entertainment and festivities.

Holland’s Pride Festival, organized by Out On The Lakeshore, kicked off Saturday afternoon with food trucks, vendors, live performances and a crafting tent that kept attendees and the crowd bustling.

In past years, the festival took place in Centennial Park but was relocated to create a space “where you can feel togetherness,” said OOTL Executive Director Jennifer Evans. She added that with new additions, such as the crafting area, OOTL desired more room to congregate.

“We wanted a more open, community-centered space, and let’s be honest, being closer to the water doesn’t hurt,” Evans said. “Centennial Park is beautiful, but with all the sidewalks breaking it up, it’s hard to gather as one.”

While Pride has taken place annually in Holland since 2003, OOTL, established in 2015, picked up the responsibility of hosting the celebration. Holland is Ready and PFLAG, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, joined together to form the group.

Evans noted the organization has a Pride Committee and a team of volunteers who organize the festival each year. Before the event, she said she’s normally caught up in behind-the-scenes coordination, sponsorship and community outreach.

“The day of, I’m usually running around making sure things run smoothly, but also soaking up all the joy,” Evans said.

Countless vendors, both businesses and nonprofit organizations, set up tables at Pride to interact with the community and participate in the festivities. Shelby Farage, manning Earth Signs Fine Minerals’ booth, said she loves seeing the community gather to celebrate its history and diverse identities. 

“I grew up in the era where we stayed in the closet,” Farage said. “The importance of events like this is to let everyone know there are safe spaces, the world is changing and (that) people aren’t just accepting, but welcoming.”

Similarly, Evans expressed that watching families dance together, youth expressing themselves and older generations of LGBTQ+ individuals sharing stories motivate her to keep pursuing her mission. She feels celebrating Pride Month is important everywhere, but that especially in West Michigan during the current political climate, it’s a reminder the LGBTQ+ community matters and belongs.

“Pride represents what we’ve been through, where we are now and the work still left to be done,” Evans added. “We celebrate because we resist. We gather because we need each other. These events aren’t just fun, they’re life-affirming.”

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Maya Clawson, of Holland, said she goes to Holland’s Pride festival every year. She values the opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies to gather and support one another.

“Holland is such a small community but we’re getting there (becoming more accepting),” Clawson said.

Throughout Pride Month, the organization also hosted a kick-off party at Big Lake Brewery, a speaker series dedicated to sharing experiences, a yoga event, dance party at Park Theatre and drag show at Saugatuck’s The Southerner.

Year-round, OOTL hosts GenderSAFE, a space for transgender and gender-diverse individuals to support one another, and Aged with Pride, a social group for LGBTQ+ adults over age 55. The organization also holds game nights, is in the process of creating youth programming and partners with local businesses, schools and organizations to educate the community and develop safe spaces.

— Contact ONN reporter Hailey Hentz at hhentz@ottawanewsnetwork.org.