Archive for the ‘General’ Category
The East Point Possums announce 2010 Benefactors
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
EAST POINT, GA- The East Point Possums organization announced today that their 13th Annual “East Point Possums Show,” would be held on Saturday, June 19th, 2010 from 8-11p.
This year’s event will once again benefit Atlanta Pride. New this year, sharing the billing with Atlanta’s favorite festival organizers, is the Atlanta Lesbian Health Initiative.
East Point Possum spokesperson and co-founder, John Jeffrey said of the charity pairing, “We couldn’t be more pleased to have 2 of Atlanta’s oldest and most well respected organizations both benefitting from this event!”
The full event lineup will be announced in mid-May, but is already shaping up to be an impressive cast! The program will feature show organizers, The East Point Possums, as well as the much-anticipated return of Drag Super Star, Gigi Monroe; perennial favorites, Ginny Tonic – a founding member of the Armorettes, and Alexandria Martin, along with the indomitable Armorette, Wild Cherry Sucrette; the East Point Villagers, and several other crowd favorites from year’s past as well as some newcomers – and as always with this entertaining event, a few surprises will be in store!
Possums Matriarch and co-founder, Rick Westbrook said of the event, “We have people from all over the region come out for the show – it really is a great showcase for the inclusive community we have in East Point.” He also noted, “This year, with adding the ALHI as a benefactor along with our friends at Atlanta Pride, we continue to grow and do what we’ve always tried to do with this event- increase exposure for our benefactors, serve our community in a unique way, and showcase the amazing work that our non-profit partners do for all of us.”
East Point Possums co-founder, Chesley Thurman stated, “This is truly a community event. The show is designed so that every penny of the proceeds goes to benefit the charity for that year, or in this case- ‘charities.’ Atlanta Pride, ALHI and the East Point Possums volunteers will work to get everything donated – from the stage to signage and everything in between. Sponsors offset other costs; performers donate their time; all the tips are pooled and given directly to the non-profit organizations.” Thurman continued, “Atlanta Pride is a great organization that everyone is familiar with, and we hope to introduce more people to the Health Initiative. This event is an easy way to be supportive – just bring a bunch of dollar bills and have a good time with your friends!”
Atlanta Pride Executive Director, JP Sheffield said, “We were thrilled when the Possums approached us about selecting Atlanta Pride as the 2009 beneficiary, and so excited to be included again in 2010 along with one of our long-time partners in the ALHI.” Sheffield added,
“This is the kind of community event that is the cornerstone of Atlanta Pride. We serve the community, but in order for us to do that effectively, we need the community to support us, and this partnership with both the Health Initiative and the Possums does so in such a fun and entertaining way. We hope everyone comes out for this great event!”
Atlanta Lesbian Health Initiative Executive Director, Linda Ellis added, “It is such a great opportunity for us – it is a way to allow our constituents to have a wonderful time supporting us, it is a platform for us to discuss the many programs we offer, we will have an opportunity to introduce ourselves to new supporters and clients – and to do all of this in partnership with our friends at both Atlanta Pride, and the East Point Possums organization is a significant moment for us.”
More details about the 13th Annual East Point Possums Show will be made available in the coming weeks. In the meantime- mark your calendars for June 19th.
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PRIDE 2010 – Oct. 9-10, Piedmont Park
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Market applications, PRIDE parade applications, and festival entertainment applications are now open for 2010. Check out details in the PRIDE Festival section of this website and plan to join us then!
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Pride to Be Back in Piedmont for National Coming Out Day in 2010
Friday, January 1st, 2010
The Atlanta Pride Committee (APC) is excited to report that our October return to Piedmont Park for the 2009 Atlanta Pride Festival was a resounding success. The great attendance demonstrated that the LGBT community in Atlanta and across the southeast were glad to have Pride back in our traditional home.
APC is planning the 2010 festival to take place October 9 and 10 in Piedmont Park, pending the permitting process. This decision was based on numerous factors including finances, feedback from attendees and vendors, the welfare of the park and the ability to have adequate time to plan and execute a successful event. “The 2010 festival marks the 40th anniversary for APC and we are grateful to the Parks Department and the City Officials that worked to make sure we will stay in Piedmont Park,” said APC Events Manager JP Sheffield.
Through the intensive fundraising, partnership and cost containment efforts of Sheffield and the Pride Board, APC will begin the 2010 fiscal year in a better financial position than the 2009 year began. “This is excellent news for APC and the Atlanta LGBTQ community,” said Board Chair Deirdre Heffernan. “Last year was a difficult year. But again, our community shows its resilience. Even with all the challenges that we faced, our community came together and made a success of our October event.”
These earlier October dates will enable the 2010 Pride event to build on and highlight National Coming Out Day (NCOD), which is observed on October 11th in the United States. APC intends on promoting the the Atlanta Pride Festival in markets across the country in hopes of becoming one of the largest events in the nation occurring on NCOD.
APC can also confirm a continuation of the partnership with the Georgia Aquarium. The Official Kickoff Party will take place Friday, October 8th at the Aquarium. “With the first Official Pride Kickoff event under our belt, we look forward to making next year’s event bigger and better with lots of new surprises to be announced over the coming months,” said Will Ramsey, the Georgia Aquarium’s Vice President, Sales.
Additionally, just as they did for 2009, APC will be organizing events and activities throughout 2010 to build enthusiasm for Pride 2010, including special events during the month of June to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. The 2009 Stonewall Week calendar consisted of approximately two dozen community based events, ranging from bar events and pool parties to political gatherings and a preview of the Human Rights Exhibit. APC is committed to putting together a strong line-up of activities and events in June that will celebrate and honor our community’s rich history, while also building excitement for the October festival.
*Due to complications from the drought of 2007, Pride 2008 and other class A events were required by the City of Atlanta to find alternative venues in which to hold their events. The switch of venue and date in 2008 resulted in lower than anticipated attendance and revenue, which left APC in serious financial straits. Fueled by the combination of the dire financial situation and overwhelming community feedback that Pride should return to green space, APC worked to find a solution for returning to the park. With the assistance of City Officials and the Parks Department, Atlanta Pride took place in Piedmont Park October 31-November 1st.
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Why is Pride in October?
Monday, June 1st, 2009
When the move of Pride from June to October 31-November 1 was announced due to summer drought restrictions in a still-healing Piedmont Park, we promised to honor Pride’s traditional June date with Stonewall Week. With community partners, Stonewall Week’s diverse roster of parties, rallies, pageants, concerts, galas and some 20 other events commemorated the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, and ramped up excitement for the festival’s return to Piedmont Park in October. We were blown away by the response and results.
For details on why Atlanta’s LGBT community got two Seasons of Celebration this year, read our Open Letter to the Community that went out in January.
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An Open Letter to Our Atlanta Pride Patrons
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
The Atlanta Pride Committee continues to receive valuable and unprecedented feedback from all corners of our diverse community, and we must first say thank you. It is clear that you care as much as we do about making Atlanta Pride a continuing tradition in our region, as well as an ongoing celebration of the varied facets of our culture.
For that, you have our most sincere gratitude.
With the announcement of our move back home to Piedmont Park – with a date change to Halloween Weekend – we are receiving a refreshing amount of positive response from people excited about the possibilities, and we are also hearing requests for more detail on how we came to that decision.
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