Nearly 200 vendors, 160-plus parade entries lined up for Dallas Pride

Tammye Nash | Managing Editor
nash@dallasvoice.com

Nearly 200 vendors and more than 160 parade entries are lined up and ready for the 2019 Dallas Pride events this weekend, the first time Dallas Pride has been held outside the Oak Lawn gayborhood since the early 1970s.

Both the Miller Lite Music Festival and the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade will be held at Fair Park, with the festival kicking off the weekend Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., in the Centennial Building and the Automobile building, located on either side of the Esplanade, just inside the Parry Avenue entrance to the park grounds.

The parade steps off Sunday at 2 p.m., beginning in front of Fair Park Coliseum on Coliseum Drive, then following Nimitz Avenue around the Cotton Bowl to the Court of Honor in front of the Hall of State, where the judges stand will be situated. The parade will then go around Grand Place to pass across Cotton Bowl Plaza before ending back in front of Fair Park Coliseum.

Dallas Pride committee members last year said they were moving the Pride festival to Fair Park to make room for growth, and give the city a world class Pride by 2020. This week, Pride Executive Director Jaron Turnbow said this year’s event is a big step in that direction.

“Last year, we had 93 vendors at the festival. This year we have 199 vendors,” Turnbow said. “There may be a few stragglers that come in at the last minute, but basically, the count is 199. We could have had even more vendors and parade entries, but we had to close the parade entries early enough to get the packets ready. We still have people asking, way after the cut-off date.

“So many more non-profits are able to join this year because we have more room and because set-up will be much easier for them,” he continued. “We did have room at Reverchon Park [where the festival has been held in recent years], but the set-up there was much more difficult. The ground was so uneven, to begin with.”

Being inside the buildings at Fair Park offers a variety of advantages, Turnbow continued. There will be better stages for the entertainers, and more amenities for vendors and guests — not to mention the fact that inclement weather will be far less of an impact.

One of the vendors, State Farm Insurance, is able to have a large screen “where you will be able to write letters to our LGBT youth, to say things to encourage and support them,” Turnbow said. “We have better space, better power capabilities so that we can do things like that [big screen display]. It will be a better experience overall, for the vendors and visitors, because the space and the options are better.”

In addition to the vendors, the festival will include the popular Family Pride Zone and Teen Pride, a Main Stage, a Community Stage and display of panels from the NAMES Project AIDS Quilt set up in the Centennial Building. Turnbow said organizers are trying to arrange to have the building open during the parade on Sunday, too, so visitors that day can see the Quilt, too.

A section of the parade route alongside the Cotton Bowl near the Midway has been set for those who want to set up tents, and Turnbow said there will be “plenty of options for drinks and food. We will have Fletch Corny Dogs there, lots of food vendors, lots of food trucks, ice cream, even funnel cakes. There will be a plethora of food options.”

Although some people have complained that they will not be able to bring in coolers with their own beverages — liquor and beer — as they did when the parade route was on Cedar Springs Road, Turnbow noted that not only is it illegal to bring in outside beverages to Fair Park, it has always been illegal to have liquor on The Strip, too. “The city has been lenient about that in the past, but they had already told us they would be clamping down on it this year,” he said.

But not to worry: “We are going to have plenty of beer and wine available for people, plenty of sodas and water. The water will be available for just $1,” Turnbow said. “For the festival, there will be four beer and wine bars and one full-service bar. There will be two full-service bars on Sunday, and Smirnoff Vodka is the sponsor for that.”

Although there is a fee to park at Fair Park — $10 for each day, which can be prepaid online at DallasPride.org — Turnbow stressed that transportation is available via DART, and there will be a lot designated for ride-share drop-offs and pick-ups, where Uber, Lyft and Alto will be staged. “Check the DallasPride.com website for discounts on ride share, too,” he noted.

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NAMES Project Quilt panels on display

More than 120 feet of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display in the Centennial Building at Fair Park on Saturday, June 1, during the Miller Lite Music Festival. Organizers hope to have the display open to the public during the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade on Sunday, June 2, too.

The display will include panels dedicated to North Texas men and women lost to AIDS, including long-time Dallas Tavern Guild executive director, activist and Pride organizer Alan Ross.

In June 1987, a small group of strangers gathered in a San Francisco storefront to begin documenting the lives lost to AIDS, lives they were afraid history would neglect. Their goal was to create a memorial that would honor those lost to the epidemic while at the same allowing those left behind to grieve and, just as important, creating a visual representation of the devastation AIDS was leaving in its wake.

This is where the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt was born.

Today, the Quilt comprises more than 48,000 individual 3-foot-by-6-foot memorial panels that have been sewn together by friends, lovers and family members. There are NAMES Project chapters across the United States and independent Quilt affiliates around the world.

Since 1987, more than 14 million people have visited Quilt displays worldwide, and through those displays the NAMES Project Foundation has raised more than $3 million for AIDS service organizations across the country.

For more information, visit AIDSQuilt.org.

— From Staff Reports

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DART to the festival and parade

Paid parking at Fair Park is an option while construction continues on train tracks through downtown

DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com

Parking at Fair Park on Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2, may be a good option this year for people attending this year’s Pride festival and Pride parade. The cost is $10 each day.

DART is usually a great option, but replacement of downtown tracks on weekends through the summer will disrupt direct connections to Fair Park for train riders who have to cross downtown. West End, Akard and St. Paul stations will be closed.

The Green Line stops at Fair Park’s front gate. From the five stations to the south of Fair Park Station, including connecting bus service from Mesquite, there’s no interruption.

For the Green Line from Carrollton and the Orange Line from DFW Airport, service will stop at Victory Station. This affects passengers transferring from the TRE from Fort Worth, which only has Saturday service, and the A Line from Denton.

At Victory Station, transfer to a bus to Pearl/Arts District Station. Two lines will run — an express directly to Pearl/Arts District Station and a local that will stop at each downtown station. From there, take the Green Line three stops to Fair Park.

For passengers taking the Red Line from Oak Cliff or Blue Line from South Dallas, service will stop at West End Station. From there, board a bus to Pearl/Arts District Station and then take the Green Line three stops to Fair Park.

At each of the stations, look for signs for “rail disruption” bus routes.

For passengers taking the Red Line from Plano, Orange Line from LBJ Station or Blue Line from Rowlett, service will continue to Pearl/Arts District Station.

Transfer to the Green Line to Fair Park with no disruption.

If you begin your trip after noon, one $3 ticket will take you round trip. If you head to Fair Park on DART earlier than noon, an a.m. ticket will cost $3 and a p.m. ticket will cost another $3.

The downtown stations are closed while DART replaces track through the original rail corridor that opened in 1997. All four train lines use the track that runs through four downtown stations, which has caused excessive wear.

While the closure is inconvenient for weekend DART riders, consider the problems in the New York City subway system. Some of the track and much of the technology used in the New York City subway dates back 100 years.

Derailments, delays and outages are common occurrences as the city deals with updating the antiquated service. DART decided to avoid New York’s mistakes and upgrade a little bit quicker. Once completed, DART promises a smoother ride through downtown.

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Let Lyft pay for your marriage license

Lyft is committed to making each ride inclusive, creating a conscientious community where all of its drivers and riders feel welcome, comfortable and respected. For that reason, Lyft has implemented a Gender Inclusion and Affirmation Policy to ensure the safety, comfort and healthy development of transgender or gender non-conforming team members while maximizing team members’ workplace integration.

That is also why Lyft has entered into a partnership with the Human Rights Campaign through its Round Up and Donate program and why the ride-share company participates in Pride events across the country to support LGBTQ+ equality.

Because of this commitment, on June 3, the day after the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade, Lyft will be at the Dallas County Clerk’s office from 8-10 a.m., paying for couples’ marriage licenses, regardless of how they identify or who they love.

If couples are unable to make it to the county clerk’s office at that time, Lyft will provide a free ride up to $10 to the county clerk’s office throughout the month of June with the discount code DFWPRIDE19.

For more information visit Lyft.com/Rider/Cities/Dallas-Fort-Worth-TX.

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The 2019 Miller Lite Music Festival takes place from 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, June 1, inside the Centennial Building and the Automobile Building, just inside the Parry Avenue entrance to Fair Park.

The festival will include the Family Pride Zone, featuring special vendors, events and entertainment for LGBT families with younger children, Teen Pride, featuring special vendors, events and entertainment for LGBT teens, and a display of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. There will be entertainment on two stages: the Main Stage and the Community Stage.

Admission to the festival is $10 for those 18 and older; $5 for those ages 13-17, and free for those 12 and under. There is no separate admission fee for Family Pride Zone or Teen Pride.

No outside food or beverages are allowed. There will be numerous food and beverage vendors on site.

Pets are allowed in Fair Park and at the festival, but all pets MUST be on leashes.

The Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade steps off at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 2, inside Fair Park, with 161 entries. Again, no outside food and beverages are allowed, but food and beverage vendors will be on site. A special section has been designated for those who wish to set up a tent to watch the parade.

Parking at Fair Park is $10 each day, and can be prepaid online at DallasPride.org. The DART Green Line drops off and picks up riders outside the Parry Avenue entrance, and a parking lot across from the Parry Avenue entrance will be set aside for ride-share drop-offs and pick-ups.

For more information, visit DallasPride.org.

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GRANDMARSHALS

Mack Campbell. left, Jeff Roose, right

Mack Campbell says being elected by the community as a grand marshal of the 2019 Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade, “is a real honor and a motivation to do more” for the LGBT community.

Campbell said, “I’m proud I’ve been able to make a positive impact in our community, and I am humbled to [know that my name will] be listed along side the past grand marshals.”

Better known as his fundraising alter ego Marsha Dimes, Campbell has been involved with the Turtle Creek Chorale since 2008. He was named the Chorale’s “Member of the Year” in 2018, and currently serves on the organization’s board of directors. He has focused a lot of his energy on his work with LifeWalk, Prism Health North Texas’ largest annual fundraising event, and in November 2017, he founded “Marsha and Friends Drag Brunch,” a bi-monthly fundraiser that has raised more than $25,000 for LifeWalk over the last year-and-a-half. And he was named LifeWalk’s “Best New Individual” for raising more than $10,000 in 2018.

Campbell has worked at Resource Center, Cathedral of Hope and Lambda Legal. “Marsha Dimes,” became the first drag queen to speak at the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference this year with a session entitled “Don’t be a Drag. Just Be a Queen: How to Rule with LGBTQ+ Donors.”

“Everyone should have a hobby; why not make it something that makes a difference — even if it means putting on a cheap dress and bad makeup,” Campbell said.

 

Jeff Roose, better known to his fans as Jenni P., says that being elected by the community as grand marshal of the 2019 Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade has inspired him to become even more involved in the Dallas LGBT community than he was before.

Roose, described by his friends as an amazingly talented, funny, genuine and kind person, performs in shows and drag brunch events at venues including Marty’s

LIVE, Dish Restaurant and Cedar Grove. He is currently emcee and show director for the Drag Brunch at Don’t Tell Supper Club in downtown Dallas, and often helps raise money for Dallas Pets Alive through his drag shows.

Roose travels nationally for Lancome Cosmetics and Get Flawless Hair, and does makeup and hair for competitorsin fitness competitions.

“I want to use the voice I have. I want to be more involved with more organizations in our community here,” Roose said. “This is the time to step up and speak out, and that’s what I am going to do.”