Crowd celebrates with Idaho Falls Pride at Chukars game
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IDAHO FALLS — Idaho Falls Pride hit a homerun with their first sponsorship of a Chukars game Saturday.
Thousands of people showed up to watch the Chukars, who defeated the Missoula PaddleHeads, and to support equality and love in the local community.
“We had a huge turnout,” said Hope Morrow, treasurer of the Idaho Falls Pride board, “This is the first time we’ve ever done the Chukars game because we were kind of worried about Covid-19 and what it would look like, so we were hoping people could sit and distance and that kind of thing.”
The Pride booth at the game attracted a steady stream of visitors and donations for hours, and hundreds of fans adorned themselves with pride flags, stickers, t-shirts and hats.
“I think it’s going really well, and our board has talked quite a bit about doing it each summer,” Morrow said. “So look for it next summer!”
Although the traditional Pride parade was cancelled this year due to COVID-19, the group organized alternative events that included a tap night at McKenzie River Grill on June 17 and Reading Time with the Queens on June 18.
Reading Time, a virtual event, featured the book “Over the Rainbow” by E.Y. Harbug and Eric Puybaret. It is the latest in a series of educational videos that are dedicated to “teaching kids and families in southeastern Idaho how to love and accept themselves and others.”
Although June is the official Pride month, Idaho Falls Pride events continue throughout the year, including a drag brunch scheduled for fall.
“We’re an ever changing group, a group of people who really want to help the community be educated and understand and bring visibility to the LGBTQ+ community,” Morrow explained. “We want to create spaces where both the community and the LGBTQ+ groups can come together and really understand each other and just have fun.”