By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

NNN’s top 10 of 2017: Nanaimo embraces Pride events

Dec 28, 2017 | 1:35 PM

NANAIMO — When you think of marquee summer events in Nanaimo’s Maffeo Sutton Park the big three come to mind — Dragon Boats, Silly Boats and Bathtub weekend.

Perhaps it’s time to expand the list.

For a second straight year, Nanaimo Pride Society packed almost 10,000 joyous revelers into the waterfront park for the Pride parade and festival on June 10. A parade with dozens of entrants led the way to a colourful and boisterous celebration in the park.

While 2016 marked the first time the society held a parade and festival in the harbour city, 2017 was the 20th anniversary of the first ever Pride march on the waterfront in 1997.

On top of an event filled with vibrancy and happiness, Nanaimo City Council doubled-up on their support for the society’s efforts in the community.

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In May, Council approved the addition of two more rainbow painted crosswalks at the intersection of Commercial and Bastion St., joining the two previously painted.

The explosion in popularity and coinciding support from the community for Pride festivities marked a coming of age of sorts for a city often considered blue collar, maybe even old fashioned.

During a 2016 interview, former Nanaimo Pride Society president Rick Meyers shared a memory from 2000 when mayor Gary Korpan walked out of the room when the group approached council for support.

Speaking with NanaimoNewsNOW at the 2017 event, Meyers said it was amazing to see what felt like 1,000 people surrounding the rainbow crosswalk during the parade.

“At the exact same spot I got fag-bashed when I was like 16. To see this many people come out and support all the diversity we’ve got in Nanaimo, it more than warms my heart,” Meyers said.

Mayor Bill McKay said while not everyone is on-board with the inclusion movement, those people are in the minority.

“The fact thousands of people showed up to the event last year told me there were far more people in this community that wanted to be representative of an inclusive city.”

The 2018 Pride festival and parade all already being planned and will no doubt be among the must-see summer events in Nanaimo.

This story came in at number 9 on our top 10 list of biggest stories we covered this year. NanaimoNewsNOW is counting down our top 10 local stories of 2017, with the top two stories named on New Year’s Eve. Be sure to check back and offer your thoughts on the biggest stories of 2017.

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