On Sunday June 23rd, Lehigh Valley locals celebrated Pride at the Sun Inn Courtyard in North Bethlehem. The celebration was the second annual Pride Party Palooza, an event founded by Scottie Prime with the goal of raising money for Project Silk Lehigh Valley. Project Silk is a part of the Valley Youth House organization and focuses on providing support for LGBTQIA+ youth in the Lehigh Valley. Specifically, Project Silk offers counseling, after school educational programming, access to free HIV and STI testing, and peer support. Throughout the courtyard where the party was being held there were numerous tables set up that encouraged attendees to donate money to Project Silk. Pride Party Palooza impressively balanced the joy that comes from a community celebration of Pride with the more serious need for health education and community support for LGBTQIA+ youth.
Pride Party Palooza’s fundraising for youth programming at Project Silk is crucial for supporting the wellbeing of local LGBTQIA+ teenagers. The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization that focuses on suicide prevention among LGBTQIA+ individuals, conducts research that emphasizes the importance of providing support to LGBTQIA+ youth. According to their website, 39% of LGBTQIA+ youth considered suicide, 49% experienced bullying, and 50% were unable to get mental health care despite wanting it in the past year. These statistics highlight the dire need to create support systems for LGBTQIA+ youth as well as access to affirming healthcare. In our local community, Project Silk is one of the primary organizations that offers support to LGBTQIA+ youth By providing free counseling, after school programming with adult supervision, and peer support networks, Project Silk is a key regional organization that addresses the needs of LGBTQIA+ young people.
Pride Party Palooza is key to normalizing LGBTQIA+ support in the Lehigh Valley as it educates local youths about safe spaces and communities around them. This event helps provide the LGBTQIA+ community with more information on local resources to help combat the worrying statistics given by the Trevor Project’s research. In keeping with their aim to create an open and safe community, the event itself was free and open to the public, making it accessible for everyone. There was also no age restriction for the event which made it possible for people to bring their families and even their dogs! In allowing any member of the Lehigh Valley community to partake in the celebration, Pride Party Palooza emphasized that Pride can and should be celebrated by everyone in the local community.
Pride Party Palooza encouraged those in attendance to have fun, and upon entering the Sun Inn Courtyard attendees were met with Pride flags strung up overhead, loud music thumping, and crowds of people dancing. Pride Party Palooza offered plenty for everyone to do. You could dance in front of the DJ’s booth, enjoy face-painting, “Dunk a Hunk” in a dunk tank, shop at the tents of local vendors, or drink the specialty cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks.
The DJ booth and the “Dunk a Hunk” tank were located directly next to each other, and created a focal point for Pride Party Palooza. DJ Brad Scott kept the energy high with upbeat pop music and encouraged those nearby to dance in front of the booth. The “Dunk a Hunk” tank featured a rotation of Lehigh Valley locals who were willing to be dunked throughout the afternoon. The tank offered lots of laughs. On the perimeter of the courtyard stood a line of tents consisting of local vendors and organizations where attendees could shop. These vendors sold goods such as hand-made crochet decorations, jewelry, and even Pride-themed stickers. Shopping at the vendors provided a calmer alternative to dancing, and also encouraged guests to support small, local businesses. In the line of vendor tents there was also a tent set up by the festival’s sponsor, Novus ACS, a local HIV testing center. Novus had a large table placed towards the entrance of the event that provided information about sexual health and safe sex. Additionally, if people were done shopping and dancing, they were able to grab a drink at one of the three bar tents that stood throughout the courtyard. Pride Party Palooza offered plenty for guests to enjoy, encouraging them to celebrate Pride however they felt was best.
Around 4:00 PM, Scottie Prime grabbed the microphone at the DJ booth and called for everyone’s attention. He gave a heartfelt speech about his experience in planning Pride Party Palooza in 2024 in comparison with the previous year’s event. Strikingly, Prime mentioned that last year’s event was attended by about 250 people, which exceeded his expectations for a small group of 50 attendees. Because of the success of the 2023 Pride Party Palooza, Prime was able to expand the event this year.. On Facebook, the 2024 Pride Party Palooza gained the attention of almost 1,000 people, indicating increased interest and excitement in the event compared to last year. While it is unknown exactly how many people actually attended the 2024 Pride Party Palooza, Prime proudly exclaimed that there were more attendees than last year. He expressed how grateful he was for Lehigh Valley’s support, articulating how important it is for young members of the community to witness such an open celebration.
The success of Pride Party Palooza is significant because it highlights the necessity of cultivating a local community that supports all of its members. Events like Pride Party Palooza allow children to grow up in a loving community focused on joy, education, and pride. By creating public LGBTQIA+ events, organizers like Prime create great visibility for LGBTQIA+ people in the Lehigh Valley. And as this event raised money for Project Silk, Prime and attendees supported the creation of safe spaces for LGBTQIA+youth to claim their identities openly and honestly while also participating in educational programming throughout the year. Pride Party Palooza promises to become an annual event in the Lehigh Valley because of the overwhelming support it received both this year and last.
To learn more about and support Project Silk, please visit Project Silk Lehigh Valley.
