By Shelley Hanson
For The Intelligencer
Wheeling – Mikaya Green, chair of The Friendlier City Project, has always felt it important that the Ohio Valley’s LGBTQ+ community could celebrate its community at home, that there be a space that its members felt comfortable doing so.
For the fourth year, that space is coming to downtown Wheeling with Pride On The Plaza, a festival honoring and celebrating the region’s LGBTQ+ community. The event, from 3-9 p.m. Saturday, will take place on Water Street in Wheeling near Heritage Port.
Green, a Wheeling resident, is originally from Bridgeport and lived in New York City for a time. After moving back to the Ohio Valley, Green wanted to create a place where LGBTQ+ people felt safe and at home. This led to Green co-founding The Friendlier City Project with former Wheeling Councilwoman Rosemary Ketchum.
“People don’t have to move away to be themselves. We want them to feel welcome and feel they can stay in Wheeling and be supported. Pride is a really great way to show that and there is great support from the community,” Green said.
This year’s pride theme is “Free to Be.” Festival organizers said this recognizes the nation’s 250th anniversary, but also ask what freedom means when the LGBTQ+ community faces discrimination, as it has throughout the country’s history.
The festival will be filled with artists, nonprofits, community partners, food vendors and more through its artisan market and community resource area. It will include performances by The Pittsburgh Pride Choir, Epiphany and Annie Wolfe, as well as magician Dennis Regling. Visitors can also participate in a gender-affirming closet and hair salon, a Pride Bike Ride, chakra yoga with Restore Yoga, and a drum circle with Michelle Hartley.
The festival also will include educational components. Visitors will be able to view two portions of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, and a version of the original Pride flag designed by Gilbert Baker. Both will be on display at WesBanco Arena. There also will be a museum of queer history in Wheeling and a Pride-themed art gallery hosted at the Mother Jones Center for Resilient Community.
“Sometimes people can be afraid of what they don’t understand or know,” Green said. “It’s a family-friendly event and it’s a great opportunity to learn the history and check out local vendors. And it’s a lot of fun
“People will be surprised by how much fun they have down there,” Green added. “We’re hoping for a good turnout.”
Following the day’s festivities will be a Pride After Dark drag performance by several artists.
Green said her favorite part of the festival, which is one of Wheeling’s largest, is providing an opportunity for LGBTQ+ people and allies to feel safe and welcome in the city. They can see the support from the community and businesses participating.
“We are so proud to bring an even bigger and better lineup for our fourth Pride,” Green said. “While our musicians, entertainers, community partners, artisans, and food vendors are a highlight each and every year, we are so excited to complement these traditional festival amenities with the educational and thought-provoking displays of the Gilbert Baker flag and the AIDS Memorial Quilt.”
Green believes Pride celebrations are more important now than ever.
“The variety of artists, organizations, food vendors, musicians, performers, and educational opportunities featured during Pride on the Plaza is a testament to this community’s support for their LGBTQ+ friends, family and neighbors,” Green said of the event’s lineup. “It’s critical, especially now, that our community shows up in support of the people, including the LGBTQ+ community, who call this place home. It’s one way we help Wheeling live up to being ‘the Friendly City.’”
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