MIDDLEBURY — When the Middlebury Pride Festival began two years ago, it was just a little parade but it had a big impact. The 2022 event, organized by the Middlebury Teen Center and Ilsley Public Library, drew fewer than 100 people, but the teens involved were buoyed by the small but mighty crowd, according to Teen Center Executive Director Lindsey Fuentes-George.

Last year’s event, bolstered by a grant from UVM Medical Center, drew more than twice as many marchers and revelers. And this year promises to be even bigger.

June is Pride month, and that’s when the Middlebury festival has taken place its first two years, but the timing wasn’t ideal for organizers, who are busy prepping for summer camps and programs that time of year. That’s why they’ve settled this year on Saturday, Oct. 12, which has another cool benefit: College students, still in town for the academic year, can participate, too.

“We’re ultimately trying to get this on the calendar every year,” said Fuentes-George. She and Ilsley librarian Kathryn Laliberte are aiming to make the festival an annual no-brainer like Spooktacular or the Memorial Day Parade. “And we’re committed to making it family friendly.”

PEOPLE OLD AND young march together in the 2023 MiddPride parade brandishing pride flags. MiddPride celebrates Vermonters in the LGBTQ+ community, aiming to show respect for and give visibility to the community.
Independent file photo/Steve James

It helps that they have the enthusiasm and hard work of Middlebury College student Elio Farley. A MiddPride volunteer, Farley also interns at the Teen Center, where they lead a weekly Queer Group focused on discussing healthy relationships. Farley says the push for establishing a Pride Festival in Middlebury really came from the kids.

“They wanted to see themselves celebrated in this town,” Farley said. Pride is about centering queer joy of all ages. But in Middlebury, organizers have a special focus on showing the young people in our town — who may be queer or trans, or may still be trying to figure themselves out — that they have support. “Even if you’re not a queer adult,” said Farley, “if you openly support them, it makes a difference.”

All three organizers said that over the last three years, since the Pride events began in Middlebury, they’ve seen fewer incidences of self-harm among the young people they serve.

“People are pretty conservative in Middlebury,” said Fuentes-George. “Not in a political way. But in that people aren’t loud about their beliefs.” There’s a ton of support for you, she would tell queer teens, “but they couldn’t see it.”

Then in 2022, they saw dozens of people they knew march down Main Street carrying signs and sparkle for the first Pride parade.

“It’s cool to see your teachers show up, and your neighbors show up. It’s really empowering,” said Laliberte.

A COUPLE HUNDRED people turned out for MiddPride events in downtown Middlebury in 2023. A group from the local teen center, which was responsible for organizing much of MiddPride, led a parade down Main Street.
Independent file photo/Steve James

This year they’re going even bigger — and they’re leaning into the October-ness, billing the event “Pride: Spooky Edition.” Another multi-talented Ilsley librarian, Renee Ursitti, designed a cool new rainbow ghost logo. Costumes are encouraged.

This year’s parade starts at 1 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 12 — line-up is at 12:30 at College Park (the one with the three concrete balls). Take your kids to the library beforehand to get gussied up with face paint, hair chalk and other colorful adornments, starting at 11:30 a.m.

The parade ends on the town green, where festivities will continue until 5 p.m. Merchants Row will be shut down, and there will be live music, local vendors, food trucks, a costume contest and two bounce houses. (Last year, the adults wanted to bounce, too, Farley said. So this year grown-ups get their own house.)

The Middlebury Skatepark Project will be rolling — on skateboards, rollerblade and scooters — in the parade, and they’ll have some skate park features set up near the green. Laliberte and Grand Marshall Izzy Gogarty will present a pride-themed storytime on the green, too. And the Teen Center kids have been decorating rubber duckies, which will be hidden around town for a scavenger hunt.

Even the Vermont Department of Health is getting in on the fun this year. They’ll be there with a vaccine booth so you can get your fall shots.

A COUPLE HUNDRED people turned out for MiddPride events in downtown Middlebury in 2023. A group from the local teen center, which was responsible for organizing much of MiddPride, led a parade down Main Street.
Independent file photo/Steve James

Oh, and one more thing: You don’t have to identify as LGBTQ+ to walk in the parade. In fact, it’s extra special for straight and cis allies to walk, too. “When straight people march in the parade, it makes it not automatically an outing act to walk,” said Farley, which makes it more inclusive for folks who might not be ready to come out just yet.

“My hope is that families come just because it’s such a fun event,” said Fuentes-George. “It’s a celebration. It’s about joy and accepting each other. Anyone can participate in that.”

Want to get involved? Organizers are still looking for volunteers! Sign up at middpride.org. And, for teens and adults, the Middlebury Marquis is screening the film “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” as a fundraiser for MiddPride on the Thursday night (Oct. 10) before the parade.