Decatur, IL (September 17, 2022) CORAL joined our friends in Decatur for their annual Pridefest at Fairview Park from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and the turnout was amazing.
Before the event, there had been some controversy over the activity involving a children’s drag show that had been scheduled. This had led to several threats and hate speech and a fear that violence might erupt on that date. However, the activity was cancelled and the park had law enforcement stationed at various locations to monitor the festivities.
The event had everything a Pridefest could ask for – vendors offering LGBTQ advice and merchandise, assistance in getting involved in the community, a drag queen story hour, music, and plenty of opportunities to socialize and network; all held under the same beautiful pavilion used by Millikin for their annual graduation.
CORAL definitely had a great time at the event passing out informational brochures and buttons as well as requesting volunteers for future events in the area. A special thank you goes out to Sam Downs of Logan County Pride who helped staff one of the CORAL tables. Not only did he genuinely advocate for CORAL’s presence, he proved allies of our community can be our greatest asset.