September 2015 - Issue 238 October 2003
EGN
Erie Pride Parade and Fest on August 29! Erie Pride weekend pages 9-12
Erie Gay News
20th Anniversary Family Portrait to be taken at Pride Fest on Aug. 29
from NW PA Pride Alliance It’s hard to believe, but 2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the first-ever LGBT Family Portrait. To celebrate this milestone, everyone is invited to be in the Family Portrait that will be taken at the start of Pride Fest on Saturday, August 29 in Griswold Park, 150 W 14th St, Erie PA. The day will begin with assembling beginning at noon for the Pride Parade from the Zone Dance Club, 133 W 18th S, and step off at 1 PM. The parade will end up in Griswold Park. As we arrive in Griswold, anyone who wants to be in the Family Portrait should gather in front of and facing the stage. A photographer will take the Family Portrait from the stage, and that will then kick off Pride Fest at 2 PM. The first-ever Family Portrait was taken on the steps of the Erie County Courthouse, 140 W 6th St, on Saturday, October 28, 1995. This was taken to be in the City of Erie’s Bicentennial Time Capsule and is now included in the Bicentennial Time Capsule at Dobbins Landing, due to be opened in 2095. We want to especially invite anyone in the original photo, and we also want to encourage as many other groups and individuals as possible, to show the growth of the local LGBT community.
An Evening with ‘Invisible Thread’ creators at Mercyhurst Sept. 9
from Mercyhurst University From the rolling hills of Uganda to a stifling NYC apartment, Invisible Thread (formerly titled Witness Uganda) engages audiences as it weaves poetic lyricism throughout spoken word, musical theatre and gospel. Our opening night performance features show creators Griffin Matthews and Matt Gould, alongside a local gospel choir, presenting the music from their awardwinning show before it premieres on Broadway this fall. Griffin, a black American volunteer, arrives in Uganda from New York City to help build a school and escape
Todd Simpson proposes to current Miss Erie, Valerie Valentino, at the end of the August FACE show at the Zone. More photos on our website. Photo by Mike Mahler his church’s probing into his sexuality. But when he meets a group of destitute, orphaned teenagers, he becomes obsessed with a mission that will change his and their lives forever. Fresh off a workshop at Disney hosted by music theatre legend Steven Schwartz, the score from this two-time winner of the Richard Rogers Award for Musical Theater will come alive in Erie for one night only. Invisible Thread is the story of a man battling to find his place in a world full of injustice as he asks “is changing the world even possible?” Performance info: September 9 at Mercyhurst University - Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center, 501 E 38th St, Erie, PA 16546, 7:30 PM. Box Seats: $30; Adult Tier 1: $20; Adult Tier 2: $17; Senior & (continued on page 3)