Vegreville Celebrates Pride Week with Rainbow Road

Vegreville Celebrates Pride Week with Rainbow Road

Rosanne Fortier - News Correspondent

June is National Pride Month in Canada. It is a time when we celebrate diversity and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities; and to acknowledge their history, the hardships they have endured, and the progress that has been made.

Vegreville celebrated Pride Week from June 14 to June 18. Vegreville acknowledged this time with a rainbow painted on the road by 50 Street, (Mazankowski Way) and 49 Avenue.

The rainbow painted on the road by 50 Street, (Mazankowski Way) and 49 Avenue.

(Rosanne Fortier/Photo)

Emma Murray, Community Programmer for FCSS, said Pride Month is in June and is recognized nationally. But different cities chose to celebrate for a week, and Vegreville chose June 14-18 because that is when Sherwood Park was holding their special week of recognition.

Murray said there were a few organizations as well as community members

involved with the planning of Pride Week. “Some of those were MHCB, Vegreville Family Resource Network, the Vegreville Centennial Library, Veg Al Drug, and of course myself from FCSS.

Our community members included an adult and two youth participants. We all decided that we would write a letter to council asking them to raise the pride flag, and asked if we could paint the crosswalk as well.

I, Kate Pugh, and Kristin McSween from MHCB did a presentation to town council on why pride is important and it included letters from staff and students at A.L. Horton School and Vegreville Composite High School.

After that presentation, council gave us the go ahead to do both. I feel council strives to be welcoming and inclusive, and they really showed that with their decision to celebrate Pride Week this year.”