No Rain on Bethel Pride Parade

BETHEL, CT --- Organizers say that over 500 people marched in, celebratedat, and otherwise attended the second annual Bethel Pride parade on Sunday, despite the forecast of two rain storms.

Bethel commercial establishments Molten Java, Cream & Sugar, The Toy Room and Note Kitchen Bar offered "pride specials" and hosted their own celebrations. Out of state attendees included marchers from Rhode Island and Israel. Both local firefighting departments, Bethel Fire & EMS and Stony Hill FD, brought along some of their trucks and handed out schwag. Gay-Straight Alliance members from several local elementary schools as well as Western Connecticut State University also marched.

“Being out for over 30 years, I could never take for granted what an amazing event Bethel Pride is," said Wendy Cahill, long-time Bethel resident and the owner of Molten Java coffee shop. "LGBTQ people and allies marching and celebrating together is a testament to how progressive and supportive our town and surrounding towns really are!” Cahill was instrumental in getting the word out for the first Bethel Pride Parade last year.

The Bethel Pride Parade was created last year by middle schoolers Hailey Gesler, her friend Marcella Antunes, and Hailey's mom, Alexis Wilson. It was a follow-on for an English Language Arts assignment that snowballed into a town-wide event.

A spokesperson for Bethel CT Pride says planning for "an even more amazing" 2019 parade has already begun.