Ridgefield To Celebrate 5th Annual Pride In The Park

RIDGEFIELD, CT — The town will be rolling out the rainbow carpet for visitors and residents alike at the fifth annual Ridgefield Pride in the Park celebration this Saturday, June 1, from noon to 3 p.m.

Volunteer organization Ridgefield Pride is promising live bands, a DJ, crafts, games, face painting, and a swelling number of activity and information tables (see below) at the Ballard Park festival for all things LGBTQ.

This year, Ridgefield Pride is partnering with the Ridgefield Historical Society to produce an oral LGBTQ History Of Ridgefield, and Pride in the Park will offer visitors a recording booth where they can lay down their tale's track. Also new for 2024 will be a performance by The Ridgefield Chorale.

As high-profile as the annual park party has become, it's the work going on the other 11 months that is Ridgefield Pride's most important, according to the group's founder, Alisa Trachtenberg. Partnering with Lighthouse, Ridgefield Pride hosts both social and support groups for LGBTQ youth and their caregivers, both in-person and on Zoom.

A recent — and very popular — addition to the monthly event line-up is a free "game night" offered on the third Thursday of each month. Trachtenberg said she is looking ahead to offering "playgroups where LGBTQ parents who are looking for safe spaces can take their kids."

With the support of the Ridgefield Economic & Community Development Commission, Trachtenberg is currently working on an "All Are Welcome" campaign for businesses and institutions which would provide training and support about inclusive business practices and offer a "safe-space decal" to businesses which sign a statement of support.

"We do a lot, and we do it with very few people. And if people want to donate, that would be helpful," she told Patch.

Currently wading chest-deep through the "add new things until you drown" phase familiar to most non-profit founders, Trachtenberg says she is in the process of putting a leadership team together to share the load. It's help she could have desperately used to navigate the logistic jungle that led to the creation of the town's Pride Crosswalk at the intersection of East Ridge Road and Governor Street last October.

"That crosswalk ended up being a 'ginoromous' amount of time," she explained.

Although Ridgefield Pride's arc has been littered mostly with wins, it's clear there was one "L" that really stung. A new town policy restricts the use of the flagpole in front of Town Hall to the U.S. and state flags, along with the POW/MIA flag, and the town's "fight against drunk driving" flag. That means the Pride Flag will no longer be flown.

Trachtenbeg said she was undaunted.

"We know that there's overwhelming support for visible inclusion and recognition of all members of Ridgefield's community, and we're confident that we will find a solution."

2024 Pride in the Park Activities will include:

Activity Tables:
Adam Broderick Salon & Spa - Hair flair station
Congregation Shir Shalom of Westchester and Fairfield Counties, Inc. - Craft
Free Mom Hugs
Jesse Lee Church
Kids in Crisis Lighthouse Program
Ridgefield Library
Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance - Balloon animals
School of Rock
SPHERE
St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church
Woodcock Nature Center - small animals
Wooster School

Informational Tables:
Advanced Window Systems
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
Annie C Courtney Foundation
Apex Community Care
The Center for Empowerment and Education
C2 Education of Ridgefield
CT Against Gun Violence
League of Women Voters of Ridgefield
The Literacy Barn, LLC
Ms President US
PFLAG Waterbury
Let’s Put a Pride Flag on the Moon - petition
Ridgefield Chorale
Ridgefield Pediatrics
Ridgefield Playhouse
Ridgefield Theater Barn
Ridgefield Youth Commission
Ridgefield Youth Service Bureau
Spire Therapy LLC
St. Andrew's Lutheran Church
Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church of Ridgefield
Stonewall Speakers
Tutoring Club