Pride Fest Could Draw Hundreds To Mokena

MOKENA, IL — The first Pride Fest to be held in the Lincoln-Way area is planned for Yunker Farm in mid-June. A number of events mixing education and fun will take place between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 10.

Pride Fest - Mokena has been in the works for a few months by the Southwest Suburban Activists, a group that formed on social media over a year ago and one that's grown considerably since then. Group founder Emily Biegel says some final details are still in the works, but the time and place for a unique event to be held anywhere in the south suburbs is set.

"We'll have a few music performances, a drag segment, children's author, vendors and games for kids," said Biegel, noting Pride Fest - Mokena will be a family friendly event open to all.

"We're also working on having counseling services available so we can support the kids and adults in this area who feel they need it," she said.

Biegel's SWSA group has organized numerous events since they formed in early 2017. One of them last year was a "march for equality" at Breidert Green Park in Frankfort, something that was done in conjunction with the national march.

"We wanted to do something different this year and settled on a Pride Fest," Biegel said. "This way we can melt fun and education and also get the community involved in ways that wouldn't be possible with a march."

Vendors and sponsors are still sought for Pride Fest - Mokena. Fill out these forms to become a vendor or sponsor before Memorial Day. Sponsorship options range in cost from $100 to $5,000.

Believed to be the first event of its kind to come to the south suburbs, Biegel says it's tough to predict how many people will turn out. But based on similar events held by the SWSA over the past year she is guessing about 800 will show up for Pride Fest.

More than 50 have indicated on a Facebook event page that they are going, with another 300+ listed as "interested."

But Biegel says elected officials have told her group "No" every time they've been approached about supporting something like this.

"We've grown leaps and bounds every time we've had an event," Biegel said. "We aren't bothered by our leadership's lack of recognition of us because we know that we do have a lot of supporters in the community."

If successful, Biegel hopes Pride Fest will turn into an annual event.

Photo provided by Southwest Suburban Activists