Planning to participate in the Pride Parade on Sunday, July 7? Here's what you need to know:
First Congregational Church will be at the beginning of the parade as part of the interfaith group. We're in the "orange" group. Sharon Benton or another volunteer will be there at 9:00 am to hold our spot.
Stacey Malone Miller will be driving her van in the parade and welcomes anyone who would like to join her. Stacey and her van will need to be at the beginning of the parade route as soon after 9:00 am as possible.
Anyone wanting a ride should be in the church parking lot at 9:45 am. Please tell Bill Liddicoet if you will need a ride from the church so we have enough vehicles.
Everyone needs to be in place in our "orange" parade group by 10:30 am.
Note that there is no parking in the Granary area, so carpooling is recommended, whether you carpool with someone from church or do it yourself.
Some highlights from the parade organizer for participants:
The parade meetup spot for walking members/groups will be at the gravel lot, across from WayPoint Park near the pump track. There will be a pop up tent where I will mostly be stationed, where you can meet your color group leader there and get the information you need to make everything go smoothly.
Please bring water and sunscreen. The forecast is in the high 80s for Sunday, and I want to make sure everyone is hydrated and safe from sunburns!
If you are bringing pets, please make sure they are well-behaved and that you are prepared to clean up after them. We will not have any sort of clean-up supplies for this purpose. Animals who show aggressive behaviors will be asked to leave.
If you did not sign up to play music, please do not bring music.
Vehicles that were not preregistered as parade participants will not be allowed on site as we line up. We have the entire street at the Granary closed off, and there is no parking available on site. You can drop off people near the Granary building on Chestnut, but entry on Granary Ave is blocked off entirely and Laurel is only for parade vehicles (see my previous email for details).
If you have people who need the shorter, flatter route, please let me know as soon as possible. We have a limited amount of space available, and it's filling up quickly.
If you have things to hand out during the parade, they must be handed directly to the recipient. Per Bellingham city law, we are not able to toss things to people during a parade.
