Pride Flag flies over a lively and very well attended Summerfest.
Once again, Croton's famous annual festival does not disappoint.
Raising of the Pride Flag at the Croton municipal building, Sunday June 1.
By all accounts, this year’s Summerfest was one of the best yet, with crowds thicker than ever and great bands playing on each end of Grand Street. But this year there was something new: The first annual raising of the Pride Flag at the Croton municipal building. (For some history and background about the flag please see our earlier story.)
The event, attended by well over 100 people right after the traditional Summerfest parade, was sponsored by Croton Pride, the village’s IDEA Advisory Committee, and the village itself. All five members of the Croton Board of Trustees were also present.
After the flag was raised to loud cheers (see video above), there were brief introductions and welcomes from IDEA chair Cristina Alvarez and Croton Pride’s Elisa Silverglade Rader. Mayor Brian Pugh then led off the first of several speeches to commemorate the event.
Speaking in a voice quavering with emotion, Pugh, in a powerful speech that also visibly moved his listeners, took the crowd through the history of our nation’s struggles for civil liberties, placing the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights squarely into that historical context.
In a very personal note, Pugh told the gathering that his sister had just married her partner last year. Making clear reference to the challenges that vulnerable groups now face in the current political climate, Pugh declared:
“Many institutions have abandoned Pride. Croton-on-Hudson will not be one of them.”
Meanwhile, Summerfest was already well under way. See below for a sampling of photos from the event.
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Comments policy: Please be polite and respectful at all times.
It was a wonderful day in spite of it being unseasonably cold at the beginning. It seemed to me everyone was enjoying themselves judging by the smiles on all the faces.
I’m proud of Croton and Mayor Pugh for affirmatively supporting LGBTQ rights. This is especially important when our federal government has chosen to officially erase the existence of the LGBTQ community. Courage is contagious!